what next

[1987cp]

Oh yeah, the Xtreme Energy 268. That did look like a rather decent cam.

Thoughts on heads? If you can get some comparable to Colin's, and have favorable gears (3.73, perhaps?), and of course the AOD-HIREV governor, you might be able to get that divided single-plane intake to really do its thing and do it well.

[Bowman85merc]

well for heads i would buy gt40 but there soo expensive and id buy E7 but people say there not rly an upgrade usless i port em so i think ill stay stock for a while lol...and for the rearend, whatever the stock is lol, i dont know if i wanna spend that much lol, or do u know a car that would have the same rearend but better

[1987cp]

Oooh ... stock heads, big cam, single plane - good recipe for a motor that falls on its face. Stock GT40s even aren't that much of an upgrade if you can't get them for a decent price. If budget is a concern, it might be a good time to start thinking low-RPM and reliable (idle-5000, for example).

[Bowman85merc]

lol what about the comp cam springs u dont think those will be that great with my stock heads??? and how much is it to port heads ??? or do u know

[1987cp]

Springs won't do anything for the performance of the heads; they're to keep the lifters from flying off the cam lobes at high RPM.

Turbo's friend Gerry near Detroit can hook you up with a really nice-flowing set of ported E7s, I think for well under $800. PM Mr. Land Yacht to be sure. His car actually does quite well with an E303 cam and Victor Jr. intake and relatively mild 3.55 gears.

[Bowman85merc]

well the cam wont be for a while im young and money is pretty hard for me to get im just a poor kid wit a nice car lol...but do u think the intake/carb will make a big difference in power ??? i wanna go fast

[1987cp]

If you want to install the four-barrel on your motor as-is, I would *definitely* find a deal on a Performer 289 or possibly a '83-'85 factory Mustang intake. That'll provide some worthwhile improvement. Keep in mind that your stock cam and heads won't be making much power over 4000rpm. Then when you collect the funds for a good set of heads, toss on the 2000-8000rpm Offy intake and appropriate cam, gears, etc., and have lots of fun!

[Bowman85merc]

soo...u think i should buy another intake, a 289 performer... and put the offy on later when i have better flowing heads and all, if i understood correctly, but u dont think the offy will be good with my stock...just about everything lol

[Nathan in MI]

Basically, the heads and cam you have now are intended for low-RPM use, so you want an intake that'll match with the rest of the parts. If you're really on a budget, you could even hunt down a 4 bbl 302 truck intake, which would probably work half decent.

The other thing you've got going for you is that yours is an '85, so you have the E5 heads, which are actually pretty similar to E7s. Certainly better than the E6 heads used on '86+ lopo 302s. I'd just keep the stock heads on there till you can afford a set of GT40s or ported E7s.

[1987cp]

+1, except that like I pointed out, GT40s aren't really that much of an upgrade for the money they can cost (depending on your source). But yeah, the Performer 289 is actually supposed to be good for 300hp depending on your combination, and its low end is quite decent for a mostly-stock motor - and the old factory 4V intakes, while restrictive by comparison, are supposed to be GREAT for low-end, which is just what your motor needs as-is. I've actually got an '84 Mustang intake scheduled to go on my 2.26 geared LTD if I ever get the head swap finished up (stock E7s, got them cheap, they'll be a nice boost for the rebuilt lowpo they're going on but I wouldn't use them on a serious build).

Nater, will Bowman's '85 motor have provisions for the roller camshaft, or did only Mustangs get the roller block in '85? Reason I'm asking, B-man, is that a stock '96 Explorer camshaft (incidentally what I just stuck into said LTD's engine) gives a top end nearly equal to an HO Mustang cam but with a stout low end comparable to a lowpo cam - a great "compromise" piece for mid-RPM performance with a dual plane manifold like the Performer 289. It'd be cheap to get if you can find one, just need to get roller lifters, etc. to go with it - IF your block is set up for it. As lincolnmania told me on IM one night, "Explorer cam is a monster."

[Bowman85merc]

well i heard some 85 grand marquis's came out with roller rockers is this true or... ??? or a roller cam ive heard some things and just wonderin if this will mess up my build

[Nathan in MI]

I don't think an '85 block will be roller compatible (I do know it wouldn't actually have a roller cam), but you'd have to ask some of the guys that are really up on what years had what to be sure on that.

No Grand Marquis was ever equipped with roller rocker arms. All 302s '86 and newer used roller lifters, so that may be what you're thinking of.

[Bowman85merc]

oh ok, do any of u know of an easy way to gain HP bsides 4 barrel

[Nathan in MI]

A decent exhaust system will help you out, though if I recall, aren't you the one with sidepipes? Are you running on stock manifolds still or do you have headers on it? That'll make a difference.

Also, a different rear end ratio will make a noticeable difference. I'm guessing you have an open 2.73 diff right now? You'd be a lot happier with a 3.27 or 3.55 rear end. It's not cheap if you have to pay someone to do it, but it'll definitely help. Obviously it won't actually add any horsepower, but it allows the engine to make much better use of the power you do have.

[Grand Marquis GT]

Look for an entire ford explorer 5.0.

Take that, put the good valvesprings on it, a good cam, carb, intake, HEI, and run it. Don't forget a good exhaust!

Combine that with 3.73 gears, a 2200 or so stall converter, shift kit, and high-rev govenor in the trans will make that sucker really rock and roll!