So my twisted mind has decided that the next project I will save money to waste on is a Kenne Bell blower;): http://www.kennebell.net/superchargers/ford/mustang50/mustang50.htm I think it would make the car more, uh, fun :D. The question I have is would I be better off spending the money on a good set of aluminum heads and a nice custom cam instead? I know the heads and cam would end up being slightly cheaper than the Kenne Bell but I just like the blower idea for all that instant torque that will make the car feel like it has a big block:burnout:. So any opinions? None of this will happen till next year as I need to save some money. I like to only buy stuff for the car when I have money so I don't end up in credit card hell.
I say...................do both! LOL
Ive always wanted a Kenne Bell also.....maybe someday.
well, heads and cam will be cheaper in gas too. but i see you have a daily driver car so i say go with a kenne bell. your car will be faster and when you pop the hood, im sure your going to smile every time lol. you also dont see all too many 5.0s with them, there is a cougar on the site that has one, you should find him (it should be easy, he will probably check this thread out) and see how much he likes his. but i say kenne bell that beast!! BTW PLEASE get some better tires for drag racing when you make your decision this time!!!!!!!!
In my experience the cost of the supercharger was small compared to all the ancillary costs to have done right in an attempt to get some reliability and driveability.
Of course you can always go the cheap route and and just slap the unit on and go. But it's likely you'll end up with down time and piecing it all together gradually. In any case it's likely you'll spend a lot more than you may expect (or it seems lots of guys abandon the project, there's lots of used superchargers for sale...).
Upgrades which are recommended: the fuel system (pump and rails), ignition system, valve springs (more spring pressure), head gaskets and head studs, fuel injectors, MAF meter, Meth injection & custom tune.
Then if you are sucessful, upgrades to the transmission, rear end and suspension to be able make use of the power. At T-5 or AOD won't live long behind an extra 100+ of torque. 28 spline axles & traction lock will give it up if you have traction.
Not my intent to discourage anyone from doing this, just want to provide a little bigger picture as to what may be involved to get it all working well. It can certainly be done, but go in with a plan that's complete. It'll minimize disappointment and frustration.
I do enjoy the power of my supercharged Thunderbird, but prior to doing it I had a pretty simple H/C/I, T5, 3.73 28 spline that ran 13 flats.
I added about 150 HP and 100 lbs of torque. Then I added a T56 and 31 spline 3.55 Tru-track before I broke something. It's tons of fun, but thousands more than I antited...and it took a year to sort it all out!
Can't go wrong doing a H/C/I one year and then save up and do the SC at a later date!
You know I never thought about all the other stuff I'd be breaking with a Kenne Bell:hick:. The trans is probably the only thing right now that wouldn't have to be upgraded as it's rated to 500 hp/500ft/lbs torque. By by head gaskets and rear end. I think I may just save up the money and get a nice head and cam combo from Jay Allen so I can have a nice solid 13 second car:D
Intercooler would be my choice first.....
You'll glad you did!
In my experience these things alway morph, getting things you can "grow into" makes ton's of sense.
Quote:
Meth injection
Intercooler would be my choice first..... Absolutely, I did both...
Couple issues with that though...
1) Meth injection - $few hundred, custom intercooler for KB $couple thou
2) no standard intercooler available for KB kit on pushrod motor.
Oh, and I'd settle for the heads/cam - you can still put a KB on it later if you have money to burn. The heads/cam really wake up a KB setup - I have both and it's a wild ride for sure.
Here's me just pulling the drivers side tire at the track:
(http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e360/Domeskull/Launch4-15-09.jpg)
And yes, I've broken 2 differentials this past year - the weak link after 31 spline axles/tranny etc.
Assuming you already have the support pieces, all you need for a 13 sec ride is a set of Trick Flow heads and Stage one cam... My fat girl went 13.11 on a 50* evening and would run 13.3s all day at 75-80*...
That's not bad. I'm pretty sure that our cars are about the same weight (~3600lbs with no driver). The trans will hold up fine to more power. I'd need an 8.8 before I got drag radials or slicks though;)
I'd still save up for the intercooler, but that's just me. It's always there, no refilling
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/DTL-187C145A/
;)
It's amazingly quiet and well mannered on the street. I run this exact unit in my Mustang.
I've never heard that the Detroit Locker is either quiet
or well mannered - what's up with that?
I can barely hear the thing when it ratchets on a turn. If I have the radio on, it will drown it out with normal adult volume (not 3000 watts a-la 19 years old :hick:).
The occasional thump can be heard now& again, but compared to the older design it's a coochcat.
Well, 1st I broke the E-Locker, now the Trutrac - if the Trutrac is fully busted (not sure yet, it's acting OK for now, but haven't been to track again), then I may have to invest in a Detroit Locker.
5 months later and I still want a 6psi Kenne Bell;)
There goes your "factory" look.
You should be at low 13 now with what you have.
It'd be a Thunderbird SC;)
Considering a 93 Cobra with basically the same engine ran a 14.4-14.5 in magazine tests and weighed ~500 less I'm not doing that bad, kinda:hick:. I should be able to get a couple of tenths out of the car with some practice. I'm hoping to trim about .2-.3 off the time next year with some practice.
in all honesty, i would finish start with heads/cam/etc and work your way up to the charger.. not to mention, you need to beef up the drivetrain to handle it.. don't know what you have for a rear, but i would go for a 9" as they're stronger than the 7.5 and 8.8, but that's just me and what i do lol
I also need traction. With the 225/55/16s the car will kick out to the passenger side if I punch it from a stop....
mini tub, through floor subframe connectors and a nice set of 8-9" wide drag radials should help you hook lol
Haven't seen very good power out of a KB on a pushrod motor.
I like a KB on a mod motor but not a pushrod
SORRY
But like Mark said needs plenty of supporting mods to be enjoyble
Vortech now has a 5-6PSI kit that uses an internally lubricated supercharger. I was shying away from Vortech because of the engine oil feed line.
The SC is still a bit of a ways off though. The next items on the list are subframes and torque box reinforcements in the spring after the car's winter nap. Then I need a new rear so I can run slicks;)
The car is driven pretty sedately on the street with no stupid street racing. The car has enough power to get me in trouble right now but I want a little more for the 3 times a year I go to test and tune:burnout:
1.7 L displacement and the fact that almost every one you see is on a car with stock heads/cam.....
Lou, if you have the same motor as me, shouldn't you be all set to go with a SC without changing anything? I just ask, because I'm not that knowledgeable with motors.
The engine and trans aren't the problem it's the rear end and chassis. The engine right now makes some where between 260-300 hp (who knows where as it's never been on a dyno) and adding a 5-6 psi supercharger would boost that to 350-400 hp range. The car needs subframes and battle boxes before that kind of power. Also I'm pretty sure that my 7.5 would give up the ghost. The 7.5 is fine right now but has not been tested at the track with slicks. I'm pretty sure slicks+track=broke 7.5:hick:
Right now the engine is strong enough that if I punch it from a stop it will get squirmy and leave two 20-30 feet black lines (I have to do a bit of counter steering;)). Then on the 1-2 shift it will squawk the tires again:burnout: At 45 mph if I punch it the car will actually spin the tires for a second while accelerating....
I get it now. thanks for summing that up for me
Personally, with a good intake heads cam and exhaust, you could be in block splitting territory. I would love to do a kenne bell, but I would also have to upgrade so much, it wouldn't be worth it in the long run. Save up for a good set of aluminum heads, get a better intake, and go to town.
Go for good heads and cam first, you probably won't even want the SC(They have a great WOW factor though)...
The '88 Bird I had for a short while that had the Windsor Jr heads, ported stock intake, stock HO cam & 3.55s, was a dog compared my Trick Flow headed/cammed TC, and a HO was a dog compared to it...
Do yourself a favor and go back and read what you wrote in post #5. Jay Allen or Ed Curtis (both are great guys and know what they are doing) can get you a head/cam combo to go with a good intake that will make great power. You can have them grind you a cam that will make good power NA and will really come on with some boost. I have an Ed Curtis setup and it makes right at 315 rwhp / 325 ft-lbs torque with the 302 in my Coupe.
Several of the guys have hit the nail on the head with comments on what else you have to change with the addition of the blower. Typically with the fuel system it is things like the injectors, fuel pump or adding a booster pump, and tuning the car. The stock fuel system other than the injectors and pump usually does not come into play until you are making hp in excess of 500 fwhp and then its just the fuel rails. I have seen several cars making up towards the 500 rwhp range on stock rails at HPP Racing over in Dallas so its a number I am comfortable throwing out there.
Some blower kits come with a new MAF but I think that depends on the amount of boost...not sure here as I do not own one but you always hear and read about what came with brand X's kit.
I think what it comes down to is building a motor that is set up for boost or nitrous and you will be safe adding it later on down the line. This is small stuff like gaping the rings, studs on the bottom end and the heads, girdles both on the mains and the rockers, good gaskets, and possibly getting the Fel-Pro Loc Wire head gaskets and having the receiver grove put in the heads. Lots of choices and lots of figuring out how much power you want to make and what your wallet will let you do.
On to the rear end...a 9 inch. Oh boy, the age old argument of how strong it is compared all the other rear ends in the world. Granted the 9 inch is a beast but with that beast comes a price tag. To install a 9 inch you will either have to buy a housing that is already jigged up to bolt into a Mustang or jig it up yourself. A properly outfitted 8.8 will handle a bunch of power. You will most likely not break a properly built 8.8 with a 302W based power plant. There are quite a few of them behind 351W based power plants making in excess of 700 rwhp and 700 f-lbs of torque that are doing just fine.
Good luck with it as a blower under the hood not only looks good the whine sure gets that attention really quick as well. I am a bit of a ProCharger fan due to the self lubricating factor and they just seem to make more power but they are pricey.
Darren
A blower, heads, etc is not going to happen for awhile so I have some time to think about what I want to do. My project for next year is subframes and battle boxes as well as some misc. interior work (new dash cap and some rear seat refreshing/repair). I'm also going to see what I can do about a rear axle as well. As for now it looks like the silly power upgrades won't be comming for about 2 years.
Lots of good comments here. I love the KB, but it does require a lot of ancillary equipment to get right. You can get away with 6 psi with not too much work, but inevitably you will want to up the boost - happens to everybody. And yes, you need to do a lot of welding onto the frame in order to stiffen it up to handle the torque. I had to limit my launch RPM to 3000RPM in order to stop breaking differentials. Granted, I still bring the front wheels off the ground at launch. With sticky tires, I still sometimes get that roller-coaster lost stomach feeling when I gun it.
If I was goin to pick a S/C ProCharger would not be on my list... "there custmer service
SUCKS" Have had to deal with them sevral times on custmers car They are over priced and will not sell you parts to rebuild your owe blower.
The 9in would be OVERKILL for a street car. There are guys goin Low 8's in the 1/4
with 8.8's
Just my 2 cents again