Frankenstein T-5 Waggin' Chronicle (vast doesnt do it)

[Freshmeat]

Here's what's in my shopping cart on Summit, to be ordered Friday. PLEASE let me know if anything needs to be modified/added for the GT-40P/T5 installs.

Crane Double Roller Timing Chain w/ Iron Sprockets (is this overkill?)
Equus 2.5" tachometer (going on the steering column)
FRPP natural finish stainless steel shorties
Summit steel throw-out bearing retainer
Summit blue 8mm spark plug wires (not running enough hp to need to worry about huge wires, IMO- what's yours?)
Trick Flow GT-40 1" phenolic intake manifold spacer (is this overkill?)

Any modifications or additions would be welcome. What kind of oil/filter and spark plugs do you guys recommend?

Most of these I find necessary- tach (for T5), throw-out bearing retainer (the stock piece on the T5 is worn and I might as well get a good one), timing chain (could I get away with stock replacement?), plug wires (mine are shot), and the spacer, for the fuel rail clearance.

Again, any advice would be appreciated.

[gadget73]

Stock HO timing chains are double roller. Might as well get something at least as good as stock. Single roller timing chains stretch more, which is generally a Bad Thing.

I have Ford Racing wires on my car. $40 for the set, they're blue, probably better quality than standard Motorcraft, and slightly cheaper.

I also like Autolite plugs. I think I've got AP25 (platinum) in my e7 HO with no complaints.

[Freshmeat]

Okay. O'reilly lists a stock replacement roller chain for $13- does that sound right? Do I NEED to replace the gears or will they be okay?

I think the Summit wires will work out well. $35 for the set and I trust Summit's equipment.

I'm not worried about spark plugs just yet. I have a feeling I'll end up with some Bosch +2 or something to that effect, but I'm not sure. I'll decide when the time comes... but advice is always welcome.

I'm running conventional oils to break in the motor and warm up the T5 after sitting up for a while, then I'm switching to full synthetics across the board. I'm thinking Redline for the T5 and Mobil1 for the motor- opinions?

Thanks, guys.

[Jonathan]

Motorcraft oil filters are good. Try to avoid Fram, although I have had no problems with them, have one on GL right now, no problems, but Motorcraft are better. I still need to put mine on lol

[Lincolnmania]

the motorsport wires are 9mm and only 5 bucks more.............stay away from those bosch +2 and +4 plugs..........an autolite or an autolite platinum for a 97-01 v8 explorer is best
i've gotten several timing sets on ebay for 27 bucks shipped.......double roller with adjustable crank spocket so you can advance/retard the cam
dont forget to budget gaskets, a new water pump, belts, hoses, thermostat, need to get an egr spacer bored to 63mm, pcv screen and gromnet, vacuum hose clamps, the little crap adds up quick!
good luck
scott

[gadget73]

Timing sets should always come with gears. If someplace is selling just a chain, avoid it. I bought a double roller set for my HO for like $25 at the local parts store. Its not one that I can adjust the cam advance on though. Check out the replacement avaliable for $13, it won't cost you anything to look. You're looking for one that has gears with a double tooth. Single roller chains have a gear with a single wide tooth that goes all the way across. Double roller chains have two narrow teeth on the outer edge of the gear. Single rollers are a little cheaper, but they stretch more.

I'm also tending to agree with avoiding Bosch plugs. Only thing I ever had them run worth a damn in was my VW, and they were OEM. The plats ran like crap in it tho, had to run the copper core plugs.

[Mercracer]

AutoZone carries the Dynagear dbl roller set for less than $25. I have run Dynagear on my Clevelands, 429 and 302's with no problems.

[Freshmeat]

Originally Posted by lincolnmania

the motorsport wires are 9mm and only 5 bucks more.............stay away from those bosch +2 and +4 plugs..........an autolite or an autolite platinum for a 97-01 v8 explorer is best
i've gotten several timing sets on ebay for 27 bucks shipped.......double roller with adjustable crank spocket so you can advance/retard the cam
dont forget to budget gaskets, a new water pump, belts, hoses, thermostat, need to get an egr spacer bored to 63mm, pcv screen and gromnet, vacuum hose clamps, the little crap adds up quick!
good luck
scott

I'll check into the wires and I'll follow the advice on the plugs- that's why I asked! Timing equipment is a big concern- were the eBay pieces good quality (did they actually fit)?

I've budgeted for new gaskets, but my water pump only has about 5,000 miles on it, so I'm going to reuse it. I also have new hoses. I'll replace thermostat and belts, PCV, etc. New vacuum system has about 2,000 miles on it.

Why do I need to get a 63mm EGR spacer? One doesn't come on the Explorer motor? What I'm getting is from throttle body to oil pan...

Again, thanks!

[Mercracer]

Originally Posted by Freshmeat

Why do I need to get a 63mm EGR spacer? One doesn't come on the Explorer motor? What I'm getting is from throttle body to oil pan...

The Explorer motors do not use a conventional spacer. They have an elbow that bends around.

[Freshmeat]

Okay- so, what EGR spacers can I use?

Also, what about this for timing:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ford-...spagenameZWDVW[/url]

[Lincolnmania]

you also need to replace the explorer oil pan and oil pump pickup

[TommyN]

I would not run the Phenolic spacer. At least on a regular HO, they don't make power on the dyno.

I run the dynagear timing chain and sprockets. Under $20 at auto-zone.

How much for a parts store throw-out bearing?

If you run lifetime warranty parts store ignition wires, you can return them if they ever break or burn. Something to consider. I run the black Ford Racing wires and they seem to be fine.

Good luck. Are you going to run the HO camshaft?

Tom

[Freshmeat]

Lincoln- I will be swapping the oil pan and pick-up from my CV motor.

TommyN- I want to run the phenolic spacer to get the clearance for my aluminum valve covers and the fuel rails, so I don't need to do any grinding or cutting on the GT-40 intakes. It's not to pretend I have more horsepower- just to get the clearance.

I'll check into the Dynagear equipment.

I got a new throw-out bearing with my FRPP King Cobra clutch kit, but I need a new bearing retainer (the original is loose). $30 was the best price I found on a stock replacement, so I'm gonna go with Summit's steel retainer for $40.

I forgot to check on the wires today- we've been unbelievably slammed at work, still catching up hundreds of files from Katrina and Rita.

I'll be running the HO cam, yes. Fairmont_Kevin said he has an ECM for me... have you shipped it, Kevin?

[mrltd]

Try and find a 93-95 Lighting EGR spacer, or you will have to do some rigging. I saw some aussie HO spacers on ebay that look the same as the vic ones but were 60mm, which is a bit small but they could be ported a bit.

[Freshmeat]

FRPP 68mm EGR spacer for $30 plus shipping. I missed the bid, but I'm in negotiations with the seller to re-list and I'll buy it immediately.

I'm also ordering a main girdle and billet steel flywheel- both on a major sale right now, $200 for both. I want to go ahead with the girdle so that I won't need to worry about block troubles as I upgrade.

Having a 5-speed on a 4,000lb car with the horse I'm hoping to end up running can be Hell on that block. Plus, I figure- it's a great deal, so why not go ahead and get it?

Do any of you know about the valley supports? I'm told I can do those with the engine still in the car, but I don't know. I don't want that block to have any chance of splitting.

I think that's all my updating for now...

[mrltd]

It'll still split. You need to be running some serious HP though, 400+...And I haven't heard anything about galley supports...main supports yes..


The EGR doesn't have the bosses for the studs to mount the throttle bracketly to...

[Freshmeat]

I'm drunk, so I can't really understand what you just said. Can you say in in "chemically imbalanced" terms?

[Freshmeat]

I went down to the wrecker today to get my motor. It's a 2hr drive there! The guy was telling me he couldn't believe the salesman offered to sell it to me for $650 (and even said the guy may not be employed, come Monday...) because it only has 100,000 miles on it and they had 1145 written on the motor in five spots, meaning they were seriously asking $1145 for it! He said they had to honor the man's word, so they were going to deal for that price... Anyway, I wrote out the check, then barely caught myself.

"Would you be offended if I tell you I want to see the motor before I give you this check?"
"No, come on!"

We walked to the back and there it was. I searched for the "GTP" on the head and it was there! I was so excited. I handed him the check as my buddy Matt drove his truck around the back to have the motor dropped into the bed of his F-150 (the brand new ones are AWESOME, by the way!). Problem is, my check didn't clear because Telecheck couldn't get into my bank account (Hancock Bank is having system problems). I called my boss (we work for Hancock) to see if she had any ideas of what to do, but she was on the road and had left her cell phone in the office. So, I was screwed.

We left and stopped at a gas station to get some snacks and directions. On the way out, my boss called me to ask what was going on. I told her the situation and asked if she had any ideas. She didn't. Officially screwed. I figured I'd have to get the cash directly out of my bank account, drive WAY out into nowhere again, and find out that they won't deal at $650 any more- they want full price.

"Well... do you think they'd take my credit card number over the phone?"

That's my boss saying that! "Turn around and call me when you get to the guy. I'll give him my credit card and you can pay me back later."

How awesome is that?!

So now, I have a GT-40P sitting in my garage. Here's what they included:

Engine (long block)
Intakes
Throttle body/ the weird elbow thing
Entire engine wiring harness
Fuel rails
Fuel injectors

Basically, if I could figure out where those wires go, I could run it with an Explorer computer and keep the coil packs. So... I think I'm going to do some research. I want to say MSD makes an ignition box for coil-pack equipped V8s. All I'd need is a MAF sensor and a MAF computer. I'm thinking about it. We'll see.

Just looked up the MSD box. It's MSD part #62112, a box designed specifically for distributorless ignition systems. Not cheap at all, but I'm thinking it's worth it if it would allow me to keep the coil packs.

Opinions?

[Grand_Marquis_GT]

I think it would be interesting. VERY interesting...

[N A]

Sweet deal/steal!!! How far are you from New Orleans, LA? If you find the right person, can you get a "storm car" 5.0L Explorer/Mountaineer for pennies on the dollar? Their called "storm cars" up here if they were under water, stuck in the snow or damaged some other way. Tons of parts are going to coming out of the areas Katrina hit very soon. I was thinking about driving down with a flatbed truck and a pocket full on money. You could be my parts supplier down there if you're interested.