Howdy yall,

Names Jesse, anyways I came here wanting a little help with my F150. I want answers to my questions, not stories or life experiences. If I want experiences I will ask for them. Anyways, I am slowly getting my truck in the shape I want it. I have a few questions to ask.

1.Since my truck has a 5.0 with a 351/5.0 HO firing order, do they make a good off roading cam? I want low end torque for towing and some off roading.

2. This is kind of a few questions in one. I want to put timing gears in when I swap out my cam. I heard you cant use timing gears cause it will set off your knock sensor and all that fun stuff. Well do our trucks have knock sensors? Cause I put my truck on my tester and went to do a cylinder balance test and it said it couldnt do it cause there was no knock sensor signal. So if there is one, I 1. Assume I can't use roller gears. 2. where is it located?

3. Is it worth upgrading the injectors and MAF? Cause I plan on a set of long tube headers, and want to get more power.

4. This is a really off the wall question. But I was wondering if anyone has ever made a 302 into a 347 and kept it EFI. I would love to stroke my engine, but how would I go about keeping it EFI (I hate carbs).

Thanks guys. Hope to be able to contribute to this forum.

 

1) yes.... the make both styles...

2) do you mean a roller chain or gear to gear timing set up? roller chain is the best for you as it is easier on all the valve train... gear to gear can cause "Spark Scatter" in electronic ignition EFI systems...the knock sensor if you have one is in the lower block water drain.... I believe your 5.0L should have one...it may be unhooked..

3) yes

4) yes and easy...all you need to do is use a cam thats EFI friendly... a quick call to any Cam vendor will have you something in a jiffy...you CAN do a stroker motor is a Speed Density system but a EFI cam is a MUST...MAF is alot more forgiving...

5) Welcome to the forums

 

Thank you Doc, I really appreciate all the help. As for the stroker setup, I want to know what I need to do to make a stroker motor work in my truck. Links would be appreciate if you have any. And again thank you. And my system is a MAF system, so were all good.

 

you dont need to do anything special other than the machine work to make the rotating recip work in the block...

other than that everythings the same...

what build do you have in mind and what heads are you going to use...

I suggest the Trick Flow "fast as cast" track heat 170cc heads...these will make some good power on the same fuel...

as long as you use and close to factory cam you wont need to go with a bigger injector unless you plan on full throttle runs..if you do then you need to bump it 2 sizes...

 

What machine work need to be done to the engine to get the internals by? And DOC, take this as a compliment... MARRY ME! lol. And I was going to go with a cam with just a few more degrees then a stock one. Could I just use a but to get rid of the excess metal in the block for the rotating? And I was going to go with a World head, I forget the name but it looked good in my opinion (The stats looked good) and Trick Flows 'Fast as Cast' I will look at those.

Edit: I also wanted to ask, I seen Summit Racing (I'm from Ohio so I love Summit and JEGS) has there own CD ignition box. And I want to know if it could be hooked up to my ignition, I assume it can cause we can hook up MSD box's to our truck why not Summits? Also on the Injector subject I assume I would need to get a MAF thats setup for the injectors right? Again using one of summits MAF's for a 5.0 Mustang. Just wanting to get indeas in so I can prioratize and get this truck built right. Thanks a million.

 

you can either machine your block to accept the rotating recip or have the machine shop do it for you...which isnt a bad idea...

or you can buy a 347 short block from many places...then add the heads of your choice...

here is the thing about choosing parts...anytime you go bigger than stock on heads and cam you can make more power but at a higher RPM range...so that means you can lose power under that curve..which means from idle to the point it starts making power...

Stock engines are made to make power from idle to usually a 4000RPM limit (+/- a little)...going with a bigger head much more than stock will hurt you more than a cam change...it is important in a heavier vehicle to keep port velocity speeds as fast as you can at lower RPM to make strong torque...to make better horsepower the trick is to not lose any low end torque and not move the curve upwards...

Doing so can make your truck a turd off the line and you wont be happy...plus it wont be as efficient and it will waste gas...the trick is to build the engine around the stock perimeters with a better than normal BSFC (Brake Specific Fuel consumption which is pounds of fuel burned per horsepower at WOT)...stock engines have a BSFC of 0.550 which isnt real efficient...better terms are more like 0.300-0.400 BSFC

You want to keep the head with an Efficient runner design and a strong port velocity while still being able to breathe at upper RPMs...the World Product head wont deliver the same efficient burn rates for a small cc head...

for your truck stay with a cam with 218 duration @ .050 or less...I would prolly pick a 216 duration cam and I would advance it as well...

the more duration you have the more it moves the power curve upwards in the RPM band...which means you will start struggling to get off the line and to the power curve...more so without good gears and stall convertor...

your better off staying small on the cam and stay close to stock and go with the most efficient head you can buy...

back to the block... the block will need clearancing on the lower piston wall where the rod bolts will hit...

 

Well, aren't you rude . That sure makes me want to answer your questions. Let me tell you a story. Wait, let me tell you my life story, some of my experiences. It won't take long. You'll like it and you might learn something. Wait, nevermind.

 

If you are going to radically change the internals it would be best if you went to larger injectors and a larger butterfly valve. If yours has the preheater behind the butterfly valve you should remove it. Going with a larger MAF will also help, though not as much as the injectors and throttle plate, butterfly valve.

 

I am sorry Sean, but I had a problem on another Forum where guys would never ever answer my questions and they would tell me all about how I should go with a mustang computer in my truck and all this other BS, and never answer my questions. I love stories and I even have a few of my own. I just don't want to be told all about how you took the TFI coil and computer off your old Stang and put it on this truck and it made a world of difference but you cant tow, and you suck at off roading. Or.. well you get the picture.

At the Doctor, you were talking about advancing the cam, how would I go about that? I have heard of doing it (Hung out with Honda guys and they had adjustable cam gears) but I would be interested in doing all I can to keep my curve in the same position, and make more power. I appreciate you alls help.

EDIT: Is there any way I could make the stock heads a little more efficient? I have access to alot of tools. I want to build this engine as best as I possibly can.

 

1st... by using a multi-keyed timing set...they are all over everywhere..Cloyes is the best...

2nd....not really..you could have them ported but you'll have more money in that then buy a better set of heads that will work much better than your stock ported heads...