I just bought my first Ford, and I was curios as to what performance mods I can do. The truck is an 88' F-150 2WD SWB with a 351EFI. I was looking at cold air intakes, headers and exhaust, and ignition upgrades. I dont know what brands are available for the CAI, or if I have to keep the EGR and whatnot with headers. I have about $1000 to spend, and I really want the biggest bang for my buck. I need to get my truck some more H.P. so I can beat my dads chevy and shut him up. Thanks.

 

Welcome to FTE! Skip the cold air intake, they are a waste of money. Instead go to a junkyard buy the air intake tube from one of these trucks with a 300 I6 or a 460. They mount right up to your airbox. Then get a K&N or similar filter to put in there. Next get a set of headers. The Summit shorty headers have an EGR hookup, and you can have a y-pipe made (or make one yourself if you have the equipment) that is superior to stock and will accept the tubes from the smog pump. The Summit shorties are made by Pacesetter and they are high quality products, they have a nice, thick 3/8" flange. I have them on my truck and love them, just make sure to buy a nice set of copper gaskets and don't use the ones they come with. Get a high-flow cat since you have to keep yours. Then get a nice 3" system from the cat-back with a good chambered muffler like a Flowmaster. Get a nice set of Motorcraft plugs, wires, cap and rotor. Advance the timing a little bit, somewhere around 12 degrees should be good.

You should still have some of that $1,000 left over, so get a good cam. A lot of people around here have good recomendations for cams. I don't have one so I don't have any recomendations there. If you don't want to go to all the work of a cam, a set of 1.7 ratio roller rockers will get you some more lift out of your stock cam and they are easy to install. You just pull the valve covers to install.

If you have an automatic tranny, shift kits will help performance. I got a B&M in my C6 and it drastically improved shifting characteristics.

The first thing you should do is make sure the truck is running good. Check for vacuum leaks, fluid leaks, pull the codes, etc. A truck that is not running good will not perform well.

Also, what gear ratio do you have?

 

I bought the truck from an older woman who's husband has passed. Its a one owner truck with 132,000 miles. I couldnt believe the condition of the interior, and how he kept everything bone stock. The only thing that is not stock is the exhaust. He cut off the cat, and put a cherry bomb with a turndown, so no cat to worry about. I was thinking about a cam ,but I figured it would need to breath better first. I will have to look into the scrap airbox idea. Not sure about ratio.Thanks.

 

You're right on about the motor needing to breath better before a cam, a full aftermarket exhaust should always come before a cam. With 132,000 miles your truck should be in pretty good shape if it was well taken care of. My grandpa was the original owner of my '94 and I got it from him with around 124,000 miles on it a little over two years ago.

 

i would do a top end on the motor, swap on a 750 holley and a manifold of your choice (single planes make power up top) (duel planes make power midrange but wont make as much as a single plane) a new distributor, plug wires, headers (don't use the summit ones or pacesetters they are crap i don't use pacesetter anymore i had a set and the ball and socket flange was warped and they wouldn't accept returns their customer service SUCKS), high flow air filter, get a good bumpstick (go as big as you want since you don't have sucky fuel injection anymore), then get a stall converter to compensate for the bigger cam and put a R-code servo in your c6 you don't need a shiftkit i have a basically stock C6 running behind my 600hp 4000lb t-bird and its' living fine with just a valvebody (not neccessary) tci clutches r-code servo and a 2800 stall

oh and port the crap out of your stock heads it's pretty cheap just use a dremel tool and be carefull on the exhaust side since there is a water thingie under the hump in the exhaust

 

Cam and exhaust.. they complement each other like peanut butter and jam. Your stock air intake is a cold air intake.. don't waste your money on the aftermarket stuff.

 

Cold air intake?...Why dont they just call them "hot air intakes", as the air they pull in, is underhood air and is already heated by engine heat. This is one case where stock IS better than aftermarket. (do get the stock 460 air intake). Good post, Conanski!

 

agreed a good cam swap and headers and full free flowing exhuast and you will have the chebbys wishing they got more

 

could anyone make a cam recommendation? I also have an 88 351w. not sure about this guys, but mine is a 5 speed.
Thanks, Derek
ps, dont mean to jack your thread, may be useful info for us both

 

On the recommendation of Conanski last summer I went with the Crane 444232. This kit is cam and lifters. I personally recommend both at the same time, so you don't get bad wear from old lifters on the new cam lobes. This Crane cam is S/D compatible and really woke up my 351W. I went with Flowtech Long Tube headers and the combination worked well. I'm running stock air intake with a K&N. I'm gonna look for the intake for the 300/460 as well. Just haven't gotten to the junk yard yet.

 

My truck is an auto without O/D. I just bought a set of headman long tubes, the Crane cam and lifter set, accel cap & rotor plugs and wire set, and some other parts for a complete tune-up. It will be like christmas when that delivery truck pulls up. I was wondering if anyone has a throttle body spacer, and if its worth trying.

 

I loved my auto parts Christmas!!!

From everything I've read, the throttle body spacer won't make a noticeable difference, especially on the lower rpm range.

I think you'll be very happy with that cam, I know I am!

Congrats on all the parts.

 

http://sa-motorsports.com/do-it-yourself.aspx

This site has good intructions for a DIY port and polish job. I was thinking about attempting this on my heads when I tear everything down. I've been accumulating parts and making a plan on building this engine. Would it be a good idea to use new roller rockers, and pushrods if I do this? Also what a about a professional valve job. I really would like to get in the range of 375-400 HP eventually, but I have to learn how to do it first.

 

Looks like a bad link...

 

I didnt think I was completly computer illiterate, but I cant get the right link on here to post. I searched Ask.com for "port and polish heads" or something like that. The website that has the instructions is called Standard Abrasives, and they sell a kit for DIY port and polish. Go to Standardabrasives.com, and follow the motorsports division link.