What are some quick ways to gain HP on a 1996 F150 5.0l. I just bought a Air Intake system, new muffler, spark plugs. Any ideas?

 

How much HP you want to gain? How much $$ you got to spend? There's always somebody here asking similar questions so read down through some of the threads.. lots of good ideas.

 

If it is one of those "cold air" kits that has a conical filter that sits under the hood in the open, take it back. All these setups do is suck in hot air from under the hood. The best way to modify the air intake on these trucks is to get the air intake tube off of a truck with a 300 or a 460 (they mount right up to your airbox) and get a reusable drop in filter. Since your truck is a '96 it has mass air, so if you get an oiled filter, be careful not to overoil the filter as it will dirty the mass air sensor. Honestly, the air intake is not much of a problem in these trucks, exhaust is the biggest problem.

Make sure the ignition system is tuned up good with new high quality spark plugs, wires, a cap, and rotor. I use Bosch plugs (a lot of people will tell you these are crap, but they have always been good to me) and Motorcraft wires, cap, and rotor. When tuning up the ignition make sure your base timing is set to 10 degrees btc, and you might be able to bump it to 12 or so, just make sure you don't get any detonation. This will give you better off-idle response.

Exhaust is where to go next. Mufflers, improve sound, but won't add any noticable power. Get a set of headers (if you get shorties, upgrade the y-pipe as well, the stock one is garbage), a high-flow cat (delete it if you don't have emmissions testing), a good performance muffler, and new pipe. Go with 2.5" pipe from the headers to where it merges in the y-pipe, and then run a 3" single the rest of the way out.

Next, if you are willing to get into some more complex stuff, get a cam. Get a good truck cam that has a power band starting no later than 1,500 RPM, preferably get one that starts at idle. Lumpy cams sound cool, but suck for trucks. Since you have mass air, you don't have to worry about any of the truck cams working with your computer.

After this, you get into the expensive stuff like heads, intake manifolds, etc.

Good luck with your truck and have fun!

 

well right now i dont have much money. i just spent $100 on plugs,muffler and air intake. im looking to spend $300, not including the $100 i just spent.

 

Throw a new fuel fitler on there, and it probably wouldn't hurt to run some fuel system cleaner through it. Back to back treatments would be ideal.

 

headers would be a good way to get some power,or a set of high performance fuel injectors

 

If you shopped around, you could do the entire exhaust for $300. Take the air intake back if you have not installed it, so you have more money to buy stuff that will actually increase performance. If you can't take it back, take it off and sell it on eBay. The hot air these things suck in is actually detrimental to performance. I did my entire exhaust for around $300, minus the high-flow cat. Before doing any performance mods, make sure the thing is tuned up good. Then start with your exhaust. The exhaust systems that come on these trucks are pure crap. Get rid of it and you will see a good improvement.

 

Any particular brands?

 

Use the old drag racers cheap hp trick:....every 100lbs removed from vehicle= 10-12 hp
Clean all the crap out of the bed!

 

yup 100lbs = .1 secs in the 1/4 gut the interior make an alluminum dash stop eating red meat and fast food take the windows out put in lexan get rid of the inner door skins pull the bench seat in favor of a alluminum racing seat

hahaha i'm just being an idiot but the 100lbs=.1 secs in the 1/4 is actually pretty true

 

but if you eat fast food typically within a few hours your bound to drop a few pounds in the bathroom lol. but yea good advice is dont carry around any extra weight of stuff you dont need. i felt a little better acceleration from taking the back seat out of my truck, but not everyone wants to get rid of their back seat.

 

Stop eating red meat and fast food?........I'd rather be slow.......But I do tend to "dump" some of that pretty quick!

 

I think the best bang for your bucks would be long tube headers & custom exhaust . That will give you a good performance increase & save you weight at the same time . And yes in racing weight means everthing . A few pounds here & there add up....Lew

 

What all is involved with adding performance exhaust components to a truck. Is the work envolved able to be done my some one will little mechanical xp? I would love to have a nice sounding exhaust and or a little power increase on my 94 i6.

 

yeah 1 problem with the i6 is they sound good in the LOW LOW rpms but once they clime it starts to sound ricey and i dont like that but talk to 6cylbill hes done a few different setup on the 6er and has sound clips

but for your v8 id say a set of longtube headers and either gut the cat and put a bigger tailpipe one it or you could buy the longtubes 2 hi-flo cats or another cheap one and gut them bothe then run true duals with some bigger pipe...as for mufflers...you have a v8 you dont need one