Things to consider for a 5.0 engine rebuild/reman

[gadget73]

just use the proper headers for P heads and its not an issue. An upgraded engine really ought to have better exhaust than stock anyway.

Just a few notes here, the Explorer valve springs suck and ought to be changed. It will valve float severely over 4500 rpm if you do not.

The cam is so-so, and would be better changed to an HO stick.

It will probably run too lean with speed density, so expect to have to deal with a mass air swap. Related to a mass air swap, you lose cruise control on an 88+, so you either have to put up with it or piggy-back the stock ECM in there to provide cruise functions.

The Explorer front dress and timing cover need to be replaced with stock parts.

The oil pan needs to be swapped to a stock or fox body (same part) pan and the dipstick tube also needs to be changed to something that matches that pan.

The stock intake and the HO intake will be amazingly restrictive on that engine and you really ought to do no worse than the stock Explorer part. A ported Explorer lower would be even better, or any number of aftermarket intakes.

I don't post all this to be discouraging, just to make sure you're aware of what you might be in for. The stock HO engine is honestly less troublesome as far as what needs to be changed, but you obviously get less power from it. These things are less of a problem if you do it yourself but shop time gets expensive, particularly if you're dealing with folks who are used to bone stock parts swapping. Getting involved with a lot of mix and match is often not something most places want to deal with. Just make sure they are even willing to do all this before you drop off the car and end up with a major disaster.

[Grand1]

Thanks alot gadget...you saved me from ruin....kinda rethinking just to get a 5.0 and rebuild it with an HO swap.
I found a 5.0 engine with 65k from a 1990 town car....would this work or is the 1990 a different beast?

[gadget73]

Same boring crappy lopo motor you have now. Find a Mark VII motor if you can. Its already an HO and Lincoln owners by and large took better car of their cars than Mustang owners. Probably because they were generally bought by older folks, and also cost twice as much so people were a little less inclined to beat the snot out of them.

If you can upgrade the intake and exhaust, even with an otherwise stock HO, it helps. I replaced the stock lower on mine with a Holley Systemax that mates to the stock upper and got a nice little improvement. Its basically similar to a well ported stock lower intake and I expect would give about the same results. Also, if you can get a slightly looser converter, say 1800-2000 rpm, that will mate nicely with an HO for a bit more off the line acceleration.

[87gtVIC]

what is the stock convertor Thain?

[Grand1]

Thanks again....there is a Mark with 125,000 for $450 about 11 miles from me.
......so that with this:

http://www.jegs.com/p/Holley/Holley-Systemax-II-Ford-50L-EFI-Manifolds/751719/10002/-1

and a decent stall convertor....should give me decent acceleration.

There is a 5.8 from a Crown Vic with 100,000 miles for $600.....assuming more mods for that as well?

[sly]

stock stall converter on a lopo should be 16-2000 IIRC. Stock on a stang aod should be about 2000-2400. lopo does fine with that, but the HO could do so much better with a 26-2800 stall converter since the power band hits around 25-2600.

[gadget73]

Thanks again....there is a Mark with 125,000 for $450 about 11 miles from me.
......so that with this:

http://www.jegs.com/p/Holley/Holley-Systemax-II-Ford-50L-EFI-Manifolds/751719/10002/-1

and a decent stall convertor....should give me decent acceleration.

There is a 5.8 from a Crown Vic with 100,000 miles for $600.....assuming more mods for that as well?

351 requires a different intake and oil pan, and there was never a stock EFI 351 outside of the trucks, so you're treading into less known territory. It can be done, and its been done on Mustangs and largely worked out in theory on here but in the end its probably more work than an Explorer. The stock Vic 351 makes less power than a stock HO does and burns more fuel doing it, so its a pretty craptastic swap in stock form. 351 has lots of power potential, but in stock form its pretty lame. I would wager you can get that same power out of a lopo with exhaust work and an HO intake. You couldn't get me to stick a 351 in without a head/cam/intake package, and I'd probably want a 94+ block for the roller cam. Unless you're really planning on doing something serious though, a 302 is easier.

That Holley is probably overkill for a stock HO. The one I have is a Systemax 1, which has been out of production for probably a decade or more. A stock Explorer intake would be fine on a stock HO, or a ported lower intake would also do just fine. Might actually be better with a ported stocker if it evens out the airflow more than the stock Explorer piece does. The stock lower in stock form is pretty crappy about how uneven the airflow is cylinder to cylinder. From memory here, its like 35 cfm difference from best to worst runner.


and yeah, ~1600-1800 sounds about right for the lopo converter. 2500 probably would be better for an HO. Hell, even the stock Mustang converter would be an upgrade over the stock Vic piece. Annoyingly, the Mark VII got the same converter the lopo cars got, which frankly makes no sense.

[Grand1]

Case is closed!

[88grandmarq]

stock stall converter on a lopo should be 16-2000 IIRC. Stock on a stang aod should be about 2000-2400. lopo does fine with that, but the HO could do so much better with a 26-2800 stall converter since the power band hits around 25-2600.

NO... there were 2 torque converters for the AOD. High stall and low stall. High stall was 1600-1800 and used in ALL V6 and 302 applications. Low stall was 1300-1500 and was used in 351 trucks and Police cars.

[Grand1]

Gadget, changing to a stock Explorer intake, is that both upper and lower intakes, correct?

The 1992 Mark 5.0 HO Engine with 125,000 I just bought for $375.
Do I need to get the 1992 specific ECM/PCM to keep my cruise, or will other years work as well?

[sly]

NO... there were 2 torque converters for the AOD. High stall and low stall. High stall was 1600-1800 and used in ALL V6 and 302 applications. Low stall was 1300-1500 and was used in 351 trucks and Police cars.

I have been corrected. memory failure. time to run memtest+

[sly]

Gadget, changing to a stock Explorer intake, is that both upper and lower intakes, correct?

The 1992 Mark 5.0 HO Engine with 125,000 I just bought for $375.
Do I need to get the 1992 specific ECM/PCM to keep my cruise, or will other years work as well?

you need any Mark VII EFI computer to keep cruise. I have a D9S for sale too... make me an offer if you need it.

[gadget73]

yes, upper and lower from the Explorer are needed, and you will ideally need a Lightning EGR spacer, or do some work to use a Mustang part and fab a throttle cable bracket since the Mustang spacer doesn't have any way to bolt up the stock bracket.

and 88-92 Mark VII ECM is all you need. D9S or DX3 are the usual suspects. I have no clue what differences may exist, but they both seem to run the same.

[Grand1]

yes, upper and lower from the Explorer are needed, and you will ideally need a Lightning EGR spacer, or do some work to use a Mustang part and fab a throttle cable bracket since the Mustang spacer doesn't have any way to bolt up the stock bracket.

and 88-92 Mark VII ECM is all you need. D9S or DX3 are the usual suspects. I have no clue what differences may exist, but they both seem to run the same.

I got this!!!! From 87gtVic....some months ago


EGR the same typical size?

[gadget73]

Those be the proper parts. Finding the Explorer intake is the easy part.