supercharging?

[BerniniCaCO3]

For dreams, maybe to be reality if I save up for a few months, I'm contemplating supercharging.

I've now got a stock HO engine with the mustang forged connecting rods, gt40 heads, stock HO intake.

I would really just want to up the lower rpm torque, so, supercharging may be for me.
It would also be bolt-on simplicity.

I'm wondering...

a) there are lots of options for mustangs. But my intake is backwards, and my accessories are probably arranged differently, though I've never looked at a 5.0 mustang. Would any of the bolt-on mustang superchargers still work, easily, even?

b) I just rebuilt my engine. Another day... but right now I DON'T want to have to tear it apart again. Been there now, had fun, don't want to redo it so soon. I know that with boost, sometimes compression ratios are an issue, and you need to go to dished pistons to accommodate the extra air without blowing stuff up. Could I keep my engine as it is, really pretty stock, or would i need to change out piston tops?

c) with the effectively higher compression from a supercharger, would i then have to shell out for premium gas? Although... the cost of a supercharger setup would equal a year's gas budget for me, so if I'm considering supercharging, then I might have to reconsider whether fuel costs are still any sort of priority. But, make it too expensive, and I won't be driving the car anymore and won't be having any fun, so yeah, it's a fair question.

Btw, I live in the 600-3500 rpm range and don't often stray out of it, if that affects suggestions. Looking for something that would take me from the 220hp a stock HO is supposed to be good for, to maybe 300? I still can't do a burnout ;-)

[gadget73]

nothing is going to be a direct bolt-on. Belt driven centrifugal chargers would be easier for plumbing purposes. They're essentially a belt drive turbo, air in, air out, just connect the pipes as needed. They don't make pressure at low RPM though, so you'll have power response relatively similar to a turbo car, meaning turbo lag. You'd want to couple that with a looser converter to minimize this but I kinda doubt you'd get a lot out of it from 600-3500 rpm.

A positive displacement blower would make a lot more bottom end torque though since it makes pressure basically from idle on up. Kenny-Bell makes one for the HO, and once upon a time they made one for the Lightning. Lightnings have a GT40 lower intake and it points the same way the Panther part does. If by some miracle you find one, it should more or less bolt up with some creative accessory work. The old KB setup for the Mustang and Mark VII was like 6 psi, and intended to work on a completely stock engine. It did so fairly well, and while it probably did want premium gas, it didn't require anything exotic or retarded for engine internals. I'm assuming the Lightning part was not significantly different in performance but thats just a WAG.

[sly]

I really wanna see a drag vid of ADTR's rocket couch

Novi 2000 and other toys. I wanna see what it can do.

[packman]

Instead of supercharging, you may want to look into a topend upgrade. Yes, it will involve half tearing down the engine, but you're going to have to do that with teh supercharger anyways. For the cost of a supercharger, you can get a Streetburner topend kit from Trick Flow and get as much, if not a little more power that's n/a. Just my.


Packman

[1990LTD]

What gears does your car have out back? imo now that you're finished with the actual building of the motor, I would make sure the drivetrain is up to the task and suited for what you want out of it.


4.11 and a TL unit would be the best money spent for push-you-back-in-the-seat right now imo

[sly]

4.10 in my Mark... it moves pretty good I must say. tends to surprise people. It's only got a basic HO swap (swap, not conversion).

[sly]

4.10 in my Mark... it moves pretty good I must say. tends to surprise people. It's only got a basic HO swap (swap, not conversion).

and for funs... t-shirt: "Don't charge, Supercharge"
http://www.redbubble.com/people/fina...ge-supercharge

[mrltd]

Instead of supercharging, you may want to look into a topend upgrade. Yes, it will involve half tearing down the engine, but you're going to have to do that with teh supercharger anyways. For the cost of a supercharger, you can get a Streetburner topend kit from Trick Flow and get as much, if not a little more power that's n/a. Just my.


Packman

Why? No reason at all to tear down a motor to put a blower on.

A.Nothing is bolt on. Most of the stuff to toss a centrifugal on wouldn't be too difficult. All you would be able to use is the head unit most likely- and the fuel management from a kit.

B. Yeah, just swap out those replaceable piston tops. Most kits were designed for stock motors.....so.....

C. Depends on the amount of boost, static compression, head design and tuning.


If you can't do a burnout with an HO, something is SERIOUSLY WRONG. A stock lopo can do great burnouts.

[packman]

How much power would a blower make on a HO motor (since we're not changing pistons, how much psi?)? How much is the blower? What application would we buy the blower for (definitely not a Panther, perhaps Lightning?)? Accessories, would we have have to change them or get different brackets and such? Other than a possible ECM change (if the car isn't mass air already), I imagine you wouldn't have to go through all of that with a good topend package. Though the whine of a supercharger would be nice.


Packman

[1990LTD]

You'd need some fabrication skills.

[johnunit]

There are universal turbo/blower tubing kits, where they give you 20+ feet of tubing in all sorts of shapes with a bunch of connectors and you piece it together with little to no fabrication. Assuming you could get a foxbody bracket to hold the actual blower that would involve minimal fab work.

[mercurygm88]

Why? No reason at all to tear down a motor to put a blower on.

A.Nothing is bolt on. Most of the stuff to toss a centrifugal on wouldn't be too difficult. All you would be able to use is the head unit most likely- and the fuel management from a kit.

B. Yeah, just swap out those replaceable piston tops. Most kits were designed for stock motors.....so.....

C. Depends on the amount of boost, static compression, head design and tuning.


If you can't do a burnout with an HO, something is SERIOUSLY WRONG. A stock lopo can do great burnouts.

How did you get a stock lopo to burn out i can barely break the tires loose on wet pavement let alone burnout on dry pavement?

[mrltd]

How did you get a stock lopo to burn out i can barely break the tires loose on wet pavement let alone burnout on dry pavement?

I floor it?

I have many witnesses of my bone stock wagon going sideways at ScottFest 1.

I hold the brake and floor it. Not much to it. Heck, my 91 stock except for a flowmaster on the stock SINGLE exhaust ran a 17.35 and I did a HUGE burnout at the track with it. First car in this vid is my HO converted 87.... then my 91... notice the giant cloud of smoke.

This is my stock wagon with a PI rear bar and a 3.73 trak-loc rear....And a flowmaster....on the stock exhaust (had a pair from a mustang....the other was on the 91)

The 87 vs. the 91 HO converted, lightwieght, gears, etc... vs 2.73's and a flowmaster on stock exhuast....All the screeching is from the 91.

[mrltd]

How much power would a blower make on a HO motor (since we're not changing pistons, how much psi?)? How much is the blower? What application would we buy the blower for (definitely not a Panther, perhaps Lightning?)? Accessories, would we have have to change them or get different brackets and such? Other than a possible ECM change (if the car isn't mass air already), I imagine you wouldn't have to go through all of that with a good topend package. Though the whine of a supercharger would be nice.


Packman

buy just a head unit for a mustang, or get a m90 from a supercoupe, or GM product and fab the stuff up. We put a Paxton from an F150 kit on my buddies 2.3L carbed motor....wasn't too hard. Plenty of scrap built m90 projects. Also plenty of bolt on blower kits for mustangs putting down 300hp+....On stock HO's

[86VickyLX]

My Lopo did great burnouts.