LMoore56

Hey! thats good about it being at Barnes & Noble, theres a store about 30 miles from here and easy to get to. I can't quite remember where I read it at, but I would almost swear that had the 93 to 95 Lightnings rated at 240HP. It does seem low though. And that is in book a good reason to upgrade. Thats why I'm as for along as I am.

Hey! you say the book is or is not at Barnes and Noble. I bought one of the ( CD Rom disc ) off of eBay for my 77 280Z. Then I went at making copies, of anything and everything that I thought would come in handy. That was after fighting the Gremlins in the that were in the wiring on the car. I like never figured the headlights out on it. That was before I found this site. Now for the 351's, I know that the 93 to 95 Lightning's, were supposed to be rated at 240 hp. I'm not sure if it was rear wheel, or flywheel hp. That seems a little low, but thats what was advertized. I do know a plane 351 seemed like a dog. They got poor gas mileage, and did not have any power. But thats in a truck though. The 302 that came in my 94 F150 was the same way, and did not get but 9 to 10 MPG and that was a good day. When I put my 393 stroker into my truck. The mileage jumped to 17 MPG, with my foot in it all the time. And that was with 3.55 gears in the rearend. I have 3.08's in it now, because of the power. I kept stripping out third and overdrive. I ordered a kit and valve body through Lentech automatics, and thats what I have now. I seemed to change something on my engine or upgrade rather, everytime I pulled my engine and tranny. NOW you talk about power, its got it now.

Since your going with the 351, if you have the extra money and can afford it, stroke it. You will be surprized by the extra power and torque that you can get from one over a 351. I don't know if you know, but you can go all the way to 427ci, from a 351W. You can also put a set of modified clevland heads on one and make a clevor and really have some power. Now for the book, I wonder if Barnes and Noble carries it. I really want to find it. If I can learn to modify, Ford fuel injection. I can probably learn to upholstry my interior. It will late for me tomorrow, I've got two houses to do. LMoore56

I never thought about a upholstry book. Where did you find it? Are you going with a 351 or what. If you get a low intake, it should fit ok. I found a 1969 Mustang Cobra Jet hood scoop, that I'm going with on the one with the 351 based engine. The scoop lines up real well with the lines on the hood. That will give me a couple of inches more clearance. I'll have to trim just a hair off the front, to get to mount just right. I've also got a set of AC Cobra headers that I'm going to try to use. All I need are the side pipes. I'm going to be the biggest part of the work, if not all, including the paint. I have already done a little painting.

Well my antenna cord is to short. So at the moment, CD's is all mine will play also. AS for my interior, I am going to try and make my seat covers. My wife bought a storage unit, that was full of different types of material, from cloth to leather or fake leather, to make my seat covers. Along with the sewing machine. I'm going give it a shot. I've been thinking about putting rings in my engine, so I can start driving it. I would like to see what kind of power it has before I put my 5.0 in it.

There you go. I've got to do that also. I was telling about the gremlins that I had. Well, my radio does not power up , unless the headlights are turned on. One of the privious owners, done a number in the wiring, inside the car. I don't know what I would have done, without the good information that I have gotten from this site. Its funny to see so ideas that I have thought of, already been done here. I just found this site by accident, around a year ago. I've looked at and read most of the post. LMoore56

Well I think that can get what is called a bonded title for the first one, I'm not sure yet though. The one that I got off eBay in Ft. Worth that has the title. The motor was froze up when I got it, but I worked on it for around three days and got the motor unstuck, also running. The bad thing is the oil rings are stuck to the pistons I think. Because it smokes quite a bit when you excellerate. It took me a few weeks or months rather, to get the Grimlins out and to get it ready for inspection. Now with the new emissions test where I live, the way it smokes, I don't think it will pass inspection. I've got a 83 280Z that was wrecked and no motor or tranny. That I'm going to try and use the rear disc brake setup off of on this 77. Before I do the 302 conversion. I have a 4.6L SOHC and tranny from a 2001 Crown Vic Police car , that I believe will fit. I've thought about trying it in there. My wife drives a 95 Cougar with the 4.6L SOHC and revs quick. I still like the 393W better though. A kit is around $700.00 I think and it is complete with rings and bearings. They have dropped the prices a bunch, since I bought my first crank. I paid $475.00 for my first crank and $250.00 for the second. Now you can get the crank for $150.00 and its knife edged so you don't have to do as clearancing on the block. Well good luck on your 260. I get started and can't stop. LMoore56

Well young Z owner, I don't know about that. I cruising in on that half century mark real soon. The first Hybrid Z car that I saw, was back in 1975 wjth a 289-C4 combo. A girl that I was dating, her older brother owned it. You talk about something that would get up and go, that one would. I was driving a 67 Mustang at the time and walked off and left me. I can't remember if he had a 2 or a 4 barrel carb on it. The 77 280Z that I'm going to start with has some rust issues, but a clear title and that makes quite a difference. I took and installed the 5.0 that came in my truck, along with a T-5 tranny, just to see if I could do it. My wife bought the car at a mini storage auction, for $5.00. The said thing is that I done all that work. Then tried to get tags for it, and was told that I didn't have the right paper work by the Texas DPS. I went back to the storage facility and they told me that was all they had. So I looked and looked, and found this one on eBay. The motor was froze up, so I thought it would be a perfect canidate for the convertion. My wife has put another project in front of mine now. Got go again before it gets dark. LMoore56

It really is and I know where your coming from, when you say that you need a garage. It took me five years to get my shop. Its a 30 by 30 metal building, but I only can use around a 12 by 22 area in it, if that much. My wife keeps filling it up on me. I can barely get my truck in and close the door, with about three inches to spare. No room to work on it with the door closed at all. LMoore56

Your welcome, anytime. Just glad that I could help out. I've been playing with the 393W stroker in my truck for 5 years now. Upgrading a little at a time. Its amazing how much more it makes over the 302. I can punch it at 75 or 80 MPH and it will put back in the seat. And that is in a full sized truck, just imagine what it woukd be like in a light Z car. I'm going to get my feet wet with a 302 first, to see how much fun that is. Then I'm going for the gusto, if I can afford it, or talk my wife into it. I'm going to stroke one out to a 427W and put it into my second 77 280Z that I have. LMoore56

Yes if you are going with a 302. But if you go with a 351, get the computer and harness from a Mustang GT, 89-95. The ecu is the EEC-IV programed for mass air. If you plan on going with a 351, get one from a 94-96 F150 or F250, because they came with a roller cam. Except the Lightning engines. I know the 93 Lightning blocks were not roller blocks. The 94 & 95 may be, I'm not certain. I do know they came with flat tappet cams. The number on the block to look for starts with F4. I hope this info helps. Lmoore56

Well the truck blocks came with the roller cams in 94, both 302 and 351's. I'm not sure what year they started with the 302, but I know it was 94 for the 351. The cams are not performance at all. I've been running the E303, but I just changed to to the F303. The Ford Motorsports cams. If you go with a 351, go for the gusto, stroke it. Building a 393 from a 351W, it uses a 3.85 stroke crank, 351W rods, and late model 302 or 5.0 pistons. On eBay, you can get the crank for $150, the pistons , from $200 and up, depending on what your looking for. Or you can get a complete kit fairly resonable. The one thing to keep in mind, is that the 302 piston that you use, will be around 1.6 to 1 higher compression in a 393. I thought I was running 9.9 , and they turned out to be 11.5. It sounded like a diesel. LMoore56

The 95 Cobra R came with the efi 351W . The F150 started efi in 86 I beleive and went through 96. Also the F150 Lightning came with from 93-95. The trucks came with the speed density setup on them. I'm not sure about the Cobra R. In 94 some F150's with the 5.0 (302) came with the mass air setup and it will work on the 351W the sensors from a 5.0. Thats what I use on my 393W stroker in my 94 F150. I've just switched to a 95 GT ecu and it made a big difference. I'm still gathering parts for my 77 280Z. Soon to have a 5.0 T-5 combo, with a grafted 91 Mustang peddle assy. Hope the info helps. LMoore56

Hello; I'm new here to the board, but, If I'm not mistaken. That is your timing mark or pointer for the 66 289 engines. It has a 28 oz harmonic balancer. I have a 67 289 out of a 67 Mustang, and if I'm not mistaken, it has the same timing mark. It has been a while since I have looked at it though.