I just bought an 85 4 cylinder body with a 1988 5.0. engine. The engine did not have EFI when I bought it, since then I put on an edlebrock high rise intake manifold with a 4 barrel Holley 650cfm on top. New distributor, cap, rotor, plugs and wires. New tranny, posi rearend, triple core radiator, and B&M quicksilver ratchet shifter. The engine is an HO engine, I want to know how I can make this car run high 13's to low 14's in the 1/4 mile. I was going to put in a crane cam, get larger heads, new headers and H-pipe with pulleys. What would I run with this work done? Where can I find cheap heads? If anyone can offer me some advice I would greatly appreciate it, thanks in advance.

Mike

I think your wasting your money investing in a four cylinder body car. Your going to twist that thing to hell, and you probably already spent more then just buying a 5.0 that runs 14's stock. But since your that far, get an MSD for the faster upper RPM range. Lower the car (motorsports are perfect). It really helps out a lot. Also, you might not like pulleys if its a regular driving car. Equal length headers are a pain to install yourself, short unequal length are better (2.5in). I would get an X pipe if I could before an H pipe. Damn dude, you should of just bought a 5.0...........

I have to disagree with noquicky 100%.

First of all, there's no difference in the 4 cyl and V8 body structurally. If he's going to twist the 4 cyl body to hell, he would have done the same thing to the V8 body. I agree he's going to twist it, which is why we always recommend a good subframe connector as a first mod. You can get a set from Steeda for under $100 and they install in less than an hour.

Why would you want to lower the car with motorsport springs? They're stiffer than even V8 springs which would really hinder weight transfer. The 4 cylinder springs he's got in there now are great. Most of the drag racers are swapping 4 cylinder springs into the front of their cars. Not only do they lower the car like you've recommended, but they store more energy for weight transfer on launch than the stock V8 springs, and a heck of a lot more energy than a stiff lowering spring. I'd stick with those until you're ready for a set of coil overs.

He shouldn't have any problems with the pulleys so long as he's not running a loud, booming stereo, electric fans, etc. Most companies make two different types: 1 for racing purposes, and one for the street. Get the kind for the street and you'll be fine.

The headers are a good idea. Go with a 1 5/8" shorty if you want an easy installation, but if you're confident in your mechanical abilities or are willing to pay someone else to do it, go with a 1 5/8" longtube along with a 2 1/2" offroad x pipe and a free flowing muffler along the lines of magnaflow, borla, or dynomax.

Lastly...if you're still running the 7.5" rearend out of the 85, toss it and get an 8.8" and throw a set of 3.73's in there if it's a 5 speed or a set of 4.10's if it's an automatic.

I don't think you'll have any problems running a high 13 with what you've got, the exhaust, and gears.

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Nic Bennett
1989 5.0 Coupe ST/P #412
Faster, Lighter, and more Expensive than ever!

Moderator, American Mustang, Hardcore50, Stangtec
Co-Founder, Tri Cities Mustang Club

You said you've got a ratchet shifter, so I'm guessing this is an AOD car? Go with the 4.10's and invest some money into a good torque converter in the 2800 rpm stall range. Precision Industries (www.converter.com). Along with this, you need a hardened input shaft and the biggest trans cooler you can get your hands on. Remember, you can never have too much cooler, but if you don't have enough you'll be sorry. Also, you may want to look into a Baumann or Trans-Go shift kit. Check out www.alternativeauto.com and www.baumannengineering.com for a good perspective on how to make an AOD car quick.

Which cam are you looking at? You want to make sure it's properly matched to the rest of your combo. With an AOD car, you don't really want a lot of duration unless you've got a big converter. I'd suggest no more than ~220 degrees for a street driver AOD car.

With the heads, it really depends on which set you go with. Find one that fits your goal and go with it. Do some research on how guys are running with different head/cam combinations. A good one for the street IMO is the TFS Twisted Wedge head/TFS Stg. 1 cam combo along with a 2800 stall converter and 3.73's or better in the rear. www.jdsperformance.com has the best deal out there on the TFS Twisted Wedge Heads.

With everything you've asked about and what I mentioned to you, you'd probably be looking at a high 12 to low 13 second car on a decent tire.

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Nic Bennett
1989 5.0 Coupe ST/P #412
Faster, Lighter, and more Expensive than ever!

Moderator, American Mustang, Hardcore50, Stangtec
Co-Founder, Tri Cities Mustang Club