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    HO Conversion - Mike's Tips and FAQ

    Though I'd post some of the most common questions I'm asked and a couple tricks I've learned over the years...I'll add more as I remeber them. We can also make this a big FAQ and include all the brake upgrade stuff too...

    HO Conversion, You need:
    E7 Heads (Found on 87-93 Mustangs, 89-92 Lincoln Mark 7's and 87-96 E/F series w/302 (351w has larger head bolts)
    HO ECM, engine computer (Mark 7 to keep cruise on the 88-91 boxes, 86-88 mustang for the 86-87 box)
    19Lb injectors 86-up mustang, 89-92 mark 7, 87-96 E/F series trucks (302/351)... They have an orange top.
    HO upper intake 87-93 Mustang, 89-92 Mark 7
    HO Throttle body
    HO cam 86-93 Mustang, 89-92 Mark 7


    The 2 modifcations needed:
    The linkage arms on the throttle bodies need to be swapped. It's easy and straightforward. Grind, swap reattach with screw, JB weld, or actually weld it. The EGR spacer will need to be enlarged to 63mm. A couple minutes on a lathe fixes it up. The 93-95 Ford lightning and some Aussie Fords use a similar EGR spacer if you can find it.

    Common misconceptions:
    1. Wiring. There are NO changes to the wiring for the HO conversion.
    2. Wiring . There are NO changes to the wiring!

    To help you get the most out of the HO conversion:
    Dual Exhaust. 2.25" minimum.
    Headers. Mustang shorties work with some modification, most people get the H-pipe too and get a cat back exhaust done.
    Trans: Mustang/Mark 7 Governor. Raises the shift points to match the engines power band.
    Fuel pressure, some can get away with the stock pump. But not all. Check your fuel pressure and make sure it's good at WOT.


    Other tips/Tricks
    1. Timing is everything! Make sure your timing is correct. If it's off, it'll kill your power and milage. Bump it to 12-14* for a little extra HP, just pay attention to detonation, if it happens, back the timing off.

    2. Speedo swap. Very common thing, every one wants a 140 PI speedo, but what about the milage? The odometer comes apart pretty easily. pop the pin out and set the milage. To help keep the numbers aligned while you reassemble, put some tape across the opposite side of the numbers to hold them in place.



    Mike's 16 second lopo recipe:

    Pretty simple recipe. HO upper, TB, and bored lopo EGR spacer. Mustang headers, 2.5" header back exhaust, 3.73's, 2200 Stall lockup converter, rebuilt AOD w/ shiftkit, smog pump removal, electric fan, removal of WP driven fan, 110lph fuel pump, and a custom cold air intake. Lots of timing too. I tuned it by ear and timeslips. I also ran 26" tall tires instead of the 27" tall stock tires, which helps for gearing. My trunk was bare. I never ran with more than half a tank of gas. Iced the intake between runs. The car should have been much quicker, but the frame was horribly bent and ruined the launches. The best the car ever got, even with the HO was 2.18.

    And since all the supporting stuff was already done, when I did the heads and cam, I dropped from the 16.03 to a 15.54! The car was far from pretty, but it worked great.




    Misc Info:

    TB sizes.
    Lopo = 55mm
    HO= 60mm
    Explorer =65mm
    Last edited by 88grandmarq; 07-09-2009, 01:04 PM.
    Builder/Owner of Badass Panther Wagons

    Busy maintaining a fleet of Fords

    #2
    86-87 boxes don't have integrated cruise, so the ECM selection doesn't matter.

    theres also that bit about boring out the stock EGR spacer or drilling/tapping the HO one to work once the intake is spun around.


    just thought i'd throw that little bit of trivia in there. good stuff tho.
    86 Lincoln Town Car (Galactica).
    5.0 HO, CompCams XE258,Scorpion 1.72 roller rockers, 3.55 K code rear, tow package, BHPerformance ported E7 heads, Tmoss Explorer intake, 65mm throttle body, Hedman 1 5/8" headers, 2.5" dual exhaust, ASP underdrive pulley

    91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC grandpa spec white and cranberry

    1984 Lincoln Continental TurboDiesel - rolls coal

    Originally posted by phayzer5
    I drive a Lincoln. I can't be bothered to shift like the peasants and rabble rousers

    Comment


      #3
      If I were going to replace heads and cam, I would just rebuild the engine. Get it aligned, bored and cleaned. Not saying go .030 over or anything, but just get the wall reconditioned. Get the crank and rods machined and have a new engine.

      Just my $.02
      2008 Mercury Grand Marquis GS Bone Stock

      The modern definition of "racist" is "someone who is arguing with a Liberal".--updated Peter Brimelow quote.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by blazingstang
        If I were going to replace heads and cam, I would just rebuild the engine. Get it aligned, bored and cleaned. Not saying go .030 over or anything, but just get the wall reconditioned. Get the crank and rods machined and have a new engine. Just my $.02
        Or just buy a low mileage Explorer motor and save time/money + start with a better performing engine to begin with.
        Factory E7 heads suck...........

        Comment


          #5
          i love my thumper e7's...............and i still think that at $599 they were a deal...........i was quoted 300-350 for a valve job and resurfacing on a set of uded e7's
          scott

          1986 lincoln towncar signature series. 5.0 HO with thumper performance ported e7 heads, 1.7 roller rockers, warm air intake, 65mm throttle body, 1/2" intake spacer, ported intakes, 3.73 rear with trac lock, 98-02 front brake conversion, 92-97 rear disc conversion, 1" rear swaybar, 1 3/16" front swaybar, 16" wheels and tires, loud ass stereo system, badass cb, best time to date 15.94 at 87 mph. lots of mods in the works 221.8 rwhp 278 rwt
          2006 Lincoln Town Car Signature. Stock for now
          1989 Ford F-250 4x4 much much more to come, sefi converted so far.
          1986 Toyota pickup with LSC wheels and 225/60/16 tires.
          2008 Hyundai Elantra future Revcon toad
          1987 TriBurner and 1986 Alaska stokers keeping me warm. (and some pesky oil heat)

          please be patient, rebuilding an empire!

          Comment


            #6
            Yeah, I forgot the EGR spacer deal..


            As for the engine rebuild. It's not always needed. I swapped mine out at 160K miles and ran it over 250K. And it still, over 3 years later is one of the fastest boxes around. Still runs great, though the oil pressure is non existant. This time around I went with a complete brand new 96 explorer motor. There are alot of parts to swap out, but for $1550 the deal was too good to pass up. GT40 heads, brand new longblock, GT40 style intake...
            Builder/Owner of Badass Panther Wagons

            Busy maintaining a fleet of Fords

            Comment


              #7
              Mike's 16 second lopo recipe:

              Pretty simple recipe. HO upper, TB, and bored lopo EGR spacer. Mustang headers, 2.5" header back exhaust, 3.73's, 2200 Stall lockup converter, rebuilt AOD w/ shiftkit, smog pump removal, electric fan, removal of WP driven fan, 110lph fuel pump, and a custom cold air intake. Lots of timing too. I tuned it by ear and timeslips. I also ran 26" tall tires instead of the 27" tall stock tires, which helps for gearing. My trunk was bare. I never ran with more than half a tank of gas. Iced the intake between runs. The car should have been much quicker, but the frame was horribly bent and ruined the launches. The best the car ever got, even with the HO was 2.18.

              And since all the supporting stuff was already done, when I did the heads and cam, I dropped from the 16.03 to a 15.54! The car was far from pretty, but it worked great.
              Builder/Owner of Badass Panther Wagons

              Busy maintaining a fleet of Fords

              Comment


                #8
                TB sizes.
                Lopo = 55mm
                HO= 60mm
                Explorer =65mm
                Builder/Owner of Badass Panther Wagons

                Busy maintaining a fleet of Fords

                Comment


                  #9
                  Another question: what needs to be done to change to LOPO firing order to the 302HO/351W firing order? Can this be done without doing a HO conversion?
                  88 Town Car (wrecked, for sale)
                  Walker OEM duals with muffler deletes

                  Comment


                    #10
                    The cam shaft determines the firing order and the computer needs the match the cam.

                    Although, I ran my car with a mix-matched cam and computer setup (cant remember which) - it ran but the fuel was injected into four of the cylinders too early lowering my mileage to around 150mi/tank. It was only a stop-gap until I had the right parts.
                    -Matt
                    1968 Fairlane 500 - 1998 Camaro Z/28

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by mrltd
                      It's really not that difficult, if you have a donor harness.
                      True, but couldn't take the Merc out of service that long. Maybe in a few years I can get a third car and put the Merc in the shop for an extreme makeover. I am thinking a mild 351 set to tow would be ideal. Don't really need a racer, just a good solid torgue monster.
                      2000 Grand Marquis LS
                      2000 F150 XLT 6 inches of lift.
                      1987 Bill Blass Mark VII - Sold
                      1985 Mercury Grand Marquis Colony Park- SOLD. to a little old lady
                      Mercury Owners Group member
                      Save The Whales, Restore an Old Station Wagon!!

                      Comment


                        #12
                        H.O's have a differnt fireing order 2 do they not? so would they have a differnt crank to? or no?

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Dave84
                          H.O's have a differnt fireing order 2 do they not? so would they have a differnt crank to? or no?
                          Nope, same crank
                          Nick
                          88 Colony Park LS
                          G-pa's old car, but he's cruisin around heaven in his 69 wagon now
                          Future plans:Semi HO conversion, or Explorer motor swap, shift kit, PI springs and sway bars, KYB-GR2 shocks

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Originally posted by Dave84
                            H.O's have a differnt fireing order 2 do they not? so would they have a differnt crank to? or no?
                            Is a crank in the list of needed parts? NO. The cranks are the same between the lopo and HO. The shortblocks are identical except for pistons and camshafts. The camshaft is what determines the FO.
                            Builder/Owner of Badass Panther Wagons

                            Busy maintaining a fleet of Fords

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Originally posted by mrltd
                              TB sizes.
                              Lopo = 55mm
                              HO= 60mm
                              Explorer =65mm
                              Are you sure? I thought SO was 50mm and '86 HO was 55mm...
                              2011 Mustang GT Premium, MT82, Kona/Saddle, HIDs, 3.73s, 19s, hood/side stripes, UPR 1.5" springs with adjustable panhard bar, and UMI solid LCAs and relocation brackets.
                              1992 Explorer Eddie Bauer, slight lift, 34s, and A/C...
                              1979 Bronco Custom, 351M/C6/NP205, 4" lift, 35s, lots of fender trimming.

                              Comment

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