1999 5.0L Build-up

[ric232]

I'm interested in doing heads/cam/rocker arms on my '99 5.0L Mountaineer and have a few questions:
1. Can I just use something like AFR alum or Edelbrock's alum heads?
2. Will these heads require special headers to be fabricated to fit in my truck or will the Motorsport Explorer headers fit?
3. Should I (can I) have the intake manifold ported to better accomodate the airflow of the heads?
4. What cam would be good? E303?
5. Will this setup require bigger injectors?
6. Does this sound like a good setup overall if my goal is to maintain good low end torque while creating an engine that breathes a little more freely on the upper end?
7. Anybody have any idea what kind of power gains I would see?

Thanks.

 

[Dan Whitaker]

You will want to go with Torque Monster headers.

You do not want to use the E303 cam or any letter series cam. The lobe seperation of the letter series will wreak havoc with the computer on a Mountaineer 5.0

 

[reserved50]

I would add 24lb injectors and tune along with the e-cam, since you need a tune anyways to run the 24s. On the models with external EGR im sure you can run non emission legal heads(no EGR ports) since its external

 

[ric232]

On the models with external EGR im sure you can run non emission legal heads(no EGR ports) since its external

Mine does have external EGR. Does that mean I must use non-emission-legal heads? Or can I use the usual 5.0 mustang aftermarket heads?

 

[MountaineerGreen]

ric232,

Your truck already has some really nice GT-40 heads and intake on it from the factory. Mustang guys buy Explorers to get the heads and intake from the motors. So unless you want aluminum for weight savings, you gain virtually nothing.

There are a few members running the E303 cam in their motors, Section525, JTsmith, 410forune and others. They seem to like it and if I ever get the chance, Ill run it.

For some motor stuff look at this thread-
http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=168799

Lastly, the FMS headers are junk, only marginal improvement over stock. Torque Monster Headers are the only true headers for the 5.0 Explorer. If you look at the FMS headers, they are not equal length tubes, multiple cylinders join before the collector. The TMH's are awesome and yeild quite a bit of hp just from bolting them on. www.torquemonsterheaders.com

Other than that, try a heat spacer for the upper and lower intakes like this one-
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=TFS-51520020&N=700+0&autoview=sku

It makes for lower intake temps and more torque. Ive got one on the way and Ill give a full report once installed.

 

[Turdle]

I am actually running an X-cam in mine
Any camshaft change will require a PCM tune also--just for the fact of the rev limiter--so this should be a consideration in your budget.


Torquemonster headers are the only way to go.
Having your heads worked to flow good numbers will cost almost as much as Edelbrocks--However-Robert ( Torquemonster guy) will need to know your head chioce when building your headers. He also sells custom egr tubes-I would definitely get a 1" intake spacer ( his egr tube will accomodate this).

With the stock flat top pistons--your head choice will be critical.
There may be valve to piston clearance issues with 2.02" intake valves--another thing--if you do change the heads-or have yours milled-have them machined ( or buy them this way) for 7/16" stud mount rocker arms.

The stock, pedestal type are questionable----as are the stock nylon lifter guides--get the FMS lifter guide upgrade kit.

I am sure we will think of more items as this progresses
Good luck

 

[ric232]

I know the torque monters look great, but I don't have the stomach to attempt those myself. If I do anything with the heads (i.e. pay somebody else to pull the engine apart and reinstall it) I'll make sure to have them put TM's on.

I may have to see if I can find someone who can install the TM's for me. I may be happy enough with the results if I do those, a MAC intake, cat-back and perhaps a ECM tune.

 

[Turdle]

I know the torque monters look great, but I don't have the stomach to attempt those myself. If I do anything with the heads (i.e. pay somebody else to pull the engine apart and reinstall it) I'll make sure to have them put TM's on.

I may have to see if I can find someone who can install the TM's for me. I may be happy enough with the results if I do those, a MAC intake, cat-back and perhaps a ECM tune.

They are no more difficult to install than the FMS headers---
If you are going for horespower--better learn to scrape your knuckles a bit

 

[ric232]

They are no more difficult to install than the FMS headers---
If you are going for horespower--better learn to scrape your knuckles a bit

I would love to do the install if I was confident I could pull it off. I have no problem with scraping my knuckles (or my arms, or my face, or my . . . well maybe not that) but I saw at least two things in one of the how-to threads that bothered me. (1) unbolting the drive-shaft and (2) unbolting one of the motor mounts and jacking up the engine. I think I could figure the rest out. One benefit I have is small arms. I was able to change all of my O2 sensors from underneath the vehicle with virtually no problem. And changing the spark plugs was no big deal at all for me. I'd love nothing more than to do this install, but I'd probably end up stuck with a vehicle with no headers/manifolds, assuming I could even get the old ones off. (This is where you guys give me encouragement and push me off the fence.)

 

[MountaineerGreen]

The driveshaft is easy, easy. The motor mounts are easy to reach with a hand wrench, just a little more difficult to tighten up with the headers in. Id say the hardest part for me was the passenger side collector bolts, but a helper and or air ratchet should make it alot easier. I installed these by myself in less than 20 hours total wrench time. A good helper would cut that down considerably, and my write up can help too. If you started on a Friday afternoon taking your stock manifolds off, you could be rolling by Saturday afternoon. If you want to install them, Ill PM you my cell and you can call me if you run into snags. So get those things ordered!

 

[Turdle]

Yeah if he can do it anyone can

Or is that me I'm reffering to?

Shove!!

Driveshaft???????? you mean the steering shaft??? just one bolt and move out of the way---

Oh a trip to Florida would be nice!!---hint

 

[wpurple]

You'll NEVER regret the TMH's!!!!

They are awesome.

 

[justin146]

I wouldn't go with a generic Motorsports cam unless price is a concern. You'll probably want a custom grind to match your mods to get the most out of your combo. I was going the same route as you until I changed my mind for the turbo. I bought some 2.02/1.60 AFR 185 heads, and was going to use them with Torquemonsters and a custom grind Crane cam. I ended up spending that money on the turbo and couldnt be happier. And the headers became pointless after the turbo install. The heads might go on in the future, but I am not in a hurry to install them because they'd pretty much only help on the intake side.

Someone commented about the stock GT40 heads- yes they are a good upgrade from anemic Mustang E7 heads, but I wouldnt consider them a high performance piece. The flow is crap compared to an aftermarket head.

Also, with a larger cam, you are probably going to need a higher stall torque converter.

 

[ric232]

You'll NEVER regret the TMH's!!!!

They are awesome.

I have to admit, I'm a little hesitant because I've been down this road twice already with no noticeable results. First was the FMS headers I put on my '94 Mustang GT. Zippo results. Yes, I know . . . don't use FMS. Second was the new exhaust manifolds I installed on my boat (a 454ci MPI motor). Set me back $2500 bucks. That was a pain. The stock manifolds were iron and weighed 75lbs each. I did it with zero help from anyone. And it's not like a car where you unbolt the thing and drop it to the ground. I had to lift those suckers from down in the bilge and get them out of the boat with no help. Anyway, results were minimal. But I convinced myself that the engine had stronger "mid-range" (probably because of the money I spent).

A good helper would cut that down considerably,

I will have no help. I live in one of those neighborhoods where people think something is wrong with you if you work on your own vehicle. When I work on my cars (because I enjoy it), I always worry that one of my neighbors will see me under the car with my feet sticking out and call 911 because they'll think my wife ran over me. A few weeks ago I was changing my oil and climbed out from under the car as a neighbor was walking by. I had grease up to my elbows and my shirt was a mess. He looked at me and said, "Uh. . . everything alright?" I explained that I was just changing the oil and he gave me a look where I could tell in his head he was thinking "Uh . . . why?"

Don't get me wrong. The vast majority of my neighbors are great people (including the guy mentioned above). They just don't understand my hobbies. Besides, I save a lot of money that way. I'd much rather pay that money to somebody to do my lawn because I hate lawn work.

 

[reserved50]

but ported gt-40s are not bad at all with flow numbers, the mustang guys jump all over them because they're too cheap to buy aftermarket or just dont know any better:, the upper and lower are decent pieces. If you really want larger valves you can actually buy reamers that slide down into the guide and you can notch the pistons at home if they come close to hitting or hit lol, dont remember who sells these . The E-cam is outdated but has cheap reasonable power, emissions legal and can be bought used almost everywhere, crane or comp also makes a duplicate under another name

Have the FMS headers been dynoed with the other ones or is this just word of mouth?like a back to back dyno to be valid

 

[justin146]

but ported gt-40s are not bad at all with flow numbers, the mustang guys jump all over them because they're too cheap to buy aftermarket or just dont know any better:, the upper and lower are decent pieces. If you really want larger valves you can actually buy reamers that slide down into the guide and you can notch the pistons at home if they come close to hitting or hit lol, dont remember who sells these . The E-cam is outdated but has cheap reasonable power, emissions legal and can be bought used almost everywhere, crane or comp also makes a duplicate under another name

Have the FMS headers been dynoed with the other ones or is this just word of mouth?like a back to back dyno to be valid

I had the heads on my boat(Donzi Sweet 16 w/ GT40p Explorer engine) ported and fitted with larger valves. The grand total for this was around $800- I could have bought some aftermarket heads for about the same price, but I wanted to retain the iron heads for marine reasons. There was an increse in power though, Expecially since I already had an aftermarket cam in it.

 

[mahollowman]

any updates for this thread

Are there any updates for this thread?
I just got a 99 Mercury Mountaineer 2wd and A friend of mine got a 98 Mountaineer awd .

He is opting to make it a stroker and was wondering if i should go the same route.

What's the cheapest way to get some more HP? The TMHeaders sound awesome but i am a cheapskate.

I noticed this thread is old and was wondering if any other company makes good headers for the Mountaineer/ Explorer application?

And has anyone done the 351w/408 stroker conversion on an explorer/mountaineer?