Back Description Copyright FAQ Section Perf. Upgrade Guide  

Vroom,VROOM!!!

 

Thanks Nick!!!

 

Version 1.2 - 8/10/2000

by

Julio C. Chacon, Jr.

 

 

 

Description

The following FAQ and Performance-Upgrade Guide was developed for owners of '83-'85 5.0 Liter HO Mustangs who wish to find information regarding effective and street legal performance upgrades to their cars. The purpose of this FAQ is to provide the above mentioned audience with alternatives to EFI conversions; thus, this topic will be purposely omitted. In addition, a Performance and Upgrade Guide is included which may be useful to all pre-EFI 5.0 Liter Mustangs. Information concerning suspension, brake, and drivetrain upgrades will be covered in this section. This guide will contain information based on real life results and research, not speculation.

The main reason for starting this guide was due to the need for reliable information that won't end up costing us money later. In this age of environmental awareness and increased emissions inspections nationwide, it's important to know that particular upgrades will not have to be undone when it comes time to have the vehicle tested. It is also a very real fact that the performance industry has pretty much left the non-EFI segment of the Mustang community behind, focusing on new products specifically for EFI engines. The goal of this FAQ and guide is to provide a central, reliable source of performance upgrade options for the owners of non-EFI Mustangs.

Questions, comments, and suggestions can be E-mailed to me at <jcchacon@bellsouth.net>. If I get enough questions regarding a particular subject or problem, I'll research it and add it to the FAQ List.

NOTE: Sadly, I parted company with my cherished Mustang back in June of 2001. Because of the passion that I held dear for that car, and my Love of Mustangs in general, I dedicate this page to my little Red '85 GT. I hope it's new owner gets as much pleasure out of it as I did. All of this information contained was accurate top the best of my knowledge as of the last revision date. If you see anything that you think should be changed or updated, please feel free to email me.  - jcc


Revision History:

Copyright Notice

This FAQ/PUG is copyright ©1996-2003 by Julio C. Chacon, Jr. except for information gathered from published works, which has been bibliographed proceeding that information. Any information coming from third parties will also be credited for providing that information. This FAQ may be distributed freely based on the following conditions:

Disclaimer (READ THIS FIRST)

This information is being provided as a guide for those individuals who are looking to increase the current performance of their vehicles. Modification of any production vehicle in order to make it perform beyond the limits of the manufacturer's intentions may result in voiding the vehicle's warranty. More importantly, it can result in vehicle system failures that can cause property damage, bodily injury, or worse. While the information provided is based on published reports or personal experiences from other parties, none of this information can be guaranteed; therefore, by reading and/or performing any of the modifications listed in this FAQ, you are doing so AT YOUR OWN RISK!! Neither I nor any of the parties involved in providing the information below can be held liable for any consequences that result from these modifications. If you do not agree to these terms, DO NOT PERFORM ANY OF THESE MODIFICATIONS!!

"Ford", "Ford Motorsport", "SVO", "FoMoCo", "Mustang", "Mustang LX/GT"  (and any others I might have missed) are all trademarks of The Ford Motor Company.


Acknowledgements:

Special thanks to the following people for expressing interest and support in the creation of this FAQ:

Special thanks also to the others who responded with their own personal experiences or questions concerning their cars. I hope this FAQ serves you all well.

FAQ-Section

1) What years were 5.0 4V HO engines produced?

5.0 Liter 4V HO engines were built only 3 years, from '83-'85. While the '82 5.0 was dubbed the first of the HO's, it employed only a 2V carburetor rated at 369 cfm's.


2) What's the difference between them?

There were some revisions made for the engines for each year, so here is a year by year rundown of the differences between them (**):



1983:


The '83 5.0 carried over many components from the 1982 HO engine, with the most notable change coming in the form of a 4-barrel Holley manufactured carburetor with 600 cfm rating. The engine used a Ford marine camshaft with 260' intake/ 278' exhaust, with a valve lift of .416 intake/ .444 exhaust. Pistons were cast aluminum with 8.4:1 compression. A cast iron exhaust manifold with a 2 in. outlet fed to a 2.25 in. Y-pipe and catalytic convertor, which in turn ran through a single muffler with twin outlets. 1983 also marked the year that the Borg-Warner T-5 Manual transmission was introduced. The rear axle consisted of a 7.5 in. Traction-Lock differential with 3.08 ratio.


HORSEPOWER : 175 @ 4200 rpm
TORQUE : 245 ft-lbs. @ 2400 rpm


1984:


The carburetor (based on the Holley 4180-C design) was carried over, but the choke was redesigned. Heat tubes from the manifolds were eliminated. The fuel pump (rated at 8.5 psi), camshaft, pistons, and cylinder heads (part No. D94E-6049-AA) were all carried over from the '83 model, as was the engine block and remainder of the exhaust system. Gear ratios remained the same for the T-5, while the rear axle had the same ratio, adding a 3.27 ratio to the options list.


HORSEPOWER : 175 @ 4200 rpm
TORQUE : 245 ft-lbs. @ 2400 rpm


1985:

The 1985 5.0 Liter 4V HO V8


The carburetor was again a carryover, except for the addition of a diaphragm choke pulldown and improved secondary metering. The roller-lifter cam shaft was introduced. It boasted 266' intake and exhaust, with .444 valve lift for both as well. The distributor gear was changed to be compatible with the gear on the new camshaft. The new cylinder heads (part No. E5AE-6049-CA) were revised to allow service removal of the roller tappets. the engine block was also revised to allow it to use the roller cam and tappets. New forged pistons allowed better heat transfer, due to thinner, low tension rings and thicker ring lands. Compression remained at 8.4:1. The water pump impeller diameter was increased to 4.4 in. to provide better flow capacity. The exhaust system was refined by adding stainless tubular headers and exhaust gaskets. Exhaust still went through a single catalytic converter, but exited to another 2.25 in. Y-pipe and through two mufflers, exiting through two 2.25 in. exhaust pipes. The T-5 received revised gear ratios, with a 2.73 standard rear axle ratio. 3.08 was available as an option.



HORSEPOWER : 210 @ 4400 rpm
TORQUE : 270 ft-lbs. @ 3200 rpm

** The preceding information was taken from "Ford High Performance", Petersen Publication #5112-7, @1986; pg.19. Article was based on technical information provided by FoMoCo and Ford SVO.


3) What other mechanical differences are there between these cars?

Notable differences include the introduction of "Quad" shocks on the rear axles of '84-1/2 Mustangs with the HD/GT handling package to help reduce axle hop, and the T-5 short throw shifter assembly which was introduced in '85.

4) Can these upgrades be easily made on my '83/'84?

The shifter assembly can be easily upgraded to the 1985 level on the T-5 and is available as a kit from Ford Motorsport (part No. M-7210-A). While most performance enthusiasts would prefer one of the aftermarket solutions instead, this kit is a bit more affordable for those on a budget. This will be covered more in depth in the Performance Upgrade Guide. The Quad shocks can also be upgraded; however, it requires the installation of a rear axle assembly from a Mustang originally equipped with quad shocks. Please note that some '84 models already have quads as original equipment. These are easily identified by looking for small, horizontally mounted shocks on the rear axle assembly and mounting to the frame rail right behind the rear wheels. Provided the aforementioned axle is installed in the car, the Quad Shock Kit from Ford Motorsport completes the install (part No. M-4263-C).

Please keep in mind that the part numbers above have been included for reference. Since many may no longer be produced by Ford, some performance supply houses may still have some of them in stock. All performance upgrade questions will be addressed in the Upgrade section of this FAQ/PUG.

END OF FAQ SECTION

Performance Upgrade Guide



The purpose of this PUG is to give owners of older Fox III chassis Mustangs ('79-'85) guidance in performing upgrades to their cars in order to (a) bring them closer to the performance potential of newer ('86-'93) Mustangs and/or (b) update their cars to the specs of the newer cars. This section will include hop up options for the following:


New categories will be added as Performance and Upgrade tips come in. If you have any personal experiences that you think would benefit this PUG, please direct your E-Mail to jcchacon@bellsouth.net. Please describe the upgrade made, along with any problems or special items of note during the installation. I will research the info provided and if included in the PUG, you will be fully credited. Just include whether or not you'd like you E-Mail address included in the credit. Please remember that what I am looking for is STREET LEGAL Modifications only. Installing an off-road H-Pipe doesn't help those of us who live in states with emissions testing. If you have any questions, comments, or feel that any of this info is incorrect, feel free to E-Mail. Remember, I want to make this the most accurate and informative FAQ possible.


Driveline Upgrades

Older Mustangs have several components in the driveline that need attention, especially if you want your car to last. The following are modifications that are essential to prolonging the life of your Mustang:



Clutch

A heavy Duty Clutch assembly is essential to making sure the power from your engine gets to the rear end effectively. One of the most popular options for Mustang enthusiasts is by installing the Ford Motorsport Clutch, Pressure Plate, and Bearing Kit (M-7560-A302). For those interested, there is the new "King Cobra" Kit ( M-7560-C302), which requires about 10% less pedal effort, but the same strength capacity as the regular HD pressure plate. Aftermarket clutch kits include kits from Zoom and Centerforce. An important thing to note is that installing either of these clutch kits requires that the car have a 10.5" Flywheel. '79 and '82-'85 V8 Mustangs have a 10" flywheel; thus, these cars require a new flywheel. Ford Motorsport offers 3 flywheels for this purpose. For '79 V8 Mustangs (which had a 38.2 oz-in. unbalance) there is the M-6375-A302 Billet Steel Flywheel. For '82-'85 Mustangs, there's the M-6375-B302 Cast Iron Flywheel and the M-6375-C302 Billet Steel Flywheel. Since the clutch is being upgraded, it's important that the clutch fork and cable assembly be changed as well due to the fact that the assembly was upgraded in '86 Mustangs. This kit is available from Ford Motorsport(M-7553-A302). NOTE: '84 and Up Mustangs already have the cable as original equipment. Another option (since the tranny is off the car) is to install an adjustable cable kit, which is available from Ford Motorsport (M-7553-B302), STEEDA, and BBK. If anyone else knows of some other quality kits, I will be happy to mention them here.



Transmission


The Borg-Warner T5 is perhaps the one component in the Mustang's driveline that takes quite a bit more punishment than any other. Over time, this abuse takes its toll on the transmission. Whether it is to replace a damaged transmission, or upgrading to a newer one, here are some key things to know about the transmissions.

T5's are classified as World Class(WC) or Non-World Class( NWC). NWC transmissions were the original T5's as equipped in '83-4 5.0 HO Mustangs. In 1985, Borg-Warner introduced the WC transmission. Its key features are a redesigned gear case for increased strength, revised synchro assemblies, and revised gear ratios for increased strength. In 1990, Borg-Warner again revised the gear ratios for second and third gears. This was done to provide increased strength in response to a problem with reported gear breakages with these two gears. since then, two more versions of the T5 have been made available. These were sold by Ford Motorsport as the Super Duty T5. They were available as the M-7003-X and M-7003-Z transmissions. Both transmissions featured revised heavy duty gear ratios, improved synchro and bearing assemblies, and carbon fiber blocker rings. The "Z" Transmission also featured a special pocket bearing as used in the Mustang Cobra transmission, and a steel input bearing retainer, as opposed to the standard aluminum one.

Another important item of note when replacing your transmission is making sure your speedometer will read correctly. '83-'89 transmissions came with a 7 tooth speedometer drive gear, while T5's from '90-up have an 8 tooth speedometer drive gear. By the way, both Super Duty T5's offered by Ford Motorsport come with a 7 tooth gear. This will be important, especially when it comes time to change your rear end gear ratio. This will be explained further in the section on Rear End Upgrades.

Another transmission available for the Mustang is the Tremec. These transmissions feature a heavier torque capacity than any of the T5 models currently available and are a must if serious drag racing is considered. One important note: when installing this transmission in an '79-'85 Mustang, you must purchase an M-5059-A transmission crossmember to properly bolt this transmission into the car. The mounting location for the crossmember requires that a new one be installed. Once installed, the endpoints of the crossmember may now be welded to the chassis mounts that slide on it. These mounts MUST be welded in place, or serious drivetrain damage can result.



Rear End


Of all the things the 7.5" axle found in pre-'86 Mustangs is known for, durability and ruggedness don't exactly top the list. I personally have gone through the embarassment of having to tow my fearsome '85 Mustang GT home because of a blown rear end (and I wasn't even driving it hard when it went!). Converting to an 8.8" rear end is a must, especially if you're considering adding horsepower to your steed. The easiest way is by buying a used one from a junkyard or used auto parts dealer.

There are several things to consider when choosing a rear end. First, is the question of gear ratio. You can choose to buy a rear end with the stock 2.73 rear end. You could also choose to buy a rear end with the optional 3.08 gear set. This will provide additional acceleration and in itself feels like a modest horsepower gain. Be warned, however, that used parts dealers will charge somewhat exorbitant prices on rear ends with the optional ratios. In either case, it pays to shop around and look in local car shopper magazines. The other option is to buy a new one from Ford Motorsport. These come as assemblies that do not include axles or brake assemblies, which can be removed from your existing axle. The good part about this option is that FMS has several ratios available. If you're considering this option, it may also be a good time to opt for rear disc brakes (see brake section).

Once a new gear ratio has been installed on your car, all that is left is to change your speedometer driven gear, which can be found on the end of the speedometer cable.

First, you must find out what size gear you will now need. The following formula and example will show you:

Formula

(Trans. Drive Gear) X (Rear Axle Ratio) X (Tire Rev. per Mile) /1000

Example

((7 Tooth Gear) X (3.27 Ratio) X (815 TRPM))/ 1000 = 18.655

Once you calculate your ideal gear size, you then purchase the appropriate gear. In the example above, 18.655 should be rounded up to 19, so a 19 tooth gear must be purchased. These gears may be purchased from your local Ford dealer.

Engine/Exhaust


Engine

A lot of people ask me, "What kind of carburetor will work best on my car? " Well, believe it or not, I happen to ,LOVE the Holley version of the factory carburetor. It happens to be the carburetor that I currently have installed on my car. If you read the description above, I wanted this PUG to provide street legal advice. The carburetor, model 0-80163 has all of the improvements that were made for the '85 version of the Motorcraft carburetor that Holley built for Ford. The great thing about this carburetor is that even when you modify it, it does a great job of metering the fuel for you, so you can improve performance while still staying within Federal air pollution guidelines.

So what kind of modifications can be made? First, there's the Accelerator Pump Conversion Kit (Part #20-11), which will increase the accelerator pump capacity from 30cc to 50cc. To fine tune the new Accelerator Pump, Holley also offers an Accelerator Pump Cam Assortment Kit (Part #20-12). For true dual metering, Holley also offers a 4160 to 4150 conversion kit (the 4180 is derived from the 4160). The part number is 34-6. The kit does not include jets, so a good starting point may be to start with #66 jets (Part #122-66).

Exhaust

A big performance enhancer for carbureted HO Mustangs is the installation of a true dual exhaust system. On pre-'85 Mustangs, exhaust is routed through exhaust manifolds, through a Y-pipe, then out through a catalytic converter, muffler and twin tailpipes. The '85 Mustang improved this a bit by going through another Y-pipe after the converter, through 2 mufflers, and two tail pipes.

Fortunately, conversion to dual exhaust is a rather simple process (aside from the pains of removing the old system!). The exhaust is a conversion to an '86-up exhaust system. For the conversion, you will need headers for an '86-up 302, and a factory H-pipe with the catalytic converters (or an aftermarket catalytic H-pipe system). From there, you can choose to use the flow tubes, mufflers and/or tailpipes from an '86-up Mustang, or use an aftermarket cat-back system for '86-up Mustang 5.0 LX's. Among other things that will be required are:

Brakes

Going faster is great, but if you can't stop your car in a hurry, it's just plain dangerous! Older Mustangs are notorious for having anemic brakes. This may sound shocking to some, but older Mustangs share the same rear brakes common to the Pinto! As for the front discs, the original 10" discs are barely enough to stop a four banger. When the additional weight of a V8 engined car is added, well, the brakes can get overheated in a hurry.

The first step you can take is to convert your existing Mustang to rear disc brakes, but if you plan to go this route, I would recommend swapping the rear end to an 8.8" unit first, to avoid having to disassemble the the whole brake assembly when performing the swap. There are two popular kits available for '79-'93 Mustangs. The first is available through Ford Motorsport( M-2300-C), and the second by Stainless Steel Brakes. Both are quality kits, although there have been arguments raised in the rec.auto.manufacturers.ford.mustang newsgroup as to who provides better brake lines in their kits. I still haven't been able to install one of these kits on my car, but when I do, I will provide a full report on the results.

The next step towards seeking better braking performance is by swapping the stock 10" rotors with the larger 10.5" or even 11" rotors. To perform the swap, you will need a pair of spindles from an '87-'93 Mustang, as well as brake calipers, pads, dust shields, soft brake lines, brake line brackets, and brake line retainer clips. If you plan on using the same shocks you have on the car, you will also need two pairs of 1/8" spacers with the proper holes to gap the space between the thinner mount plate on the new spindles and the mount on the struts. It's either that, or buy new struts (see the chassis section)! The swap is pretty straight forward, but requires EXTREME caution since it involves removal of the strut from the spindle. Take extra precaution to secure the front springs, or someone could get killed!

The procedure involves removing the old rotors, calipers, and soft brake lines first. Once these components are removed, the front spring must be secured. When I changed the struts on my car, I secured them by supporting the front end of the car on jack stands and compressing the A-arm with my floor jack only up to the point where the jack is about to lift the car off the stand. Once the spring is secure, the bolts that hold the strut to the spindle may be removed. This may require an impact wrench, since the darn bolts are held with yellow Loc-Tite (some mean stuff!).

When the bolts are removed, the final step involves removing the old spindle from the A-arm. First, remove the tie rod from the spindle. Next, the bolt holding the spindle should be removed. A pickle fork will be required next, to separate the spindle from the ball joint. A pickle fork has a U-shaped tip that forms a wedge. You place it between the ball joint and the spindle, then use a mallet to carefully pop the spindle off of the ball joint. Take good care not to damage the boot on the ball joint when performing this procedure. When the spindle comes off, it would be a good time to inspect your ball joints. Make sure you also check the tie rod ends for excessive wear as well.

Mustangs come with greaseless ball joints and must be replaced when worn. If in doubt, replace them. This, however, will require a C-clamp extractor/press to do the job right, so be prepared if you want to tackle it yourself. Once all the components are off, you simply reassemble everything in the order that it was all removed. Consult a Mustang shop manual to get the proper torque requirements, because I can't seem to find mine (I hate when that happens!). The final step will be to thoroughly BLEED your brakes. You will DEFINITELY have air in the lines since you are installing new ones.

NOTE: As far as replacement parts are concerned, I would buy new soft brake lines, new wheel bearings and bearing seals, new pads (obviously), and new or remanufactured calipers if you can afford it. If you're going to buy some calipers, you can optionally get a pair of calipers for a Mustang SVO. These calipers bolt right on to the '87-'93 spindle. What differentiates these calipers from the standard Mustang calipers is that they have a cylinder bore of 73mm vs. 65mm. What this means to you is greater stopping power by being able to place more pressure on the disc. The larger displacement also allows the caliper to place the pressure more evenly between the outside and inside of the disc. OK, so you're probably saying to yourself, "But SVO's are rare... so these parts must cost a fortune"! Well, fear not; the calipers aren't as rare as you think. It turns out that when the Ford SVO team was looking for all out braking performance in the SVO, they didn't have to look far. Just about the entire brake system was carried over from the Lincoln Mk VII LSC, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding these parts at your local auto parts store if you decide to go this route. I need to work on my brakes soon, so I think I'll go that route when the time comes.

Spindles and dust shields can always be purchased at a junkyard; just remember to inspect them thoroughly. I personally do not like buying parts like calipers used unless you can rebuild them yourself, because they could always have worn and dry-rotted seals. This especially goes for the lines. It's also much safer to buy new bearings as well. Finally, used rotors can be bought, but you must always inspect them for wear and cracks. It makes no sense to buy a part if you're going to have to replace it not too far down the road.

For those seeking all out stopping performance, there is also the COBRA four wheel disc brake kit from Ford Motorsport (M-2300-K).While not specified as fitting pre-'87 Mustangs, I have been told that this kit may be installed on older Mustangs if the aforementioned front brake modifications are made to the car.

Another High Performance braking option is any one of several kits available from Baer Racing. These kits, which feature everything from ventilated disc brakes, to 5-Lug conversions, have been well touted in enthusiast magazines such as Road & Track and Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords. The "Baer Claws", as they are known have shown impressive stopping numbers in tests conducted by these magazines. I have read, however, that finding service replacements may be difficult outside of contacting Baer, so careful thought may be necessary if considering this option. Baer Racing may be contacted at (602)233-1411. Give them a call, and I'm sure they can straighten out any of these "rumors" that have been heard on the 'net.

Much of this section comes courtesy of a very informative 3-part series featured in Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords magazine, from which I will include more important brake system upgrade information. Details will follow soon!


Chassis



Chassis Stiffening

The Fox III chassis dates back to the late 70's. Being that it is such a dated design, it is highly unlikely that Ford engineers back then had the faintest idea that this chassis would revolutionize and dominate the high performance market. It is quite evident that this chassis can be easily pushed to limits that it definitely wasn't designed to resist. The Fox III chassis consists of a unibody design, which joins a front and rear chassis. As such, The car tends to get "soft" and squeaky over the years of hard driving and high horsepower torque. The result is misaligned doors, rattles... you name it. To prevent this, several companies have designed many kits that stiffen the existing chassis. These designs allow the suspension of the car to work, rather than allow the chassis to help dampen the load.

Among the most prominent kits available are those designed and built by Steeda Autosports, Saleen Performance Parts, and Kenny Brown Performance. All three manufacturers offer excellent packages. As someone who has witnessed this firsthand (thankfully not on my car!), it is HIGHLY recommended that you install one of these before you proceed with the rest of the modifications in this section, or you will really twist your chassis something awful! 

Suspension

Just as there are a multitude of chassis stiffening kits to choose from, there are also just as many different suspension tuning options. Generally, If you decide to go the route of one of the suspension specialists mentioned above, you should follow their recommendations for the completion of your suspension. The reason is simple: All the tuners mentioned above came up with the combinations they have because of the results of many years of testing. I will, however, mention some of the different options available in shocks and springs.

For shocks, There are 4 major brands to choose from. Among the most popular (and most expensive) are the KONI shocks, which feature adjustable dampening. If you are serious about your driving and don't mind a little harshness in your ride, these are the shocks for you. What they lack in comfort, they more than make up for it in handling ability. KONI shocks are available in struts, rear shocks, and in quad shocks.

The next in the lineup and the ones I chose for my car are the MONROE Formula GP shocks. While not adjustable and probably not as good under extreme tests of road holding ability as the KONI's, they are a bargain pricewise and offer an excellent balance of comfort vs. road holding ability. I personally like these very much. They come out to about $200-$250 in savings for the complete set of six. As you guessed from the last sentence, they too are available in struts, rear shocks, and quad shocks.

The TOKICO Illumina shocks are the next contenders in this lineup of shocks. While not as well known as the KONI shocks, it's important to note that these shocks are the choice of the STEEDA stable. I personally do not know much about these shocks, but if they're good enough for STEEDA, they should be quality shocks. I do know that these shocks are also adjustable, but I don't know if they sell a quad shock replacement. If anyone out there knows, please send me feedback!!

The last shocks in this lineup (and I'm only including them here because I've heard of them) are those produced by KYB. I know less about these than I do about the Illuminas, so please, If anyone has these, please comment. I would love to read your opinions.

More information on suspension upgrades (specifically springs) will be available in future releases of this PUG.


All FAQ Page Content Copyright @1996-2001 Julio C. Chacon, Jr. Except Where Noted.