I have a 1990 F150 with the 302 in it I want to get some more power out of it. I was thinking that I could put a K&N FIPK kit on it and get some nice sparkplug wires and sparkplugs the good kind not the cheap kind.Maybe even get a new throttle body thats a 61mm made by bbk i think.Some new fuel injectors and a fuel regulator and fuel pressure gauge in the cab.And im thinking about a shift kit for my transmission but i dont know what kind of transmission i have its a automatic and how would i find out if it is a c6 or not. And rear-end gears i would like to do some nice street gears that can pull bigger sized tires though.Any Suggestions would be greatly appreciated this is what i want to do this summer and Im only 15 and have $2000 in the truck already thats in just one year slow but steady pace ya know what i mean

 

for the trans- if its got overdrive its not a c6. whats the code on the door jam? its most likely the aod. i've got the K&N cold air intake on my truck and as far as power goes i didnt notice much if anything but i got heavier footed and fuel mileage stayed the same so i guess its doing something. and whats your axle code? what size tire are you gonna go with?

 

make sure you put worthwhile upgrades, not just junk like snake oil and throttle body spacers that drain your wallet for no gains

Matts ford has you on the right track

 

Bigger fuel injectors and/or an adjustable regulator only add power if you are taking more air into the engine which requires the additional fuel. If you don't increase the volumetric efficiency of the engine, they don't help. The things you need to be thinking about are a set of better heads, either a mild cam upgrade or (if you're not ready to tear that far into the engine) a set of 1.7:1 roller rockers, a set of shorty headers, a high-flow cat and a cat-back exhaust. Then you'll get some benefit out of the fuel system and throttle body upgrades.

You've got either 2.73 (axle code 12), 3.08 (code 18) or 3.55 (code 19 or H9 if it's a limited slip) gears in the truck. If you have 3.55s and are going to run 29" or 30" tires leave it alone. If you have either of the others consider changing to a 3.55 or greater, especially if you run taller tires.

 

Whats your budget? I will outline two different options that I would consider if I were doing this again:

LOW BUDGET
1. Timing bump and ignition upgrade- timing to 13.5*, new cap, coil, rotor and wires. Autolite orange box plugs gapped to 0.055". 9mm wires and the cheap Autolites are what these trucks like, no matter what anyone else says.
2. Insulate the stock airbox and throw in a good filter.
3. Seafoam. In the tank and through the vac line.
4. Make sure all fluids and filters are fresh and topped off.

NOT SO LOW BUDGET:

All of the above, plus:

1. New heads. GT40s or the like. This is the key for performance in the SBF engines.
2. Roller timing set. Cloyes is good.
3. Headers. BBK shorties are what I have and I have no complaints.
4. Bassani y-pipe w/ high flow cats.
5. Hooker Aerochamber muffler
6. Maremont 3" SINGLE exhuast pipe. Thats right, single. Not duals.

That will get you started.

Some things that are a waiste for these trucks:

1. K&N FIPK. Stock setup is best.
2. Any kind of aftermarket chip. Essentialy the same as the timing bump that you can do for free.
3. Aftermarket intake. The stock 302 intake flows plenty. The 351 is where the intake has some room to inprove.
4. Fancy spark plugs. Read above.
5. Throttle body spacers. Should be a given.
6. SMOG pump delete. Gains no horsepower of any kind and just makes the air worse for us to breath and makes you look like an idiot to those of us who know what it is there for.

That should get you started. Come back with any other questions.

 

what kind of gains did you notice with them bbk shorty headers?

 

this summer if i get the money i will most likely get a set of the shorty headers whats the difference in power gain between shorty and longtube

 

There is virtually no difference in peak HP between the two. The long tubes will give significant gains at lower RPMs but they require some fabrication work to re-install the HEGO sensors and re-connect the cats and may not technically be legal since they frequently require re-positioning of the cats. The shorties are a bolt-on and have no legality issues whatsoever.

 

i dont even have cats or a muffler at the moment im running straight and so is most of my other buddies

 

i dont have a overdrive button but i have the extra D on my gear indicator

 

Then shame on all of you. Given the efficiency of modern converters there is NO legitimate reason to not have one, unless of course you've stopped breathing air. If you no longer inhale air, I can accept that you have no concerns about its purity. If you do still breathe, put the converter back on.

As to your tranny, what is the code letter listed under Trans on the vehicle ID sticker on the door jamb? It it is "T" you have the cable operated AOD.

 

it had a T

 

I agree with Strange, on all points. First, you should be running SMOG equipment and cats. I'll be willing to be you have no good reason not to.

Second, the other thing about LT headers is that they will get in the way if you ever do an SAS.

 

Sas?

 

high flow cats at a minimum