My dad and I are checking out the 5.0 HO conversion site (http://www.coolcats.net/tech/advanced/ho_conversion.html) and it mentioned getting a stock HO camshaft, which is a roller cam. We were wondering if the camshaft in the regular stock 5.0 is a roller cam too because if it isnt, we may need fingers to hold the lifters on. Also, does the stock block have the bosses to bolt the fingers to? Thanks for your time.
I believe all 86 and newer blocks are rollers. 87 and 88 for sure. The Mustang cam will work in your block with your stock lifters, pushrods and rockers
Ok, thanks for the info! Will we need fingers for the lifters or are they rollers already?
The lifters are rollers
Ok, great! Thanks so much.
see if you can get e7's on there too, they will help the new cam breath alot better.
Yeah, we're going to get all the pieces on that list before we do the conversion. Might as well do it right the first time :) .
Yep 5.0 SO are all roller. Mine is :D
Good, good. Well, it's time to check the first part off the list of conversion parts cause we just got an HO upper intake on ebay for $5.50 (plus shipping, unfortunately haha). 1 part down...lots to go...
86-88's were all rollers stock. Everything before that was flat tappet.
Generally...yes. 1985 was the first year for a roller block in a Mustang. All the books list 1986 as the first year for other Fords (Cougar, Thunderbird, Grand Marquis, etc.). But it seems the roller block was a running change for the 1986 model year with the Cougars & T-Birds. I've talked to a couple of people that cracked open their stock early-'86 engines and found they still had solid lifters. I don't think they were
all roller until sometime after November 1985. All of my '86 cars have been late builds (March, June) so they definitely had roller blocks.
Yep all late 86-88 Tbird/Cougar 5.0 SO were rollers. There has been fights on panther boards about when Crown Vics/Grand Marquis got roller blocks but the agreement has been late 86 model year and up 5.0 SO were all roller. Now I don't think the 5.0 SO had a double roller timing chain like the HO though but I could be wrong....
You're right---they were single roller timing chains. Also, the 1986 timing chain sprockets were steel, but the 1987-88's were plastic. Yep...plastic. Thanks for the weight savings, Ford! ;)
I would rather be 1 billionth slower in the 18 second second 1/4 mile.
Ooooo, yay, plastic! Chalk up another thing I'm going to be replacing... :toilet:
Eric, I don't think the plastic gears were for weight savings, I think they were for NVH. At least I hope so, because I would hate to think Ford did something like that for weight savings. Not that nylon gears are inherently bad - many of these timing sets have gone well over 200k miles - but the weight savings might net you what, 1 billionth of a second in the quarter?
thanks to reading wat you guys just said i'm doing the conversion.
Just my advice but if you’re shopping for heads and an intake. Go with the 96-97 1/4 explorer heads they are the exact same as 93 cobra gt-40.and intakes on 96-up are modified gt-40.but only cause you’re replacing them.
Thanks a lot for that info. I'm on a low budget and the regular H.O. 5.0 stuff is in my price range right now. I have already bought the H.O. upper intake, but I'll see if I come across that set of heads you recommended. Also, what does the 1/4 stand for?
@ XR7 Greg - Cool! Have fun and good luck with your conversion! :D
The first 1/4 of the 97 model year;)
How can I tell the difference between the first 1/4 of the '97 model heads and the other 3/4? Is it a part number difference?
Yes. The later heads are GT40P, the spark plugs are at a different angle than the regular GT40. Supposedly they require a special header, but people in this forum have used regular 50 headers with them, just with a different spark plug boot
Oh I see, thanks :) .
Dad and I took a trip to the junkyard (in the Tbird, of course) to see what 5.0 HO parts they have, but the guy my dad normally talks to wasnt there and it started raining. Oh well, maybe another day.