This is getting pretty frustrating, i am looking to upgrade the performance of my truck, 95 250 4x4 5.8. I already have a set of headers, but i am not sure as where to go next, i dont want to spend a whole lot of money. What would be some good options, for lets say under... $500. Anybody have any suggestions. Whats would be the best bang for my buck? Im looking at... ignition upgrades, camshafts, c.a.i., and i am having an exhaust system put in at the end of next week. So what would your suggestions be? Thank you for your time, and sorry about all the questions.

 

find a 460?

if you don't want that route, then i say open that air inflow with a nice filter, give it a good tune up and you should be set.

how much power are you actually wanting/expecting?

 

get a 1.72 rockers.. its more easy to instal then a camshaft .. or get an cam this is an highly recomended cam for our trucks
http://store.summitracing.com/partde...art=CRN-444232


ohh yeah and underdrive pullys are the best bang for the buck

 

E-fan conversion, power steering removal, cam.

If that 351 seems gutless then you probably have some issues that should be addressed prior to installing mods.

 

Check you gearing . Oversized tires? If so your posom may off.

Sound like you offroad some . Throw so low gears in her.

 

I would def. throw low gears in first, really improved my truck when I put 4.10's in, get some open exhaust, open up the intake maybe port match the heads and intake manifold, cam and roller rockers, low drive pulleys, maybe a shift kit for your trans. just depends on how much time and what direction you want to go in.

 

alright thanks for the advice guys, i am looking to gain hp and torque, but i do still want to keep some mileage, as this truck is also my daily driver. I do have bigger tires, but only 285's up from the stock 265's. I have a manual trans so the shift kit wouldnt apply. I do like to take it off road, but nothing real extreme. I have been looking a cam but i dont really know what kind of cam i would need. I dont really understand all the numbers. Do you have any suggestions? I am willing to go in any direction really, but dont know which one is the best. So im really looking to know what will be the best for my situation and truck before i buy something that wont work for me.

 

im probably just being impatient, but come on guys please share some of your extinsive knowledge. I could really use some right about now.

 

What kind of headers are you running now? Shorties or longtubes?

A lower gearing, as suggested, will also give a very nice result, although it will cost you a pretty penny if you can't do it yourself. The following site gives a good idea of which gearing is a good compromise between power and fuel economy:

http://www.4lo.com/calc/geartable.htm

Eco's electric fan suggestion is also a good one. I did this recently and still cannot BELIEVE the difference in throttle response that this simple mod gave me. The fan out of a 3.8L Taurus works AWESOME and it can be had at a junk yard for 10-30 dollars.

 

I am running shorties, should i have gone long tube? Im kinda disapointed with the headers i got, would long tubes be better? Can i even get them for my truck, as it is 4wheel drive? I will look at the e fan conversion, how difficult of a conversion is this? I was lookin around on the msd ignition website and found this.

http://www.msdignition.com/ignition_8_6470.htm

Would this work well for me? Is it the right application for what im after? Also looking at a cam what kind of camshaft should i get, with what grind? 1.75 lifters, what do they do and are they worth the money? Iam mechanically inclined and i know how most stuff works, but i usually dont know there purpose.

Again, thank you all for your input.

 

I don't have personal experience with headers but all of the guys on this forum say that shorties aren't worth the box they come in, that is, little to no difference over stock manifolds. As far as longtubes go, they offer HUGE gains compared to shorties. I have a dyno simulation program for my computer that shows longtubes adding 20-30 hp over stock. Here are some screenshots of the dyno program:

Stock:


Stock with longtubes:


If you're looking to get as much UMPH out of that engine as you can, longtubes are a must. I recently purchased some Flowtech longtubes as per the suggestion of some guys on this forum and they will be going on in a few weeks, I can't wait.

The electric fan conversion is very simple. There lots of Mustang and Off-Road sites on the net that outline the procedure. Just do a google search for "taurus fan" and you'll find them.

 

alright sounds good, so the shorty headers were a waste of money? It looks like the long tubes are the way to go, what kind of engine was that dyno from, a 5.8 or what?
Thanks for that info, now i wish i would have done more research about those dang headers before i spent the money. Also what about that msd ignition box, is it worth the money?

 

Shorties are useless. If you want headers, long tubes are the way to go.

If you want a cheap mod that will REALLY help I suggest that you yank the air pump, power steering pump, air conditioning (if you have it) and mechanical fan then add an e-fan and underdrive the existing pullies...by the time you do that you will have almost NO parasitic draw on the accessory belt. This will make a huge difference and yes, this is WORTH THE MONEY.

 

Yes that dyno was for a 5.8L engine. I actually had a few of the variables set wrong when I made those screen captures so both charts are 5-10hp under what they should be (I fixed the variables later). Anyways, the gain is the same either way, just add 10hp to each chart

 

You need to be turning alot of rpm for long tube headers to really perform and if you don't have the right gearing it just makes things worse until you finally get to the right rpm when they kick in. Shorties for daily driving and low rpm off roading are they way to go, you just need the right design, like a tri Y header, they pull like hell to about 4,500 rpm and then they are done. Regular shorties are just manifold replacments because they aren't tuned to the exhaust pulses as the tri-Y are. Look into Edelbrock intakes as these are with in your budget and they do make them for the 5.8 efi trucks. The rocker arm ratio number is how much farther the valve opens in comparison to the actual lift at the cam lobe. Again if the truck is geared wrong opening up the valve more will only make things worse until you get to the right rpm. The electric fan is a very good idea and so are the underdrive pulleys, but if you are off roading the slower turning power steering pump(w/underdrive pulleys on) may not give enough assist when you need it. If you want big numbers with out going to a supercharger thou looking into Trick Flow Specials(TFS) they have dyno numbers for 70 more horsepower from there head being installed on a factory block, no cam change and no intake change, all factory except for the heads. If you are looking into cams, call the cam manuf. they have help lines to get you on the right track, look into the hydraulic rollers unless you are looking to turn more than 6,000rpm. GOOD LUCK!