Rebuilding motor, what mods to do?

[imq707s]

I've getting ready to pull the 5.0 motor in my 97 explorer and give it a complete overhaul. I was thinking about getting a new cam and maybe doing some work to the heads since I'll have the motor out. I would like to try to get a little more power and keep the gas millage where it is now. Is that possible? I would also like to leave the stock computer chip in it for now. Can I do any work on the heads without the computer going crazy? I was thinking about smoothing out the intake parts and polishing the exhaust ports. The only thing I've done so far is get a K&N filter and swiss-cheese the airbox.

 

[Sandy]

Everyone has an opinion, so here is mine.
Do not go overboard on the cam, keep the lift a little higher but the duration short. Keep the compression around the 9.0 mark. Increase the air intake with a larger throttle body and mass air flow meter/body, don't go too big.

Contact your favorite cam manufacturer and tell them what you want and they will suggest a good setup.

Your heads should be good enough the way they are, unless you want too drag rae or something like that.
Street use and trail use requires low air flow rate so the more you can get in by increasing the intake side and out through the exhaust side, the more power you will have.

Talk to friends that have done mods and see if you like what the mod do, if not don't do them.

Good Luck,

 

[mrboyle]

The best thing you can do is have the entire bottom end ballanced. This runs around $100 (check with your local machine shops/engine builder to find someone that does it) and is worth every penny. It will make the engine run smoother, last longer and allows it to work more efficiantly.