1 Back in Part 1, we upgraded...
1 Back in Part 1, we upgraded the stock 5.0L Ford with a complete Track Heat engine package from Trick Flow Specialties.
A while back, we tested a Track Heat engine kit from Trick Flow Specialties on a high-mileage 5.0L. The Track Heat engine kit was designed as an upgrade that could be applied to anything from a bone-stock 5.0L to a wilder stroker application. For Part 1, we tested the merits of the system on a stock '94 5.0L, pulled from the engine bay of a high-mileage Mustang.
The kit included the heads, cam, upper and lower intake, valve covers, roller rockers, head bolts, complete gaskets set, timing chain and new pushrods. The Track Heat intake system turned out to be a better choice for the smaller 5.0L, but we longed to try the high-rpm TFS R intake on a bigger 347 combination. In Part 1, the Track Heat was teamed with the wildest cam we thought might fit using the stock 5.0L pistons (PN TFS-51402001). The hydraulic roller cam offered a 0.542/0.563-lift split, a 224/232- duration split (at 0.050), and a 112- degree LSA.
Powerful even with the Fast-as-Cast 170cc Twisted Wedge cylinder heads, we upgraded our kit with a set of new 185cc Street Port Twisted Wedge Heads. Designed to offer a cost savings over the full Competition porting, even the new Street Port heads were overkill for the 302. The Street-Port heads and TFS R intake combination deserved more motor, and since bigger is obviously better, we decided to run this second test on a larger 347 stroker.
The Track Heat engine kit improved output of the stock 5.0L from 259 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque to 377 hp and 356 lb-ft of torque. No matter how you slice it, 118 hp qualifies as a serious power gain.
Impressed as we were with the results of the Track Heat engine kit on the 302, the output of the modified 5.0L was nowhere near what the Street-Ports head would support. Combine this with the fact that the TFS R-series intake combo was designed for increased displacement and engine speed, and you have the beginnings of our sequel to the Track Heat test. To complete the story, all we had to do was toss in an extra helping of cam, compression, and cubes.
2 The fuelie 5.0L was originally...
2 The fuelie 5.0L was originally tested with both the Track Heat and TFS R upper and lower intakes.
3 Tested on the engine dyno,...
3 Tested on the engine dyno, the Track Heat engine kit improved the power output of the stock 5.0L from 259 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque to 377 hp and 356 lb-ft of torque.
4 We were impressed by the...
4 We were impressed by the power gains offered by the Track Heat engine package, but knew the Street Port Twisted Wedge heads had a lot more to offer.
With that in mind, we selected a 347 stroker, replete with forged internals from Procomp Electronics and Probe Racing. Procomp Electronics supplied the 4340 forged steel crank and matching 5.4-inch rods, while Probe Racing came through with the forged flat-top pistons that included valve reliefs for both TFS and inline valve locations. L&R Automotive was responsible for the balancing, stroker clearancing, and assembly of the short-block. When all was said and done, the forged 347 was ready for almost anything.
We also installed a wilder cam profile. The TFS cam originally supplied with the Track Heat kit was plenty powerful, but we wanted to show that the new 185cc Street Port Twisted Wedge Heads had plenty of power left in them on the right combination. To illustrate this, we combined the additional displacement of the stroker with an XFI cam profile designed specifically for stroker applications.
The XFI236HR-14 cam combined 0.579 lift with a 236/248-duration split and a 114-degree LSA. A tad on the wild side for a street 5.0L, the XFI profile was tamed somewhat by the additional displacement offered by the 347. It was installed using a set of hydraulic roller lifters and double-roller timing chain from Comp Cams. The Street Port heads were installed using ARP head studs securing Fel Pro 1011-2 head and 1262 intake gaskets. The bottom-end was secured using a Milodon oil pan, pick-up, and windage tray, while induction chores were handled by an Edelbrock Performer RPM Air Gap (the single-plane Victor Jr. resulted in no additional power) and Holley 750 HP carburetor. We finished the stroker with an MSD billet distributor, Meziere electric water pump and Hooker headers.
5 Since the intake port flowed...
5 Since the intake port flowed over 300 cfm, we knew the Street Port head was capable of supporting over 600 horsepower on the right application. The 377 hp produced by the previous 5.0L was just scratching the surface.
6 To maximize flow, even...
6 To maximize flow, even the combustion chamber received CNC machine work. The Trick Flow heads were available with a 58cc or 64cc combustion chambers and featured a 2.02/1.60 valve combination.
7 What the new heads needed...
7 What the new heads needed was a wilder engine combination, which started out with a stroker crank and rods from Procomp Electronics. The production two-bolt, 5.0L block was bored 0.030 over then stroker clearanced to accept the 3.40-inch steel crank.