Hey y'all- I've started a snowball downhill and I'm needing input!! I teach high school agriculture and figured I'd get the kids interested in old cars by doing some upgrades on the maverick. Sooo, I've started gathering the parts for an engine build, trans swap and suspension upgrades. Here's what I have so far- 331 SCAT crank/rods Main girdle Kieth black forged Pistons .030 (5cc) Pro Comp heads 60cc (210 runners) Comp dual valve springs MSD 6AL ignition box MSD remote timing retard box MSD pro billet vac advance MSD 8.5mm wires MSD Blaster coil Edelbrock RPM intake Demon Carb Hooker 6901 coated headers X pipe with cutouts Nitrous plate/ bottle T-5 with short throw shifter Caltracs Subframe connectors Mini spool with 4.11 Trac Loc with 4.11 Still need- Roller Cam Hydraulic lifters Rocker Arms Harmonic balancer Timing Chain Higher capacity oil pan Rollcage 3pt harnesses (or 5pt) What am I missing? I'm either going with an Anderson n-91 cam or a custom grind. Not looking for smooth idle, good manners, etc. I'm looking for a nasty sounding cam that's going to peak out under 7000. The car will be used for occasional cruises and will be run hard otherwise. I'm about tapped out money wise, lol. Anyone have anything on the list that I could try to get a deal on? I need advice on what my compression needs to be and how i can get it there. I'm trying to get the kids involved and I'm almost there now!! Where can I save a little money on the parts I have left to buy? I don't want to sacrifice the money I've already spent by cutting corners now... Any thoughts? Thanks y'all!!!
I ran the Anderson N-91 cam in a '85 GT Mustang that had a 10 to 1 compression DSS built 331 short block. It is a great sounding cam and has 6,900 RPM shift points. I had ported and polished Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads and used a Parker Funnelweb intake and an AED 850 carb with BBK 1 5/8" long tubes, Dr Gas X-pipe and MAC FLowpath mufflers. The car ran 11.22 @ 122 MPH with a TKO 500 trans and 4.56 gears on 27x10.5x15 MT ET Street tires. The cars weight with me in it (230 pounds) was 3,100 pounds. It was a very quick all motor street car, especially considering this was about 10 years ago. If the T5 you have is stock it is going to be in WAY over it's head with your combo and probably won't last long at all. I also don't think the 4.11 will be enough gear. Even with the 4.56's in my car I could have went to a 4.88. The cam doesn't like to run under 2,300 RPM's and if I had the car on the highway it would 'buck jump' when running 55-60 MPH in 5th gear. It ran much smoother at 70 MPH.
What upgrades to the t-5 would you recommend? I figure I'll start out with the 4.11 and maybe try a shorter tire, but then go to a taller gear if necessary... The n-91 cam sounds awesome from the videoes I've seen. Also, anyone have a clutch recommendation?
I would recomment a TKO trans. The first time you do a 3rd gear power shift at 6,900 RPM's that T5 is going to give up the ghost! I used the Anderson Hi-Rev clutch in my car. Worked flawlessly the entire time I owned it. I put plenty of pain on it too!
Not sure if either of these would be of interest but there are two cams on our local Craigslist, one is Anderson and the other an alphabet cam. http://kpr.craigslist.org/pts/5728409546.html http://kpr.craigslist.org/pts/5728402900.html The seller is a good friend of mine and a stand up guy, if you are interested and swing a deal with him I can handle the shipping.