On A Mission for MORE POWER in California

[Prock~1338]

First Off I'm working on a 1998 5.0L AWD-soon to be manual 4WD

As any other Members or Enthusiasts know, those of us with the 5.0L V8 are in the neighborhood of little to nothing to make these Explorers into some respectable Horse Power numbers, or am I just looking in the wrong places.... I don't think thats the problem. It's almost comical to me to know that the motor in my Explorer is basically the same as a Mustang capable of ridiculous HP

I almost fell out of my chair when Wikipedia told me that my V8 motor is rated from the factory at a whopping 205HP I mean come on.

So I've been on a mission to do whatever I can to make this 5.0 act like one!

I have done what most of us have done, made ourselves an intake or got the K&N kit which is basically A filter with adapter, which when installed you cant help but think.....? hum I bet this filter is going to suck up all this heat from the motor. I refused to spend the money on the K&N kit (although it does have a C.A.R.B number)

So after hunting down and actually got ahold of TorqMonster -DBA :
AL's Headers in Anaheim, I placed an order and from reading allot of other members comments it does not sound like they are very efficient but I guess they can be since they are the only people that make headers for our application (That do have a C.A.R.B #)

I added a 3" Cat Back which comes out where the factory tail pipe, I really would like to eliminate the two factory Cat's and replace them with Hi-Flo Magnaflow Cat's but no one can seem to tell me if this is Legal? If anyone has any information on this situation It would be greatly appreciated - As well as opening up what I could only imagine is the most restrictive portion of the exhaust.

Next I purchased a SCT tuner - Plugged it in and the first screen read's in big letters "This product is not legal for use in California" well thats why it has a return to stock feature. Not knowing enough to start retarding spark at 2200RPM and if I should turn off the EGR and rear O2 sensors. So I just went with the basics that I knew about 91 octane little more shift pressure, add a mile to the shift point to wind er out a lil more and now I can go over 100MPH! lol Anyway I noticed a difference but I'm sure if I took it to a dyno they could make a file with the cold air intake and exhaust I added, then I think I will feel the difference.

OK so now here I am, bought all of the parts that I could besides having someone fabricate stuff to "Make things work" I'm not into that at all. The Guy Ron from TorqMonster told me to do this:

swap out the 1.6 roller rockers for a 1.7 set, and buy taller covers - then swap out the cam with the Cobra cam ( he didn't say what year Cobra ) he said doing this I could get about 65 to 70 HP. Is this true? is this that someone has done and got the HP gains and not blow up their motor?

I just got the summit catalog and I don't know the first thing about getting the correct parts keeping in mind its an 4WD Explorer not a mustang.For example I have my eye on a Trick Flow complete Top End Kit that say's 360HP Gain for $2800 but can this package be installed and basically detuned to pass smog?

I would love any advice from members who know what works, or if their are other proven parts paired together work better. Better yet any upgrades, cams, heads , intake , injectors, ect that are good quality but less expensive.

I appreciate any knoledge

 

[fast_dave]

How many miles on your Ex's engine and transmission?

 

[Prock~1338]

If you can believe it, I bought it from the 1 and only owner with every ford service record from the same dealership since she and her husband bought it, just to tow their boat at their summer house. It's so clean - no rips in the leather- big thing for me is every electrical item works! Sorry but i'm stoked on how clean it is and how much I paid - $3500 - 89,000 original miles!

 

[MAS Tequila]

If you can believe it, I bought it from the 1 and only owner with every ford service record from the same dealership since she and her husband bought it, just to tow their boat at their summer house. It's so clean - no rips in the leather- big thing for me is every electrical item works! Sorry but i'm stoked on how clean it is and how much I paid - $3500 - 89,000 original miles!

Cool, about a year and a half ago, I was looking and found the Mountaineer I'm driving now.

At the time it had 68362 on the odometer, and it checked out with Carfax. I have put about 19000 on it since.

I paid $3000.00 for it.

And, yes everything works.

Just like yours, mine is a V8 AWD loaded example.

But now has 2 inches of lift in the front and 3 1/2 in the rear, riding on 265/70 18's. And very soon the 4406 is going in.

MT

 

[fast_dave]

If you can believe it, I bought it from the 1 and only owner with every ford service record from the same dealership since she and her husband bought it, just to tow their boat at their summer house. 89,000 original miles!

Great snag & welcome to the forum

OK - Before applying any power upgrades, my suggestion is to start by going through the stack of service records, and establish if the Transmission, Transfer Case, and F/R Differentials have been serviced.

Report back with your findings

 

[Turdle]

Please empty your PM folder. I tried sending you one and it is full

Also, please check your email. Thanks!

 

[Prock~1338]

Well I am blessed to have worked in the off-road industry down here in San Diego for a majority of my working life. I worked for ProComp Suspension, FOX Racing Shocks, RIZE Industries and ORW. So over the years I have built up relationships and favors so when it was my turn to finally build something for myself, It was amazing how incredible these individuals have gone to support what in the end will be a totally capable off-road monster but however be the best way to showcase the vendors product up close and where I can answer any questions and point them to where they can get the products on the Expo.

I will be keep this thread going as we start to assemble all the components-

Just a little taste... I have the most AMAZING custom suspension kit provided by the one and only manufacturer I would even think of putting on any 4WD/2WD Explorer or Ranger -

Just first let me say that this picture doesn't do this literal piece of metal art! The Amazing man Austin from VDF from the beginning was incredible with his customer service, advice and willingness to change this particular kit by instead of powder-coating the kit their regular color, I asked Austin if he was willing to just clear coat the kit to show off their absolutely FLAWLESS! TIG WELDING- if anyone out there has tried to TIG weld they know how much control and talent it takes to make " A Stack Of Dimes " another thing about tig welded parts is the tolerances, or distances between the two pieces of metal have to be touching or as close to touching as possible.

The main reason I mention the way the kit is welded is to really showcase VDF's craftsmanship and how close their tolerances are in their welding. While many other manufacturers use MIG welding to build their kits, with a MIG welder you can basically fill in a gap between two pieces of metal that are easily 1/4in and I have seen worse. What that means to me is that if one piece of the arm isn't tight and the gap is filled to move onto the next area to weld, most likely the next area is going to be off because of the first weld was not tight in the tolerances, and it cascades down the line of places to weld- essentially making one arm different, then the exact next one that comes out of the jig. To me as a person who has seen ProComp's manufacturing facility, all of the welding is done by hand in rubber clamp down jigs and knock them out like an assembly line. Sorry for my long rant but in this situation the quality really needs to be seen to appreciate!

I'm working on putting up some pictures to really illustrate what amazing work these guys do! Check out their other stuff on their site- Awesome just to look at, be back soon...

 

[Prock~1338]

Just got a package from a great member of this forum- Big shout out to Turdle for finally ending my search for headers for this ultimate Pre Runner! I have yet to open the box, but I want to keep the members interested as to what VEGAS FAB and I are putting together to show the absolute skill, quality and TRAVEL! how many other Ranger or Explorer kits can cycle a clean 14.5"? my VDF Kit can without ANY front CV bind!

 

[Turdle]

I like the control arm!

What about the upper ball joint?

Very interested in this.

 

[Prock~1338]

I will post pictures of the overwhelming amount of parts I have for the project soon, right now just got my headers which were going to tackle- I would have pictures of the awesome 930 axles and the custom machined couplers that go into the front diff to allow for the extra travel, same kind of high clearance CV's that we were using on the long travel sand cars. I do have to go to fox and buy a 90 degree hose fitting for each side so they don't just come straight out, it would work but not how I do things... We are going to take our time and laser cut out some upper A-Arm pocket gussets, so this will be a labor of love/money. I already have the 15" full bead locks but I'm wishing I would have went with 17" but they are still awesome as is, even better when we decide on if we are going to powder coat them or not. However if anyone is looking for a REAL RACE BEAD LOCK set of wheels with fully machined faces, all grade 8 Hardware and if they are strong enough for Trophy Trucks they will never let you down. Like I said I wish I would have bought 17" so if any member is looking for an amazing set of BRAND NEW Ultra Beadlocks, now the same company that makes the Walker Evans wheels - PM me

 

[Prock~1338]

And just to see what we are building without seeing each part piece by piece here is the completed Explorer 4WD Long Travel Suspension system, Like I said before a full 14.5" of usable travel backed up by 2.5" Fox Racing Shox as well as a pair of 2.0" X 4" FOX bump stops - for those "butt puckerers" LOL!

 

[gmanpaint]

Stock knuckles?
Which C/V Axles? F-150?

Kit Looks pretty sweet!

 

[Prock~1338]

they manufacture their own differential adapters that allow for the use of CV axles (exactly like they use in long travel sandcars) That is where they get the travel from the new axles - No F150 Axles on this kit! Just like this cut away from a awesome company RCV

 

[CDW6212R]

Welcome, and I like that.

When you get it about done, put together some part numbers etc, in a list for some others to appreciate those sweet parts. Though my truck will be near stock height, I would like better/smoother suspension parts.


The engine you will have to figure out what will be legal there, or feasible for the vehicle.

In your research, note really carefully what the flow capacity is for high powered Fords you see, the exhaust especially. How many of those 300rwhp, or 350-400rwhp, have single exhausts(one muffler, tail pipe), or 1.5" primaries? You cannot reach 300hp with just one muffler(unless you can make 400 and lose 100 to get it). Restrictions kill power, and these Explorers have the worst exhaust ever made. Add a muffler and another tail pipe.



If you can find a person to fabricate a real exhaust manifold for the 302, even a simple log manifold, the power will grow far more than 1.5" TM headers. Those things are fine for a 250CI little engine, for low rpm, but worthless for V8 performance. They are choking the life of the engine, no matter how many have been made and people say such great things about the finish, looks etc. They are giving up 25-75hp depending on their air volume intake(boost of 15psi possibly). I know that the space is very tight, but you have to do better than 1.5" primaries. Regards,

 

[beach]

Welcome, and I like that.

When you get it about done, put together some part numbers etc, in a list for some others to appreciate those sweet parts. Though my truck will be near stock height, I would like better/smoother suspension parts.


The engine you will have to figure out what will be legal there, or feasible for the vehicle.

In your research, note really carefully what the flow capacity is for high powered Fords you see, the exhaust especially. How many of those 300rwhp, or 350-400rwhp, have single exhausts(one muffler, tail pipe), or 1.5" primaries? You cannot reach 300hp with just one muffler(unless you can make 400 and lose 100 to get it). Restrictions kill power, and these Explorers have the worst exhaust ever made. Add a muffler and another tail pipe.



If you can find a person to fabricate a real exhaust manifold for the 302, even a simple log manifold, the power will grow far more than 1.5" TM headers. Those things are fine for a 250CI little engine, for low rpm, but worthless for V8 performance. They are choking the life of the engine, no matter how many have been made and people say such great things about the finish, looks etc. They are giving up 25-75hp depending on their air volume intake(boost of 15psi possibly). I know that the space is very tight, but you have to do better than 1.5" primaries. Regards,

So TM suck? Getting that tick sound so have thought about ordering. However has anyone had custom done? I've search and found plenty of people talking about it and none doing it, seems shops just say no. I contacted a few well known ones that do some awesome custom fab work, and one look at the space with this engine and they basically said no thanks and wasn't worth the effort nor the cost. They had never seen such a poorly laid out and crammed in engine before lol, gotta agree.

 

[CDW6212R]

The engine bay layout is not great, the steering shaft, frame rails, and brake/fuel lines are too close to the heads.

A couple of people have made custom headers, real headers, but a few have begun and didn't finish(usually other things stopped them, not the vehicle).

Given the history, and TM's very poor choice of 1.5" pipes, the only decent choice is a log manifold. Anyone with moderate welding skills can make those, but basically nobody has even attempted it.

Once someone finally makes log manifolds for the 302 Explorer, and uses two mufflers/tailpipes, plus tunes the computer, then others will finally learn.

Right now no one believes common sense, they succumb to the advertising myths of small parts and high velocity etc. Winning cars do not use small parts or base their combinations on high velocity. They do it by concentrating on high airflow(not speed), which is the flow of mass(density matters), and feeding the proper amount of fuel.

 

[joecrna]

In response to your question about high flow Cat's in CA. No they are not legal. The only Cat's that can be used in CA (law changed a few years ago) are direct replacement Cat's for your specific vehicle,engine and year. They must also be located in the exact factory location.

Thats how the law reads. Now, you may be able to change things slightly and still register the vehicle or even pass smog but it technically would not be legal. I've been researching CA smog laws, engine mods or swaps for several months now. Im about to under-take a fairly expensive SOHC build. I'll still only make a max of 280-300HP, but it will pass smog.

 

[Prock~1338]

Okay so I would LOVE some input on a few issues that are going to start to be installed - #1 My new set of TM headers, after careful inspection of the better of the two sets I got ( anyone looking for a set like I was, I will pass the blessing along) So first and foremost I'm going to drop off the headers to my friend who owns Powder! here in San Diego, The owner Chris is an amazing friend and takes care of his customers! If your in San Diego and needs PowderCoating and or Jet Hot coating as well as Ceramic Coating in several colors, Since this is going to be a rolling billboard - I want this to be different, I'm Thinking TITANIUM OR TUNGSTEN GREY?

First is to Sandblast to inspect for any cracks or leaks, second it goes to the Mill to ensure that we are starting with a completely flush header manifold. Then off to get coated... Now from talking to a few members as well as a bunch of weekend warrior mechanics, I am confused as to what gasket to use, My man Man Turdle said to go with the regular Fel-Pro O.E. replacements, However looking at the headers they still had allot of the old gaskets on them and it was visible to see where the gasket had failed. I was told an all ALUMINUM gasket paired with some ARP bolts (which we are first going to remove the stock manifolds and stack washers on the bolts one by one until we get the bolt to bottom out) Old school trick I was showed when I worked a a muffler shop -so depending on gap between the header and gasket we need to ensure we have the precise head bolts so we get the best seat possible.

Going to be running the Motorcraft double platinum plugs with what I was told is a big deal to do when installing plugs- go to Ford and buy their Motorcraft Hi-Temp Nickel Anti-Sieze XL-2, A Ford mechanic said its almost like insurance, so for $6.00 Im going to try it. I also found a perforce set of wires that will work perfectly with the header install and the P style heads

Another question is do any other members have any input on replacing the stock coil packs to add to the new plugs and larger wires?

This is where I would really appreciate any first hand experience, I heard MSD are inconsistant, However I have heard the Accel work good, but has anyone tried the D.U.I Coil-Packs? I Checked out their specific kit for the 5.0 Explorers and I think I'm sold!45,000 volt coils Check this out! They even come in 6 different colors- I chose Silver

Look at their Product discription...

Install our Screamin’ Demon Coil Packs on your 5.0 Explorer and open the plug gaps to a massive .065″! The hotter spark produced by these 45,000 volt coils will burn the fuel more efficiently for increased performance. No drop off in power as RPM’s go up and your spark plugs will stay cleaner longer. The Screamin’ Demon coil packs are easy to install as they mount in the original equipment location. They are completely epoxy filled for improved heat transfer and vibration resistance.
Delivering a high voltage spark to the plug requires a quality spark plug wire. Our LiveWires are unsurpassed in quality by offering low resistance and high temperature protection. The 8 mm wire is covered by a heat treated fiberglass sleeve that protects the wire up to 1400° F. The spiral wound core is radio suppression so there is no radio noise or computer interference. Unlike universal plug wire sets, LiveWires do not require any assembly. All sets are custom fit and numbered at each end for the correct cylinder. Available in red, black, blue, purple, silver and yellow, the LiveWires give your 5.0 the best plug wire technology along with a high performance look.
The 5.0 Ford Explorer Kit has a one year warranty from date of purchase.

 

[MAS Tequila]

PM sent

MT

 

[CDW6212R]

Stay away from Accel coil packs, I had one fail after about 3000 miles. I developed a hard miss that took me a long while to find, I checked the coil packs last(knowing they were virtually new).

The Screamin Demon coil packs are good, they are well tested on Explorers. I have a V6 SOHC version. I plan to get the two for a V8, which are identical to any 4.6 units BTW.

Check other threads for plug wires, there are very few brands worth buying. OEM is very good, most brands are well below them. Pick Magnecor as the best, and a couple of others like Taylor are hit or miss(thus below the top). The insulation quality, lasting many years, and literal strength to resist coming apart, that's the key. Lesser brands will come apart sooner than OEM, so far only Magnecor stands out as stronger long term. These Explorers have higher heat than typical, around the exhaust manifolds(plug wires). The heat kills lesser wires, pay extra special attention to heat protection of the wires.

I like the titanium color for headers, nice. Regards,