Diff's between 93 5.0 Cobra's and 5.0 explorers???

[rocket 5979]

Ok what i want to know is what r the differences between the old 93 5.0 HO Cobra's and our engines in our explorers? Am i correct in saying that those Cobra;s had the regular GT-40 intake where as we have the better flowing P series of that? Also what about some other things? I am just curious to see the similarities between the two. Thanks. Rob

 

[98X5.0]

Okay, a lot of this is off the top of my head but here goes: These are the differences that set the Cobra motor and Explorer motor apart from the "standard" 5.0 HO motor.

1993 Cobra: Specific "Cobra" intake, cast iron GT-40 heads, 1.72 roller rockers, 65mm throttle body, 70mm mass air meter, 24 lb injectors, Thunderbird 5.0 cam (F3ZE), Cobra specific ECM.

Explorer 5.0: Specific "Explorer" intake, GT-40 (96') or GT-40P (97' up) heads, standard rockers, 65mm throttle body, "high torque Explorer specific cam (F4TZB), and I don't have the injector or mass air specs! Sombody help with that.

The 5.0 roller cam engines are, for the most part, all built from the same 9.0-1 CR short block, but then receive unique top ends, cams, and computer tunes.

The X motor and 93' Cobra motor are very much alike. Somehow a near identical parts array make 235/280 in the Cobra and 215/288 in the X, however, the 93 Cobra is notoriously underated. I would say that exhaust, cam, and computer tune is where the X suffers. After all, the GT-40P headed motor is rated at 270HP (with an E cam) when sold as a long block crate engine by Ford Racing. The standard 87'-92' 5.0 HO was rated 225-300, and that is without all of the GT-40 top end inprovements!

Hope this answers a few questions, I am sure others will have some details as well.

 

[james t]

from what i remember, the above is correct. id also like to add...

the explo intake is a GT-40 lower with a "revised" Cobra upper. in stock form, X flows slightly better than the Cobra. the lower is the restriction, and good gains can be had from porting/extrude honing it.

the explo has stamped nonroller 1.6 rockers

the explo cam sucks in a big way

both GT-40 and GT-40p heads can be ported and cut for chevy valves. this will make big hp compared to stock, if done right.

the explo exhaust is very restrictive. the stock catback is a 2.25 single. this is a major restriction.

 

[rocket 5979]

Sweet that is what i thought though i didnt know about the Cobra having the roller rockers. I am wondering(out loud) how much i could gain by getting the intake and heads ported and polished? I wonder how much it would help over stock after i get my charger in. I am looking for an excuse not to get nitrous again. So i am looking for things that would give me some good horsepower gains above the S/C setup and also not put any more stress on the engine like the Nitro will do. Though i know the engine could handle it. I still would rather go the more constructive route. But if the easy route turns out to be the way to go i suppose i will have to reinstall the juice.

 

[james t]

on the heads, if you dont go with bigger valves, you might as well not do it at all. porting will all depend on who does it. runner volume needs to be kept small to keep from killing low-end/mid. if you've ever driven a car with "hogged out" heads, then you know they suck. if they guy doesnt have a flowbench i would stay away.

if you've got the money, just get some good aftermarket heads. chances are after you spend the $$$ getting everything done, for a few hundred more you could have had some TFS or Canfields.

 

[rocket 5979]

Hehe. Canfield stage 1+, or 2+ ported heads. Going for abot 1895 a pair last i checked. Ok maybe i will just stick with the nitrous route. lol.

 

[james t]

oops, forgot how expensive they are. i dont know how much the porting/valve increase would cost, because i have a local "hookup" on that. i would assume that getting them done right, with everything, would be around $750. just remember, if the guy doesnt have access to a flowbench... stay away.

 

[rocket 5979]

flowbench

Trust me i wont let just anyone touch whats under my hood. Except good looking chicks. hehe

 

[explorethis91]

What engine would be better to put into a 91 X, the cobra or the 5.0 ? How much would i be looking to spend in parts for it to fit? Would i need a new trans to?

 

[rocket 5979]

Cheaper and less heartache to just guy a newer X with the V-8 already in it. But I would go with the X 5.0 versus Cobra being that it already has truck cam and other stuff made for torque and higher flow.

 

[explorethis91]

I will never sell my 91. that truck rules and my goal is to restore it. Probly wont be all stock, but i want it real nice and fast, but still able to take it offroad.

 

[rocket 5979]

In that case do a few different searches around on this site for the V-8 swap. Read up on it and see what it willtake. One thing i will tell you that will be a given is that if you actually do plan on doing the V-8 swap it will most likely take a year or more to Plan, schedule, save and install for all the things you will need to do. Just do ALOT of research and you will have a better understanding of what would be involved.

 

[blk mk8]

with out proper headers it is all pointless. you can not put out more power with our more exhaust flow. the headers on your truck are not even good for stock power ranges, let along doing a high output truck.