H.O. Upper stuff swap on LoPo - Does this produce noticable gains?

[DerekTheGreat]

...I don't give a shit about cruise control so that's not a concern. Just want to be able to add stuff on without the computer going haywire.

Riiight.. One 400+ mile road trip ought to make you change your mind.

[pantera77]

Yes, the MAF is frickin' tiny! Even the stock crap on my '98 looks huge in comparison to the dinky little intake tube, maf, and airbox on this thing. Worst case i'll have to do the HO swap and computer stuff sooner. Any A9 computer should work right? I don't give a shit about cruise control so that's not a concern. Just want to be able to add stuff on without the computer going haywire.

A fully bolted out lopo longblock runs fine on the stock computer and 14# injectors, at least in SD form. You have an oddball there, though I'd recon it will play fine with your typical lopo mods.

[knucklehead0202]

Well it'll be interesting if nothing else! Oh and Derek, I've never owned a vehicle with cruise control, I'm not worried about it. Actually, driving the wife's car, the shit freaked me out, felt like it was getting away from me, I don't trust computers, except this one, maybe.

Anyhow, picked up the car today. Thing needs shock in about the worst way, but otherwise is a sound driver. My mechanic buddy at the bar pointed out a few things to look at, but otherwise she's a beast. Won't be my daily for a couple months anyway, i'll be slowly addressing things that concern me then we'll be off to the races. The power steering pump is horrendously noisy, despite being full of fluid, so that's gotta go. Have a small coolant leak at a fitting on one of the heater hoses, will likely ditch that shitty plastic fitting for a piece of copper pipe and some better hose clamps. Tires are in sad shape which really puts me at a crossroads. Would rather put better wheels/tires on it than shitty stock 15's with whitewalls. Don't really wanna run wheel spacers but factory wheels that fit are so goddamned expensive. I dunno, it'll be a feeling-out process really, but the '98 still runs great so it'll continue to be my daily until I work out the kinks on the '90. Got home too late to get good pictures so I'll try tomorrow. The car is straight as hell but it's fucking filthy, inside and out. My buddy is not only not the cleanest dude on the planet, but also drove the bastard to Oregon and back recently, and I'm pretty sure never washed it before or since then.

Oh well, I have it now and that's all that matters. My brother took me to pick it up and we popped by the bar afterward for a couple cold ones. When leaving, he jokingly threw some revs at me(he has a worked-over F-150HD with a Kenne Belle blower and 450+ at the wheels). I threw some swishy revs at him and proceeded to burn a skinny whitewall out of the parking lot and down the way a bit. Had me laughing so hard and he about pissed himself. Indoctrination into our vehicle ownership does require a burnout so i'll get a video or at least a pic soon of whitey laying some tread soon. Once I get the basics sorted, exhaust and intake mods will follow shortly. Once my brother gets his new mustang motor built, i'll probably be getting the old one, go through it a bit and jam it in the vic. That'll liven things up a bit.

[DerekTheGreat]

Well it'll be interesting if nothing else! Oh and Derek, I've never owned a vehicle with cruise control, I'm not worried about it. Actually, driving the wife's car, the shit freaked me out, felt like it was getting away from me, I don't trust computers, except this one, maybe.

Anyhow, picked up the car today... ...I threw some swishy revs at him and proceeded to burn a skinny whitewall out of the parking lot and down the way a bit. Had me laughing so hard and he about pissed himself. Indoctrination into our vehicle ownership does require a burnout so i'll get a video or at least a pic soon of whitey laying some tread soon. Once I get the basics sorted, exhaust and intake mods will follow shortly. Once my brother gets his new mustang motor built, i'll probably be getting the old one, go through it a bit and jam it in the vic. That'll liven things up a bit.

"People fear that which they do not understand."
Cruise control used to freak me out too but I've grown to appreciate it on late trips with minimal traffic. My TC is the only car in my fleet that has it. Being able to move your legs around and sit comfortably in the seat is nice.

I haven't done a burn out yet in my TC, gotta convert it from peg leg status first I think.

[VicCrownVic]

...
I haven't done a burn out yet in my TC, gotta convert it from peg leg status first I think.

It's possible to do a burnout with an open diff. That was one of the first things my dad did when I got my 91. Even with the 2.73 open diff, stock everything including the trans that only had first and second gear (first and second worked great!), he was still able to do a burnout in his garage.

But yes, being able to roast both tires instead of just one would be preferred.

[Bobcat]

It's possible to do a burnout with an open diff. That was one of the first things my dad did when I got my 91. Even with the 2.73 open diff, stock everything including the trans that only had first and second gear (first and second worked great!), he was still able to do a burnout in his garage.

But yes, being able to roast both tires instead of just one would be preferred.

Yes.. Yes.. it would..

[knucklehead0202]

Agreed, but I'm not above doing a sorry-ass one-legger burnout. It looks even more comical with tall, narrow whitewalls on a huge goofy car.

Far as cruise control is concerned, I live in southern California. so there's never "minimal traffic", lol. You might lock on the cruise for about 30 seconds before you have to jam on the brakes then it starts all over. I do just fine with the old foot-operated cruise. I put somewhere around 5000 miles a year on my personal car, mostly street miles, so around-town performance is more a factor to me than highway cruising, although I'll never go full retard with 4.10 gears or anything. Anyhow, gotta do the registration mod first, lol, then the games begin.

[DerekTheGreat]

Yeah, I'm gonna just wait until I can get both tires to roast. Would certainly help with full throttle take offs, now I get the car rolling a bit and then dump on the throttle to avoid throwing all the torque down one axle shaft and losing a drag race.

[knucklehead0202]

Well I spent some time last weekend cleaning up the LTD and replaced the shocks, of which there were 3, lol. Passenger-side front shock had stripped the bottom bolts out of the control arm and apparently sheered off, which might explain why some of the exhaust had been replaced. Anyhow, it rides and handles much better with the new KYB's on. Awaiting wheels and tires then she'll be roadworthy. Also fixed the coolant leak, installed a brass TV bushing, and cleaned the IAC. Still have a cold idle surge though, so my IAC may just need to be shitcanned and replaced. May have a line on a typhoon intake for cheap so i'll probably grab that. Exhaust will be next!

[DerekTheGreat]

As soon as the correct IAC comes in I'll be swapping mine out. Although I have one in the garage that's good I think.

[DerekTheGreat]

Got me a Lightning TB (Thanks Dave!) and now I need to address the EGR spacer and get me an HO upper intake manifold. Now the lightning stuff is 65mm & HO is 60mm right? Doesn't seem like a difference I should worry about but what do you guys think? Also, am I better off boring out the stock EGR spacer or just trying to find one from an HO? Waiting to pull the trigger on this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1986-1993-Ford-Mustang-Factory-Upper-Intake-Manifold-High-Output-5-0L-HO-EFI-OEM-/180783753711?hash=item2a178d29ef&vxp=mtr

as I just might find another one with an HO TB & spacer attached. I appreciate the input! Friday I just might have the exhaust done...

[knucklehead0202]

Lookin' good Derek, although I thought the lightning EGR spacer was the one that's a direct fit. If you can get that from the same source you got the TB you'll be set. Far as the intake goes, unless you get a great deal on a stock upper, I'd keep shopping around. Found a typhoon intake local(a knockoff edelbrock) for $140. Keep an eye on craigslist and it never hurts to check corral.net too, as there's a lot of mustang stuff changing hands on there. If you can get a stock HO upper for less than 50 bucks, I'd go for it, but more than that seems crazy to me. Got my exhaust done 2 weeks ago and I frickin' love it! Although it currently has no cats and is very stinky. I will be ordering cats and having them put on to un-stinky the car a bit. What do you plan to do exhaust-wise?

[pantera77]

I wouldn't pay half that for a stock HO upper, there $25 at the yard around here, and usually around the same on Craigslist.

The EGR spacer off a mustang does not work, you'd have to make your own throttle cable bracket for it. Lighting EGR spacers do work as they have both the panther style and fox style mounting points on them, or you can have your stock one bored out to 63mm.

IIRC the lighting TB is the same as an Explorer one, ~65mm, it will work fine with the stock HO upper. That's the combo I run on my tudor as it's what I had laying around.

[gadget73]

It is actually possible to use an HO spacer, but it involves the Fox body TV cable and throttle cable, and you loop them around from the front of the car. I don't care for this setup as I feel its messy, but it does work if you just can't find any other way to get it done.

[DerekTheGreat]

Lookin' good Derek, although I thought the lightning EGR spacer was the one that's a direct fit. If you can get that from the same source you got the TB you'll be set. Far as the intake goes, unless you get a great deal on a stock upper, I'd keep shopping around. Found a typhoon intake local(a knockoff edelbrock) for $140. Keep an eye on craigslist and it never hurts to check corral.net too, as there's a lot of mustang stuff changing hands on there. If you can get a stock HO upper for less than 50 bucks, I'd go for it, but more than that seems crazy to me. Got my exhaust done 2 weeks ago and I frickin' love it! Although it currently has no cats and is very stinky. I will be ordering cats and having them put on to un-stinky the car a bit. What do you plan to do exhaust-wise?

I wouldn't pay half that for a stock HO upper, there $25 at the yard around here, and usually around the same on Craigslist.

The EGR spacer off a mustang does not work, you'd have to make your own throttle cable bracket for it. Lighting EGR spacers do work as they have both the panther style and fox style mounting points on them, or you can have your stock one bored out to 63mm.

IIRC the lighting TB is the same as an Explorer one, ~65mm, it will work fine with the stock HO upper. That's the combo I run on my tudor as it's what I had laying around.

It is actually possible to use an HO spacer, but it involves the Fox body TV cable and throttle cable, and you loop them around from the front of the car. I don't care for this setup as I feel its messy, but it does work if you just can't find any other way to get it done.

Thanks for the replies & advice fellas!

Gadget- I'm an idiot, when I first opened the box from David I was busy at work and just saw the TB, I thought the spacer was part of the packaging haha. So the spacer & TB are things I can cross off (Lightning stuff) and now I need to wait for an HO upper.

Khead - Nice to know about the cats! Deal is going down Friday morning and initially I was dead set on 2.5" stainless but nobody will do that around here and to get stuff custom made is north of $800.. After talking with my exhaust guy he sold me on redoing the entire set up with 2.25" aluminized pipe & turbo mufflers, we're also going to reuse the cats to keep the hydrocarbon stink to a minimum. Maybe years later when I do the HO swap I'll do 2.5" but when I told them I wanted 2.5" he said I'd lose a lot of low end power since I've got the stock lopo and that going from a 2.25" single to 2.25" duals would be opening it up a lot as it is. What do you guys think though? You're the ones with first hand experience.

Pantera- David (87gtVIC) noticed a difference with his car once he put HO upper stuff on it, how about you? I'm pretty stoked, not like I expect it to do a whole lot I just like the idea of a bit extra and less pedal effort at 80mph and perhaps a bit more passing power beyond 55mph. David also mentioned his idle speed ended up being ~1100 after the swap and needed to close that little hole in the TB, did you have to do this as well? If so what did you do to cover up the hole and not get a whistle?

Also, would you guys worry about the difference in diameter between the EGR spacer & HO upper or can I just bolt the stuff up and forget about it? Also, thanks for giving me an idea on pricing for an HO upper. Yards around here are devoid of HO stuff at the moment but of course, when I didn't have a Ford I lost track of how many Mk. VII's & Mustangs I would see. All that stuff is usually pretty beat but it's nice to pull apart a JY car before doing the same thing on your own car.