i have been trying to think of a way to build a low budget (relatively) high horse engine for my 88 Sport, thinking around 375-400hp to avoid block splitting without having to buy an aftermarket block.
i am definately going with an explorer engine with an aftermarket cam. i'm thinking about building a homebrew turbo setup for it, but turbos can get expensive. i noticed on ebay that stock turbo coupe turbos are pretty cheap, could get two of them for under $400. i know that the explorer heads have relatively small valves, but so did grand nationals and look at what they can do......
so my question is: has anyone ever seen stock turbocoupe turbos used on a 5.0? i don't know much about turbo sizing, but i do know that a 5.0 is only .4 liters bigger than 2 2.3's, so i figured maybe they would work....
Yes,you can put two turbo's from a TC on a 5.0L.
Try to get T3 turbo's from the 86 and earlier TC's as they where a bit bigger(more boost could be had without turning into heat pumps) than the IHI's on the 87-88.
However the IHI's should work as your probably going to go with fairly low boost(under 10) on your 5.0L so they should be ok as well.
The headers can be had off ebay for 150.00 and TC turbo's as you said are cheap.
However the expense comes from making all the exaust and intake tubing required as well as buying an intercooler(a must)and making up oil and coolant lines.
I know a guy who used two T3 tc turbo's on his 88 stang and was well over 400hp with low boost(i think around 7-8psi).
Block splitting territory on a 5.0L can be anywhere if you don't have a good tune.
I run a Vortech SQ-Trim at 14psi with heads,cam,intake combo and am right around 500hp.
Have done so for 3 yrs now and the block still lives.
Just goes to show what a decent tune (and staying under 6000rpm)with a 5.0L can do.
5L/2 = 2.5L, so yes the TC turbos are more or less properly sized for a 5.0 if you use two. I agree with everything dominator said.
Another angle you might consider is a single larger turbo mounted at the rear of the car (maybe a T4 or Holset). There's still fabrication involved but maybe less expensive than if you mounted two turbos in the engine compartment.
FYI, personally, I don't think rear mounted turbo(s) would work for me, but do appear to work well in some situations.
AndrewBeedlr on here has used the T3 turbo set up for twins on his 5.0L, and I plan to do the same with my Cougar whenever I find work again. :(
Check out toohighpsi.com . there is a portion where it list everything you would need to copy his set up, and its in like an 85 bird I think.