So I know there's probably a lot of other post on here about tuning up a 5.8L but i haven't really been able to find what i'm looking for. I'd like to do some simple tune up to help breath some new life into my old ford.
I'd like to upgrade the ignition has anyone ever bought a kit like this one from summit racing? and is it recommended for a stock truck?
http://www.summitracing.com/int/part...rd/model/f-150

Would like any other tips to improve performance on a stock 5.8L with 180 000 miles on it, i was thinking replace vacuum lines i had an issue with one last year so i'm thinking just do them all.
Maybe improve exhaust again i just have stock exhaust and manifolds. I have a 24ft travel trailer that I haul 4 or 5 times a summer.

Also I think i should change fluids ie tranny, rear diff.

Any suggestions and advice would be appreciated

 

Throw in a new air filter, fuel filter, motorcraft copper plugs, ford 8 or 9 mm racing wires, possibly a new coil, new distributor cap and rotor, and drain all the fluids and refill the axles and transmission with synthetics.

Also look up the 6 liter tune up

 

Thanks seems like pretty basic stuff any recommendations best places to buy parts? I'm in Canada I've looked online cost a lot to buy parts out of the states

 

I've always had good luck with summit racing. You can get all that stuff from your local parts store too. Amazon.com is also really cheap on there prices

 

found some good deal on summit racing i think i'll order up some parts the 6 Liter tune up was a good read.

 

Posting here just to prove I tried to search the subject. Looking for part numbers for a good ignition coil and distributer cap for an overall upgrade. I have SMP 8.5 mm crap wires with cermic plug ends which I hate but will keep for the time being. I think I used the OE plug gap but was wondering what ya'll recomend. I learned from the six liter timeing upgrade that 5.8s should not have their timing advanced past the OE 10 degrees.

 

Ryan Colpitts, if you got a JY near you get the I6/460 snorkel for our trucks, it helps get cooler air to the intake than the radiator snorkel

CamoF-250 did you have issues when you did timing bump, I'm running 13*-14*on stock gap(0.046), no ping, under hood sticker says 0.044-0.046

 

All the research I found was that the 5.8 should not be advanced as it may predetonate. The 5.0 had a knock sensor which would retard timing just at the point before predetonaton. Ryan's thread was 4 years old. Which parts did you use?

 

Also check Rock Auto, I found my control arm prices almost $75 cheaper than Summit. Summit says they match prices though, I'm working on that right now!

 

Any specific reason you recommend copper plugs? Instead of the more expensive ones?

 

Copper is a better conductor than iridium or platinum. Therefore, it actually offers better performance. The more expensive iridium and platinum plugs last longer, but they sacrifice performance to gain that longevity. These engines were designed and tuned from the factory for basic copper plugs.

 

I ditched NGK iridiums for motorcraft coppers already myself. As an Engineer I assume Ford designed the engine for a particular plug type (the O.E. material). I keep whatever O.E. material for all my vehicles plugs. There were a lot of threads about some people having issues with different spark plug materials when I looked into it for this truck. I do wonder if high out put modules and larger wires might improve the performance of other plug materials in these older engines but thats a lot of varibles to gleem from threads here.

 

I used stock replacement coil and autolite copper plugs, and live wire(blue)wires, running 87 gas, 13-14* timing, the fbs forum actually has a big write up on the Sixliter (tuneup) named after the guy that did it, I've had a few mustangs and always did the Jacobs ignition upgrade, and plug gap size, but didnt go that radical, my mpg went from 9-10mpg to 11 sometimes 12 just city driving, and a/c no summer and no ping

 

Yes, digging further into the FSB from Sixliter i found the article explaining the differences between the 5.0 and 5.8 in regards to how they react to the timping bump. So I posted my questions wanting to know which High out point coils and what spark plug gap is recommended giving what parts are avaible 10 years later. I am also making improvements on an imperfect truck. Ideally changes are made to a perfect truck so you can determine what had a positive or negative effect.