89 notch build

[Slowfox]

Figured I'd make a build thread to help look back on and maybe have some pointers if needed. I bought the car 2/27, in desperate need of TLC. Long story short, 4 cyl T5, shitty bumper cover, drilled through trunk..just misc bullshit that needed love. Plans for Summer of 2012 are twisted wedge heads, AFM or FTI Custom Grind Cam, 5 lug swap, new t5, and some body work.. Goal is 330 at the wheels and hitting 12's N/A 5spd with the little 302.

(When I bought it 2/27):

Here's before the car tear down (11/06):

Click to read more...

 

[Slowfox]

An update already lol.. pulled apart rear end for inspection, unfortunately it's just the stock 28 spline axles with extended studs, was hoping for a 31 spline carrier. So, might be picking up a complete 5 lug swap including a SN95 rear end with a stock 3.27 gear as of right now. Leaning more towards 3.73s over 4.10s since it's more of a street car, but I still have a little time before I need to make that decision final. Input?

 

[daturbosix]

if your staying with the t5 go 4.10s and match those with a 275/60 tire.

if you go c4, go 3.73s

the sn95 rear is wider than a fox, just so you know.

 

[Slowfox]

Yeah, iirc it's 3/4 inch wider on each side, shouldn't be that big of a problem with rolled fenders (also happening this winter)

 

[R6cowboy]

First off, best of luck with your notch, awesome car. Hitting 300-350whp and 12's using 302ci with a "good" set of heads and either a 3.73 or 4.10 gear is no problem. I use to be huge into the 5.0 scene years ago, but my older brother still is, and has been since '98. He knows more about Mustangs and Ford motors then most people know about themselves. Off subject, but he's currently doing a full restoration on a '65 fastback. I'll bring your thread up to him, he knows an boat load about Ford heads and cam selection.

 

[SirMarco]

5.3L Chevy swap with a BIG turbo......

Either way, good luck with the build

 

[Bob Kazamakis]

That thing looks so much better wingless.

 

[jvert]

Awesome build! I would love to do the same thing. Good luck.

 

[Pressure Ratio]

First off I think you are shooting for a slow ET for a H/C/I coupe. First combo we ever really did (years ago haha) was a 86 GT, Windsor SR heads (old junk), cobra intake, Crane 2020 cam, 5500 shift points, 3.73 gear and 26" slicks the car went 12.40's. You will be using better heads and cam. haha I know of several H/C/I cars running high 11s at decent street car weights.

Talk to your cam guy and see what he says as far as the rpm the motor will pull. Then decide on gearing and tire diameter based on that. Being a stock block combo I would bet you will be around 6000-6200 rpm shift points. Especially if it is a stock computer because it has a rev limiter right there.

If it was me.....with that combo I would not try and run a 28" tall tire. You will be wasting energy turning the bigger tire. And for a 11 second and slower combo I don't see you having issues leaving on a 26" tire. Unless you have a junk tire and suspension. With little small power you need to make the car as efficient as possible to get the car to ET well. Look into Pure Stock cars. You will learn a lot about doing more with less. With a 4.10, 26" tire and 6000rpm across the line it would be 113mph. The 3.73 would be 124mph. For mid to high 12's the 4.10 would be fine. But the 3.73 would work well as well as bring the rpm down some when street driving.

 

[Slowfox]

Not 100% sure on which head cam combo I'm going with, more than likely just going to run an off the shelf AFM cam and which ever heads (either AFR 165s or TW 170s) I can find a good deal on. I still have to dial in to my suspension/tire but that will be a little farther down the road after I get all the other stuff rolling. When I get to that point I'll definitely be sending questions your way Pratt. But as of now, I want to get the car running for the summer with a new motor setup.

 

[R6cowboy]

When considering AFR SBF heads, skip right past the 165 heads and go to the 185's. They're pretty much the same price but the 185 heads flow much better. You'll really benefit if you do further mods down the road, like increased displacement or increase engine rpm, etc. What very little cost increase for the 185's (like $25 more), the 165's aren't even worth it.

 

[Pressure Ratio]

I like TFS heads for a stock short block combos for a few reasons.

1. Price. You can get the 170cc TFS heads a few hundred dollars cheaper than the AFR 185.

2. The standard hardware the AFR heads come with leaves some thing to be desired. So that means more money to upgrade to their better stuff.

3. Because of the valve location on the TFS heads you can get away with bigger cam profiles than you can with the AFR185. The AFR185 really limits what you can run as far as the cam goes. Timing events are really important so you don't have interference with the stock piston. Ed is very familial with AFR heads and stock short block combos. If you decide to go with that head he is someone to talk to about a cam for sure.

4. You need the AFR185 Comp heads to flow close to what the TFS head does. Again, more cost.

5. You can't look at the two heads based off the cc of the ports. The TFS head has a shorter intake port. So the port cc is misleading if that is all you look at. The cross section of the port tells much more of the story.

5. If you plan to port the heads down the road you have more options of shops and designs for the TFS.

6. A whole lot more. haha You can talk about valve locations in relation to the cylinder wall, port design, short & long side radius, valve pocket area and a ton of different things.

This all coming from a guy that runs AFR185 heads (comp heads were not available when I bought them). I have been very happy with the castings, port work and the power they make. I did find out the hard way I needed to upgrade the hardware after running them. Adding to the cost. They are a good head though. But the TFS, to me, makes a lot more sense in a stock short block combination. Plus they leave a lot of room to grow in the future.

 

[C.Evans]

I run the AFR 165's on my motor, flat top pistons with valve reliefs, built Scat bottom end, .544 lift hyd. roller cam. It runs VERY good. The AFR's run slightly smaller 1.90 intake valves instead of the 2.02 like the TFS heads offer though... It wasnt that big of deal to me. I think AFR heads are some of the best quality heads available.
Check this out-
http://www.carcraft.com/techarticles/116_0307_ford_302_v8_engine_buildup/index.html

 

[Pressure Ratio]

Don't get me started on stock cams and boost. hahahaha Great for a street car.

A buddy has a stock camshaft car that runs well into the 9s with a 310ci, TW headed motor and a Si on moderate boost.

 

[C.Evans]

NICE!

 

[Slowfox]

Yeah I was looking around doing some research, and Ed was recommended for a cam/AFR combo, looked at Dales setup too and he is the same. I didn't realize TW heads were that big of an improvement.

 

[Pressure Ratio]

Remember we are talking about a stock short block combo. There are some advantages for the TFS for sure. The AFR185s are a good head as well. But things are not always as they seem on paper.

Like I said, I have the AFR185 heads on my 331ci motor. My engine builder and I talked about trying these out when we read about them. He is a dealer for AFR and had experience with them on a lot of SB & BB Chevy motors. We decided to give them a try so he could take a look at them and throw them on his flow bench to see what they did compared to other heads he had flowed like TFS, Holley, Edelbrock, Canfield and so on. They have always been over achievers on my motor. The combo has always made more power and ran a better ET than anyone ever thought they would or should. There is nothing wrong with them at all besides the standard hardware that some people do not like. I have seen the comp versions of the 185 go mid to low 8's an a couple of occasions.

If you want Ed to spec your combo I am sure he will pick the AFR heads. And he has experience with them and stock pistons & cams. You will be fine going that route.

 

[Terminator-Fux]

Keep up the good work Jim. Trickflow heads FTMFW. You could buy the junk off my car so I can Terminator swap my 91!

 

[C.Evans]

Sounds like Steve over here is pulling the motor out of his cobra, swapping it into the Fox, and then scrapping the cobra shell.

 

[Slowfox]

Just got my USC All Metal Body Filler, time to start doing work on this engine bay!


Thanks Steve, while you're at it let me get those Cobra seats and brakes too

after all they are just sitting there, I can put them to use lol

 

[Pressure Ratio]

I may sell the 03 Cobra front brakes I have. Let me know if you are interested.

 

[Slowfox]

PM sent

 

[Slowfox]

Couple updates, decided to leave the strut towers and engine bay alone mostly, filled in the HVAC holes and moved on. On that note, I'm painting it body color. Just picked up a set of Twisted Wedge heads, and found out I have an e-cam. For now, the cam's staying.

Engine bay primed and ready for body color paint:

 

[R6cowboy]

Curious, what are the shortblock details you're using?

 

[Slowfox]

Stock '89 bottom end with an E cam. Top end is 170cc twisted wedges, trickflow trackheat, 4" AFM CAI, 75mm TB