85 mustang question. . .

[wonderboyobe]

I own a 1985 ford mustang and i was feeling the need to add some power to it, But i dont really know where to start. The problem is that it is a 1985 lx confertable which it nice as far as driving goes, but stock it has very little power for a 302. The car has a 2 bbl throttle body "cfi" and single exaust, and everything else factory. From what i can tell i need more air and fuel. my computer system seems to be a little greedy with the fuel but i dont know how to get it to change without replacing with a carb, and even then i dont know what size carb would be good. . Where would you guys start out?

[SkylineUSA]

I don't know crap about those set ups, sorry. I do know a lot of guys dump those set-ups and just go carb.

[wonderboyobe]

well it sounds more like i need to go with the carb then.. Has any one have an idea on how large i can go without it being too big, or weather or not i should consider some long tube headers and dual exaust first?

[SkylineUSA]

Go 600, that will give you room to grow, heck that is even overkill for even a modded 302.

[speedfreak]

You could either get the EFI system from an '86-93 5.0 HO or go with a carburetor. Don't go any larger than 600cfm. A Weiand Stealth dual plane intake manifold would be a good upgrade. You will need a low pressure(~3-5psi) fuel pump with the carb. I'll take the CFI injectors off your hands if you get rid of them.....

Ditch the single exhaust no matter what. You can get '86-95 stock tubular headers fairly cheap.

Above all, set some goals for what you want. From there we can make more specific recommendations.

[wonderboyobe]

That raises another question, can you pass emmisions without an egr unit, because 99% of the carb manifolds i can find dont have it? or on a carb set up does it fit between the carb and the manifold, because my current one is on the manifold.

[Stale Trooper]

Originally Posted by wonderboyobe

I own a 1985 ford mustang and i was feeling the need to add some power to it, But i dont really know where to start. The problem is that it is a 1985 lx confertable which it nice as far as driving goes, but stock it has very little power for a 302. The car has a 2 bbl throttle body "cfi" and single exaust, and everything else factory. From what i can tell i need more air and fuel. my computer system seems to be a little greedy with the fuel but i dont know how to get it to change without replacing with a carb, and even then i dont know what size carb would be good. . Where would you guys start out?

Not to usurp any of the above info, but in the 70's, I used to race a 258 cuin AMC 6 cyl on which I used nothing smaller than a 650 cfm 4bbl and had very good results with a modified 750 single pumper vac secondaries; I used a long tube single exhaust header. I was clocked at 126MPH with this setup in a CJ-5.
In the begining, My first, and probably cheapest HP came thru headers, then carburation mods. I had big valves, and a cam to match; The cam, valves and headwork came later, and at a much higher price tag.
For your situation, I would suggest a 650 - 750 CFM 4 bbl w/ vacuum secondaries, long tube headers, free flowing dual exhausts, and a cold air intake. If possible, try to mechanically advance (IE: physically move the distributer) your initial timing about 8* AHEAD of stock for more power and mileage. Good Luck!!