I have been learning as much as possible from all the knowledgable folks here on the site. However, I either have missed the info or it hasn't been stated clearly for a novice like myself.

Question: Stock motor, plans so far: upgrade exhaust to flowmaster 40 series dual chamber, upgrade air intake (trying to find one that fits my 89 f150 300/six), after that other things to upgrade but not sure of the order to implement, Ignition upgrade? Port and Polish head? cam upgrade to move poer curve up higher on rpms? Other things not mentioned above?

Big one here: when done where can I expect HP and torque to top out at? No turbos or nitrous in the near future either.

I have studied Whitty's dynos on his page and wasn't able to get a good perspective on the pathway to get me to top end Hp/Torque without getting radical.

I appreciate any guidance and numbers that I can get from the experts there.

By the way I have put 31's and new wheels on the truck and it looks completely different. Also found out that the right frame rail was twisted and pushed back prior to it being given to me so the whole truck was out od whack. Horse traded it getting straightened out so I'll have some pics after its done..


Sorry for the long post. Hopoe I can get some help!!!

 

Well, the best way to get HP out of this motor is headwork, but I don't know anyone that is sure the stock computer can deal with the changes. If it can, its all about porting. If it can't, its all about porting and a custom chip

The reason you can't see much from the graphs on my website is because they are all using the stock head. Even with a decent cam in there that will sacrafice idle quality for top end, you still aren't making much HP because the head still won't breathe. Make the head breathe and any cam you put in will make more power.


-=Whittey=-

 

Thanks for the input Whitty. Can you tell me what numbers are realistic gains for this motor and with what mods. I just want to be able to maximize whatever gains I can. What HP/Torque numbers have you been able to realize on your truck. I've seen alot of theory on the different sites but not any hard gains people have made.. Anyway I do appreciate you taking the time to reply..

Jeff

 

well its not a poor curve and the engine isnt made for high RPMs but a cam made for low end should help as will a good porting and polish and some new valves (people like to use chebby). as for the exhaust 2.5" single exhaust seems to be the ticket and removing or guttin the 2nd cat if possible also helps a lot. the flow 40 series muffler is a good choice, but sounds kinda raspy and may not be what ur lookin for. head over to exhaustsoundclips.com and check out the 300 section under Ford to get an idea of what i mean.

 

The 2 chamber flow will help your power, but you might not like the tone. I don't like mine at all, but I've also got headers and no cats. Flowmasters are notorious for annoying resonances at part throttle cruise. The new Delta Flows are supposed to be better, but I havn't tried one of them.

Don't concern yourself on the air intake, I've never been able to find a gain there. The most I would mess with is adding a drop in filter. Most folks use K&N, but I don't care much for their filters. My filter of choice when one is available is Amsoil.

An ignition upgrade is questionable until you start adding some cylinder pressure. I put an MSD on my truck and noticed an immediate difference in throttle response. I havn't been to the track since I added it to see if it really helped. Probably next weekend.

There are a few free things you can do to free up some power. Advancing the timing will add noticable torque. Try I've had good success with 14 degrees, but a lot of it depends on the weather and the gas you use. You can also trim the bend from the from of the air intake tube where it passes through the core support. I noticed better throttle response on the highway with this mod, but not really any additional power. Maybe a slight mileage improvement. You should also check inside your intake manifold for deposit build up. When I had the intake off to install my headers I found almost 1/4" of buildup inside the intake. That will definitely cost you some performance. It takes a while though. I didn't have time to clean when I had it off the first time, so I had to go back in later and do it. Well worth the time.

 

Thanks for all the suggestions, however I'm still confused or more accurately, unsure of real HP and torque gains I should average with the mods mentioned on my first post. I've looked at several theoretical dyno runs but haven't seen one that produced real worl Hp/TQ numbers. Any help on that part for me? IS 200 HP attainable without radical changes or where should I expect to be?

Yeah I know I'm a newbie.. My head still hurts after reading the thread re: HP vs. Tourque between a 300 and 302. Anyway where will I be?

Still learnin'

 

i cant vouch for exact gains but the seat of ur pants feel is so much better and the 300 comes alive with a good exhuast, tune up and air intake. estimae HP/TQ gain would be like 15hp/20tq...

 

I've read some one else post that a carbed 85' stock cam in at 120HP/210 TQ. If right or even close, my understanding is that an 89' EFI stock should be higher as the EFI were more efficient?

Am I close? WHat would the base HP/TQ numbers be on my 89' EFI 300I6 then?

Trying to get in the neighborhood so I know where I'm startin' from.

 

145(auto)/150(maunal) hp @3800?rpm and 265(auto)/260(manual)lb-ft @2000rpm depending on tranny and rear. weird how auto has more torque but less hp...realistically with those mods (exhaust and k&n) id guess 160-165hp and 280-285lb-ft give or take a few.

now those are the numders outta the chiltons book.

 

Cool...Gettin' closer now. Now a little theory... Can I get to 200HP/300Ft.lbs TQ w/o Turbo, Nitrous, etc...?

 

also EFI doesnt make more power theroetically, it's just more efficent. they changed the head and exhaust manifolds with the change over to EFI as well as an intake with long runners to boost low end torque. but with changing to EFI, the first versions, speed density(87-95/96), dont react as well to mods like the sencond version mass air (95/96)would. but to swap over isnt worth it and with a different chip coupled with a cam, Ported/polished head and such will make as much power as a mass air would. mass air reads the increased air flow better, speed density sees basically one air flow rate and when its increased dramatically the comp. gets confused as where the mass air has a meter in the intake to determine the air flow and adjust the fuel to the whole air/fuel ratio and boost the spark, etc...hope i didnt confuse ya

 

No I'm gettin it... Soooooo....can I get the above numbers? Annnd who does the chip? THe rest has been thoroughly discussed in alot of other threads... Thanks for the info...and again can I get 200HP/300TQ?

 

its not impossible, with a cam, ported n polished head with larger valves and good exhaust with intake and a #19 injector swap with adjustable fuel pressure regulator and chip. u should be able to surpass 200hp/300lb-ft. the 300 runs lean and adding more air requires more fuel which requires more spark, etc..its a never ending battle.

personally i say go with the exhaust and the k&n (or same type of filter) and see how u like the increase, wanna go furture try a cam swap then if ya want more go for the p&p head and injector swap...

as for chips id say diablo would be good, although im not to good with the subject of chips.

also, what gears are u running? u might wanna swap out gears, that'll definatly help u get better acceleration and maybe better gas milage cuz ya went with 31"s and with lower gears it'll even out to what it was stock...just givin ya some options, ya know.

 

No ....perfect I am thankful for the input and sense of some direction pertinent to MY situation and my truck.. By the way all this is in prep for geting it back from the frame shop. Right frame rail was pushed back 2 inches an messed up the driveability of the whole truck.. Get it back wednesday and can't wait to have it back for some of the things we've been talkin' about...

Keep ya posted..

 

sucks to hear bout the frame, u got/gunna get any pic of it??