Cam recomendations

Topic: Cam recomendations (Read 1896 times) previous topic - next topic

Cam recomendations

April 20, 2005, 08:35:30 PM

I have a 87 Mercury Cougar converted to 5 speed, stock ho intake, stock ho mass air meter, stock 19# injectors. This is my everyday driver that I occassionally pull a 5 x 10 utility trailer with. I want to keep this as a dependable fun everyday driver that doesn't become a gas hog. Here is what my motor consists of:

88 302, stock rods, stock pistons with total seal rings, windsor sr. heads with 1.6 and 2.02 valves, 205 cc intake runners, manley pro flow valves, boss 302 race crank, 1.6 motorsport roller rockers, and heads are o-ringed for lock wire head gaskets.

I had bought this motor at a price that I couldn't pass up.

I'm looking for cam recomendations that my stock ho set up can handle. I realize that if I change the mass air meter, injectors, and intake that I could go with a bigger cam. At the current time my budget doesn't allow this to happen. I had been told by a couple freinds to go with the motorsport B or E cam. I'm looking for someone else's recomendations also.

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #1 – April 20, 2005, 08:42:15 PM

E-cam should do you very well.
Heard many good things about it and with your current heads it should breath quite nicely.

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #2 – April 20, 2005, 09:53:01 PM

What about the intake? I have guys over at Hardcore Mustang telling me to keep the stop cam and go with the cobra / explorer intake.

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #3 – April 20, 2005, 09:55:12 PM

I wouldn't change out the cam because you already have plenty of air being delivered to the cylinders ( windsor srs, ) to warrant a cam change with only 19lb injectors. You didn't state if you had a bigger fuel pump, so the stock unit I believe only puts out 88lph (which is sad). The stock H.O. cam is excellent for what setup you have if you can get more fuel to the motor. Instead you might wanna think about a gear change if you tow.

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #4 – April 20, 2005, 11:17:43 PM

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The stock H.O. cam is excellent for what setup you have if you can get more fuel to the motor. Instead you might wanna think about a gear change if you tow.

Agreed. If you swap to an e-cam and use the car as a daily driver, you will wonder what happened to your low end torque

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #5 – April 22, 2005, 12:49:57 PM

I have already upgraded the fuel pump to the 255lph and adjustable pressure regulator about 3 years ago. At that time I had to drop the tank to change out the float, so while I was there I changed the fuel pump.

As for gears, I have 3.73s with the factory trac-loc.

About 2 months ago I have bolted on a 65mm throttle body.

I have just purchased the explorer intake locally from a junkyard.

How restrictive is the factory 55mm mass air meter? I have thought about changing this out. Would I see any changes in performance?

I'm trying to figure out what to do before I drop this motor in. Everyone's reccomendations are greatly appreciated.

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #6 – April 22, 2005, 12:54:48 PM

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How restrictive is the factory 55mm mass air meter

Well, your Throttle body is a 65 MM so your MAF meter is kind of a bottleneck. Go with a 73 MM unit if you can get one for a good price. What year Explorer was the intake off of?

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #7 – April 22, 2005, 02:02:27 PM

hell, the 4.6L mn12s use a 70mm thats calibrated for 19# injectors, just be sure to get one with the same plug as your MAF, an the wire order *should* be the same

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #8 – April 22, 2005, 09:17:18 PM

The 94-95 Mustang 5.0 used the 70 MM MAF sensor as well. I just found that out.....

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #9 – April 23, 2005, 08:27:16 AM

Can I use my my factory electronics from the mass air on an aftermarket mass air? I'm watch a C&L on ebay but does not have the eletronic part.

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #10 – April 23, 2005, 09:54:17 AM

yes you can use the existing electronics. Thats the unit I used to have on my car (76mm C&L). Now I've got a pro-m 80mm. The C&L unit uses a sampling tube which is interchangeable, depending on what injectors you have
(the sampling tube sits around the sensor wire of the electronics)

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #11 – April 23, 2005, 05:51:19 PM

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What year Explorer was the intake off of?

According to the boneyard, my intake has come off a 97 explorer. Here are the numbers off of it:

Upper: RF-F77E-9425-AA
Lower: RF-F87E-9K461-BA

I'm thinking that the upper F7 is made in 97 & the lower F8 is made in 98.

Rather staying with the stock cam, what if I go with a RV style cam? These are made for pulling so wouldn't it make more torque than the stock cam.

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #12 – April 23, 2005, 11:20:18 PM

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Rather staying with the stock cam, what if I go with a RV style cam? These are made for pulling so wouldn't it make more torque than the stock cam.

Well depending on the grind, this is true, but you would also suffer power loss at high end RPM. You said you pull occasionally. I would think that the stock cam would be your best bet overall.

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According to the boneyard, my intake has come off a 97 explorer. Here are the numbers off of it:

Upper: RF-F77E-9425-AA
Lower: RF-F87E-9K461-BA

With this intake if you wish to use EGR you will have to use the external EGR tubing that came with the intake from the factory (The 96 Explorers had the EGR passages built into the intake just like the 86-95 5.0 H.O. OR S.O.). I had actually found a 96 intake, but the junkyard wanted $300 for it. For $80 more I'll get a new Cobra intake if I ever feel like it. My stock ported one is good enough for now.

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #13 – April 24, 2005, 09:53:32 AM

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I would think that the stock cam would be your best bet overall.

I believe that I'm going with the stock cam. Alot of people on different boards ahve been telling me the same thing. There are a lot of people out there that think everyone wants to make a lot of horsepower. I would like to make a lot of horsepower but not at the current time with a big cam in a daily driver.

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With this intake if you wish to use EGR you will have to use the external EGR tubing that came with the intake from the factory (The 96 Explorers had the EGR passages built into the intake just like the 86-95 5.0 H.O. OR S.O.).

Here are links to picutres of my intake. From what I see, as long as I use my egr spacer and throttle body all the egr stuff with work fine.

bottom of upper intake

throttle body side of intake

explorer intake elbow

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I had actually found a 96 intake, but the junkyard wanted $300 for it. For $80 more I'll get a new Cobra intake if I ever feel like it.

I have looked around before buy mine. I kind of agree with you on buying the new Cobra for the little bit of price difference. Someone must think that these intakes are gold. I was lucky enough to find my intake for $159 from a local boneyard.

Since the valve springs in this motor have been changed to accomidate the X cam, must I change these to accomidate the stock cam? What will happen if I don't change them?

Re: Cam recomendations

Reply #14 – April 24, 2005, 01:05:14 PM

You should be ok with the valvle springs. EGR WILL work you have all the parts