SBF gurus, upgrade recipe for an explorer motor?

I have a 97.5 explorer 5.0 with P headsin my ranger. It was kept stock for the challenge budget, but that's not happening anymore so I'm free to spend a bit more on it.

I know the explorer motors are pretty much the best setup from the factory but everyone just says to get a set of gt40 heads for a budget performance setup, which I already have.

It looks like headers, cam, and springs are about the most budget options one can do, and then after that I would have to start looking at aftermarket heads or porting the gt40's, or do more major bottom end stuff or forced induction.

Am I right in this thinking? I'd love to get 300 to the wheels through a manual trans, but understand that may not happen.

Am I on the right track here? If so, best plan on figuring out a cam?

Others cam correct me, but I don't think the stock computer will tolerate a lot of mods especially cam. There are piggyback options I believe. 

In reply to NOHOME :

You are correct in that belief. Plan Is to run the stock motor in the truck this summer and pull it next winter, at the same time I plan to go with a holley terminator ecu

300 whp is a tall order NA. The exploder ECU/pcm/ecm, along with anything else connected to an efi 302 up until they quit making them, is a steaming POFS, but they are tunable to some extent. You be much better off to do the term x swap now and swap everything else later, imo.  Easiest things are 1.625" primary headers, at minimum, a cam swap and not a alphabet style cam, and a head refresh with bigger valves and exhaust cleanup along with a shave or just put some 58cc chamber 165cc afr's on it.

I think when others are saying "get GT40" heads it's because you have the GT40P heads.  Not really much difference in the two.  Yours has a slightly smaller combustion chamber to match the larger valve reliefs in the pistons.  GT40s typically came in mustangs with flat-tops so they used about 4-5 more cc in the head.

The only other big difference in the GT40 head is the larger 1.55" (I think) exhaust valve compared to your 1.46"

Otherwise, GT40 = GT40P.  Cutting and upgrading to the larger exhaust valve is worth a little HP/TQ, but others hit the nail on the head.  The real power comes from the relatively good flow and compression being eagerly ready for a little more cam.  The ECM will run it, but as always you might be close to the edge of the maps for any given parameter, so a good tune should go with it.

For intakes, everyone drools over the GT40 intake.  It's good, but not as good as the drool-inflation suggests.  For the most part (unless you're going race-only) I wouldn't worry about intakes too much.  The truck intake isn't bad.  The GT40 will give you a bit more hp above 4000, but the truck isn't exactly a lightweight and you may run into an RPM/torque mismatch with a heavier vehicle.

Comp does a nice XE268 that works well with an otherwise stock assembly.  You're basically looking for the biggest cam that still says "smooth idle."  Otherwise you'll lose power brakes and shift the torque peak up high enough that it will suck in a pickup.

Cam, valve springs for said cam and exhaust..... 260-280 whp.  The rest of the 300 is big bucks,  

In reply to AnthonyGS (Forum Supporter) :

Truth.  Porting or aftermarket heads, more compression, more intake, more cam, more rear gears, and a 3700 rpm torque peak.  

Following as the next nightmare in my shop is coming with an SBF.  I've been researching a little and it makes my understand why people just LSx everything.  Its cheaper.  But I plan to try and use what Ive got with this one.   

In reply to JThw8 :

I'm so irritated I didn't just LS swap it. Everybody talks about how easy the 302 swap is, and while it wasn't hard, I would have run into many of the same issues with the LS. The ls makes more power, has more support and it would've been much better swap. But I started withe SBF so here we are lol.

In reply to JThw8 :

I will soon have a crisis of faith in this area. The 302 in the Molvo is conceptually the perfect engine for the project. Realistically, it has never gone beyond "Meh"  performance-wise. Not that is is horrible, but it leaves me wanting more. Much of that being the driveability of modrn EFI.

The tupperware hot rod will be my first experience with LS swaps. If it meets my expectations,  I will have a hard time not doing an LS swap into the Molvo. 

If my project had not come with the 5.0 it would not have been my choice, and its possible I'll build it all and swap it later, but its not being built for power, its a cruiser.    However my choice was well outside my paygrade so Im kinda happy I have something forcing me to work with this instead.  After owning a Caddy CTS-V Im convinced my ultimate swap will ultimately be and LSA motor.

Still there are lots of folks making good enough power out of the older 5.0s and because they were the LSx of their time there's a great deal of aftermarket and used parts.  Its just finding the right combo of parts to make it all happy.

NOHOME said:

In reply to JThw8 :

 Not that is is horrible, but it leaves me wanting more. Much of that being the driveability of modrn EFI.

I will at least be staring with an FI 5.0 so I do get that semi modern drivability.   Ive got an 87 roller motor to start with, should be find for the parameters of the project, but it wont light the world on fire.

The fastest pushrod stick shift Camaro is not LS powered.  Ford engines can be made fast too, it's just a different strategy.  The 5.0 delivers tons of low end torque for its 302 cubic inches.  Just don't expect any 5.0 Ford production head casting to get to 300 rwhp easily.  And the blocks don't support much after 500 hp gross for very long.  If anyone has a roller 5.0 they do not want, I know someone that will want it.

I went with AFR 165 heads, a custom FTI cam to match the flow ( The 268 was my 2nd choice).  Ford roller rockers, blah blah blah.  It went from 225 to 335hp at the crank.  The bad part is it didn't happen in my car.  I sold the whole package to a guy who wanted to build the exact same motor.   He was thrilled with how it ran. 

With the new 5.0 and LS going in everything old 5.0 parts are almost more plentiful usually fully assembled.