[95blackbeauty]

Ok so i think im going to go with some after market heads and intake....maybe twisted wedge and street heat. Not sure yet other suggestions would be nice. im working off of a budget so im not gonna be able to get the TOP of the line. I was wondering if i would have to modify anything else if i replace the heads and intake.

[95blackbeauty]

would i see a big difference in just porting and polishing the heads and intake?

[1slo5.0]

You can't go wrong with Trick Flow products. If you are just doing a mild build I wouldn't worry about porting. Out of the box Twisted Wedge heads work very well on mild 302s.

[Bullitt95]

Originally Posted by 95blackbeauty Ok so i think im going to go with some after market heads and intake....maybe twisted wedge and street heat. Not sure yet other suggestions would be nice. im working off of a budget so im not gonna be able to get the TOP of the line. I was wondering if i would have to modify anything else if i replace the heads and intake.

You'll need 24lb injectors and a higher flowing fuel pump (minimum 121lph).
Don't waste time and effort trying to port the stock heads and intake manifold; it'll be like polishing a turd. You'll be a lot happier with TFS Twisted Wedge heads (the 40lb weight saving won't hurt either) and an aftermarket intake. The Edelbrock Performer is better than the TFS Street Heat intake all round, and the Holley Systemax intake also beats the TFS Track Heat intake all ends up. Go with a 70mm TB on the Eddy Performer and a 75mm TB on the Holley.
If you're gonna do the heads and intake, do the cam as well. The TFS Stage 1 matches perfectly with the Twisted Wedge heads.
Since you're on a budget, you could wait until you've saved more money and buy the "top of the line" parts that I've mentioned. That way you'll do the job only once and you'll save on labor charges.

[95blackbeauty]

If i went with just the intake for now would i see an improvement? and the tfs has a 75mm throttle body outlet...does that mean i need to buy that size?

[Bullitt95]

Depending on which intake you go for, you could gain about 15hp at the top end and lose some torque in the midrange. That especially applies when you combine a higher flowing intake like the Holley Systemax, TFS Track Heat, or Edelbrock Performer RPM with the stock heads. This is because airflow velocity is reduced at lower rpm through the larger diameter (and shorter) intake runners yet at the same time, the stock heads are too restrictive to allow these intakes to perform to their full potential at higher rpm. That's the reason why it's better to do intake and heads at the same time; the combination needs to be well matched.
If you do the heads, then you can also extract more out of the stock cam by adding 1.7 ratio roller rockers to take advantage of the better airflow at higher valve lifts. The stock cam/1.7 ratio rocker combination is pretty good but the TFS Stage 1 combined with 1.6 ratio roller rockers is better.
You don't necessarily have to buy a 75mm TB with the intake but it's better if you do.

[1slo5.0]

Originally Posted by Bullitt95 You'll need 24lb injectors and a higher flowing fuel pump (minimum 121lph). Don't waste time and effort trying to port the stock heads and intake manifold; it'll be like polishing a turd. You'll be a lot happier with TFS Twisted Wedge heads (the 40lb weight saving won't hurt either) and an aftermarket intake. The Edelbrock Performer is better than the TFS Street Heat intake all round, and the Holley Systemax intake also beats the TFS Track Heat intake all ends up. Go with a 70mm TB on the Eddy Performer and a 75mm TB on the Holley. If you're gonna do the heads and intake, do the cam as well. The TFS Stage 1 matches perfectly with the Twisted Wedge heads. Since you're on a budget, you could wait until you've saved more money and buy the "top of the line" parts that I've mentioned. That way you'll do the job only once and you'll save on labor charges.

What data do you base your information on regarding these intake manifolds?

[Bullitt95]

Originally Posted by Darrell What data do you base your information on regarding these intake manifolds?

Two articles that I've read where several intake manifolds were compared in a dyno shootout on a 5.0. In the first article, the 5.0 had stock heads while in the second, the 5.0 had Trick Flow heads.
The Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold on a stock headed 5.0 that had C&L 76mm MAF kit, 70mm TB, long tube headers, exhaust, and 1.7 roller rockers produced a 13hp gain and a 13lbft loss.

[1slo5.0]

Originally Posted by Bullitt95 Two articles that I've read where several intake manifolds were compared in a dyno shootout on a 5.0. In the first article, the 5.0 had stock heads while in the second, the 5.0 had Trick Flow heads. The Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold on a stock headed 5.0 that had C&L 76mm MAF kit, 70mm TB, long tube headers, exhaust, and 1.7 roller rockers produced a 13hp gain and a 13lbft loss.

Do you remember what the power gains/losses were across the rest of the rpm range? I'm not saying that intake is or isn't better but a 13hp gain in peak power won't do any good if it loses power in the rest of the rpm range. Magazine shoot outs are usually not very accurate either because sometimes they are lopsided due to monetary reasons (call it advertising, bribery or whatever you want) and also combinations. Intake A might work good on Engine A but lose power on Engine B due to something as simple as camshaft specs. The best way to compare intakes is to find someone that has the same combination that has tried several intakes or to ask a reputable engine builder that works with these types of engines every day.

[Bullitt95]

I don't have the whole dyno plots but suffice to say that the intake ports on the stock heads are too small for the higher flowing intakes to perform to their full potential. The larger diameter shorter runners combined with the restrictive heads reduce airflow velocity at low/medium rpm so it's no surprise that there's a loss of torque.
The bottom line is that the Edelbrock Performer produces more torque than the TFS Street Heat right across the board, and the Holley Systemax does the same compared to the TFS Track Heat when bolted onto higher flowing heads such as the AFR 165's or the TFS Twisted Wedge.
If you're going to keep the stock heads, you're better off with the Explorer or Cobra GT40 intakes.

[1slo5.0]

Originally Posted by Bullitt95 If you're going to keep the stock heads, you're better off with the Explorer or Cobra GT40 intakes.

I 100% agree with that statement.