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Current year port matching?

954 views 16 replies 5 participants last post by  SpaceCatsAZ 
#1 ·
If you wanted to do port matched 3L build these days, with no sources for the porting plates from BugZuki, whats the best way? With my engine pushing 160k, It wont be long before a replacement/rebuild is needed. Ive built several stock and thumper motors, so would be a fun project for this winter.
 
#2 ·
I think you can probably still get the porting plates from Josh Pietenpol at PRT. Pretty sure he bought the CAD files from Bugzuki and has produced a TON of them since.

But I have to editorialize a little - personally I think port-matching is a hack and a sloppy solution. Hybrid or full 3.0 are the only 2 options I would ever consider.

I chose hybrid so I could keep my 2.5-ness and not have to fabricate an intake, throttle body bracket, IACV solution and a lot of vacuum lines. Timing the Duratec isn't hard (there are some excellent youtube videos on the subject) and a fresh head gasket along with the opportunity to examine the condition of the internals is a great bonus. The 11:1 compression is a great equalizer, AND it runs fine on a stock SVT Contour ECU, same as a port-matched job. A tune only helps.

I think a full 3.0 would be a little more bulletproof and easier to tune; maybe next time I'll go that route.
 
#5 ·
Doesnt a hybrid need bigger valves and injectors?
I'm running mine on completely stock 2002 2.5 heads and valves, with 24# Taurus injectors. Before tune I was using SVT Contour 19# injectors. Nothing 3.0 will run safely on stock Cougar 17# injectors.

Would it benefit from larger valves? Probably. But that was more work than I wanted to do. It's making 200 wheel, up from 150 wheel on the old fully dressed 2.5. So I can't complain.
 
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#4 ·
You can use your 99/00 heads but you have to block off some oil or coolant feed/return holes. A better option is to source a set of 01/02 heads. They line right up.
 
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#7 ·
I have some plates laying around somewhere. I'm not ready to part with the plates yet, but I would be happy to send you some tracings if you wanted to make your own. It wouldn't be hard.

Tuning for these cars is tough to find anymore. Thats a big part of why I don't have a running Cougar right now. Any build at this point should be built to run on day one without a tune, then get tuned later on when a suitable tuner can be found.

Full 3.0 has the most potential, but it's also the most difficult build, requiring a lot more creative problem solving than the other choices. Lots of us have solutions for those problems, so it's not impossible, just the hardest.

Hybrid is the simplest path. There's a lot to be said for simple, but I don't think I would do it with the early heads. I have some SVT heads and a 3.0 block in my basement that I have put together before and I don't like the look of the holes that need to be plugged. I would be very concerned about both leakage and adequate oiling.

Port-matched is the cheapest, and gives you the benefit of the larger valves. I understand B3nn3t's aversion to carving up the heads, and I have my own concerns about effective fuel mixing, but the truth is that a lot of people have done it and its proven to be just fine. I think there's still a case to be made for a port-matched build.

One concern with both Hybrid and Port-matched, is that the intake manifolds become limiting on top power levels. For a normal driver, it's probably not a big deal, an SVT intake should be good enough to keep you happy.

Historically, there was a lot of debate about whether 3.0 cams or SVT cams were better. Both camps dug their feet in but nobody could really prove it one way or another. Today, I think SVT is the most direct path to a good running car, but 3.0 cams are very useable if you can't get all the SVT parts.

For SVT cams, use the SVT injectors and SVT PCM. This is probably the best running combination you will get out of the box, and you might even decide its good enough that you never even bother to get a tune, even though you will be leaving a little power on the table with the SVT injectors.

For the 3.0 cams, I would use a Cougar PCM and injectors. Cougar cam profiles aren't that far from the 3.0 profile so it should run okay from day one, but will be limited by injector capacity until upgraded and tuned.
 
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#8 ·
As far as the ECU goes - you don't NEED an SVT ECU if you're getting a tune; any ECU can be tuned to work flawlessly. But if you want to drive it around untuned, your best option is the SVT unit; the car will run acceptably on that as long as you use the 19# injectors. The 19# injectors are only good for a little over 200 wheel though, so if you want to safely tune to the max, you need to move up to 24# Taurus injectors. I made 188 wheel on an untuned SVT ECU, and 200hp/205tq after the tune. However the tuner took out the IMRC function and smoothed out the powerband from 3000-4000 RPMs and gained A TON of power/torque in the meaty part of the rev range, just where you need it (max torque hits at 4250 for me).

The SVT heads are the same basic casting as the 99-00 Cougar heads in that they won't mate up perfectly to the 3.0 block and will need to have some oil passages blocked off - which I think is a pain, and asking for failure. For my money, for the most safe and seamless hybrid build, one needs to get hold of a pair of 01-02 Cougar heads. Ideally with the bigger valves and a little port job if you can afford it - but I didn't want to spend the time or the money and I don't feel like I missed out that much.

And I agree, the SVT cams don't seem to make much of a difference compared to the 3.0 cams; supposedly the 2004-2005 3.0 cams are slightly more optimized for performance than earlier 3.0 cams, which is why I used those. And personally I think the 3.0 cams give you better torque numbers.

I love talking about this stuff.
 
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#10 ·
A lot of great info from you guys. Damn, b3nn3t (and mmc) you have made one hell of a convincing argument. It sucks my current heads would have to be discarded, but the local pull a part has an 01 cougar so maybe that could be my first grab. Does an SVT intake need any fabbing to work, or mostly a bolt on? I can usually get heads done from true to valve seals for 270 a piece.

Found a 04 taurus motor with 23k, for 750$ thatd work well maybe.
 
#13 ·
Found a 04 taurus motor with 23k, for 750$ thatd work well maybe.
Provided that’s actually a Duratec Twin-cam engine that sounds like a good buy. You can’t use the OHV Vulcan 3.0 V6 that was in most Taurus’, which are usually the cheap ones (because they are lame).
 
#12 ·
As long as you have split port heads the top end will go together like its stock. UIM and LIM are interchangeable between SVT and non-SVT. The SVT parts just flow a little better.

A few years ago I put together a 3L for an SVT contour I had with 01/02 2.5 heads and SVT UIM/LIM/TB/injectors/ECU. It ran great without a tune, but I’m sure there was more power to be had. It was a cheap daily driver though and I wasn’t concerned about it.

If something were to happen to the engine in my current SVT I’d build the exact same thing again.
 
#15 ·
Yes, SVT Contours were only made in 98, 99, and 2000. All came with the 2.5 SVT V6 and a 5 speed.

Lots of people here probably have hoards of those parts. I know I do.
 
#17 ·
Man, 10 hour swing shifts are the worst. Anyway...

Yes, SVT Contours were only made in 98, 99, and 2000. All came with the 2.5 SVT V6 and a 5 speed.

Lots of people here probably have hoards of those parts. I know I do.
Great, when the time comes to get a particular part, maybe I can put some money into some members pockets.

As far as ECUs from SVT Contours go - there are A LOT of different ones, but only 2 that we can use due to differences in the PATS security system, and which one you need depends on which fuel system your car is equipped with. Most of the earlier SVT Contours use a different type of PATS system from the Cougar, so they won't work.

Returnless Cougars need the XGT1 ECU, which I believe was only found in the 2000 model year Contours. Return-style cars will use the SFG2 ECU if I remember correctly, and I have one in my parts stash that I would love to sell — with a matching PATS key chip — if you or someone you know needs a return ECU.
Great! how much are you needing for them? My car's build date is 4-28-99 so i'm pretty sure its a return style. Maybe I can work it into the budget next.
 
#16 ·
As far as ECUs from SVT Contours go - there are A LOT of different ones, but only 2 that we can use due to differences in the PATS security system, and which one you need depends on which fuel system your car is equipped with. Most of the earlier SVT Contours use a different type of PATS system from the Cougar, so they won't work.

Returnless Cougars need the XGT1 ECU, which I believe was only found in the 2000 model year Contours. Return-style cars will use the SFG2 ECU if I remember correctly, and I have one in my parts stash that I would love to sell — with a matching PATS key chip — if you or someone you know needs a return ECU.
 
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