newbie with mod questions

[bubbaking]

well I am new to the cv world, so natuarlly when i heard i could get a cv with the 351 windsor in it for $350 i was like "kick ass". Little did i realize that it was basiclly a paperweight from a performance stand point. It does have true duals with flowmasters from the cats back, but other then that it is bone stock. My question is, what are some things I can do to wake the car up? I am thinking of gutting the cats and getting a different air housing (mainly for cosmetic reasons). What are some other inexpensive performance mods i can make? Actually I am open to all mods for future reference. Thanks in advance for any help.

if nothing else i will take some of these---> :boobsign:

[87DeuceVic]

Hey mang...welcome...I am Evan. Yea some mods are new air cleaner (if it is a 351W then it is not fuel injected) new headers, full new exhaust with new piping, preferably bigger piping. And as far as future mods go...well new heads...uhhh gettin it bored out. That should give you some damn good performance. Welcome to the Panther community Hope you enjoy everything on here

[gadget73]

Firstly,

Does your state have emissions and/or visual inspections? Thats going to limit what you can do a whole lot. Even with emissions stuff, you can upgrade the plumbing behind the cats. The over-axle pipes are a pretty big restriction, being all small and kinky-like. Impala SS 2.5" pipes fit very nicely back there. The cats themselves and the piping through them isn't all that bad, and really the stock H isn't all that horrible but those over-axle pipes really suck.

If you can get away with it, upgrading the intake and carb also will help you. If its got the stock variable venturi disaster on there, those have about zero performance potential. Even just swapping it out to a standard 2bbl carb probably won't hurt you any. The stock intake is also pretty much crap, same with the heads. Cam isn't anything special either. You can get 300 cfm 2bbl carbs that will bolt right in that stock location and work better than what you've presently got. Needs a bit of modding to hook up the AOD tv rod, but thats nothing impossible.

[88Vic]

to GMN mang. To start, headers and 2.5" duals all the way back(yup, I said it, duals). If you don't have to pass any inspections, go offroad h-pipe and use turndowns after the mufflers cuz the tails are kinda restrictive like Thain said. You can go to a 4bbl intake and carb, and get some better flowing heads, like i'm pretty sure GT40 heads will work on a 351. That'll wake up the engine. And for more acceleration, lower gears(numerically higher) will help a lot. You probably have open 2.73's, so moving up to 3.27's, 3.55's, or 3.73's will be a big improvement, and I suggest posi carrier for whichever you choose. 4.10's are also available, but highway mileage would suck with those, so i'd suggest those if you do mostly city driving or if it's gonna be a weekend toy. That's all I got off the top of my head for get up and go mods. Good luck with your project, and get some pics of your car and a little more info if you can.

[1987cp]

Yep, like everyone's saying, there are simple things that can be done depending on your local regulations. I tend to be a big advocate of staying conservative with exhaust systems, so you might look into a 2.25" system before springing for 2.5" - especially on a stock motor, it'll keep velocity up wile still allowing more total flow than stock 2" pipes (assuming that's what's on there). Forward of the cats, I don't imagine it would hurt emissions to get a set of stock 5.0 Mustang headers. They're easy to install, and while restrictive compared to aftermarket offerings, they do flow better than iron exhaust manifolds, and they can generally be had pretty cheaply.

After that, yes, the big restrictions are the cam, heads, and intake, and of course the abysmal compression ratio. You may want to wait on cam and head swaps (and changing the compression ratio usually means swapping pistons), but intakes are fairly simple. There are aftermarket intakes designed to retain EGR valve function like Edelbrock's PN 3783, or you could find a four-barrel factory intake and use that. Factory bits aren't real performance pieces, but they'll generally be plenty to wake your stock motor up a bit up to about 4500 rpm.

[87DeuceVic]

yea mang PIX PIX PIX!

[P72Ford]

well I am new to the cv world, so natuarlly when i heard i could get a cv with the 351 windsor in it for $350 i was like "kick ass". Little did i realize that it was basiclly a paperweight from a performance stand point. It does have true duals with flowmasters from the cats back, but other then that it is bone stock. :

This sounds just like my car! And by the way, just a heads up; changing the air filter doesn't do diddly (not that i expected it too) except make an incredible sucking sound @ WOT (an unsilenced air filter).

[bubbaking]

Let me start off by saying WOW, I have never had such a positive welcome and as much help as I have received here. I didnt really expect the air filter to throw on any hp, was more doing that for looks (going with chrome dress up). Emissions really is no problem cause when they finally do come around here it will fall under the grandfather clause (wont need emissions testing). As far as the intake and carb, what would you recommend (manufacter, ect.) or are there other cars that would act as a donor cause I now of a cheap pick a part place. Finally, i say some mention of electric cooling fans, what would need to be done to make that happen on mine (best donor to use and what to snag)? Like I said earlier, thank you so much for the warm welcome.

[87DeuceVic]

No problem....anyone and everyone is welcomed to the Panther community! Uhh....what type of air cleaner....hmmmm.....uhhh...Moroso? Or S&B...or Edelbrock. And a Holley carb (between 350-550 cfm)

[1987cp]

Let me start off by saying WOW, I have never had such a positive welcome and as much help as I have received here. I didnt really expect the air filter to throw on any hp, was more doing that for looks (going with chrome dress up). Emissions really is no problem cause when they finally do come around here it will fall under the grandfather clause (wont need emissions testing). As far as the intake and carb, what would you recommend (manufacter, ect.) or are there other cars that would act as a donor cause I now of a cheap pick a part place. Finally, i say some mention of electric cooling fans, what would need to be done to make that happen on mine (best donor to use and what to snag)? Like I said earlier, thank you so much for the warm welcome.

Some of us really like the ease of tuning we get from Edelbrock's AFB-style "Performer" carbs. You might talk to Nathan_In_MN and see if he can hook you up; his dad supposedly has a big pile of old Carter AFBs (mostly the same as the Edelbrocks) just waiting to be rebuilt, as well as a plentiful stash of jets and metering rods.

The Performer 351 nonemissions intake is a great street piece, good from idle to 5500rpm: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Edelb...40926144QQrdZ1
Or, if you want killer low-end with not so much up top (i.e. good match for the cam and heads you have and you won't rev over 4000 or 4500), something like this old factory manifold might fit the bill: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1984-...31094718QQrdZ1

Edit: you might enjoy reading this thread I started recently on old factory intakes (though it applies directly only to 302s): http://www.grandmarq.net/vb/showthread.php?t=17598

[torquelover]

Welcome to GMN. I'm fairly new here as well. I have a lot of Edelbrock stuff on my car, and I like it. My car started out just like yours. Just about everything must change in order to get decent performance. Check out my sig for details.

[Nathan in MI]

The Professional Products 351W dual plane aluminum intake is what I ordered for mine, and I believe it's supposed to be basically equivalent to an Edelbrock dual plane, but at a much lower price. Just search on eBay for "351W intake" and you'll find 'em listed as Typhoon 351W intake manifolds. Mine was about $150 shipped.

[Mr. Land Yacht]

some different gears will make a huge difference.
I got catless duals on my car with stock mustang shorty headers and it gave it a little more pep...but when I got the gears in whoaho!
my 0-60mph time went from like 12.2 to 9.3.
and I got 3.55s.
if you need to keep hwy fuel economy, dont go any higher than that, but if you want to really move, go with 3.73s or 4.10s.
getting those gears swapped with a locker rear end(if you dont have it already) will cost nearly $1K.
but look on SummitRacing.com for some intake manifolds for the 351 motor and see what your choices are.
what will really help you is laying out how much money you want to spend and where you want the HP at...

[P72Ford]

The weiand stealth intake is a good mix of low and midrange power (idle-6800). Most other intakes will be idle-5500, or 1500-6500, making the stealth unique. I think it runs about $210 for the 351W. Weiand is an older name with good performance history, so the extra money might be worth it.

[nitroracer]

When I was researching intake manifolds I had it narrowed down to the Weiand stealth and Edelbrock Performer RPM Air Gap. Top it off with at least a 600CFM carb and you should wake the car up a good bit.