Stage One 127150s (bottom photo, at top) are good camshafts for daily driven, light-performance street Mustangs. The cams offer a noticeable idle and a torque hike that's definitely noticeable at the lower rpm range.
Stage Two 127300 cams (bottom photo, at middle) thrive with five-speed trannys and 3.73s in naturally aspirated trey valves with additional minor performance mods.
Stage Three 127350s (bottom photo, at bottom), while somewhat streetable, are more race-oriented cams that make a blown, turbocharged, or nitrous-pumped Three-Valve come alive in the upper rpm. Engines with strong bottom ends and high-flowing cylinder heads with beehive springs and steel retainers are required for these cams.
Crane CamsCrane brings PowerMax cams to the table for '99-'04 Two-Valve 4.6 engines. The forged-steel cams feature a dual-pattern design in which intake and exhaust lobes are individually optimized for better efficiency.
Best-suited for daily use, 379601 camshafts provide a smooth idle and a nice increase in low-end torque.
The 379611 offers a more pronounced idle and great street performance from mod motors that rely on blowers and nitrous for increased oomph.
Great for naturally aspirated street/strip 'Stangs, 379621 cams require some custom tuning, and they yield a fairly distinctive lope.
For harder-core, rough-idle, Two-Valve cams like the 379631, it's best to have a built bottom end and higher-than-stock compression.
Crane recently unveiled its new bumpsticks for Three-Valve mod motors. Similar to ProMax camshafts, the Zcam series features dual-pattern profiles. It requires spring and retainer upgrades as well.
Leading off the collection is the 399501. This grind offers a smooth idle and good daily-driver street performance. The cams are predominately made for naturally aspirated, mostly stock engines, but they can also be used in mild turbo or nitrous applications.
Zcams for S197s with power adders are the 399511. Piston-to-valve clearance may be dicey with these camshafts, so tuning is critical if you decide to use them.
Camshafts are designed for naturally aspirated engines in stick-shifted S197s. The 399521 cams want compression and can make great power with proper PCM tuning.
Ford Racing Performance PartsMany old-guard 'Stang nuts probably agree that Ford Racing Performance Parts' B-, E-, F-, X-, and Z303 camshafts started it all when it comes to hydraulic-roller bumpstick upgrades for '86-'93 5.0 Mustangs. Everyone knows about FRPP's alphabet soup of cams, either through personal use of one or several of the different grinds, or simply by hearing other enthusiasts talk about the B cam or X cam underhood in their Ponies.
Hydraulic- and Solid-Roller CamshaftsRoller camshafts have been standard equipment in Mustang engines since 1985. The roller nickname for these camshafts, as well as their hydraulic and solid prefixes, are derived from the type of lifters that are used with each of them.
To answer a frequently asked question regarding 5.0 camshafts, the E303 (E cam) is the biggest FRPP cam (0.498-inch intake/0.498-inch exhaust) that can be used in an engine with a stock bottom end. Anything bigger requires piston upgrades to eliminate clearance issues.
Livernois MotorsportsLivernois has been at the forefront of forced-induction Mustang performance for several years. These two samples of its 0.475-inch-lift camshafts for turbocharged and supercharged Three-Valve GTs (right) and Four-Valve Cobra applications (above) will definitely put fire under an '05-'08 'Stang's hood. Although lift values are the same for these cams, their variances in duration at 0.050 inch are key to their ability to generate killer high-rpm power and impressive torque down low.