03 fliptrac $700 daily driver (summer of fun with 4 sport tracs)

[donalds]

Gosh I am so lucky all of the mods I did to my wife's truck and I have yet to have a problem knocking on wood

 

[97Sandbox]

Gosh I am so lucky all of the mods I did to my wife's truck and I have yet to have a problem not on wood

It's funny, for all the hate it gets on here, I never had issues with my '97 SOHC and I was not gentle to it (although I did change my full synthetic 5W-30 religiously). The 5R55E on the other hand -- burned through two of those in 5 years and swore I'd stick with manual from then on. Makes me wonder if an '03 Sport with the M5R1-HD would make the best of both worlds; upgraded timing guides and beefed up manual. I should really start looking for a third Explorer...

 

[410Fortune]

I’m tempted to order another cam
Pushrods all seem straight as an arrow
$530 for another xr264 cam
I’m waiting for felpro gaskets from rockauto $95 and a new set of remflex header gaskets $30 sucks these parts have one drive on them

 

[410Fortune]

Sports are great” less weight for the drivetrain to push around, small enough to get places
They come with new issues though like the doors are so long the hinges sag like crazy

and then there is the mono leaf

A sport or a ranger with a late model sohc 5 speed and manual t case are some of the most reliable vehicles on the road
As long as you change your oil

Only thing more reliable is a pushrod engine with the same setup behind it!

 

[donalds]

Did the cam mess up due to lack of break in time
Or break in oil

 

[CDW6212R]

I’m tempted to order another cam
Pushrods all seem straight as an arrow
$530 for another xr264 cam
I’m waiting for felpro gaskets from rockauto $95 and a new set of remflex header gaskets $30 sucks these parts have one drive on them

I hate to see that carnage, and I too would guess that something with the mating of the cam to timing gear was not fitting right.

Please don't spend $530 for that XR264 cam, that's way too much for an off the shelf cam. a Custom cam used to be $400, now that's up about $100 like everything else. For that similar money, you could buy a custom cam from FTI(Ed Curtis). But if the parts are near to the stock compression and heads, any mild cam would be a little improvement, and you should be able to find one for under $200 used. Note any billet cam should be as good as new forever, they are much harder(tougher) than low level SADI cams(which usually break in any decent engine blowup). If cheap was the need, I'd happily go with a 302 HO cam, those will rpm up to the limits of the GT40 heads, 5500 or so. Those also work fine with almost any good mild springs like that crate engine has.

 

[410Fortune]

I honestly think I did not torque the cam bolt, it appears it just backed out? best I can come up with? i cant imagine me doing that? i assemble countless 4.0 and 5.0's never had this issue before
but if you mess with the bull sometimes you get the horns

the engine survived thus far I do not see any damage to any cylinder walls or lifter bores
it will likely someday go to a shop to be checked over and re assembled, or I may just replace the cam cam bearings and timing components, get a rebuild kit and reassemble it myself


oh man not this again! Hahahahaha I have read so much about cams for this engine and my setup
with the headers good exhaust stock components and spring upgrade and planned pcm tune this continues to be the best cam for my application!
I need a cam in the next 7-10 days, one that I can use these springs and hopefully pushrods with otherwise these parts are going to waste/sit for a long time before I get another opportunity to get put together a 302 for this truck
Crane has a cam, Comp cam and lunati that are all 3 very close
I still think the comp XE264HR is the best for me for now
I already did the work measuring the stock stamped rockers with this cam and spring combo and i already have all the supporting parts for this cam

Thoughts? i do appreciate the input and I am open to options but I need to pull the trigger soon.

 

[410Fortune]

Cyl 7& 8 lifter parts still In their holes had to fish them out
I am working to get the cam out, the cam got boogered up and does not want to slide out easily. The engine is basically going to be put into storage until a later date

The 5.0 I will be installing back into the truck is a 97 p engine with “around 100k on it” I was told… I know it ran good but needs a complete re seal

 

[410Fortune]

So I see Ho cams in on eBay cheap, $200 range
I see the fms b cam is quite popular with mustang dudes, but early bronco dudes not so much. The comp cam continues to be the choice of most and then of course the stock cam is not terrible either with spring upgrades. You can read a lot of opinions on cam choices! There is a good thread in the early bronco forum where they compare cams with the desktop dyno. The comp
Cam grind appears to be the best overall for my goals, but it’s also double the cost!

So which cam would you chose given this info:

I have good springs will accommodate all of these cams
Sticking with stock 1.6 stamped rockers

I am a 5 speed now

i plan to do some tuning in the near future, nothing too radical just enough to take full advantage of the breathing mods, perhaps
Moving to 24# injectors (I have)
If I am going to install a cam it needs to be here in the next week or two

So let’s beat a dead horse in an effort to save me some Money which makes the wife very happy

 

[vroomzoomboom]

imo, if your near stock, find a stock foxbody cam and run with it. your not like some idiots that want to do 12's here, and it is a daily right? if your in a bind right now i would stay close to stock and play with it down the road just so you have it running.

 

[410Fortune]

Well not exactly in a bind but I was hoping to have this truck wrapped up
I am forced by my busy schedule this summer to move on quickly, I have many projects going all the time
My issue now is my bronco is parked the door hinges where they mount to pillar rusty so the hinges won’t hold the door up anymore causing us to slam them hard to get them to shut. I got tired of that, then my alternator went south so I washed it and parked it in storage mode
No ac in the bii either
Our van has been down for a few years frame rot. So my daily right now is 97 f350 4 door diesel which sucks to take everytime
Sport trac would be so nice! With fuel prices at 4.00+ here a smaller tire 5 speed is welcomed!

I will sit down tonight and write down cam specs do some actual comparing

I did make $500 profit last week installing an alternator into a 08 Lincoln mkz (pita) and helping my friend fix his no start issue on his 2014 rzr 800… so there is cam money right there!

EddieMoneys truck is now front center
This $700 trac has been a nights weekend deal mostly I need to wrap up the 07
I have done many many many repairs away from home this summer. I barter w the car culture dudes up here, for example I am a personal mechanic for a logger in a wheelchair, I fix his 96 obs 7.3 and his families 00 7.3 and keep them running in exchange I have 5+ years of select firewood delivered (log loads) !!! Never have to harvest trees again, but I am knee deep in 7.3 repairs often broken down remote locations
I am “on call” for him, it’s a win win
This gives me way more time for truxks as we use 8-12 cords of wood a season (two
Families) and that is a lot of time in the forest
I also got plugged into a network of dudes up here and I am the “wiring guy” hahaha so I’ve been helping wire up an early bronco project. This is on top of family stuff, homesteading, some elevators, and repairs for family and friends!

So far in 2023 I / we have built 6 trucks and sold 4 this trac would be 7 (including 3ea v8 swaps)


Money had been tight in this economy so when the going gets tough I get to work 7 days a week morning till night. I love it, its
My own crazy show!

 

[410Fortune]

I am near stock for sure! Mods are only airbox, spacer; headers, and (dual exhaust w crossover). The primary converters may or May not still have catalyst in them

I do love the sound of the cam mostly

Being able to keep pulling in all gears up to 5000-5200 rpm is also noticeable over the stock cam/ valvetrain.
with the 5 speed that was really fun! Until the ac compressor melted and then the cam walked

I would love to start messing around with some fuel tuning and also delete the egr otherwise that will be the max for this mild build / daily/ reliable commuter

 

[oklagp1200r]

@410Fortune
That center console how and where is it bolted down?
My 01 I'm pretty sure is loose!

 

[CDW6212R]

I am near stock for sure! Mods are only airbox, spacer; headers, and (dual exhaust w crossover). The primary converters may or May not still have catalyst in them

I do love the sound of the cam mostly

Being able to keep pulling in all gears up to 5000-5200 rpm is also noticeable over the stock cam/ valvetrain.
with the 5 speed that was really fun! Until the ac compressor melted and then the cam walked

I would love to start messing around with some fuel tuning and also delete the egr otherwise that will be the max for this mild build / daily/ reliable commuter

With that near stock 9:1 compression, the heads, there is very little power difference to gain with all of the mild cams you have mentioned and looked at. The spread if you tested ten mild cams might be 20hp, least to most, IMO not worth an extra $200-$300. The heads and intake aren't big flowing induction parts, they are best in the stock rpm range, and a hair more with the bigger cams.

I'd save the money and get it running with minor parts costs, the cam, lifters, timing chain set, and anything else you find odd.

If you made the effort to raise the compression with smaller chambers or pistons, hit 9.5:1 for regular gas, or 10:1 or more with premium; that could gain 40hp alone with good PCM tuning and a nice cam. I was planning to build a 306 to hit 275rwhp, I have the heads and rods but stopped there when I saw retirement coming sooner. The tuning is expensive, only near stock parts can work okay with the stock tune.

 

[Josh P]

Lunati

 

[410Fortune]

@410Fortune
That center console how and where is it bolted down?
My 01 I'm pretty sure is loose!

Do you have the full length console or just the shorty? I can show you how they bolt in

 

[oklagp1200r]

Do you have the full length console or just the shorty? I can show you how they bolt in

Full and thank you!

 

[CDW6212R]

If you are hard set on that Comp 264 cam, here's a link to a used one for $260, 10k miles. I still would be happy with an HO cam(I even have one someplace(they are common)), and look to something better later.

COMP XE264HR14 & COMP XE274HR12 FOR SALE

2 COMP CAMS FOR SALE. 1 XE264HR14 (COMP PN 35-349-8) HAS ABOUT 10k MILES ON IT, GREAT SHAPE. 1 XE274HR12 (COMP PN 35-518-8) UNKNOWN MILES, GREAT CONDITION FIRST SET OF PICS ARE OF THE 264, THE 274 PICS ARE NOW UPLOADED $260 EACH. SHIPPED AND PAYPAL’D

www.corral.net

 

[410Fortune]

Full console removal:

There are 4ea, 8mm bolts they are gold in color
Two of them go horizontally into the main dash right under the hvac controls
The other two go into the floor vertically just below the cup
Holder insert. You must remove these bolts completely, not just unscrew them. Once the 4 bolts are out and you disconnect the wiring harness you get in the backseat, wrap your arms around the console, wiggle it side to side a little bit and then pull it backwards. It will release from its bracket and come out of the truck
I’ll get some pictures

I started tearing down the “new” 5.0 yesterday. This is the one that will go back into the $700 white trac

 

[410Fortune]

Used cam! Heck yes I’ll contact them now
Thank you
Sob I signed up but do not have privileges yet to contact him or reply
He’s in Montana too not far to ship. I have the cash want to purchase dang. If you are a member over there could you contact the dude and let him know? I can send him email if I have his address