I'm about to get a roller mustang block to drop in my truck and was wondering what is the best way to go on stock heads that I can get fairly cheap. I plan on rebuilding them myself but need help picking right ones for power. I will have a 1500-5000 rpm set up for mainly low end torque and Hp. I will be using 9.1 compression pistons in a 65cc head. Truck will be mainly used for daily driving and occasional heavy towing.

90' F-150 302 M5OD and 3.55 soon to be 4.10's

 

If you want stock heads that do well with a little work, I like the E7TE heads. They are very abundant, '87 Mustang 5.0 heads. They have closed chambers, and I beleive that you'll have 65cc in them before you go to the machine shop. You can deck them much more, and you'll get better quench. Steve wisely reminded me that the drawback to these is the pedastol-mounted rockers. My suggestion is for $800 in Jeg's, they have Windsor Jr's, which flow all day, are designed for maximum intake runner velocity (for bitchin' Torque), and breathe through 1.94/1.60 valves with high-tech valve seals and spring that can tolerate much more cam lift than you'll ever need. AND they come already machined, for bolt-on installation, right down to the accessories. Well, you do have to add an adapter bushing for the alt/power steering bolts (learned this from experience), but that's no big deal. anyway, you were asking about stock heads, and here I go again.

'77 F100, 302 (the aftermarket Prodigy), C4
Cadet Second Lieutenant John F. Daly III
South Carolina Corps of Cadets, The Citadel
The TorqueKing

 

did the 90 roller block also come with the heads,pan etc.. if you got the heads with the block, and the block did indeed come from a 90 mustang. you already have the e7te heads that torqueking was speaking of in his post. i think that if your cam choice is conservative and you consider a split pattern cam the stock 5.0 heads would be plenty. if i were using the e7te head to save money over an aftermarket set and stayed conservative on cam choice you could really help youself by buying the ford racing bolt down roller rockers.

 

Thanks for the info. I plan on using ford racer 1.6 ratio roller rockers on top. How can you tell of they are the e7te heads on the mustang. I'm not sure of the block year or if it will come with heads anyways. Can't complain its free.

 

Maybe I just had a messed up pair, but I found the casting numbers on the underside (if installed on the engine), looking down at the lifter valley. Look for a C, D, E, or an F immediately followed by a 0-9, then two letters. The first letter is the decade code, C=60's, D=70's, E=80's, and F=90's. the second is the year. For instance, E7TE heads are 1987 heads, and the TE tells you that they were installed in a Mustang 5.0, most likely an LX. Hope this helps.

The TorqueKing

 

the heads will have the casting number cast into the head on the underside of the intake port side. the e7te heads were also used for truck application and were a better working than the models used on the 86 5.0l. i can't remember which side of the block the nubers were cast on, but flip the block over and look at the area located just above half way up from the oil pan towards the bell housing and block mating surface. you can't beat a free 5.0l and for lower rpm use all year models with the exception of the early 80s 4.2l used in the mustang. have fun

 

:-X12 I'm rebuilding a 302. Did you want to buy my stock heads? They are as stock as they get and I'd be glad to sell them to ya'.

 

> I'm about to get a roller mustang block to drop in my truck

Do you know which year of Mustang this engine is coming out of? Reason I ask is that the 1986 Mustang had flat-top pistons with no valve notches. The 1986 had E6SE heads that many people avoid.

The 86 engine gets excellent gas mileage and strong torque. The compression ratio is higher despite the larger chambers in the heads due to the no-notch pistons.

1985 Mustangs had E5TE heads, and 1987-1995 engines had E7TE heads (except the GT40 heads found on the later Cobra's).

> and was wondering what is the best way to go on stock heads

I wouldn't use E7TE heads. They're fairly 'open chambered' when compared to the GT40p, E6SE, and newer aftermarket heads. I'd look for GT40p heads.

> I will have a 1500-5000 rpm set up for mainly low end
> torque and Hp. I will be using 9.1 compression pistons
> in a 65cc head. Truck will be mainly used for daily
> driving and occasional heavy towing.

I think the most important thing you can do WRT heads is to minimize the quench area. Use the thinest head gaskets you can find (ROL?), shave the deck, try to minimize quench. It helps prevent detonation. Small, tight combustion chambers help a lot, too.

Best regards,

 

Now, you could "make" the E7TE's a true closed chamber, by decking the heads, like Paul said. That would end up in disaster without generously cut valve reliefs though. Of course you know what heads I think you should use....

The TorqueKing

 

Those E7TE heads came on most everything Ford EFI. I have a pair off a 87 302 truck and a pair off a 91 351W van. They work ok but have small valves for a 351. Come to think about it, E7TE indicates it was designed for a truck engine.

 

I think I may go with the E7te heads now but I need to know the valve sizes. I'm plan on edelbrock or crane valve springs (if new cam does not come with them) and manley valves. Was wondering best size to use without messing up computer.

 

valves or valve springs won't mess up your computer, and if you are upgrading cam, you'll need the springs to prevent coil-bind, and the bigger valves to make use of the added airflow from the cam. What you could do is overport the heads, so that you kill the intake runner velocity, this will seriously hurt your low end torque, and if you are running speed density EFI, then you may run into vacuum problems too. Some cam kits come with springs, retainers, locks, and lifters, too. Comp calls this a "K" kit, they have them listed in their catalogue.
'77 F100, 302 (the aftermarket Prodigy), C4
Cadet Second Lieutenant John F. Daly III
South Carolina Corps of Cadets, The Citadel
The TorqueKing

 

They use same valve springs as 5.0 roller motor. I'll get the part number off the box tonight. I have a set in my 351W which has E7TE-PA heads.

 

Good news I got my block today. Just thinkin should their be roller lifter girdles to hold the lifters straight. It did not have heads though. Can I use my truck heads for now without any clearance problems. they are on a 90 F-150. Also is their anything I should know about this block before rebuilding it and dropping it in my truck. It is out of a 87 mustang.

 

good to hear you are now the proud owner of said block. remember that ford used the same block for car and truck applications. the trucks came with a flat tappet hyd cam and the mustang came with the roller cam. soooo.... if the block came from a truck there won't be a girdle. now the block should still have the provisions for the girdle regardless of application. i would follow the above post for valve spring components. find the cam that you want and use the manufacturers kit. ie if you go with crane buy all the other stuff from crane also. if you stay with the e7te head and want to stay conservative on cam choice you can choose the crane 1.7 roller rockers that was used on the 5.0l cobras. the 1.7 rockers will provide more lift with out having to go to a more aggressive cam grind. hope it helps.