Bolt-On Recommendations???

[trakesbronco]

What in your guys' opinions are some good proven bolt-ons for the 351? I have an 96 Eddie Bauer w/ Auto. Just looking for some stuff to make the engine breath a little better and have a little more hp/tq. Nothing too crazy but something to liven it up a bit.

[NightMares]

I just had a new exhaust put on mine. Not really a bolt on. I cut the cats out and gutted them, then took it all down to a local shop. They ran all new piping throughout, 2.75" in diameter, then a Flowmaster 40 series. Sounds mean as hell and runs a lot better. Also put a K&N cleaner and box on it, but didn't see much performance wise. Just nice knowing that I don't have to replace the air cleaner again.

[JBfab]

Edelbrock intake and i nice exaust system. Bassani makes a nice y pipe then your choice of muffler from there. Maybe a bbk throttle bodie, of and dont forget the 3g alternator.

[Steve83]

Originally Posted by trakesbronco

What in your guys' opinions are some good proven bolt-ons for the 351?

All of the factory parts.

[beeman225]

"SixLitre tune-up"(search) and anything after the manifolds i.e. y-pipe, high flow cat, "performance" muffler, IMCO exhaust pipe. Not worth messing with the manifolds unless they're cracked or you're doing some serious engine work. Have fun.

[96EB351]

Havnt done anything yet so not sure how much difference it will make but i plan on doing the following:

- The sixlitre tune up (351 version) except i may or may not do the timing bump.

- Exhaust 3" with flowmasters.

- high flow air filter with some kind of ghetto fab cold air.

[jowens1126]

read the threads on exhaust here before you go too hog wild. these engines are somewhat finiky on exhaust set ups. They dont like BIG pipes or true Duals from what I understand unless you have modified the top end.

[rpeters549]

Many people oversize their exhaust which reduces torque. With my Mustang pushing over 325 horse it was 2.5 in duals and they would have been good for a lot more than that! If you increase the diameter, stay within 1/4 inch or so unless you do a lot of engine work.

[NightMares]

What is the factory sizing on a 92 with the 5.0? Isn't it 2.5"? Mine was rotted and rusted through in some parts, and the piping was weak and you could bend it using your hands. So I took it in and asked their recommendation, they agreed with dual exhaust is not a good idea for these, but 2.75" was the best suit if I was wanting the best performance out of it because it's not too big but it opens it up a lot allowing it to breath better.

I've never been a big fan of flowmaster (they're not bad, but I've usually gone with magnaflow). Wanted to go that route again, but didn't plan on replacing the the entire exhaust, and the 40 series was a lot cheaper so I went with that.

[Jepulator]

Originally Posted by 96EB351

Havnt done anything yet so not sure how much difference it will make but i plan on doing the following:

- The sixlitre tune up (351 version) except i may or may not do the timing bump.

- Exhaust 3" with flowmasters.

- high flow air filter with some kind of ghetto fab cold air.

Try the bump, I believe that is the tune up's goal, I moved mine to 13.5 BTDC w/o detonation (i should try a little farther) and over night fuel gains, @2 mpg weekly average for me, but i'm kinda lead foot :(

[BakerBaker]

The cheapest and best thing for me was to pour Seafoam in the brake booster line going into the intake. My BKO was poorly maintained and needed a lot of TLC. If you have maintained your BKO properly this wont help a whole lot. There is a Seafoam thread on here if want to research it further.

[trakesbronco]

Thanks for the info guys. So far I believe the exhaust is stock dual exhaust. The muffler is a single inlet dual outlet design. I will research the seafoam and 6 liter tune up you guys recommended. Has anybody done the Clevor head swap?

[NightMares]

Originally Posted by 96EB351

Havnt done anything yet so not sure how much difference it will make but i plan on doing the following:

- The sixlitre tune up (351 version) except i may or may not do the timing bump.

- Exhaust 3" with flowmasters.

- high flow air filter with some kind of ghetto fab cold air.

I'm new to the Ford scene, but from my general knowledge, 3" exhaust on a stock motor is not a good idea. There's not enough compression and not enough back pressure, therefore reducing power. I was hesitant running 2.75" but i took my muffler shops advice and let them do it. Couldn't be happier. I had 3" on my burb and it ran ok. Once I downsized to 2.5 it ran better than ever, also sounded better. Not as rhaspy.

[Steve83]

Originally Posted by trakesbronco

...I believe the exhaust is stock dual exhaust.

No such thing.

Originally Posted by trakesbronco

The muffler is a single inlet dual outlet design.

This shows the stock exhaust system. View U shows the '96-Bronco-specific feature:

[96EB351]

Originally Posted by NightMares

I'm new to the Ford scene, but from my general knowledge, 3" exhaust on a stock motor is not a good idea. There's not enough compression and not enough back pressure, therefore reducing power. I was hesitant running 2.75" but i took my muffler shops advice and let them do it. Couldn't be happier. I had 3" on my burb and it ran ok. Once I downsized to 2.5 it ran better than ever, also sounded better. Not as rhaspy.

thank you for posting this!

[psychlopath]

Originally Posted by Steve83

All of the factory parts.

Psh.

If you enjoy mediocre performance and excess reliability.

[buffaloroams]

Actually Steve is correct, most aftermarket parts aren't even close to being equal to factory parts.

But unfortunately most people choose to go cheap rather than quality.
That's why Walmart is the top selling store.
And also why vatozone, shucked and crap cost less are doing booming business.

The fact is that after years of bad experiences with these places I now buy only OEM or better, and better is hard to find. You have to know what you are buying.

[buffaloroams]

Originally Posted by psychlopath

Psh.

If you enjoy mediocre performance and excess reliability.

Yeah who wants that horrible excess of reliability!

[Steve83]

My mediocre performance is among the highest top speeds posted here or on NLOC. And it'll do that with no preparation after being abandoned in the woods for 2 years, or any time the opportunity presents itself. It performs so mediocrely that I can drive it that speed going to a wheeling spot, wheel the hell out of it, then mediocrely drive it home at the same speed. And it has mediocrely outlasted 2 chassis - going into its 3rd now, STILL with no rebuild. It gets better MPG than many (even with my lead foot), and needs less maintenance than most.

I'll take THAT kind of mediocrity any day over "performance".

[buffaloroams]

You heard the man!
No one wants that performance or excess reliability!