Jim C wrote:
> I think I have a bad head gasket on an 89 5.0. I had posted to this
> group a while ago asking for diagnosis tips, and a pep talk on doing
> it myself. I got lots of good tips, but I guess I'm still chicken.
> I'm probably going to break down and have it done. While the shop has
> the intake off, what better time to put it back together with a new
> intake? :-)
I think you might want to see what needs to be done to the existing
heads before buying any new parts. It isn't very common for a basically
stock N/A 5.0L to blow a heads gasket. You should get the heads
thoroughly checked and if they OK then have them rebuilt. Depending on
your budget it may make more sense to buy the new heads and intake than
spend the money and have nothing but stock heads to show for it.
> I'm looking for recommendations, and I figured this group would have
> plenty of 'em. This car will be an occasional fun driver, never
> seeing the track, and never stoplight racing, so I'd like to make sure
> to keep daily driveability with no drastic ****fts to the powerband.
> If anything, I'd like to build up that 'invisible push' on your chest
> when you accelerate out of a stop or on a down****ft on the road. I
> like Edelbrock, because of their affordability and trust in the brand
> name, but I'm open to others.
You are going to be disappointed from just installing an intake (upper
and lower) while keeping the stock heads. You might get an additional
15 horsepower if you are lucky. It will be barely noticeable from a
driver's perspective. IMO, there are other things that can get you more
horsepower/torque to the rear wheels for the money. These include: ****t
matching the stock intake and heads while they are off the car; having
the heads and intake ****ted to some degree; installing a high flow 2.5"
exhaust along with 1-5/8" mandrel bent headers; under drive pulleys;
rear end gears (THE BEST bang-for-the-buck modification you can make);
subframe connectors (they tighten up the chassis and put more power to
the rear wheels instead of using it flexing the body of the car); get a
custom tune using a dyno.
> It seems like their Performer is more for a track car, and last time I
> looked, I remember leaning towards their Performer RPM or Performer
> Jr.
>
> I already have in-fender cold air, 73mm mass air meter, 70mm throttle
> body, and MSD distributor and rotors.
>
> Thoughts?
I have wasted more money modifying my '89 LX than I care to admit by not
making a plan in the beginning and sticking with it. My advice is to
determine where you want the car to be at the end of the process and
then work toward that goal. IMO, it isn't worth just doing an intake,
especially if it will just be the upper ****tion. If you have the stock
gears then install a set of 3.55s or 3.73s and I guarantee they will
make a performance difference you can definitely feel. Also, a high
flow exhaust from the headers to the tail pipes will make a difference
over the stock system. These parts also fit in well when, and if, you
do more serious modifications like a supercharger or heads/intake/cam.
I have gone way down the road you are fixing to take and without a good
solid plan for modifying the car to be what you want at the end of that
road you will be twisting in the wind and wasting a pile of money in the
process. I have a garage full of speed parts to prove it.
|
