I have 88 f150 and the engine is blowing white smoke and knocking bad. So i have put the truck away for the winter and am going to pull the stock motor out and build a new one. I have a few parts around to build a new 5.0 but unsure yet what i should build.

part specs: World JR heads ported, 1.6 inch roller rockers, ported stock truck upper and lower intake. Long tube flow tech headers and a limited/ posi track rear end with i think 3:55 gears. The truck has 2.5 inch duals with cats and a stock truck 5 speed tranz and a excell chip for sd ecu

So i would like to build up a engine and keep it fuel injection so its more practcal and i think i should get better mpg numbers with fuel injection.

I have read that these heads arn't much better than gt40's and my goal is to have a truck that i can tour around in on the weekends.

Is it possible to build up a engine and get decent fuel millage and get some more horsepower without sacificing fuel economy. Maybe i am crazy ? If this isn't possible i just want to know what the best engine build is and the best parts to use money is no issue.
I can also trade the heads for a 351w non roller block that need rebuilt.
Any input is great!! thanks

 

Creating a second thread will not get your question answered sooner, some of us work late and can't access the internet at work. Moving on...

The stock SD can only take so much head and cam wise, if you want to make power a MAF conversion will be in your future. That being said, if you have the opportunity (and time) do do a MAF 351 build that would be the best bet. The 351 already has a displacement advantage from the get-go.

 

Ford racing had a sale on long blocks a year or 2 ago, that's when I grabbed mine, and you would have to convert to maf if you plan on anything other than a 302.

 

I'd suggest looking for a '95-'96 F-series with 5.0L or 5.8L, if you're out in the salvage yards a supercab is usually a good indication of a 351 I've found but not always. As already mentioned a 351 would be an upgrade right off the start and easier to get some more stones out of.

Somebody I'm sure can correct me if I'm wrong but I believe, at least here in Canada, F-series came with MAF from factory in those two years. A '97 F250 or F350 would also be another donor as they carried over one year after the half ton style change and some came with 351 engines.

Personally I would get a donor truck and swap the engine harness as opposed to converting your existing harness, but there are other options. Also, the '94-'97 5.8 (351W) engines were factory equipped with a roller camshaft which saves buying a retrofit camshaft and conversion kit or linkbar lifter set, if you decide to get an aftermarket cam. As for tuning MAF, I'm in the dark but hope I helped give you some ideas. There's alot of good information on the forums about MAF if you decide to go that route.

 

Post deleted due to no reference, (aka spam bot)

 

Sweet flareside Puddy. That paint looks awesome.

 

It's defintely possible to keep your fuel economy, and bump up the power some. But if you too extreme you will either need to do a MAF conversion, or find someone that can tune your stock computer.