Ford Performance F303 Performance Camshaft (85-95 5.0L Mustang)

Video Review & Installation

The Ford Performance F303 performance camshaft is a great choice for any '85 to '95 5.0L pushrod Mustang owner who's looking for a boost-worthy camshaft with a perfect mix of high lift and long duration. It's a choppy one that's perfect for supercharged applications, but works well with naturally aspirated motors too, with the right bolt-ons. Now everyone knows that the 303 cams from Ford Performance are pretty affordable coming in at just about 200 bucks a piece. Now the installation, however, is pretty involved. You'll need some knowledge and some expertise, so get the full 3 out of 3 wrench rating out for this difficulty meter. Now if you're looking for an affordable, reliable camshaft for your pushrod motor then Ford Performance's F303 cams, otherwise known as the alphabet cams, are a great choice for the motor. Now the F303 choice I have here isn't the first in line. It's a more serious option that's got a lot more to offer. Let me break down the options for you in the alphabet cam lineup, and let you know what's best for each application, then wrap back around to the F303. Now the first in line here of the alphabet cam series is the E303 cam which is actually a camshaft I've had on my own '95 Cobra. It looks pretty good, it's not too crazy, and it's got a very nice muscle car choppy sound and feel to it. It made a good amount of low-end torque which makes the E303 cam perfect for street driving and very light track runs. It's a great starter cam. Now if you're looking for something a little bigger, then the B303 cam is the next one in line. It's a nice step up from its predecessor and it's still street-friendly. Just the peak power moves up a little bit to the mid-range at the RPM band. You can expect more power at that peak than the E303 since it is slightly bigger. So the track benefits are a little more noticeable here. The sound is even choppier because of that too so expect some serious muscle.Next in line after that is the F303, which often referred to as the boost cam, because it's more suited for forced induction setups. It'll perform best under boost, making really impressive power. And it's really because it's a happy medium, again, between the high lift and long duration, like I said in the beginning. Now don't get me wrong, it performs well in naturally aspirated 5.0s but under boost, you'll appreciate it even more.Now the next two cams in line, the X-cam and lastly the Z303 cam, will be pretty much your track dedicated camshafts. You get the most lift out of all the alphabet cams with those two, the biggest chops, and the most power, especially at the top end. Those may require more modifications than the previous cams. And expect them not to work as well on the street. Those two are meant for the strip only. Now back to that F303 cam here. You'll be able to use your stock 1.6 rocker arms but it is recommended to have bigger flowing heads and an intake if you're planning on upgrading to the F303 cam since it is a much larger cam than the basic E303 or even the B303. Lot of information. It's taking my breath away. Now the stock 5.0L HO cam advertise specs for intake and exhaust duration are 266 degrees and lift being .444. Now the F303 specs are advertised at 288 degrees and .512. This is one of those cams that makes driving forced induction motors a lot more fun. And you'll see the best gains under that boost but adding heads and an intake, headers, exhaust, and other bolt-ons can go a long way for good gains on those stock or naturally aspirated motors. It only runs you about 200 bucks for the cam as well. And since it's not that dual overhead cam, you're looking at that single in-block cam. Now the installation for the cam is going to go, without saying, requiring some know-how and expertise and of course the proper tools and time. Full 3 out of 3 wrenches on our difficulty meter here for this one and have the entire toolbox on deck if you're tackling it yourself. You're not working at the top end of the motor like you would be with those dual overhead cam setups on the 4.6 so this may prove to be a little bit more difficult for you. Overall though, it'll take a better part of a day to complete the job, and if you're not familiar with it yourself, there's no shame handing it over to a professional to get done properly. Just make sure you tack on that cost to the final price tag. Wrapping things up, if you're the owner of a '85 to '95 5.0 pushrod Mustang, you might want to check out the Ford Performance F303 camshaft which is available right here at americanmuscle.com.