347 RE-Power 1996 Limited AWD | Page 11 | Ford Explorer Forums - Serious Explorations

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347 RE-Power 1996 Limited AWD

As things are getting closer and closer thought I would update.

Started late last year, reading posts and asking questions. I decided to go ahead to drop in a built 347 into my 1996 explorer which has over 300,000km (almost 190,000 miles) on it. The truck still runs great BTW, and has been in the family since new and its been in my hands since last Oct.

First impulse was a cheap 1996 complete 1996 5.0L Explorer motor on fleabay. Shipped it to the engine builder to use as a donor.

It is a 347 built by Fordstrokers with a custom cam from Camshaft Innovations.

- Scat rotating assembly
- Mahle pistons
-Trick flow fast as cast 190cc heads
- comp gold rockers
- trick flow Track Heat intake.
- Torque Monster Headers built with the correct exhaust flange.

Other items of note
- 1" phenolic spacer
- 70mm accufab throttle body with modified throttle arm
- 30lb injectors
- 255lbs/hr fuel pump
- re-use the explorer intake elbow 70mm dia.
- black trick flow valve covers
- utilize some of my MAC intake

Supporting items
- 75mm Prom M MAF (Henson Performance)
- Wideband 02 sensor (Henson Performance)
- tuning (Henson)

Other to-do's
- exhaust will be re-done from the headers to cat back with mandrel bent tubing and new cats. Larger mandrel bent intake tubing to match larger diameter of MAF and TB.




This motor is being bolted to a Lentech 4R70W with 2600RPM 11.5" stall converter.

I'd like to thank many people for advice and tips but especially Don - CDW6212R for pointing me in the right direction with Fordstrokers and equally important was providing me with a custom made 28oz balancer with the explorer timing ring machined and pinned on there.

2010man for selling me his 1994 Mustang Cobra OEM crank pulley. This part is not made by ford anymore and has the same diameter of the explorer pulley but bolts to the custom 28oz balancer that Don sent me.

Also Turdle and tmsoko for answering some questions.

here it is at the engine builder


here it is at my shop, patiently waiting. mocked up driver's side header and intake.


Here is a used 70mm accufab throttle body next to a stock explorer 65mm TB. I modified the arm on the TB to match the location of the stock explorer linkage so both the throttle and cruise cables/linkages with match up.


I will post more updates as they come.:thumbsup:
 



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Great job, and you have some rust prevention back there already.

Mine is virgin except for the shocks, and one is an IAS piece that I can't get off. I need a new lower leak spring perch, the shock bolt is seized to it, so it'll have to be cut off.

My other three IAS shocks are bad too(2 out of 3), so I'd like to take them up on the lifetime warantee soon.
 



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Ya rust prevention..... Everytime I go under the truck i'm spraying either black spray or some sort of rust prevention and its working little by little to either stop or cover up years of rust. I like that the truck sits alot higher up so when I wash the truck I can get under with the pressure washer to the underbody much easier.

In hindsight the IAS shocks weren't as good as I thought. Or because they were shot and now I have new shocks its an unfair comparison. With that said, they provided a very short lifespan. I haven't put many miles on the Edelbrock IAS before they started to let me down.

My ride now is night and day better than it was.

Take them up on the warranty for sure. I just tossed mine in the bin.


Front shock Install
Shocks7_zps1334898d.jpg

Shocks4_zps176faf3e.jpg

Notice anything missing ?
Shocks6_zps320095fb.jpg

Shocks5_zps20b8e12d.jpg
 






Putting new parts on does help you to find other things, and remind you of what else needs work.

I will send the IAS shocks back, if I can get the one off. It looks a little odd to have one red shock and one yellow one next to it.
 






crap! i was going to say, if you can get a pair on warranty, do it, and i will buy the set you get back off you
 






Cool, can do. I need to find a perch first, I think I'll be cutting it off with a sawzall. I'd rather not baby the perch to save it, get a spare and zip this off fast.
 












(i want to see what a 347 can put out power-wise and what kind of MPG you can expect from a heavy suv.)

Me as well. This what I wanted to do with mine 1999 EX
 






(i want to see what a 347 can put out power-wise and what kind of MPG you can expect from a heavy suv.)

Me as well. This what I wanted to do with mine 1999 EX
 






WOW!!!
I thought a 347 would put down much better numbers on the dyno. My project, which is close to being done, is a powerdyne s/c at 6 lbs boost on a stock 302. So I will be surpised if my numbers on the dyno come close to yours. I think Turdle ran 14's but had tuning issues. His was probably an easy 13 sec truck.
Hope to get mine dynoed in the next couple months. But like everyone says, the only numbers that matter are on the track.
Looking forward to your timeslips.:thumbsup:
 






The heads, cam, intake and exhaust airflow potential figures are critical to good acceleration, and power. If you use stock type heads on a stroker engine, the result will be stock power levels at simply lower rpm's(302/347).

I don't know why the apparent dyno figures keep suggesting the Explorer platform make far less power than similar combinations in a Mustang. I think it will be either individual parts choices(mismatches), or the exhaust restrictions.

The exhaust should be looked at like any performance vehicle. If the engine makes 350hp, then the exhaust should flow as much air as a 350hp Mustang exhaust. Try to match the airflow of components to that of a similar Mustang.

How many tail pipes does a Mustang have, how many mufflers, what is the overall area of the pipe sizes as they go from front to back? There is a bunch of hidden power in that.
 






Update or lack of

Last few times I have visited this web forum I have a notice saying I haven't posted in a while. So here we go.

Only recent thing that has been done on my truck is a new trailer hitch. With the steel roll pan the ends of the frame rails had to be shortened. When I did the body lift they had to be shortened a bit more. So I took the truck to my welder guy and he did a very excellent job with a welded in hitch tucked up nice and high with 2 large recovery rings. The goal was to have a hitch again, I wanted a hitch mounted motorcycle carrier, and I wanted strong recovery points in the rear that I did not have anymore. Mission accomplished.

Today I dropped my truck off to get the AC services and to check my TMH's as they seems to be a leak on the passenger side and I didn't feel like investigating it. The beauty is, I put my bike on the back, dropped of the truck and rode the bike to work. This way I'm not inconveniencing anyone with rides to and from work and home. Its pretty slick.:thumbsup:

The motorcycle carrier is a Ultimate MX Hauler which has worked out great and I would recommend this product to anyone hauling a single motorcycle around. Some other models may be cheaper but you get what you pay for. The best thing is I don't need a trailer which takes up alot of space/insurance etc. This thing slides under my work bench.





 


















I'd really like to drive a 347 to see if "it's just what Pickle needs"... good job!!


Si

You come to Calgary, drop me a line and you can actually do that.;)
 


















i've always wanted to take a 347 powered explorer limited wheeling, then racing! :D :wavey:

vroomzoomboom. your probably having enough fun with your set up. By the time I got my truck sorted out the local track shut down and I never got to do legal racing. Then I lifted it and have no desire to light up 33's racing......... yet i'm a red light hero. hahaha

Have you been on a 1/4 mile yet? Maybe you have and its posted, but I wouldn't know because i've been out of the loop on here. Not getting email notifications from my suscribed threads anymore :crazy:

Last weekend I was at Castrol Raceway near Edmonton to see a friends Dad do a run. He runs a 81 trans am, with 532ci N/A big block with over 800hp It was pretty cool. I missed the Friday night street racing where guys like us could have fun.
 












Have you been on a 1/4 mile yet? Maybe you have and its posted, but I wouldn't know because i've been out of the loop on here. Not getting email notifications from my suscribed threads anymore :crazy:

havent.....yet. i am wanting to go this weekend, but they are now calling for rain :mad:
i have my new throttle body ready to go on, and tomorrow i am picking up the elbow that i made (larger diameter) from the painter. so when i get home, i will slap it on, and see what it does
 



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Blown Header Gasket

Had a blown driver's side header gasket for the last 6 weeks or so and it's been getting worse. After doing a little research I decided to try Remflex header gaskets. Also thanks to this site I saw a post on ARP 400-1110 3/8" x 1.000" SS hex head header bolts. They are nice because they have a 5/16" bolt head instead of the 3/8" head. This allows easier wrench access with a smaller socket and or combination wrench or ratcheting combination wrench. Just plain easier to get the bolts in and out (hopefully won't need to take these out:D)

Here you can see at the top left of the old gasket where it has blown out.


Note the difference in bolt head size 3/8" vs 5/16".


Take tire off, splash shield out, plug wires off, steering shaft seperated, dipstick removed, 2 piece Torque Monster Header seperated, header unbolted from collector, and header unbolted. All this so I could get at the head to remove the old gasket, scrape the surface, the 90* angle grinder with small cup wire wheel then blow with air, and wiped clean. While I'm in there I've changed out the plugs.



Prepped surface, new Autolite 3924 plugs installed.


That's as far as I got before calling it a night. In the foreground is my alternate commuter that I just finished putting a bunch of new parts on and got on the road for the first time of the year this week. Hope to finish tomorrow as this is not a "fun" task to do. But it has to be done and didn't feel like paying a shop to so it or wait for a shop to do it.
 






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