Easy But Effective Bolt-On Mods
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Joined: Jan 2001
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From: Idaho
Easy But Effective Bolt-On Mods
Hey All,
I have a 94 F-150 with a 351w and an E4OD tranny. It has 38,000 miles on it and I want to do some basic mods. No internal mods just bolt-ons pretty much to make it a little bit more fun to drive. I don't have Mass Air, just Speed Density.
I definitely want a Shift Improvement Kit. I was looking at the JET Power Shift just because its easy to put on, its all electronic and I don't have to do any mechanical work. My question is how well does this work. Will it get close to letting loose of the tires going into 2nd gear?
I'm getting a K&N FPIK, that's for sure. I'm also quite certain I'm going to get a Gibson Super Truck Cat-Back Exhaust for its looks and ease of installation.
Here's where I start to have trouble on what to get. I want to upgrade my ignition. I like the MSD Digital 6 for the added power and the technology, but am not sure I can use this in my truck. I will get the nice wires and will upgrade the distributor if I need to.
The last mod I can think of right now is Under Drive Pulleys. For Bang for you Buck performance.
I didn't list a chip on purpose. I'm not the only driver of the car so premium gas won't be put into it most of the time. So it would pretty much be a waste of money compared to these other mods.
If anybody can give me a few pointers on what I have listed, especially ignition and shift kits (electronic) it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
I have a 94 F-150 with a 351w and an E4OD tranny. It has 38,000 miles on it and I want to do some basic mods. No internal mods just bolt-ons pretty much to make it a little bit more fun to drive. I don't have Mass Air, just Speed Density.
I definitely want a Shift Improvement Kit. I was looking at the JET Power Shift just because its easy to put on, its all electronic and I don't have to do any mechanical work. My question is how well does this work. Will it get close to letting loose of the tires going into 2nd gear?
I'm getting a K&N FPIK, that's for sure. I'm also quite certain I'm going to get a Gibson Super Truck Cat-Back Exhaust for its looks and ease of installation.
Here's where I start to have trouble on what to get. I want to upgrade my ignition. I like the MSD Digital 6 for the added power and the technology, but am not sure I can use this in my truck. I will get the nice wires and will upgrade the distributor if I need to.
The last mod I can think of right now is Under Drive Pulleys. For Bang for you Buck performance.
I didn't list a chip on purpose. I'm not the only driver of the car so premium gas won't be put into it most of the time. So it would pretty much be a waste of money compared to these other mods.
If anybody can give me a few pointers on what I have listed, especially ignition and shift kits (electronic) it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2000
Posts: 1,317
Likes: 0
From: Virginia Beach, VA
Sounds like you're on the right track. My truck is a '95 with the 302 and E4OD.
I have the Gibson side swept single exit, Jacobs ignition, FRPP three piece underdrive pulleys, and did my own intake/airbox mods and switched to a K&N.
All helped the truck, but in different areas. On my truck the ignition helped the most overall. It helped the low to mid range and filled in the areas the stock 5.0 is weak at. Exhaust also helped slightly in low end, most in mid range. The intake and pulleys are noticed more at mid to upper RPM. Actually dyno tests usually show that pulleys help at all RPMs, maybe I was just convincing myself that it was only at higher revs.
As for the ignitions, the MSD will work on your truck. I strongly suggest doing the full package - box, coil, wires, new quality cap and rotor, and of course plugs. The majority of people I have come across that are unhappy with ignition upgrades only did it part way. Also, it may take a little testing with different plugs and gaps to get optimum performance. I have actually found that my best performance comes with bigger gaps, but at the cost of the truck running a little "soggy" until the engine starts to come up to temp. I have used MSD products in the past but never the boxes. In this case the warranty made me sway to Jacobs.
As for the shift improvers, I have never done one of the electronic type setups. From what I have seen they will help slightly, but are much more effective with internal valve body modifications.
I would suggest doing your mods in the order of what areas you want to improve first. As the 351 has good low end but flattens out at higher revs, you might notice the opposite of my mods. In your case the pulleys and intake would probably be noticed more, and the ignition and exhaust a little less. I have found over the years that helping the weak areas usually has more effect than working on areas that the truck is already fairly strong at.
I have the Gibson side swept single exit, Jacobs ignition, FRPP three piece underdrive pulleys, and did my own intake/airbox mods and switched to a K&N.
All helped the truck, but in different areas. On my truck the ignition helped the most overall. It helped the low to mid range and filled in the areas the stock 5.0 is weak at. Exhaust also helped slightly in low end, most in mid range. The intake and pulleys are noticed more at mid to upper RPM. Actually dyno tests usually show that pulleys help at all RPMs, maybe I was just convincing myself that it was only at higher revs.
As for the ignitions, the MSD will work on your truck. I strongly suggest doing the full package - box, coil, wires, new quality cap and rotor, and of course plugs. The majority of people I have come across that are unhappy with ignition upgrades only did it part way. Also, it may take a little testing with different plugs and gaps to get optimum performance. I have actually found that my best performance comes with bigger gaps, but at the cost of the truck running a little "soggy" until the engine starts to come up to temp. I have used MSD products in the past but never the boxes. In this case the warranty made me sway to Jacobs.
As for the shift improvers, I have never done one of the electronic type setups. From what I have seen they will help slightly, but are much more effective with internal valve body modifications.
I would suggest doing your mods in the order of what areas you want to improve first. As the 351 has good low end but flattens out at higher revs, you might notice the opposite of my mods. In your case the pulleys and intake would probably be noticed more, and the ignition and exhaust a little less. I have found over the years that helping the weak areas usually has more effect than working on areas that the truck is already fairly strong at.
