ok here is my story, I test drove a 2004 SVT cobra the other day, and I was so impressed with the car in general that I wanted to buy it, but my wife (my sweetheart) will not let me. She says I can upgrade my 91 LX and that I already have a mustang. The problem is I have no idea how to get 390 hp out of my 5.0 and still be CA smog legal. Has anybody done this or know of a shop that can do this. Just afraid if I start messing with the motor Ca will send me to a refereee smog station andI really dont want to deal with all the extra hassel. Seems easier just to buy a new SVT :-) I appericate any feedback.
My thoughts exactly. 91 has forged internals doesn't it? I am pretty sure pistons at least. Not sure how the rest will hold up (b/c I simply do not know a lot about these cars--not saying they are weak by any means. Hell, they are stouter than my 98 SOHC I'm sure)... but still, blower is gonna be the route I'd choose.
-Mike
-- A happy kid behind the wheel of a 98 Mustang GT Cold air intake FRPP 3.73 gears Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter Full Boar turbo mufflers Hi-speed fan switch
There's other but if you want the power delivery characteristics of an
03+ Cobra then this is the one you want. Which is basically buttloads of torque across the rpm range. I highly recommend getting the Blowzilla/Flowzilla combination. It can be made smog leagal in all 50 states.
Yup.. get a blower and the other necessary upgrades (injectors, mass air, etc.) and maybe some nice heads. That block will hold fine up to around 375 at the wheels as long as its tuned properly. I had an '89 with 480 at the wheels.. alittle too much. Let me know if you want anymore advice.. ive been there.
I imagine you'll have a hrd time getting over 1 HP/cubic inch and still meeting CA emissions. I think that much power calls for a very big cam, some good heads, and a better intake and exhaust setup.
As others have said a blower may be your best route to keep it smog legal, and also keep street manners (if you have an automatic, if it's manual you can go wild with the engine and still be pretty driveable). A blower crams more air/fuel into the engine, essentially making it act as though it has more displacement.
Other than that, I think a stroker would be your best bet, probably keeping the fuel injection if you can tune it for the bigger motor. That way you won't have to cam it out the wazoo and wind it so high. Just some food for thought.
That's easy. stock short block, AFR heads, matching intake, upgrade the injectors/MAF, reprogram the computer, you're there. Add a better cam, and you're over 400hp. Now, to make your 91 LX handle like a '04 SVT, that's another story.
Yeah, I wouldn't have believed it either. But Car Craft Mag did it in the July 2003 issue. Stock block '91 5.0, stock cam, 1.7 rockers, carb, headers, and AFR 165 heads. Made just a hair over 400hp at
6,000rpm. I'de bet there's a little more to be had with a well tuned EFI.
boB wrote in news:413e585c$0$64839 $ snipped-for-privacy@news.usenetmonster.com:
another
rockers,
I'm still wondering, as '91s had EFI to begin with. Will that carb setup pass emissions for a '91, or is it street-illegal? Also, nobody's mentioned longevity, dependability, or streetability yet. So until we see the documentation it's all a pipe dream in my book.
Joe Calypso Green '93 5.0 LX AOD hatch with a few goodies Black '03 Dakota 5.9 R/T CC
I'm not trying to start an argument but one magazine article doesn't mean much in the real world. The car rags are a very self serving group and don't always give the nitty gritty details about their setups. Getting 400 hp from 302 cubic inches without spinning it to the moon is very, very rare. I've seen dyno runs from all different types of engine combinations and getting 300-320 rwhp from a N/A EFI 302 with a manual tranny is an accomplishment. That equates to around 350-370 hp at the crank. It also typically takes 6.5k-7k rpm to see 300-320 rwhp. A good way to see 400 hp easily and with reliability is to stroke a 302 out to
347 cubic inches. The extra torque of a stroker motor is a nice fringe benefit too.
thanks for the response guys, thats great, I have been doing alot of research on smog friendly motors that have at least 390 hp. yes it can be done and as long as thier are C.A.R.B. numbers that the smog tech can reference your in the clear. I came across this the other night and thier prices seem a little on the high side, but it loks like they did all the homework for you and offer turnkey motors ready to drop in. the only thing I might change is lower the compression a little and use a blower like everybody is suggesting.
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> Get a blower as people suggest .... you can always disconnect it for > > the e-test !
Take a look on AFR's web site. They have some pretty valid test data (as valid as anything else you'll find, anyway) on how to get some pretty good numbers from a 302.
185 heads, a fairly radical cam, moderate compression, Victor Jr intake, and a 650 carb makes 455hp @ 6100rpm. 165 heads, a moderate cam, and a 650 carb makes 402 hp @ 5700 rpm. I think those are pretty accurate numbers, and nothing to sneeze at. I also suspect it took some pretty carefull tuning and a few dyno runs to get there, too. EFI is a little more expensive, maybe a little more difficult to tune, makes approximatly the same power, but still smog legal.
As for Car Craft, I think they are in the same boat. They have a vested interest in printing good numbers, but there has to be some integrity there. I think that 400hp dyno run is accurate, but took some carefull tuning to get there. That's only 1.3hp per inch. 10-15 years ago, the magic number was 1 hp per cubic inch. And it took some pretty radical parts and high rpm's to get you there. But roller cam and head technology has advanced quite a bit in that time frame. Radical builders are coming up with 2+hp per inch.
Look at the Engine Master Challange. Basic rules were street style carbureted 366CI engines, no solid roller cams, stock valve angle heads, no shaft mount rockers, chassis style headers, and average HP between
2500 to 6500 RPM to decide the winner. That's your average hot rod street motor! Joe Sherman made 619hp @ 6500rpm!!!! Damn! That's 1.7hp per inch. A 302 can spin at 6500 for hours on end.
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