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Thinking V8 Time

I'd actually love to see what a big headed stock cam 302 would do in our trucks. I think it would do pretty good. The stock cam would probably help with keeping that torque down low.

I would be interested too but in the same vein of reasoning, why don't the GT40 Explorer motors make 15-30hp more than a E7 HO engines? They are rated (practically) exactly the same hp and torque? The reason the foxbodies respond so well to aluminum heads with the stock cam is because the HO cam is more suited for bigger heads to begin with. You won't see near the same level of gains with a F4TE cam. My thoughts anyway...
 



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It jumped on me but I made it up and had a fender by the top of second. It was all over at that shift though. I have 1000lbs less weight and 4.10s in the ST vs 3.55 in the ex, same size tires on both.

06+ 3v has 300hp stock with 6 speed auto, your 302 is only rated at 220hp and you have to shift gears. The 3v won the race before it started.

Ps: 3v 4.6 is my next swap (I have a wrecked 07 EB at my shop)
 






Mine is 2wd and ready to make it fun

Heads, cam, gears, exhaust, valvebody and torque convertor or a 5 speed swap if sticking with the stock shortblock.

As you can see, no easy answer here. If vortech or paxton made a kit for these rigs, and if someone made a 1 5/8th header, most our problems would be solved.

Addendum:
1.)H/C/I and 12-14psi (500-550fwhp) on 302-306ci is the breaking point for a stock block.
2.)I'd go with a 347 only if you want n/a and only if you can't fit a stroked windsor (408-427ci).
3.)No reason to go 331 over a 347. Many people spin there 347's +7,000rpm reliably no problem. The prep work is what makes or breaks a stroker (or any engine, strokers less forgiving).
4.)If your lacking the space for a 351W AND the ability to make big boost efficiently (stuck using a powerdyne kit/m90/m110/small turbo) then your only choice is to combine a stroker with boost to reach the kind of power that would split a stock block.
5.)After 500-550hp your going to need a $5000 'R' shortblock, transmission upgrades, axle upgrades, brake upgrades, redesigned suspension, roll cage, more money than God, etc...
6.)You'll then get to a point where the 700hp Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk starts to look like a bargain! :laugh:



::edited a couple time::
 






With all the heads, cam, intake etc talk it makes me wonder about tuning. It is my understanding and I could be wrong that anytime you change those items the computer will need to be tuned to get the true benefit of the upgrade. Finding someone that can tune can be hard and expensive. My V8 swapped ST has a burnt piston and I am trying to figure out my next move, leave stock or modify. Not trying to hi jack just enjoying seeing the ideas.
 






Yes, once you start making radical changes you will need to tune for wide open throttle.

wideband, sct, and either tune it yourself or enlist someone like lasotaracing.

You will probably need to add injectors and possibly a maf to the parts list if your doing heads, cam, intake. Then, you have no choice but to add tuning to the list. A guy who has tuned all kinds of these combinations would be able to tell you far better than I could.
 






You guy that live in the middle of nowhere (like Canada:p) have it the worse when it comes to getting you rigs tuned as there is nowhere you can personally take your ride to that has eec-v experience and must rely on emailing data logs and back and forth driver feedback. That can get pretty risky especially when dealing with a boosted build with many custom facets (ei, not a complete factory designed kit) but you guys are making it work for you no doubt.

If your in the states, there is really no reason not to take it in and have it dyno tuned by a pro. Luckily in Michigan, There is at least 10 different people within 2 hours from me l could take mine to and feel comfortable it will get done right. Livernois, Alternative Auto, Pauls High Performance, MRT, Don Walsh Jr, Rick Anderson etc. I talked to Lidio at Alternative Auto, who said $300 for a tune on the Cent. When I asked about a Pro-M 80mm he told me you get a free tune when purchasing one. So I reason why buy a $300-400 hand held tuner and then still have to find some one to custom tailor it (another $300+) when for $300 I could get a hands on tune by one of the best with a more-accurate-than-oem mass air meter included and know 100% it will be right. If I didn't live near by a dyno, a proper tune to me is worth a days ride and even a trailer if necessary to make sure it's done right and once and for all. Transmission tuning to the shift schedule and torque converter lock up is just as important if looking to get the most out of a rig. A dedicated Ford guy who has been making his living off building, tuning and racing mustangs (and/or winning championships) for the last 20+ years can make short work of a tune. and there should be at least one or two in every big city in this country. You could call one of those places mentioned or JPC Racing or Lamotta Performance and see if they can recommend someone close in your area.

Without someone (seasoned professional) using a handheld tuner to customize a tune, it's little more than a $25 code reader and an expensive way to turn the distributor to 14 degrees. That's my current opinion anyway.
 






With all the heads, cam, intake etc talk it makes me wonder about tuning. It is my understanding and I could be wrong that anytime you change those items the computer will need to be tuned to get the true benefit of the upgrade. Finding someone that can tune can be hard and expensive. My V8 swapped ST has a burnt piston and I am trying to figure out my next move, leave stock or modify. Not trying to hi jack just enjoying seeing the ideas.

A friend of mine v8 swapped a ranger and within 20k miles he burned a hole in a piston. Come to find out he was running 99-01 injectors on a 97 pcm and was running incredibly lean. He burned up the motor on an 12 hour trip towing a boat.

Funny thing is after unplugging the one injector and with the oil blowing out of the dipstick and pcv all over from the pressure getting into the crankcase he was able to drive it back the last 4 hours (without the boat) to avoid the tow bill.
 






I did run a 97 computer for a little while a couple of years ago after my 98 computer took a dump. When the piston burnt I was pulling a trailer up a long grade with my foot on the floor passing a big rig. I did have a 99-01 computer in it for the last year. I have suspected injector a bad but not sure. I did drive 60 miles home and have driven it several times since. It still runs decent but sounds bad.
 






I did run a 97 computer for a little while a couple of years ago after my 98 computer took a dump. When the piston burnt I was pulling a trailer up a long grade with my foot on the floor passing a big rig. I did have a 99-01 computer in it for the last year. I have suspected injector a bad but not sure. I did drive 60 miles home and have driven it several times since. It still runs decent but sounds bad.

Orange injectors are for 96-98 computer, white injectors are for 99-01 computers. Orange injectors work off 38-40 psi, white injectors need 65 psi of fuel pressure. If you start mix and matching things can go bad. I've personally never had an explorer v8 computer go bad, I've ran the same 97 computer in my v8 swap for 4 years now.
 






I finally remembered to check my injectors and they are white. So maybe it was partially clogged and let that cylinder go lean?
 






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