Super/turbo charger kit for 5.0 V8?

For the use you describe, your best bet is to install a 351 or regear the rear to a 4.10:1. You'll lose some fuel mileage when not towing but, no noticeable difference when towing except for much better performance. I have gone through the supercharger routine in a '90 Bronco with very unsatisfactory results including the loss of several transmissions while towing despite the maximum upgrades and, loss of two engines to burned pistons. We installed every recommended modification to support the supercharger installation for reliability. The only modification we have done that made the engine reliable during towing with the supercharger was installing water injection an reduced compression pistons. We run it on premium fuel at 9 mpg cruising - not towing. It is very doggy off the bottom end until the rpm's are up. We also have a Bronco of '94 vitage with the 351 which can do the same towing at 10 MPG and cruise at 15 MPG. The bone stock 351 is by far the more satisfying to drive and has been 100% reliable at 130K miles. It has the factory tow package and coolers. Following that was the '90 Bronco with the unmodified 5.0 and the 4.10:1 gear which got about the same mileage as the

351 with the 3.55 gear. BTW, the towing is for a 5-6K lb load in the north Georgia mountains.

||Sounds like if might be less work to buy a 5.8 engine from a wrecked ||truck and swap engines.

That's probably true, but 5.8s with over 100K seem to go for $1000 here, and they aren't that plentiful.

| ||On Thu, 13 May 2004 19:54:50 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEtxol.net (Rex B) ||wrote: || ||>I have decided to keep my '94 F15 4x4. But I do use it to tow a 6000# trailer, ||>and it's a little anemic for that. I'd be fine with 30-50 more HP, but I don't ||>need to lose fuel mileage. Sounds like a good recipe for a turbo kit. Ayone ||>done this that can share experience? Good alternatives? ||>Texas Parts Guy ||

Texas Parts Guy

You ought to see how many I see on the dock I work at. Seems every night I see a black plastic container that proclaims on the side "5.8L". I'm thinking, that engine can't be THAT bad? Oh, I see E40D tranny shipping containers all the time too. Two to three a night. Granted, this is a metropolitan area.

Plasyd

On Fri, 14 May 2004 09:38:47 -0400, lugnut wrote:

||On Thu, 13 May 2004 19:54:50 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEtxol.net ||(Rex B) wrote: || ||>I have decided to keep my '94 F15 4x4. But I do use it to tow a 6000# trailer, ||>and it's a little anemic for that. I'd be fine with 30-50 more HP, but I don't ||>need to lose fuel mileage. Sounds like a good recipe for a turbo kit. Ayone ||>done this that can share experience? Good alternatives? ||>Texas Parts Guy || ||For the use you describe, your best bet is to install a 351 ||or regear the rear to a 4.10:1. You'll lose some fuel ||mileage when not towing but, no noticeable difference when ||towing except for much better performance. I have gone ||through the supercharger routine in a '90 Bronco with very ||unsatisfactory results including the loss of several ||transmissions while towing despite the maximum upgrades and, ||loss of two engines to burned pistons. We installed every ||recommended modification to support the supercharger ||installation for reliability. The only modification we have ||done that made the engine reliable during towing with the ||supercharger was installing water injection an reduced ||compression pistons. We run it on premium fuel at 9 mpg ||cruising - not towing. It is very doggy off the bottom end ||until the rpm's are up. We also have a Bronco of '94 vitage ||with the 351 which can do the same towing at 10 MPG and ||cruise at 15 MPG. The bone stock 351 is by far the more ||satisfying to drive and has been 100% reliable at 130K ||miles. It has the factory tow package and coolers. ||Following that was the '90 Bronco with the unmodified 5.0 ||and the 4.10:1 gear which got about the same mileage as the ||351 with the 3.55 gear. BTW, the towing is for a 5-6K lb ||load in the north Georgia mountains.

Sounds like I need to look a little harder. Thanks Texas Parts Guy

They are right. Super/Turbochargers all cost in excess of 1000 bucks. A system (charger, intercooler, etc..) usually costs 2500-3500 if you want a reliable one. The more boost going to the charger, the more gas that gets pissed into the engine, which in turn makes for worse fuel economy. Not to mention you might also have to rework the engine to the extra power doesn't destroy your pistons or other parts of the engine. You'd also have to run Premium grade fuel usually instead of the 87 octane your 5.0 takes and with gas prices the way they are now, you might need to sell your house so you can gas the damn thing up. The 5.8 is a decent, reliable engine. I would suggest swapping engines or regearing or both. Try regearing first though as it is cheaper and will do a world of good for your towing anyway. 4.10's work perfect for what you describe.

-BD

On Fri, 14 May 2004 15:31:33 -0400, "BD" wrote:

|| ||"Rex B" wrote in message ||news: snipped-for-privacy@news.txol.net... ||> On Fri, 14 May 2004 09:38:47 -0400, lugnut wrote: ||>

||> ||On Thu, 13 May 2004 19:54:50 GMT, snipped-for-privacy@REMOVEtxol.net ||> ||(Rex B) wrote: ||> || ||> ||>I have decided to keep my '94 F15 4x4. But I do use it to tow a 6000# ||> trailer, ||> ||>and it's a little anemic for that. I'd be fine with 30-50 more HP, but ||I ||> don't ||> ||>need to lose fuel mileage. Sounds like a good recipe for a turbo kit. ||Ayone ||> ||>done this that can share experience? Good alternatives? ||> ||>Texas Parts Guy ||> || ||> ||For the use you describe, your best bet is to install a 351 ||> ||or regear the rear to a 4.10:1. You'll lose some fuel ||> ||mileage when not towing but, no noticeable difference when ||> ||towing except for much better performance. I have gone ||> ||through the supercharger routine in a '90 Bronco with very ||> ||unsatisfactory results including the loss of several ||> ||transmissions while towing despite the maximum upgrades and, ||> ||loss of two engines to burned pistons. We installed every ||> ||recommended modification to support the supercharger ||> ||installation for reliability. The only modification we have ||> ||done that made the engine reliable during towing with the ||> ||supercharger was installing water injection an reduced ||> ||compression pistons. We run it on premium fuel at 9 mpg ||> ||cruising - not towing. It is very doggy off the bottom end ||> ||until the rpm's are up. We also have a Bronco of '94 vitage ||> ||with the 351 which can do the same towing at 10 MPG and ||> ||cruise at 15 MPG. The bone stock 351 is by far the more ||> ||satisfying to drive and has been 100% reliable at 130K ||> ||miles. It has the factory tow package and coolers. ||> ||Following that was the '90 Bronco with the unmodified 5.0 ||> ||and the 4.10:1 gear which got about the same mileage as the ||> ||351 with the 3.55 gear. BTW, the towing is for a 5-6K lb ||> ||load in the north Georgia mountains. ||>

||> Sounds like I need to look a little harder. ||> Thanks ||> Texas Parts Guy || ||They are right. Super/Turbochargers all cost in excess of 1000 bucks. A ||system (charger, intercooler, etc..) usually costs 2500-3500 if you want a ||reliable one. The more boost going to the charger, the more gas that gets ||pissed into the engine, which in turn makes for worse fuel economy. Not to ||mention you might also have to rework the engine to the extra power doesn't ||destroy your pistons or other parts of the engine. You'd also have to run ||Premium grade fuel usually instead of the 87 octane your 5.0 takes and with ||gas prices the way they are now, you might need to sell your house so you ||can gas the damn thing up. The 5.8 is a decent, reliable engine. I would ||suggest swapping engines or regearing or both. Try regearing first though ||as it is cheaper and will do a world of good for your towing anyway. 4.10's ||work perfect for what you describe.

I think it's already got 4.10s, but I need to check. It behaves exactly like my F350 with 5.8 and 4.10s, in a slightly heavier truck. Texas Parts Guy

"Rex B" wrote in message news: snipped-for-privacy@news.txol.net...

I have an 88 5L 4x4 with a single turbo on it, goes [ used to , the truck is rusted to the ground now ] like hell, it will make the power when you need it but it will be harder on the motor than a 351W would feel, the 351W is a very stout motor even in stock form, but your mileage will suffer. I have bounced this one back and forth for the last month, and have decided on the 5.8 , I can make the 500+ hp out of the 5L that I have now decided I want but the motor is just not that tough to handle it on a regular basis and it is also max limited at that point without going to a SVO block. The 351 out of the crate will handle that easily and can be modified well into the 800 hp range even with the stock block and crank..they have always been a severely underated motor. I am in the middle of building a new truck for myself, it will end up being [ out of 5 parts trucks ] , a 92 F150, 5.8 4x4 HD4spd auto, standard cab long box , I will eventually have one or two turbos on it, I have not decided yet. Oh and like someone else said , the turbo route is not that cheap if you buy someone elses kit, if you are handy with the welder [ and metal working in general ] you might be able to fab a simple system up [using something like a Buick Grand National turbo and intercooler] pretty cheap , but buy the time you pipe it and run the fuel management upgrades etc. that are needed you will still be way over a grand, probably closer to two grand to do it at least half decent . But it sure is fun to drive though.. A 351 would be... more fun .. Dave.

Dave Good points, and I do like that turbo rush. I think if I go to the 351 I'll be OK with that for a while. Really, the 5.0 would be OK with better heads and perhaps a RV cam to put the torque peak at towing speed. Since I only put about 10% of the miles on it towing, the priorities for the other 90% are fuel economy (or something resembling it) and responsiveness. Looked like a turbo would be the best all-around - keeping the slightly better economy but having power on demand.

At this point I'm inclined to keep my eye out for a decent 351. If one doesn't turn up soon enough I'll likely have a reman longblock installed. Texas Parts Guy

Everyone does once they get a good dose of it ...

With the right gears and possibly an exhaust upgrade you should have plenty of power and possibly better gas mileage as well [ from the exhaust ] .

If you are going to the expence of the heads you might as well just put a

351 in it, it is more cost effective ,and the 351 will still make more torgue than the warmed over 302 ... but you could stroke a 302 with a cleveland crank [ modified of course ] to a 347CI and end up with a far stronger grunt out of the 302 block but life expectency is not as good .. My suggestion would be the 351 with some mild porting on the heads, and I do mean mild , just enough to get the peak torque rpm flow #s up , [you do not need to "hog" them out for this] , and a slightly better cam. It is a bit of work but with some patiance and being careful not to knick the seats you can do a light port job in an afternoon no problem. There should be lots of info on the net for porting 5.0/351W heads to the stage that you want. Another option is to find a set of 69 , 351W heads , they already come with the bigger valves , but the chamber is pretty small , so you have to be careful about building to much compression , particularly if you are considering a turbo [ or any type boost in general ]. You may find your mileage will go up as well as the power [ as long as you are not looking for both at the same time ], I am going to eventually do some experimenting with cams in my 351W but at this point I think I will just get the truck together first , then worry about the power later .

responsiveness.

Yup , a turbo is great for that, it costs you nothing to have it go along for the ride till you need it. If you did end up with one on a 351W and it was designed properly , there probably would not be much you could not [ power wise ] pull with it ... boost effectively = cubic inch... so a 351W with 10lbs of boost would in effect be a 550+ CI motor ... when you need it .

10lbs = 2/3 of atmospheric pressure ...so - 351x66% + 351 = huge power . Again , that is if all this is designed properly and also using a properly sized intercooler and fuel system to go with it.

I am not sure if you are talking about a 302 long block or a 351, just in case you are talking a 351W , the intake will not fit from the 302W . Either way, good luck with it. Dave.

Thanks again for the input.

On Mon, 17 May 2004 21:51:30 -0400, "flymx" wrote:

|| ||"Rex B" wrote in message ||news: snipped-for-privacy@news.txol.net... ||> On Sat, 15 May 2004 22:46:56 -0400, "flymx" wrote: ||>

||> || ||> ||"Rex B" wrote in message ||> ||news: snipped-for-privacy@news.txol.net... ||> ||> I have decided to keep my '94 F15 4x4. But I do use it to tow a 6000# ||> ||trailer, ||> ||> and it's a little anemic for that. I'd be fine with 30-50 more HP, but ||I ||> ||don't ||> ||> need to lose fuel mileage. Sounds like a good recipe for a turbo kit. ||> ||Ayone ||> ||> done this that can share experience? Good alternatives? ||> ||> Texas Parts Guy ||> || ||> ||I have an 88 5L 4x4 with a single turbo on it, goes [ used to , the ||truck is ||> ||rusted to the ground now ] like hell, it will make the power when you ||need ||> ||it but it will be harder on the motor than a 351W would feel, the 351W ||is a ||> ||very stout motor even in stock form, but your mileage will suffer. ||> ||I have bounced this one back and forth for the last month, and have ||decided ||> ||on the 5.8 , I can make the 500+ hp out of the 5L that I have now ||decided I ||> ||want but the motor is just not that tough to handle it on a regular ||basis ||> ||and it is also max limited at that point without going to a SVO block. ||> ||The 351 out of the crate will handle that easily and can be modified ||well ||> ||into the 800 hp range even with the stock block and crank..they have ||always ||> ||been a severely underated motor. ||> ||I am in the middle of building a new truck for myself, it will end up ||being ||> ||[ out of 5 parts trucks ] , a 92 F150, 5.8 4x4 HD4spd auto, standard ||cab ||> ||long box , I will eventually have one or two turbos on it, I have not ||> ||decided yet. ||> ||Oh and like someone else said , the turbo route is not that cheap if you ||buy ||> ||someone elses kit, if you are handy with the welder [ and metal working ||in ||> ||general ] you might be able to fab a simple system up [using something ||like ||> ||a Buick Grand National turbo and intercooler] pretty cheap , but buy the ||> ||time you pipe it and run the fuel management upgrades etc. that are ||needed ||> ||you will still be way over a grand, probably closer to two grand to do ||it at ||> ||least half decent . ||> ||But it sure is fun to drive though.. ||> ||A 351 would be... more fun .. ||> ||Dave. ||>

||> Dave ||> Good points, and I do like that turbo rush. || ||Everyone does once they get a good dose of it ... || || ||> I think if I go to the 351 I'll be OK with that for a while. || ||With the right gears and possibly an exhaust upgrade you should have plenty ||of power and possibly better gas mileage as well [ from the exhaust ] . || ||> Really, the 5.0 would be OK with better heads and perhaps a RV cam to put ||the ||> torque peak at towing speed. || ||If you are going to the expence of the heads you might as well just put a ||351 in it, it is more cost effective ,and the 351 will still make more ||torgue than the warmed over 302 ... but you could stroke a 302 with a ||cleveland crank [ modified of course ] to a 347CI and end up with a far ||stronger grunt out of the 302 block but life expectency is not as good .. ||My suggestion would be the 351 with some mild porting on the heads, and I do ||mean mild , just enough to get the peak torque rpm flow #s up , [you do not ||need to "hog" them out for this] , and a slightly better cam. ||It is a bit of work but with some patiance and being careful not to knick ||the seats you can do a light port job in an afternoon no problem. ||There should be lots of info on the net for porting 5.0/351W heads to the ||stage that you want. ||Another option is to find a set of 69 , 351W heads , they already come with ||the bigger valves , but the chamber is pretty small , so you have to be ||careful about building to much compression , particularly if you are ||considering a turbo [ or any type boost in general ]. ||You may find your mileage will go up as well as the power [ as long as you ||are not looking for both at the same time ], I am going to eventually do ||some experimenting with cams in my 351W but at this point I think I will ||just get the truck together first , then worry about the power later . || ||> Since I only put about 10% of the miles on it towing, the priorities for ||the ||> other 90% are fuel economy (or something resembling it) and ||responsiveness. ||> Looked like a turbo would be the best all-around - keeping the slightly ||better ||> economy but having power on demand. || ||Yup , a turbo is great for that, it costs you nothing to have it go along ||for the ride till you need it. ||If you did end up with one on a 351W and it was designed properly , there ||probably would not be much you could not [ power wise ] pull with it ... ||boost effectively = cubic inch... so a 351W with 10lbs of boost would in ||effect be a 550+ CI motor ... when you need it . ||10lbs = 2/3 of atmospheric pressure ...so - 351x66% + 351 = huge power ||. ||Again , that is if all this is designed properly and also using a properly ||sized intercooler and fuel system to go with it. || || ||>

||> At this point I'm inclined to keep my eye out for a decent 351. ||> If one doesn't turn up soon enough I'll likely have a reman longblock ||installed. || ||I am not sure if you are talking about a 302 long block or a 351, just in ||case you are talking a 351W , the intake will not fit from the 302W . ||Either way, good luck with it. ||Dave. || ||> Texas Parts Guy || ||

Texas Parts Guy