Performance mods: What should I do next???

[vwjunkie53]

Hi everyone,
I just registered on the site, I have a 1994 lightning. Right now all it has done performance wise is a k&n cone filter (connected to the stock rubber intake tube) and a dual inlet/outlet ultra-flow muffler with side pipe exits. What should I do next performance wise? I have been searching around the internet and this is the first site I found with forums for Gen I lightnings, but I haven't found much else. I'm not wanting to go crazy fast, and I do have to pass emissions. I noticed some people have aftermarket TBs listed as a mod. I haven't seen these advartised anywhere... Also how much can you change and still have the speed density system work. If anyone can recomend a site or book that has more detailed info on the engine and performance options, that would be great.

Thanks,

Jason

 

[vwjunkie53]

BTW I'm more interested in bolt-on stuff, as I dont have the $$$ to do the obvious bigger engine with cam/heads and that sort of stuff. Besides that wouldn't pass emissions anyway...

Thanks again,

Jason

 

[Lightning Kid]

One awsome site to check out is the NLOC.net its the National Lightning Owners Club, or another alternative site(though is pretty small) is Lightningrodder.com. Either electric cooling fans or underdrive pulleys would be good modifications. Some cheapo mods you can do is if your rear springs are not worn out you could do the snubber trick, it eliminates most wheel hop. You should do a search on here or nloc about how to do it. Also another cheapo mod you could do, if you don't mind using premium is advancing your timing.

 

[Matt95L]

Underdrive pulleys,Electric fans,Traction bars,Shift kit/valvebody,shorty headers,eec tuner/Tweecer/custom chip/SCT,Cobra 1.72 roller rockers,and if you're willing to spend a little more full Pickrel exhaust and an Art Carr 2400-2600 convertor

The stock throttle body(Ford racing 65mm) is a really good peice their really isn't any reason to replace it unless you're looking for something with a little more bling

 

[ezernut9mm]

14-16 degree timing advance=free. full exhaust help lots. get the factory tech valve body. many vendors over on the nloc sell them.

 

[vwjunkie53]

Thanks everyone. I forgot to mention it has had the tranny rebuilt and has a shift kit in it already. With the timing deal, are we talking total advance with a strobe, or initial timing at idle? I was under the impression that the computer changed the advance... is it just a mechanical advance distributor? Whats the deal with the 1.72 ratio (cobra?) rockers. Are these aftermarket rockers for a cobra that also fit the lightning 351 or are these actually off a stock cobra... Obviously I'm not to farmiliar yet with what is interchangeable with the other versions of the 351. Also one other question...the rear leaf springs have another spring that sticks forward with a snubber on the front of it that looks to me kind of like a traction bar... is this stock or added on. Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

Jason

 

[Matt95L]

The Crane "Cobra" roller rockers came on 93-95 Cobra 302s and 95 351 Cobra Rs.Lightnings came with non roller 1.6 ratio rocker arms.

They're talking about advancing the intial timing at idle with a timing light

Lightnings come with stock slapper/traction bars as you describe.An aftermarket traction bar will look something like this.

They really improved my trucks street manners and eliminated wheel hop

 

[vwjunkie53]

About the roller rockers: are we talking a direct swap? What kind of pushrods am I gonna have to use? So as you say the rockers are stock on the cobra... anyone know if they are still available through ford or am i gonna have to go aftermarket?

Thanks

Jason

 

[Matt95L]

The rockers are a direct swap with the stock pushrods.Crane cams made/makes them there available through any place that carrys Crane products(Summit,Jeggs,Ford dealership,etc.).My truck picked up about 1mph and a tenth in the quarter with them.

 

[8 YUR SS]

yes, the roller rockers will bolt right up to your stock heads. They will give you a bit more vale lift(valve will open more). If you have wheel hop, try the snubber trick before you go out and spend $350 on a set of traction bars, it worked for me. The best performance mod i've done was the supercharger. I sold it now but i got a turbo kit on its way. Here are a couple of pic' to help you out.
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[vwjunkie53]

Thanks for the snubber trick picks... I'm gonna do that for sure. Can anyone recomend a good cam to upgrade to? Possibly for use with the 1.72 rockers... I've looked in the jegs catalog, and different cams for 351 are listed... Which 351 is the lightning? I'm now thinking headers, hi-flow cats, and cam/rockers... What do you guys recomend for tuning?

Thanks,

Jason

 

[8 YUR SS]

i wouldnt mess with the cam. Unless your going to convert to mass air. You can get a cam for your speed dens. from cam motion.

 

[Matt95L]

Lot of guys have been getting good results with the stock "HO" cam(usually around 50 dollars used) out of a 87-93 5.0 Mustang its a little lazy below 3000 rpms so they're advancing it 2 to 4 degrees to get some low end back.You'll need roller lifters(150-250 dollars depending on brand),spider and dogbones(20 bucks),and a steel distributor gear(20 bucks/only needed if the cam you use is steel).You may want to look into the cam that came in the 91-93 Thunderbirds and the 93 Cobras also if you're going the budget route its very similar to the HO cam except it makes a little less hp and a little more torque.

If you want to spend a little more(200-325 dollars) i'd look at the Crower 15511,Competition cams XE264HR-14(The cam i'm running),NX264HR-14(Nitrous version of the cam i'm running),and the XE270HR-14(I'm not 100% sure this cam will work with our speed density computers,but it works with the Mustang ones and the the specs make it look like it would).Alll 4 of these cams run in well our stock rpm range and should make good power with the stock gt40 heads and intake.

Then there are custom grinds Cam Motion(www.cammotion.com) is popular among Lightning guys i've seen some really impresive et/dyno gains from there cams.When i was looking for my cam they were my first choice,but after 6 weeks of waiting i cancelled my order.Ed Curtis/FTI,Buddy Rawls,Jay Allen/Camshaft Innovations,Bennet racing,and Philip(Member at NLOC.net) are the other guys i'd look at.Custom hydraulic rollers usually cost 300-400 dollars but they're well worth it.The Corral is a good place to look for cam info there are usually 5-10 cam threads started every day.

Edit-Oh yeah and when you're looking into cams make sure the cams duration at .050 is 220ish or below and the lobe seperation is 114 or more to keep the stock speed density computer happy.

 

[vwjunkie53]

Does anyone know the stock specks for the lightning cam? I found a Crane cams cam lifter package in Jegs listed for 351: its a spit duration cam, intake 204 deg @ .050, exhaust 214 @ .050. lift with 1.6 rockers is .448 intake .472 exhaust. Has 112 degree lobe separation. Are the guys that are running the mustang HO cams using the 1.72 rockers or the stock lightning ones? Thanks everyone and Matt95L for the help.

Jason

 

[vwjunkie53]

Hey everyone,

I found a set of used (40K miles) 1.72 roller rockers off a 95 cobra. I'm buying them for $100. This sounded like a good deal to me. What exactly will I need to swap them out. Will I be using the same studs? How are the vavles adjusted? Anyone know of a link to maybe a tech article on this? I just want to make sure I have everything I need before I tear the valve train of the truck...

Thanks

 

[Matt95L]

Does anyone know the stock specks for the lightning cam? I found a Crane cams cam lifter package in Jegs listed for 351: its a spit duration cam, intake 204 deg @ .050, exhaust 214 @ .050. lift with 1.6 rockers is .448 intake .472 exhaust. Has 112 degree lobe separation. Are the guys that are running the mustang HO cams using the 1.72 rockers or the stock lightning ones? Thanks everyone and Matt95L for the help.

Jason

Whats the cams part number or grind number?112 lobe seperation is a no no with speed density,but it might work with such a mild duration.Is the cam a flat tappet or a hydraulic roller?I strongly suggest you do a bunch of research befor picking out your cam.Most of the guys swapping in the HO cam use the 1.72 rockers.

Check this site out for the stock cams specs(Along with a bunch of other good info)
http://www.thebaskins.com/faq.htm#powertrain_cams

 

[Matt95L]

Here are the intructions from Crane cams

The rocker arm kit you have purchased is for use with flat faced hydraulic
lifter and hydraulic roller tappet equipped engines only. Make sure you follow
the instructions step-by-step to insure they are correctly installed and
you have the proper lifter preload for maximum performance. We highly
recommend that you read these directions through completely before you
start your installation. Having a service manual available for your particular
vehicle will also assist you with the work.
1. After removing the necessary accessory brackets and the valve
covers, remove all stock rocker arm parts, as none will be reused.
2. Clean the cylinder head surface where the new guide channel will
sit, and also clean the threaded rocker hold-down bolt holes.
3. Remove the pushrods, clean and reinstall them, making sure that
the pushrod is in the lifter seat. Once the pushrod is seated in the
lifter, we recommend you use a squirt can with engine oil to fill the
pushrods, one at a time, as you install each rocker arm. This
insures immediate lubrication of the rocker arm.
4. Working on one cylinder at a time, turn the engine by hand,
watching the pushrods. When both pushrods are at their lowest
point and appear to be at an equal height, you are in the correct
position to install the cylinder's rocker arms. This will occur when
the cylinder is at top-dead-center, on its compression stroke.
Since both pushrods will also be at an equal height, but not as far
down, when the cylinder is at top-dead-center on the overlap
stroke, you should rotate the engine twice to insure that you have
the pushrods at their lowest point.
5. Install one rocker arm at a time by inserting the 5/16" bolt through
the top of the rocker arm, MAKING SURE THAT THE FLAT SIDE
OF THE FULCRUM IS FACING THE BOLT HEAD. After this is
done, slide the pedestal onto the bolt with the curved area of the
saddle contacting the rounded side of the fulcrum. Next, slide the
guide channel onto the bolt with the raised edge facing up toward
the rocker arm, then loosely thread the bolt into the head, while
making sure that the pedestal is in the channel and the saddle is
in the correct location on the fulcrum. Refer to the diagrams to
insure that the rocker arms are properly seated. (To better illustrate
the correct fulcrum position, the two drawings to the right
show the fulcrum separately.) Repeat this process with the cylinder's
other rocker arm.
6. To check and adjust the lifter preload, turn the bolt by hand until
there is no clearance between the front roller and the valve stem
and the pushrod is seated in the rocker arm pushrod seat. Slowly
torque the bolt to 18-20 ft/lbs. Since you are pushing down the
plunger in the hydraulic lifter as you torque the bolt, it will probably
take a minute or two for you to get the correct setting. You
should be able to turn the bolt between 1/4 & 1 turn before you
reach the correct torque setting. This will give you the correct lifter
preload of .020" to .060". If you can turn the bolt more than one
turn to achieve the proper torque, you will have to shim the
pedestal. Two different thickness shims are provided for each
rocker arm to assist you. A thick shim represents approximately
one turn.
If you cannot turn the bolt at least 1/4 turn after first contact with
the roller and valve stem, you will have to install longer pushrods
to obtain proper hydraulic lifter preload. Pushrods are available in
different lengths, specifically for this purpose. There are many
modifications that may have been made to the engine which will
change the lifter preload, such as a valve job, different camshaft,
or different thickness head gaskets, and factory tolerances can
also affect the lifter preload on stock engines.
Note: You may find that the lifer preload is different between a
cylinder's intake and exhaust or between one side of the engine
and the other. Because of this, we recommend you check the
lifter preload on each rocker arm.
7. Repeat this process on the remaining cylinders. Make sure that
each rocker arm is properly seated and torqued into position.
8. Once completed, place a valve cover on the cylinder head, without
a gasket or bolts. Hold the valve cover in place by hand and
rotate the engine, without starting it, and make sure the rocker
arms do not contact the valve cover. If minor interference occurs,
this can often be eliminated by using a thick valve cover gasket or
by modifying the cover or its baffles. Taller, aftermarket valve covers
will also solve the problem, but make sure they will clear the
intake assembly and/or any accessory brackets. Intake manifold
to valve cover clearance can be a problem on engines with factory
fuel injection. Before installing the valve covers for the final
time, we recommend that you fill each rocker arm with engine oil
to insure lubrication during initial start up.
If you encounter any difficult during the installation or have any questions
regarding these instructions, please contact the Crane Cams Technical
Service Department.
Separate fulcrums are shown for reference
only–Do not disassemble your rocker arms.

 

[vwjunkie53]

I found a stock HO cam for $35 on corral.net for sale. I think I'm gonna go with that and the 1.72 rockers. Anyone know where I can find specs for that cam so I can check it and make sure its not flat before I put it in? Are the shims a dealership thing or aftermarket, as the rockers dont have any with them. BTW the cam was hydrolic flat tappet, but jegs only showed their own number and not the crane number.

Jason

 

[Soul Rebel]

Taken from the nloc... Here is what SSTOCK found out when he a a 5.0 cam read

INTAKE AND EXHAUST LOBE SEPARATION ANGLE: 115.8 degrees
VALVE OVERLAP AT .050= -19.3 CRANK DEGREES

INTAKE:
valve opening: -9.6BTDC
Lobe centerline 115 degrees(ground with .8 degrees advance)
valve closure: 40.7 degrees ABDC
duration: 211 crank degrees
lobe lift .2774"
Valve lift (1.6 rocker)= .44384"
Lobe area= 21.36" degree

EXHAUST:
valve opening: 42.3 bbdc
lobe center: 116.6
valve closure:-9.6degrees
duration: 212.7 degrees crank degrees
lobe lift: .27736"
Valve lift: .44378"
lobe area= 21.45 in degree

 

[Matt95L]

Sounds like a good deal.Make sure you install it at least 2 degrees advanced(I'd do 4).Just so you know advancing the cam pushes the powerband down around 200rpms per 2 degrees advanced.