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Stage 2 Three-Valve Heads & Camshafts - Three's A Crowd - Three-Valve HCEWe Invite A Bunch Of Horsepower To A Three-Valve Party From the May, 2010 issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords By Michael Johnson Photography by Michael Johnson
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Looks like a stocker Three-Valve... Looks like a stocker Three-Valve with a BBK throttle body and a JLT Performance cold air, right? Yes, it does, but it's not exactly stock. This one also features Blow-By Racing's Stage 2 CNC heads and cams, and American Racing Headers' long-tube headers and corresponding X-shape crossover. Now how much would you pay? This car wouldn't get away with being the sleeper of the year, though. All one would have to do is crawl down below to see the American Racing Headers' long-tubes and X-shape crossover to know something might be up. Plus, with the car running, you can definitely tell the cams aren't stock. When we use the abbreviation HCI, it's short for a heads, cam, and intake package. All the major engine component manufacturers have a HCI package for pushrod engines. In the case of this Three-Valve upgrade, we went for a heads/cam/exhaust, or HCE, package. Though the engines in our beloved Mustangs have changed a lot, our purpose in modifying them remains the same-get as much air in and out of the engine as possible. Ford has made it easier to do exactly that with today's Three- and Four-Valve engines. With more valves there is more airflow potential. Therefore, the ability to make horsepower with simple bolt-ons is that much easier. We've detailed that fact on these pages. A couple years back, we took a stock Fox 5.0 and added a Paxton Novi 2000. It made just north of 300 hp to the wheels. It took the addition of an Edelbrock head/cam/intake package to push that number past 360 rwhp. This time around we made the same horsepower from a Three-Valve in roughly six hours. It likely would have taken a weekend to achieve the same results from a pushrod combination. However, we're getting ahead of ourselves a bit. In our latest Three-Valve experiment, we wanted to find out how much power can be made by opening up the intake and exhaust tracts of a '05 Mustang GT's Three-Valve 4.6. Since there are no aftermarket Three-Valve heads on the market, ported heads are the only option for improved performance. Thus we opened up the engine's intake properties by adding Blow-By Racing's Stage 2 Three-Valve heads and camshafts. Likewise, we didn't want to add heads and cams, yet stifle those additions with stock manifolds. So, we coupled these intake improvements with American Racing Headers' long-tube headers and corresponding X-shape crossover pipe. A JLT cold-air intake would ensure there were no flow restrictions in front of the throttle body. Performing the swap is Pro-Fab Performance in Thonotosassa, Florida, just up the road from our Tampa offices. Pro-Fab's Matt LaRue had a customer's '05 Mustang GT with a few hurt valvetrain pieces so it presented us with an upgrade opportunity. Matt has a history of working on S197 Mustangs, so we knew the car was in good hands. In the end, we were pleasantly impressed with the results. How did it do?
To measure how we did with this '05 Mustang GT Three-Valve, we paid a visit to Proven Power in Tampa, Florida. With EFI Unlimited's Brian Humlicek tuning on the laptop, the car made 365 hp and 327 lb-ft of torque on Proven Power's Dynojet. Peak power came in around 6,500 rpm; peak torque came in around 5,200 rpm. With 4.10 gears in the car, we can only imagine how much fun the car is now. That may sound like a lot of rpm, but in talking to Blow-By's Chris Jones, he said that's pretty much where peak power should've occurred, saying it's par for the course for this combination. Furthermore, the car sounds evil with the American Racing Headers long-tube headers and X-shape crossover pipe. The cams' lift and duration characteristics deliver a choppy idle to arouse the curiosity of even the most veteran horsepower junkies. The cams feature 0.492-inch lift with 114-degree lobe separation. Pair the stout valvesprings with the increased flow of the CNC heads, and we know this particular Three-Valve's moving some air these days, which was evident on the dyno.  American Racing Headers hit...  American Racing Headers hit the Mustang market hard with a full line of headers and exhaust components for S197 Mustangs, and we hadn't used them up till this article, either. The headers' fit and finish and ease of installation are top notch. Of course, with the modular engines, nothing's really easy about installing headers. The stainless steel headers look awesome, and 3/8-inch-thick flanges mean they won't leak either. Furthermore, the corresponding X-shape crossover pipe matched the quality of the headers.  Ok, let's get started taking...  Ok, let's get started taking this thing apart. Matt has removed the air intake, and notice the car already benefits from a BBK throttle body, so Matt will leave that attached to the intake so we don't parts all over the place. There are many sensors on and around the intake and throttle body, and they'll either need to be removed or set aside during the install. When possible, Matt removes harnesses and sensors to make for a clean, clutter-free work space.  Disconnect the fuel lines...  Disconnect the fuel lines and remove the fuel rails and injectors to make it easier to gain access to the intake bolts. Have a rag handy to gather up any excess fuel from when you disconnect the fuel lines. The injectors will either come out with the fuel rails, or you'll have to remove them from the intake. Matt sets them aside to keep them from getting contaminated.  Disconnect the fuel lines...  Disconnect the fuel lines and remove the fuel rails and injectors to make it easier to gain access to the intake bolts. Have a rag handy to gather up any excess fuel from when you disconnect the fuel lines. The injectors will either come out with the fuel rails, or you'll have to remove them from the intake. Matt sets them aside to keep them from getting contaminated.  Matt then loosens the intake...  Matt then loosens the intake bolts to remove the intake from the engine. Since the engine already features a high-flow BBK throttle body we didn't need to replace the throttle body to reach our goals.  To dress up the Mustang's...  To dress up the Mustang's underhood and open up the intake, we chose a JLT Performance cold air kit. Of course, we had to have one painted to match, which JLT easily accommodates. The JLT kit consists of a painted intake pipe with a billet mass airflow housing, an S&B Powerstack filter, and a corresponding heat shield. Since we were going to have the car custom-tuned after these additions, we chose the just the CAI. Many of JLT's cold air kits are available with a handheld tuner, but in our case, we didn't need that option. We've proven and witnessed many a JLT kit making power, so we knew this addition would prove beneficial as well.  Next up, Matt removes the...  Next up, Matt removes the alternator, coolant crossover tube, and thermostat housing. He also removes all the idler pulleys from the front cover.  In order to remove the heads,...  In order to remove the heads, the factory exhaust manifolds must come off. They won't go back on, however, as we are adding ARH long-tube headers and a corresponding X-shape crossover. Since accessing the manifold bolts isn't the easiest task, Matt will leave the manifolds attached to help lift the heads off the engine.  Back up top, Matt removes...  Back up top, Matt removes the valve ... I mean, cam covers. The cam covers also attach to the front cover so they need to be removed so the front cover can be removed as well.  Now Matt can remove the front...  Now Matt can remove the front cover to expose the timing chains, guides, and all that mess.  Before removing the timing...  Before removing the timing chains, Matt sets the crank sprocket where it'll be easier to make sure the engine is timed correctly when it goes back together. Making sure the engine is timed correctly is a huge step with a modular engine. There are so many moving parts that if something isn't moving at the right time, there will be wallet-emptying results.  Finally, Matt can remove the...  Finally, Matt can remove the heads. It's a lot of work just to get to this point. If this were a pushrod engine, we'd have the thing back together by now!  Looks a little different than...  Looks a little different than a Fox/pushrod combo, huh? Instead of a lifter valley, it's just a valley, an empty space. The coolant line also looks out of place.  Now Matt begins the task of...  Now Matt begins the task of transferring the stock heads' valvetrain to the Blow-By Racing heads. Along with the Stage 2 cams, we're using Blow-By's valve springs and cam lockouts. The Stage 2 heads come with new valve seals, but otherwise, everything else from the factory heads must be transferred to the new heads. The valves must be lapped, as well. Lapping is achieved by spinning the valves on the seats to form a seal when the valve is closed. A simple suction cup on a stick is used to spin them. The valvetrain swap is a time-consuming, but necessary proposition.  Matt is almost done assembling...  Matt is almost done assembling the Blow-By head. Just one more bolt, and he'll be ready to install the heads. The Stage 2 cams and new springs, locks, and retainers are installed with their cam caps torqued to spec. He installed the timing sprockets with Blow-By's cam lockouts in place, as well. These lock the cam in either fully advanced or fully retarded position to eliminate piston-to-valve issues when using aftermarket cams like our BBR Stage 2s. The Three-Valve engine uses variable timing, but these lockouts eliminate that feature, which means the cam timing will not change.  Matt couldn't reinstall the...  Matt couldn't reinstall the cam covers without dressing things up a little bit. He applied a couple coats of Krylon semigloss paint to spruce them up.  With the cam covers drying,...  With the cam covers drying, Matt gets back to the engine by installing the new Blow-By heads. Just like with a pushrod engine, line up the heads with the dowel pins, and torque the head bolts accordingly. There's a three-step torque sequence for the heads, so have your manual handy if you choose to do this swap yourself.  Matt added new guides for...  Matt added new guides for the timing chains even though we don't hear of too many timing chain guide failures. However, Matt figured if they were going to be in there it would be a good idea to go ahead and change them out. Matt lined up the timing marks on both the engine and the timing chains to make sure the engine will be in time.  Matt threw the front cover...  Matt threw the front cover in the parts cleaner before reinstalling it. We used fresh gaskets throughout the reinstallation process. Notice the water pump wasn't removed for this install. Simply put, it doesn't need to be removed for a head swap.  Well, it's a good thing Matt...  Well, it's a good thing Matt sprayed the cam covers because they really look good under all those wiring harnesses and other fluff. Matt has also reinstalled the front accessory dress items, alternator, and radiator and cooling fan assembly. It's really starting to look like an engine again.  Though it may have only taken...  Though it may have only taken you a few minutes of reading to reach this caption from the one detailing Matt's initial removal of the intake, in real time, it took several hours to get to this point. Though we're far from done, there is light at the end of the tunnel, and it only resembles a train. Just kidding-keep reading.  With the intake bolted down,...  With the intake bolted down, Matt reinstalls the fuel injectors, fuel rails, ignition coils, and their respective harness attachments.  Just like with my '94 Cobra's...  Just like with my '94 Cobra's JLT Performance cold-air kit, it looked as if the throttle body inlet hose would be a struggle, but thanks to the hose's construction it took little effort to get it installed.  The business end of JLT's...  The business end of JLT's cold air is the billet mass airflow housing. A simple click is all that's needed to finish up the cold air kit's installation.  Wow-now that's what I'm talking...  Wow-now that's what I'm talking about. The Three-Valve looks great back together. Now all Matt has to do is button up the exhaust and we're ready to light this candle.  Matt positions the driver-side...  Matt positions the driver-side header in place without opposition. The passenger-side header was a little more stubborn. If you choose to add long-tube headers to your S197, you may have to loosen the engine mounts and jack up the engine to gain sufficient clearance. The American Racing Headers we used for this article fit great once we were able to snake them into place.  With the headers bolted up,...  With the headers bolted up, the X-shape crossover installed, and the oxygen sensors in place, we call the exhaust done.  OK, so Matt added the 5 quarts...  OK, so Matt added the 5 quarts of Roush Performance oil to the Three-Valve in preparation for startup. We fired up the engine, but something didn't sound right. The valvetrain had a subtle, yet noticeable clatter to it, like a cammed-up 5.0. We shut off the engine to check things out; then we noticed all the Roush Performance oil on the shop floor-all 5 quarts of it! Apparently, we neglected to transfer these pipe fittings from the original heads to the Blow-By examples, and that's where the oil escaped. We were able to install the fittings to the heads with them on the engine, thankfully, and our valvetrain clatter was non-existent. These fittings maintain oil pressure within the head, and as we found out, also keep oil in the engine. We learned a lesson the hard way so you don't have to.
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