After a lot of reading, it seemed the general consensus was that the factory intake was one of the weaker points of these 5.0's. The intake on the 5.0 Explorer is said to be almost identical in performance stats to the GT40 intake on the Cobra Mustangs. So I opted to pick up one of those, too. To complete the ensemble, I should have added the GT40P heads but I had to remember this is supposed to be a BUDGET project!!!


I decided to make it blue, too



I cleaned & repainted the fuel injectors, also added new o-rings, etc.



I removed the smog pump but kept all the EGR stuff in tact. Removing the smog pump required plugging the holes on the rear of the heads. I could have ordered a couple of "thermactor plugs" online for $10 plus shipping but opted to buy a couple of 9/16x3/4"long bolts(shortest I could find) and cut them off to the 1/2" length I needed.




I also swapped out the 2G alternator for a 3G from a '95 Mustang.

Removing the smog pump means a shorter serpentine belt.


I used this chart to determine what needed and the 84.5" belt fits great.