My 1989 Grand Marquis GS sedan "Ebyt"

[Hearsesrock427]

Been doing some more research on go-fast parts. I'm thinking of going into aftermarket territory with stuff now. I've got more money to spend than I thought, thanks to my backing out of a '91 CVLX project car.

Proposed changes!

HEADS: Leaning toward these babies here: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Flo-Te...ead,46332.html
They come with upgraded valve springs, and a fresh valve job. $740 for heads is a bit higher than I thought I'd be paying, but they're better than GT-40Ps. Do these have spark plug clearance issues like the GT-40Ps?

HEADERS: Going to call Speedway Motors tomorrow and see if there are any ceramic coated long tube headers that fit the aforementioned heads, and will fit my '89 GMGS. Do you guys know of any ceramic coated long-tubes that fit box panthers and are compatible with the aforementioned heads?

CAM: Found this sweet Comp Cams part: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/COMP-C...-RPM,4799.html
Description says there will be a slight rough idle. I'm more concerned about the ECM not being able to handle the change and/or needing a new trans governor. Will these be an issue?

[Hearsesrock427]

Update!

-Talked to Speedway Motors, and they said the Flo-Tek 203505 heads should be fine, and likely won't need spark plug re-routing (unlike GT-40Ps). Win!

-Still trying to chase down a set of long tubes. I found these: http://www.latemodelrestoration.com/...-Header-Automa
Any clearance issues with those? Will they hit the frame, shift linkage, steering shaft, and so on?

In the meantime, I'll re-read through some threads on long tubed boxes, see if I can chase a set down. Anyone have ideas off the top of their head for long tubes on a box?

-Got in touch with Comp Cams, and we found an even better cam than the one I linked earlier. We're going with the 31-255-5 series. It makes power even lower in the RPM range, and the EEC can handle it. Win!

[sly]

There are no long tubes that fit a box without clearance issues. You will have to get someone to custom make a set or modify an off-the shelf set for a mustang to fit.

[87gtVIC]

Also..I doubt any of those cam shafts are made for cars without the HO firing order..... If you are planning to go HO then everything you are doing is fine. If Not nothing will work at all with your stock computer.

[Hearsesrock427]

@sly: Gotcha. I figured I'd need to do some hammering n' bending to the headers- especially if they were originally designed for a fox Mustang. I just wanted to see if anyone knew the specifics for each brand of part (ie: BBK, MAC, Ford Racing, etcetera.) to make it work, so I wouldn't be flying blind. Oh well; gotta risk it for the biscuit (or in my case, low RPM thrust)! I'll order the linked long tubes, and the 31-255-5 camshaft goodies this week.

@87gtVIC: So how would I go about changing to the HO firing order? I planned on doing that anyway, seeing as how my friend Nate scored a D9S computer for me, but there's got to be more to it than just switching out computers. New spark plug wiring? I've got new wires, inside a box in my ever-growing parts pile in the basement.

[87gtVIC]

Basically the camshaft, computer and routing of the spark plug wires.

[sly]

I think the main issues are the steering shaft on the driver side and the fact that most stuff designed for a mustang hangs too low on a panther.

[pantera77]

Garbage aftermarket chinese heads.

[Hearsesrock427]

@sly: Ah, I see. So in addition to bending the Mustang H-pipe up so it won't sit low, I'll probably need to get the Mustang long tubes up too.

@pantera: Shit! Good thing I run my planned purchases through GMN. We'll just rock the GT-40Ps, and deal with any spark plug and/or headers clearance issues that arise.

[Bobcat]

How do you like your TransGo shift kit? I was thinking of doing something like that.

[Hearsesrock427]

@bobcat: It's not bad. WOT shifts are noticeably harder, and mid throttle shifts are better too. Still a bit mushy overall (durh, it's not a dual-clutch from an Audi R8), but definitely worth the $100.

[Lincolnmania]

i'm gonna stick with my thumper ported e7's

[pantera77]

@pantera: Shit! Good thing I run my planned purchases through GMN. We'll just rock the GT-40Ps, and deal with any spark plug and/or headers clearance issues that arise.

I'd never heard of them before. A quick search on sbftech and corral confirmed my suspicions they are cheap Chinese garbage. Essentially clones of Ford's GT40X heads. If your thinking aftermarket heads, I'd stay with well known brands, AFR, TrickFlow, Edelbrock, etc... The chinese stuff like Flo-tek, pro-comp and so on is usually more trouble then it's worth, and you can usually find slightly used or even new name brand heads on corral for the same price.

However, aftermarket heads open up a whole other can of worms. Honestly, for your first "build" I'd highly recommend a simple HO swap or Explorer swap. Much cheaper, easier, and tried and true. Hell, even a lopo can be made to run damn well.

[Hearsesrock427]

@pantera: I'll play with aftermarket heads with my next build.... gotta walk before you run. Can't believe I even considered those garbage Flo-Tek heads. I just remember someone mentioning them on CVN (my first mistake, BTW), and getting greedy. Especially after I read they supposedly made more power than GT-40Ps. No bueno.

In other news, I think I'm gonna get the tranny checked out after body work. HiFiMerc was onto something. Figure I can get some more go-fast parts for the tranny in the meantime. I already have this on there: http://www.transgo.com/products.php?...product_id=126

But I want more. Hehe.

Does my '89+ tranny have this?: http://www.transmissionpartsusa.com/...-000027930.htm

If not, I'll buy it and have it installed. My transmission guy's gonna be taking a look around inside anyway, so we might as well get it on while we're there, so to speak.

[Hearsesrock427]

Wow, I'm a dumbass. TPUSA wouldn't offer that valve body kit for my car if it came with it from the factory. Durrh. I might just throw it on later for extra safety- I do plan on driving Ebyt hard this summer. Hopefully getting her back from the body shop today. I stopped by on the 14th, and she was coming along really well.

In other news, I got sick of my crappy stock torque converter. Despite being rebuilt, it's still awful. I looked into aftermarket stuff, and after reading a couple threads, I ended up ordering this: http://www.summitracing.com/parts/bmm-40438

Should be going on early next week! I'll be sure to make videos comparing performance before and after the new converter.