Mild motor upgrade
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Mild motor upgrade
Hey y'all, I was just wondering if any of you have done or helped with a mild motor upgrade for a 1996 F150 with a 5.8. I don't want to go crazy, I'm just looking to getting some more low end power for pulling a trailer. Thanks
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I have been thinking about switching the gears out. I also have been thinking about headers. As of now I just have stock manifolds with true dual straight pipes that dump before the passenger side tire. Also, a friend recomended that I put a mild cam in and put aluminum heads on. I was just wondering if I could do that too.
More Turbo
Joined: Jun 2012
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From: Deepwater Mo.
I think your vehicle year is probably going to be mass air...I'm not an expert and have not done any major motor mods to my truck because of the Speed Density. I'm sure you should be able to do just about any thing to your motor as long as its mass-air.
If you plan on pulling a trailer you might want to invest in upgrading your Transmission depending on the one you have. Shift Kit ect... I know my E4od I had to install an after market tranny cooler to keep the temps down from burning the tranny up. I use to hot rod it alot but not much any more. I plan on swapping to a 5 speed.
If you plan on pulling a trailer you might want to invest in upgrading your Transmission depending on the one you have. Shift Kit ect... I know my E4od I had to install an after market tranny cooler to keep the temps down from burning the tranny up. I use to hot rod it alot but not much any more. I plan on swapping to a 5 speed.
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From: Monroe, NY
Depends on your budget. How much are you looking to spend and can you do the work yourself?
A good set of aftermarket heads alone would get you 40hp right out of the box. Edelbrock makes a nice head for the 5.8, but they run about $1400 for the set. An alternative is to get a good used set of GT40 heads. I see them on Ebay all day long for $600 for the set, maybe cheaper if your timing is right. Just keep in mind while they are a good head, this is 20 year old technology. There is better out there today...
If you just want to go mild, headers are the first place you should start for sure. Long tube headers are better for mid to high range torque, shorties and even better, equal length are great for low end (they can be fun bolting up though). A larger throttle body makes a very noticeable improvement and if you want to splurge a bit more, a matching Edelbrock Intake would compliment all. These above mentioned items will help your truck breath better and help to get you out of the hole quicker. You could see 25 to 30 hp increases. You might even gain a few mpg's during normal driving as the engine would be more efficient.
A good set of aftermarket heads alone would get you 40hp right out of the box. Edelbrock makes a nice head for the 5.8, but they run about $1400 for the set. An alternative is to get a good used set of GT40 heads. I see them on Ebay all day long for $600 for the set, maybe cheaper if your timing is right. Just keep in mind while they are a good head, this is 20 year old technology. There is better out there today...
If you just want to go mild, headers are the first place you should start for sure. Long tube headers are better for mid to high range torque, shorties and even better, equal length are great for low end (they can be fun bolting up though). A larger throttle body makes a very noticeable improvement and if you want to splurge a bit more, a matching Edelbrock Intake would compliment all. These above mentioned items will help your truck breath better and help to get you out of the hole quicker. You could see 25 to 30 hp increases. You might even gain a few mpg's during normal driving as the engine would be more efficient.
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
What size tires are on the truck? If they're oversized and you have anything less than 4.10 gears that will be the best bang for your buck.
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Thank you everyone for the replies thus far. Do any of you have a certain brand they have went with for the 4.10 gears? and will those gears allow me to run the same limited slip that is already in there? MonroeHandyMan, I was also wondering if you recommend a certain brand, finish, and primary tube size for the headers. I was also wondering how big I should go on the throttle body, and if it will for my current set up with a K/N intake.
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They are pretty expensive, but I think it would be a good investment to get them with the ceramic coating. Did you put your headers on? If so, how much of a pain in the *** is it?
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From: Monroe, NY
Thank you everyone for the replies thus far. Do any of you have a certain brand they have went with for the 4.10 gears? and will those gears allow me to run the same limited slip that is already in there? MonroeHandyMan, I was also wondering if you recommend a certain brand, finish, and primary tube size for the headers. I was also wondering how big I should go on the throttle body, and if it will for my current set up with a K/N intake.
In regards to the throttle body, I would seek a larger unit if you change out the intake as I recommended the Edelbrock. From my experience, if you go with an aftermarket intake, a larger throttle body will compliment it nicely. You will feel the difference.
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