88ttop5.0

Hello everyone im new to the forum as a member fora long time i was a guest. I recently purchased a 1988 gt t-top 5.0 and am in the process of restoring it i bought it with no front end or rear bumper and a slight tick in the motor. I couldnt resist the t-tops and it was black favorite color on the foxe's. this past weekend i tore off the top intake manifold and valve covers to see what was going on with the valves and why they were ticking " sounded like a diesel engine while running" as i took them off i felt to see if they were loose and well they are im looking to do a nice build up and would just like to know what are some great 5.o engine combos blocks,h/c/i that put out good numbers ill mostly be using the car for street purposes with an ocassional trip to the track i guess i should mention a number i would like to put down to the wheels maybe 300 for starts??...thanks and look foward to helping out with other topics when i canchime in.

88ttop5.0

any one?

ddeaton66

There are a many of already "designed" combos out there. Holley Systemax, Edelbrock has a few. It depends a great deal on what you are hoping to get out of it. What your long-term goals are.

88ttop5.0

I was asking more along the lines of what anyone was using to get around those numbers im looking for the car to be reliable and put down some good numbers i was thinking of building a 306 with the gt-40 x-305 turbo swirl heads and the e-303 cam 1.7 cobra rrand a bbk ssi intake with supporting parts aka fuel injectors so on and so forth... any suggestions or improvements to this combo and how much would this set up put down to the wheels? its through the slush box automatic

LTnone

Few things come to mind- First of all, unless you're gonna stroke it or go with some new pistons, don't bother doing a 306. You'll gain maybe a few hp, it's not really worth it. Second, for insignificantly more than the gt40x's you can get some Trick Flow Twisted Wedges or AFR 165's. Much better heads, IMO. Also, go with a newer cam than the Ford alphabets, there are some better ones out there for the same price. The SSI is also a lot friendlier to boosted applications, if you're going to stay naturally aspirated I'd go with something else. Now that I've undone everything you said, I give you credit for actually trying to piece something together instead of making a "what do I do to get to 5900hp!?!" thread Now....
Heads- AFR's and TW's cost aobut the same as the 40x's, and, like I said, are substantially better. Out of the box, AFR's will outperform the TF's by a good bit. If you plan on porting them at some point, however, ported Wedges will outflow ported AFR's by a long shot.
Cam- A few routes you can go here, out of the box a Trick Flow Stage 1 or a Steeda #19 would be perfect. If you want to spend a little more, pick everything else and call up Camshaft Innovations and give them your list, they'll make a custom grind for you.
Intake- A Trick Flow Street Heat should be good for your auto application. The SSI isn't a bad choice at all, but this might be a bit better (and more wallet friendly) for an N/A car.
1.7's are a good way to go, note that the above mentioned heads are stud mount instead of pedestal mount, so you would need a specific set.
Any of those combos should get you close to or maybe a bit above the 300 mark. First mod I'd do though is rear gears, by far the best bang for the buck. For an auto look into 4.10's. There are a few other things you need if you get gears, so if you go that route make a post on it or something

88ttop5.0

Great ill keep looking into my build and post when i have new questions or come up with a new combo im not limiting myself to 300 at the wheels heck more would be better lol and i gotta do something about the slush box...

LTnone

I forgot to mention (ddeaton66 started to get into it) that there are also top end kits that come prepackaged with everything you'll need. The Trick Flow top end kits (track heat and street heat), if you're new to the game, are a great way to go. The TF kit with full supporting mods should put you at 300.

88ttop5.0

Then can you build off those kits to make even more power for example switching a cam or changeing a intake? i would guess obviously. i was originally interested in buying the ford top end kit from blue oval industries comes with the turbo swirl heads cobra intake manifold e 303 cam and 1.7 rr for $1900 dollars but now that u mention the other choices are better im thinking harder any other suggestions or people that want to chime in?

LTnone

For the price, a Trick Flow Track Heat kit is only $150 more and is a better bargain. www.summitracing.com or www.trickflow.com. You "can" change intakes/cams in those kits, but the stuff that comes with it will be the best stuff to have until you're making a good bit more power (aka power adder or stroker, etc). If you want to do more research and spent a bit more then I'd say piece together your own stuff, but this isn't a bad way to go by any means (I did). Someone elses turn to give an opinion But yeah, check into it and ask away