Good afternoon, everybody. Just registered here as I'm getting ready to start the project on my 1996 F150 5.0L E40D. The truck is completely stock and has 58k miles on it (a gem!). I had the transmission rebuilt when the anti-foaming agent issue softened my main seal a few years ago - new third gear clutch, new springs, bored out the bypass to cool better.

I don't drive it that often, but a good bit of my miles are towing a 4800lb camper. I find it to spend too much time downshifting and struggling a bit while towing, and I'd like to address that with some modifications. I'm figurng exhaust work to start (as I keep hearing it's the worst limitation on the truck), maybe a cam, timing adjustment, etc., but I'd really like to get some detailed recommendations.

I'm looking for:
- What exhaust work would be best? Headers? High flow cat? What size exhaust? A link to a setup for sale would be really excellent if you have one to suggest.

- In general, what order of mods do you think is most beneficial? What dependencies exist (i.e. if you do these exhaust mods, you should flash the CPU with this vendor's flash, etc)?

- In regard to improved towing performance and perhaps improved gas mileage (if the two can go hand in hand), what other mods do you recommend?

I'm open to all recommendations. I'd really like to get details and links to products, as I find that to be more helpful than general/vague ideas (no offense intended - just trying to get to the guts of the build). I'm by no means an idiot, as I've been doing my own work wherever possible for years now, but I'm not a guru by any measure either. Bolt-ons and OBD-II make sense to me. Internals make sense in theory, but I have never done that sort of work myself.

Many thanks in advance for any help anybody is willing to provide!

John

 

Headers, exhaust, bump the base timing to 12°BTDC. That should get you started.

 

With a 5.0 the single best thing you can do is swap in 4.10 gears. A full exhaust system will help but nowhere near as much as the gears, but if you do this I suggest longtubes to a 2.5" single with an aftermarket cat and whatever muffler you like.

 

Paul is correct, I added short tube headers ( fits with minor welding - ie widening the existing Y pipe to fit at least I did for my headers) and 1.7 ratio roller rockers - moves the power band half way from stock to E03 (mustang cam). If you change gears you will have to do front and rear. Depending on where you live you may have to get "approved" smog legal parts - yeah CA.

 

Thanks for the responses. Nice to see a fresh reply after so long too. To update everybody, I haven't done too much yet but I did do the SixLitre upgrade (Accel coil, MSD cap and rotor, Ford Racing wires, copper core plugs gapped to .55, and advanced timing to 13deg BTDC). Seems to have made a minor but noticeable difference.

The consensus seems to be clear from your advice that headers and new front and rear gears are the next move. I've been reading up, and despite the higher gear ratio, gas mileage when towing is likely to improve since I'll be doing a lot less down shifting (in theory, at least). I'll make another update when I've done some more work, but feel free to keep the ideas flowing.

What brand/model headers did you guys install?

 

Flo Tech short headers, the difference between Long tube and short tube is in the low percent difference. They did need some "modifications" so there might be better headers, I picked them up used for a really good price. I would definitely get the 1.7 ratio roller rockers. Wow what a difference. I needed the same thing you do. I pull a camper with dirt bikes in the back and some of the hills are a wee bit steep, revving in 1st gear does not cut it. With the headers and rockers I can go up in 2nd no problem. So try these first. Of course I bent a push rod and decided at 200K+ miles I needed to do a rebuild. I just finished boring the block and installing a Scat 347 stroker kit. One thing I can say is the motor builders earn their pay. Took me 3 days to clean the block, check the specs on the crank and rod bearings. Fitted the rings to each cylinder, installed the pistons and torqued everything. Still have a ways to go putting the rest together. Getting the block boiled, bored and cam bearing installed set me back $300 - good price as far as I am concerned.