bought a 1983 mustang

[mustangmania]

hey guys i just bought a 83 mustang...i want to put some money in it what is the best bang for the buck for mods on a 5.0....i want to buy some gt40 heads and a bigger cam....the guy said to me he was in the low 14's high 13's

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[BrewSnake]

ummm...Wrong section:wf:! And EVERYTHING is the best bang for the buck on a 5.0 Fox!

 

[mustangmania]

come on guys help a guy out

 

[kirks5oh]

i'm fairly certain that GT-40 heads won't fit the '83 shortblock, as the pistons do not have valve reliefs cut into them. you will run into piston-valve contact issues, especially if you add a slightly larger cam.

you will likely be able to run GT-40p heads, as they have slightly smaller valves.

the problem with 5.0's before '87, is that the cylinder heads weren't as good. when ford switched over to the e7 (i believe) heads, they had better flow/torque.

depending on your budget, and overall goals for the car, you could buy a decently priced longblock from one of the MANY vendors in MMFF, or 5.0 magazines for around $1750. this would likely include the stock hyperutectic pistons (which are fine for mild/non-boost street cars), a mild cam, and the lower end GT-40 heads.

 

[mustangmania]

well they say on ford performance that the heads don't fit on the 86 thats it !!!

INSTALLATION NOTES

Will not fit 1986 5.0L with flat-top pistons unless pistons are notched for valve relief

 

[poopnut2]

The guy who sold you the car said that it runs low 14's and high 13's? First of all, he's a liar. The 83' GT's aren't that fast. The 5.0 didn't really perk up until 1985 when they switched to a "turbo-swirl" head. Then over the next two years, new heads were introduced each year.

IMO, your best bet is to build an engine on your own, get a good, used T-5 and go from there.

I want to say that the pistons in the 83' are junk. They're sand casted or something like that. I wouldn't do a headswap. I'd do an engine and tranny swap.

 

[mustangmania]

isn't that the stock tranny that the t5 ?

 

[John and Renae]

the 85 head was not a turbo swirl head, you are thinking about the head on the 1986 cars which was not designated a "turbo swirl". That was the name used for the first generation of GT-40 Aluminum heads other wise known as the "Y" head..The cars actually lost a few hp going from 85-86 but the 86 was the first of the fuelie cars (automatic 84-s and 85-s with the CFI not-withstanding), and picked up torque where they lost the hp...

The 83's were not roller motors, they were flat tappet cams. The roller motor arrived in 85. The shortblock was nothing special and had no eyebrows for valve reliefs if I remember correctly.

The 83's were rated at 175bhp with the 4barrel and the manual tranny.

If memory serves me correctly the t-5 came out in the later part of the 1983 run as the earlier cars had the SROD 4-speed.

So, if you are planning on doing heads on this engine you need to check piston to valve clearance with the stock cam. If you are planning a cam change you will likely need to change pistons as well...

otherwise, it is a carbed 302...sky is the limit..

 

[mustangmania]

i think the car is bored .30 over do i haft to change the pistons again anyways ?

 

[BelvedereGTX]

ummm...Wrong section:wf:! And EVERYTHING is the best bang for the buck on a 5.0 Fox!

umm way to be a prick, Just answer the question

 

[JADITO]

hey guys i just bought a 83 mustang...i want to put some money in it what is the best bang for the buck for mods on a 5.0....i want to buy some gt40 heads and a bigger cam....the guy said to me he was in the low 14's high 13's

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where in quebec did u buy the car??

 

[John and Renae]

Bored .030 over necessitated a piston change. The problem is what pistons? And do they have the necessary eye-brows to allow for larger valves and a bigger cam?

My preference in your situation would be to find a used roller block and build the engine you want. The problem you have is you don't know what was done and the condition of the engine overall. Start bolting on parts now without knowing what you have there and you could get disappointed really quick...

 

[John and Renae]

used roller engines can be found pretty cheap...just get a 92 or earlier...forged pistons...

 

[mustangmania]

i will go and see the guy later on i know he put a chip in it for advance timing and i think its bored and a bigger cam....couple more mods...the guy lives close to my house and i spoke to a guy that saw him race and he said that he was playin in the low 14's and high 13's

 

[poopnut2]

What kind of computer system did the 83's use? I can't find anything before 86' which then went to the EEC-IV? I'm just trying to find out what kind of chip he used. You don't need a chip to adjust the timing.

About the T-5 tranny, I thought 84' was the first year of the 5-speed. According to www.mustanggt.org though, the gear ratios changed as the years went on.

 

[John and Renae]

Some of the late production 83's got the t-5's from what I remember.
There was not computer control on the 5 speed cars as they were carbed. The only ones I remember were the 84-85 automatic gt's with the Central Fuel Injection...

 

[Bri03GT]

Post More Then That Lol. (pics)

 

[mustangmania]

heres the chip

http://www.speedyperformanceparts.c...hp?makeid=9&modelid=111&year=1983&partid=3112

 

[kirks5oh]

the '83's also have a 7.5" rear end as well.

 

[mustangmania]

is that good or bad