5.0 HO vs. Cobra

[Big Secz 26]

I've pretty much decided that this fall I'm going to start on a 5.0 EFI and AOD swap. I would like a Cobra motor but a friend of mine is giving me a nearly complete '90 5.0 HO motor for free so I can't pass that up. What would I need to swap out of this motor to make it a Cobra equivalent other than the air intake?

[Angel 24]

Hey, trick flow heads are on sale from summit. Their 170cc is on sale for $999.00. Save $300. Just a thought.

[Big Secz 26]

I'm on a budget build. That's the only way I can convince my ole lady to let me do it. I can get cobra intakes off of ebay for just over $200. Keep in mind I'm not building a track car and I don't need extreme horsepower. I just want a good performance enginge for daily driving and on the highway.

[bigperm2 10]

Keep your eye open for 1996-2001 explorer 5.0s at your local pick and pull yard. They have the gt40 (96 only) and gt40p heads. Also, the explorer 5.0 has an intake similar to the cobra and a bigger throttle body. With a good cam and headers you will have a nice running 5.0. The stock mustang 5.0 mass air computer will handle these updates also. I have this setup in my 66 f100 with an EGR, smog pump, and canister purge eliminator, only I have a manual transmission.

[Big Secz 26]

Keep your eye open for 1996-2001 explorer 5.0s at your local pick and pull yard. They have the gt40 (96 only) and gt40p heads. Also, the explorer 5.0 has an intake similar to the cobra and a bigger throttle body. With a good cam and headers you will have a nice running 5.0. The stock mustang 5.0 mass air computer will handle these updates also. I have this setup in my 66 f100 with an EGR, smog pump, and canister purge eliminator, only I have a manual transmission.

 

Hey Bigperm,

 

I read that the Explorer intakes were similar to the Cobras. I like the looks of the Cobra intake better though, but if it comes down to it the Explorer intake is definitely an option. So really it's just the intake and heads that are different?

 

Did you use the Ron Morris eliminator kits to get rid of the EGR, canister purge, and smog pump? I've put those items on my list of thnings to get.

[bigperm2 10]

Hey Bigperm,

 

I read that the Explorer intakes were similar to the Cobras. I like the looks of the Cobra intake better though, but if it comes down to it the Explorer intake is definitely an option. So really it's just the intake and heads that are different?

 

Did you use the Ron Morris eliminator kits to get rid of the EGR, canister purge, and smog pump? I've put those items on my list of thnings to get.

 

Are you talking about the tubular intake? I think the cast intake looks pretty similar. The biggest difference is the bolt cover, which You could always make one custom. The explorer intake also has this ugly cast on wire loom bracket. You could always dress it up by cutting that thing off and smoothing the intake. I used the EGR eliminator from fordfuelinjection.com, and simply used the resistors for the canister purge and smog pump. I think I might have got the resistors from fordfuelinjection.com also.

 

One thing to add, I did not do any computer mods, and my truck runs pretty good the way it is. But you are supposed to use tweecer or some other programmer to tell it you are using the EGR eliminator. I don't have a check engine light, but if you run the diagnostic, it gives an error code for the EGR. I probably could get a few more ponies out of it by running 24lb injectors also (requires ECU mods.) Another thing to note, the explorer throttle position sensor does not have the same resistance as the mustang, and you have to use the mustang TPS. It doesn't bolt on the same way, so you will have to get creative as far as elongating the mounting holes, and centering the TPS.

Edited April 12, 2010 by bigperm2
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