74_5.0L_Z

I know for certain that the 1987 - 1989 5.0 engine came with TRW forged pistons. They are four valve relief with a small dish. They were rated at 9.2 to 1 compression when used with 60 cc combustion chamber heads. I have these pistons in my 1989 5.0.

I know that he doesn't have any 3x2 or 2x4 intakes for a 351W. He has both for a 289 / 302. As for the adapter, It should be easy to design / fabricate.

By the way, I have a friend who hoards old Ford parts (289 Hi-po, Boss 302, etc...). Let me know if you need something.

Terry, Here's what I tell my wife," insert spouse name, the insert part nameis worn and needs to be replaced. I priced the stock unit and aftermarket, and the aftermarket piece (which is much better than stock) is only X dollars more. Wouldn't it be smart to buy the better part when it so reasonably priced and of so much better quality.

I had a simialr problem when I last assembled an L6. I had valve from a 280 installed in my 260 head. The machinist didn't take the time to verify that all the valve were installed to the same height. When I went to adjust the valves, all the valves need different thickness lash pads. I was pissed. I removed the haed and had the machinist redo it. The moral of the story is that the installed height of the valves is important, and the all of the valves should be the same or you'll never get the valve geometry correct.

I am assuming that your present car is rusty. If that is the case, lose the current car and find one that is rust-free or as close to rust-free as possible. Any effort to find a clean car will pay off in the long run. Even if you have to spend 2000.00 more for the car, you will be money ahead in the end.

I am using the MSD P/N 2225 EFI fuel pump. I got mine new for $105.00. It flows 48gph at 39psi(enough to support about 400 hp). This pump is small, relatively quiet, and has work flawlessly for 1.5 years so far. I tried an Ford F250 pump before using the MSD, and only got 25 psi. The Ford pump requires a low pressure pusher pump ahead of the high pressure boost pump. The MSD pump stands alone, and mounts inline. Be sure to mount your inline fuel pump so that the inlet is lower than the outlet of your fuel tank. Also mount the pump as far back as possible. Electric fuel pumps push fuel well but are lousy at pulling fuel.

Mike(scca), Rather than notch the cross-member, I moved the drain-plug on the front sump from the front to the bottom. It was very easy to do. Drill out two spot welds, remove the threaded insert. Weld up the old hole. Drill new hole and spot weld the insert in place.

My 1974 260 has a 5.0L and T5. The engine is mounted as far back as physically possible. The upper intake (fuel injected) is less than 1/8" from the hood latch. The front sum is 1/8" behind the front crossmember. The engine is centered between the frame rails. In use dynomax block-hugger headers, and they clear the T/C mounts by less than 1/8". I had to install a u-joint in the steering shaft to clear the headers. The u-joint was no big deal. The engine sits as low as I dared. The centerline of the crank is even with the top of the frome rails. The engine sits in the car 2.5 degrees nose up, and the angle of the differential has been adjusted to match. The placement of the engine allow the shifter to come throgh the stock hole in the floor and console. I use a full size oil filter in the stock location, and the full size Ford clutch fan. I would not mount the engine further forward because the shifter will not be in the right location. I would not mount the engine higher because the upper intake will not clear the hood. I would not mount the engine at a large angle because the fan will not clear the hood. A possibility is to go further back. This would require removing the stock hood latch, and clearancing the tunnel for bellhosing clearance. Even with the removal of the latch and clearancing the tunnel, the engine would only be moved 1.5 inches further back before the firewall would need to be altered. I believe that Mike (scca) has his engine placed the same as mine although he used different mounts. Good Luck, Dan McGrath

I had a similar experience about ten years ago. I was at the drag strip sitting in the staging lanes. I reached into the car to kick over the engine. My car started and immediately took off. There were people sitting on the car in front of mine. I lunged into the window and slammed it into park. The transmission clicked, and the car stopped inches from killing someone.

Another silly question. You do have the firing order as 13726548, and not 15426378. Right. The modern 5.0 has a different firing order than the old ones.

I have a 5.0L powered 260 with 245/50/15 tire all around. The car has a slight smaller diameter steering wheel, and no power steering. For normal driving, the lack of power steering is not a problem. For auto-X racing, which I have started doing, power steering would be a plus. It's a pain to muscle around 180 degree slow turns.

Hey BLKMGK, Do you have any other Hipo 5.0 parts on the shelf that you might part with . Thanks, Dan McGrath

I'm sure you've checked, but what is the condition of your PCV valve and hose. A bad PCV valve will produce a bad vacuum leak. Have you tried plugging the PCV line at the carb? Another possibility is that you have a leak under the intake in the lifter gallery. This can happen if the intake and or heads have been milled. Have you checked the vacuum with the engine running. The engine should make 15-18 in H20 of vaccuum on the engine side of the closed throttle plates at idle. The vacuum indication should be steady. One other thing that came to mind. Make certain the valves are adjusted properly. If sufficient clearance is not provided the valves will not seal properly, and the engine will act as if it has a vacuum leak. Further, the problem will get worse as the engine warmes up. I nearly ended up in that situation when I installed 1.7 rollers on my engine. I tightened the rockers down on their pedestals, and noticed that the valves were opening with the cam on the base circle. (Not good) To fix this I installed shim under the pedestals to correct the geometry. The shims come in a prepackaged kit from Crane. The kit includes two set of shims at different thicknesses and cost $13.00. I would almost bet that this is your problem, especially if the heads have been milled at all.

I have a fuel injected 5.0L / T5 in mine. I've been driving it for over a year. It's not a GT40, but will soon exceed the GT-40 in power. I just ordered a cam, and Edelbrock aluminum heads. I already have 1.7 roller rockers, 73mm MAF, 24 lb/hr injectors, dual 2.5 inch exhaust. I have visions of a supercharger / turbos in the future, but who knows. Good Luck, Dan McGrath

Over the christmas holiday I plan to put some Edelbrock aluminum heads(P/N 6037), and a new cam in my engine. I'm trying to decide which cam to get. The engine is fuel injected, and has a stock 1989 bottom end. I don't want to touch the bottom end(no machining of valve reliefs. I want a cam that will pull all the way to the 6250 rev limiter but not kill the bottom end. The E303, F303, and B303 cams are the most popular cams I've seen for these engines. Competition Cams has some interesting grinds but they may be too large. How much lift and duration can I use before clearancing the pistons? What cams have you tried? What is your opinion of the cams that you tried? Thanks, Dan McGrath

This site has a java applet that suggests which turbo and trim to use based on engine size, max rpm, number of turbos, etc... Ray Hall Turbocharging. I am just beginning to explore the world of supercharging, so I can't vouch for the validity of the answers the applet provides.

I have seen 460 lbs as the published weight of the late model 5.0L(302). I have never found the weight of the L-6 published anywhere. The late model 5.0L mustang engines are rates at 225hp (1989-1991), 215hp(1992-1993), 205hp(1987-1988). The late model 280Z engine were rated at 168 Hp(I believe) 168 +.2*168 = 201hp earlier 1975 - 1986 302 were rated at less than 200 HP, and all can easily be modified to over 300 HP. If you know the weight of the L-6, please post it.

I recently started autocrossing my Z. The car has a 5.0L Ford engine and T5. The problem that I encounter is class eligibility. SCCA has a street mod class in which you can swap in larger engines. The rub is that the engine has to be of the same manufacture as the car (ie. Infiniti into a datsun, or Lexus into a toyota, or Cadillac into GM, but not Ford into Datsun). Therefore if you plan to autocross, the Q45 engine would be a great choice. Good Luck, Dan McGrath

I bought the car in march 1999. It was factory stock, had been stored indoors for 12 years, no interior, no rust. I completely disassembled the car, and hand prepped the body for a cheap but durable paint job (I originally intended to put the car back together with the six as a cheap daily driver). While the car was in the paint shop, I decided to convert the car to a 5.0L Ford V8 and T5. I wanted to retain drivability and fuel milage. I purchased a 5.0L, T5 tranny, and wiring harness from a wrecked mustang highway patrol car for $1200.00. The car retains the 5.0L fuel injection. As I reworked the suspension, I decided it needed wider tires. I also wanted to retain the factory body lines, so I installed coil-overs. The car has 245/50/15 on all four corners. I got the car together and on the road in july 2000. Since getting the car on the road, the brakes have been upgraded, the suspension improved, etc... Now I want more horsepower, a cage and sub frame, turbos... The car will never be finished. The car started life as a cheap but fast build-up, and is developing into an expensive extremely fast build-up. I'm certain that many of the Hybridz member's cars fall into this category. Dan McGrath

I am using the Outlaw 2800 series calipers on all four wheels. The fronts have four 1.75" pistons, and the rear have four 1.375" pistons. The two sections of the 2800 series are attached by 4 cross bolts, and have two internal crossover passages. I have been using the calipers for about a year, and have had no problems. I bought my set-up through Mike Gibson (scca). The fronts were bought as a complete kit(Stage II). For the rear, I bought the calipers from Mike and used 1985 Maxima front calipers, and custom brackets to mount the caliper. This setup works well on the rear. If I had to do it again, I would use an aftermarket rotor, and custom hat. If you decide to use these calipers, specify the Hawk HP-Plus pads. I tried the HPS pads and did not like them. Make sure the pads are 0.625 inches thick. One set I received was only 0.49" thick. The thinner pads allow the pistons to protrude more than I like. Mike(scca) was good to deal with. I recommend the Outlaw Calipers and Mike's business as the source. Dan McGrath

As a consequence of the horsepower to torque relationship (hp=torque x rpm/5252), the torque and horsepower are always equal at 5252.

Yeah Scottie, I doubt the results too. I need access to some wheel scales to get accurate numbers. I've been autocrossing the car rather than drag racing lately. I've been concentrating on handling and braking. I'm going to the Lockheed Martin plant this weekend to compete in the Martin Sports Car Club event. Moroso sounds enticing. Hopefully you will invite me next time you go. Your project has taken an interesting turn. A corvette IRS . Hope to see you soon, Dan McGrath

What price for a T4, and what variety of trim can I choose from?

Doh, I just realized that this only accounts for the sprung weight of the car. The overall balance should remain the same, but the weight of the car will increase by about 80 lbs.