Help me build/get a motor for my maverick!

my buddie picked up a 95 cobra shortblock with 50k miles, that looked like brand new inside and out, on craigslist for 200 bucks. we put on a set of e7s we had and it runs great..i say keep your eyes open on craigslist.

i picked up my 302 from a wrecked cougar(e7 version) at pull a part for 150 for bare longblock. i put a set of gt40s from a 93 cobra on craigslist i got for 225 bucks in perfect shape. and mine runs perty strong for a junkyard set up until i finish my stroker project.

 

Thanks for more info guys, that 750$ shortblock is a good lead indeed.

I really need to score a set of heads worth putting on a new shortblock.

Out here in CA, 5.0 motors that are worth a crap are way overpriced!

Im still counting beans, I have a motorcycle project that took up all of my extra cash unfortunately. That 1000$ cobra longblock looks better every second.

 

Well,

I got a used 1986 5.0 motor...It is fuel injected and did not say HO.

Got it down to heads and block/pan right now, It is a roller cam so that is a bonus, had alot of black oil and a small amount of sludge. But fortunately it turns over nice and easy, and there are NO metal shavings. I will take the pan and heads off in the next couple days see if its worth salvaging. It was 300$ so not too bad and came with a AOD but unloading it from the truck punched a dollar coin sized hole in the top of the bellhousing.

Chances it has forged pistons?

Does anyone have a set of budget/used iron performance heads around my area? Be my hero?

Also is this year block worth putting heads/intake on?

I figure with iron heads they shouldnt warp or crack very easily and I could use them on the next shortblock if this one goes capoot.


Thanks all.

 

Where exactly, is "around my area"?

 

Sorry, I am in the San Francisco-Bay area, CA

 

MrP,

Well, if you need help sometime let me know as I live in South San Jose, close to Blossum and the 85.
I had one of the first 86 Capri's back then, the 86 was the second year of roller cam I think, and there were no HO's in 86, I think the last HO was in 85 when they still had the carb. 86 was the first year for SEFI. The heads are garbage (E6SE fast burn) and worth nothing. No, the pistons are not forged and they have no valve reliefs. There are not many performance heads that will fit the motor without mod's. It made 200hp and had a 58mm/550cfm throttle body. Depends on what the motor is like, I guess you could fly-cut the pistons but not sure how deep to go. Oh yes, the CR was just a little over 9:1.
This motor would make a nice low performance motor, but not sure I would want to spend any money trying to make it a HP motor.........there is just not much there..............IMHO

 

I am not sure I understand how the flat top pistons would not work with aftermarket heads.

Is the piston to valve clearance with aftermarket heads THAT close?

Example I was looking at Trick flow 170 fast as cast heads.
Why would the different piston style (forged vs cast) matter.

I thought the camshaft would be what determines how close the valves get to the pistons?

Or is it because the aftermarket heads are closer AND have larger valves?

That is a real bummer on the non forged pistons, and not being able to get aftermarket heads, I really hope you are wrong and I have a late model 86 which is really a 87

I think the worst idea was to buy a ford. So much chevy stuff laying around the shop, we have an old o-ringed 327 with a 6-71 that needs to be rebuilt, but man that would make some serious power....

yet everyone thinks a useable 302 is dipped in gold.

And most of these PERFORMANCE engines use stock rods and cranks. so what they put 2500$ heads and camshaft in a 500$ shortblock and sell it for 3800$...

Highway robbery...

Man I want to make this car move something proper but cannot justify 3000$ into a 3500$ car...I can buy another motorcycle for that...

 

the 86 pistons have no valve reliefs cut in them. 87 and up do have the reliefs. aftermarket pistons have the reliefs. it is very close wit the stock cam on the piston to valve clearance. no significant room for any increase in valve size or travel.

 

that 93 cobra motor you mentioned is your best option for the money

 

I have researched and it sounds like the afr twisted wedge work with the 86 block with the revised valve locations over stock, also they list as being able to use a .550 lift cam which is pretty good.

The cobra motor is still there but for 1000$. They would not budge on price. This 86 motor, I have 300$ invested, I could get heads cam and a better intake, and possibly be in under 2 grand?

Decisions.....

Does anyone happen to know if twisted wedge heads need special headers or can the generic longtube headers I have work?

 

for a grand id go for the cobra if i was doin all this...... any who good luck on the build... should be a sweet lil car when ur done

 

Ok, TFS Twisted wedge heads will work on your motor, but you will have to change pistons that match the change in valve placement, twisted wedge mean just that. I have TFS-R heads on my 408 stroker in the Maverick. I doubt that the stock pistons could take more than .450/.470 lift cam with the valves coming in contact with the pistons.
What we used to do back in the day was to take a couple of intake and exhaust valves out of the head, have a machinest braze on cutting teeth, then put the valves back in the head, put the head in the motor and use an electric drill to spin the vlaves...............the cutting teeth will mill valve reliefs into the pistons and you have a cheap way of going to a bigger lift cam. If you were to buy the twisted wedge head and not purchase new pistons you would have to perform this same relieving of the pistons because, as I mentioned earlier, the valves are in a different place from stock.
Ok, most of the Muscle cars back in the day used forged pistons, like the 427 Fords and Chevys, the Z28's until the early 70's, Boss 302/351. They have an order of magnatude more strength than cast or evey high silicon Hypereutectic used by most OEM companies. Forged pistons need a looser clearance and on street motors some people say they rattle when cold.................I have been using forged pistons since the mid 60's and really never notice the noise.
So, yes, Fords have always been more expensive to build when you put them against Chevy, but in all 40+ years I have been building hot rods, street cars and drag cars that has never made any difference............I love Fords.
If you want a fast car on the cheap, go scrounge an LS Chevy motor, then all you have to do is modify the car for it to fit.............and there are one or two guys on this forum that have done that, ask them what the expense is.
As for "most performance" motors having stock con rods and cranks, well.....how much reliable HP to you really want to make? If you say upwards of 500..............then you probably need to go out and buy a bike, although it can be done, being reliable and lasting more than a week or hard abuse is just too risky for me.
If you do tear the motor down, I assume you are going to re-ring it and use new bearings throughout, plus having it mic'd to see how much wear in the cylinders and bearings, new timing chain, cam, heads, maybe pistons, intake, carb.....but maybe you have some of the misc stuff laying around..............Like I said, if you need help just let me know as it sounds like we live close to each other.
John

 

Thank you for the help!

I will keep pulling the motor down see what I have to work with...I may just throw some gaskets on it and put it in. The car has been down for 3+ months and being 23 years old and working only 4 days a week right now, Its hard to commit to any sort of money into this car, when it is a toy and times are not right for toys.

I would love to put a ls1 t-56 in this car, but that is not what I am about. I want a real muscle car....V8 carb with headers, and a three speed auto reminds me of good times I never got to be around for.

 

I called trick flow and they said the twisted wedge with their "stage 1" camshaft is one of the only setups you can run on a 86 with no valve relief on the pistons...

He said max lift is .510 and he said 224...Does he mean duration?

Thanks for the help, im just real curious now.

 

Well, im done. I am going to make room for the maverick inside out of the weather, and cover it up. And it will sit there for a very long time. I have way to much money in the car to even think of using a 20+year old junkyard motor.

Thanks for all the help guys, I appreciate it.