QuestionThanks for the reply. I was actually looking at three motors out of the junk yard. The first was the Lincoln and the second was a 1990 LTD Crown Victoria. The Crown Vic has a 5.0 with light damage and only has 81,000 miles where the Lincoln has about 190,000 miles. When I checked the vin number on a decoder, it said that the Lincoln was rated at 225 horse and the Crown Vic at 150 to 160 horses. (I also found a stock 351W in a 1989 truck which the decoder said was rated at 200 horses) So of these three engines, which would be the best to rebuild for my car? I can tell you that I'm not interested in making a show car. I want it to be a daily driver weather permitting, and of course I'm tring to save a little money to. My thought was a mild cam, 600 to 700 carb, and maybe port the heads, but use the stock heads. Thanks, David
-------------------------------------------
The text above is a follow-up to ...
-----Question-----
I'm building a Ford Cobra replica. I was looking around my local junkyard and I found an 88 Lincoln with a 5.0 H.O. engine in it. The only difference I found in this engine and a 92 Thunderbird that had a 5.0 H.O. engine in it is that the Lincoln had aluminum valve covers. The VIN # shows that this motor is rated at 225 horses. Other 5.0 engines were rated at 150 to 160 horses. Whats the big difference betwen these two engines (5.0 and a 5.0 H.O.)? Is the motor out of the Lincoln going to match up to my 91 AOD transmission and will the AOD transmission work wothout a computer. (This tranny is an AOD and not an AODE)
-----Answer-----
David-
The differences between a 302 and a 5.0 (a 5.0 is a 302HO) are pretty small. The 5.0s have a cam with a larger base circle that shares the base circle of a 351W. Aside from that the dimensional difference are the same. After '85 5.0 blocks in most models received hydraulic roller lifters while most 302s stayed with older flat tappet cams (although some models may have had them before '85). 5.0s usually had more power than base 302s due to better intakes and cam profiles, but it usually wasn't a massive difference. Most 5.0s from the late '80s should be making between 200-220hp, although the Lincolns often had maybe 5 or 10 more just because they were heavy cars. The Lincoln motor will bolt up to an AOD or an AODE, but you'll only need a computer if you go with the AODE (Baumann Engineering makes a controller called the TCS that controls AODEs without factory computers...it's fully user programmable and sells for around $400 last I checked). If you plan on using a carb with the AOD, be careful. They do not use kickdown levers like older 3 speed automatics. They use a throttle valve linkage (or TV linkage) that does not like carbs. Sacramento Mustang used to sell a kit that allowed using a Holley carb with a TV linkage, but I'm not sure if they're even still in business. Hope this helps.
Steve
AnswerDavid-
Of all those engines, I'd go with the Lincoln. The Crown Vic motor is probably just a regular 302 (although I could be wrong...but 160hp just sounds weak for a '90 5.0). The 351W is a fun idea, but unless you plan on making big power they tend to be a bit heavy on the front end. Besides, you can always bore and stroke a 302 block out to a 347 with a stroker kit if you felt like it. That might not be a bad idea since it would be a good idea to rebuild the Lincoln motor anyway. If you're keeping things mostly stock, go with a 600cfm carb. They tend to make more power than bigger carbs on mild engines and they're easier on fuel which is still ridiculously expensive. Hope this helps.
Steve
