Difference btw 91 Cat and Stang 5.0L

Apr 25, 2004 2 Replies

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John 22 years ago

Hi all, big lurker and occasional poster here, love the tech stuff. Currently have a 91 XR7 with 5.0L HO

My question is where to find the differences between the 5L 302's used in the XR7 Cougars and the Mustangs. I've read/heard that the intake on the

302s in the Cougars were lowered in order to fit under the hood. I'm talking of the '91 model years though I'm sure later years apply. In the past Mercury has always been guilty of trying to quiet a good Ford engine so I'm wondering what other differences there are. Whatever changes were made resulted in a 200-210 HP rating compared to the stang 225-plus. I ask as I need to know what I can use for part sources.

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Ironrod 22 years ago

The Mercury Cougar and Ford T'bird bodies of that vintage were never intended to house the 5.0. In order to get it to fit Ford shortened the manifold runner length and squashed the oil pan. In some circles that particular engine is known as the "I can't breathe V8".

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Joe 22 years ago

Yeah, but didn't Super Ford test the manifolds and find that the T-bird intake was actually *better* than the HO and as good as a GT40? Am I the only one that remembers that? But to answer the question, certainly the intakes were different, yes.

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