I just got a old 86 Thunderbird with the 5.0 in it. As you can see from my sig im used to driving a kinda fast car (putting on bigger turbo's right now, gonna have at least 600AWHP...) and was thinking about fixing this one up as well. I was just wondering would it be better for me to get a 80's mustang GT and make it into a drag car or would i be just a well off with this one? Because i heard they are heavier, but i would probably just gut mine. O and what kinda times do these cars run with a procharger kit?
Well my self i like beating on stangs talons and of couse the twin turbo Stealth with my cougar when i had it. Now my T bird has to do that same thing. Its nice to do so in something a bit difrent then what everyone else is using.
Now for a all out race car the t bird will do. I would say your better off with a T bird over a stang just because the T bird can be a little more stable then stangs are.
Waight when done for all out drag car can be much the same for ether car if u put time into doing the car right.
Power well stang t bird or any rearwheel car can be made much the same all u need to powerfull motor dont mater what make, Good race preped tranny setup. Susp well a 4 link or laderbar can be made to fit anything. So i think your on your own here.
Like when u started the Stealth I bet there were people telling u to do bubble civic with H22 or someone telling U no man get a talon.
Each to there own.
Well i guess i will wait for another repo car with the 5.0 and i hope not everyone else is using the TT stealths, ive only seen one and i own it..., this one thunderbird i have is kinda cool but it is ugly as a dogs dick... And you never mentioned what one of these cars runs with a procharger at about 15psi?
Well were i live i see few stealths and Mitsubishi 3000GT VR4 twin turbo Same thing realy. A bunch of Mazda RX-7s, Nissan 300ZX and the Toyota Supra's all pay on the streets here.
Your right never said what times any car runs with a procharger kit.
I know there is cougar thats streetable with a SC SB that runs high 9's
There are bunch of stangs ranging from high12s to high 8s
Now if u call high 8 sec car on race gas a street car so be it i dont.
My car is just old ugly 85 T bird with 351W and some help from a big blue bottle.
I have 2 in there just because i can.
with the stock 5.0, unfortunately about as fast as the tow truck can tow it.
typically 100 lbs is about 1/10th a second in the typical street car. the tbirds are a good half second slower on average id say. there is ALOT of weight in these cars that can be removed though, as specially in a dedicated drag car...
you gotta remember, the engine in your Tbird is NOT the same as a mustang engine, 15psi wont do you any good on the stock engine by any means, pick up a mustang short block, stick some good heads, cam ,and intake on it, 15psi, and then you might have something pretty nasty
I have seen a stock 88 T bird with a SC slaped on it did OK.
Nice SB with SC should be built with a forged piston and right compression for boost.
Good rings and HI prs oil pump, Stock crank and rods can take a nice bit but for price it cost to redo stock rods u can get a set of scat, Eagle or summit rods.
A good SC cam and a set of good AL heads roller rockers then u have a nice motor for boost. U can go with 331 stroker or 347 and boost that.
Why a procharger how about a turbo setup or Paxton, Powerdyne, Vortech.
Each company has difrent power levels.
Well i found some prochargers on ebay, and i already have a turbo car kinda wanted a SC for something different
http://www.kennebell.net
Am I the only one offended by his sig? This is not a dodge forum..... If you insist on having that thing in your sig please downsize it alot. I'm no moderator but jeesh have some respect... put a pic of your tbird on here.
Doesn't bother me much more than any other big picture sig bothers me. Hell, I sometimes wonder if my own sig pic is too big.
Trust me you do not wanna see my bird lol, we repo'ed the car from a woman who lived in it. NASTY shiznit... Why would a sig bother you, ive been to tons of car forums and sometimes people drive different cars and never once have i heard of someone saying they were offended by the car they drove or there sig pics...
Hell i dont care if u have old lady in the sig.
I have no prob seeing your TT in your sig.
Most ones i see are ether parked or behind me :)
Probly cause i'm on dialup... F'n dialup Other than 1 or 2 mustangs and a handfull of lightnings your the first outsider.
It's kind of nice that an outsider takes an honest interest in these cars with bashing them. The physical dimensions could be a little smaller, but it doesn't really bother me. Welcome to the site by the way.
U should post a few pics of the T Bird and let us see how bad it is.
to be honest with ya bro, we've had members with some serious clunkers, and some serious shiznit buckets, but tbirds/cougars are what we do, so having a few pics of a clunker is still pretty cool, because theres still interest in it, and yours will have potential if youre looking to build a race car
like any fox bodied ford, it is as fast as you pay it to be. the 5.0 in these are pretty weak, but if you get a doner motor, or a 351 outa a van or truck, build it up a bit and toss on some boost they can be a mean drag car. I bit longer so they are a bit more stable under power and you can lighten up a bunch. would be differnt than a mustang that is for sure.
Have a little respect? :disappoin I'm thinking I should change my sig to this.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v613/oldraven/336205_60_full.jpg)
Get over it, man. He can post his car if he wants. At least he's willing to accept and appreciate another brand, unlike yourself. Something I like to call an enthusiast. Notice he
didn't come in here talking shiznit.
Oh, and welcome to the board, man. It'll be nice to have another non-Ford fanatic on the board who can't help but like T-birds. :)
Thanks for the backup everone lol. Im gonna go get some pics of the car in a minute but you have to remember this is after i cleaned it...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/Tbird/tbird031.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/Tbird/tbird032.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/Tbird/tbird033.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/Tbird/tbird034.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/Tbird/tbird035.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/Tbird/tbird036.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/Tbird/tbird037.jpg)
Ah hell....ive seen worse man. doesnt look like rust has gotten the best of it yet.... plenty of hope and potential left in it. as specially if your gonna gut it for use as a drag car...
That's not that bad. It looks pretty rust free, actually, excluding where it looks like it hit a high curb on the left front fender.
And it's an '87-88. The '86 is a four eye.
well as a drag car, you don't need console, dash cap and you'll replace that shifter anyway. not too bad, doesnt' look like a rust bucket and her stance is pretty straight. that 5.0 SO will have to be upgraded, but that is not too hard nor expensive (relatively).
needs a bit of tlc but not bad over all if you didn't pay too much for her.
Love the rim's did u atleast get 2 of the smae kind of rim with it.
Not to bad a car if you looking to build a race car out of it.
Good thing is u realy dont have any big dents or rust holes from the way the pics look.
Dash is dead and seats look like . I had a 87 3.8 bird given to that was a red on red and i parted it out.
I dont how much money u have in the car as it sits right now but if u wanted to fix up some of the car u get most of the parts for these car cheap. If motor and drive train work well maybe sell it and keep your eyes open for another one or look into 80 82 stang for a drag car.
There are so many roads u can go when you are thinking of building a drag car.
1980 TR7 with 302 Hint hint LOL
check out http://www.coolcats.net with the H.O. conversion and that will get you to stock mustang specks, maybe a mid 15 second or so car for just a few hundered dollars. then from there on out you can just checkout the mustang boards and lie ant tell htem it is a stock mustang and that you need pointers. mustang guy dont like us for some reason..... welcome to the board, I dont mind a dodge here and there.
They hate it when a T bird or a cougar kicks there @ss
I payed about $7,000 for the car the other day...
Just screwing with you, I got it for free. Anything under like 6,000 is cheap for me to spend on building the car. Does have a weird smell though... :toilet:
Thats a good price.
I would like to see more of the TT if u have time to post.
I have a good vid of my cougar pumping a AWD talon on a roll as well as from a dead stop.
Looks like a decent bird to start with. The Birds can't weight much more than the stang. Back when the Turbo Coupe came out it would take the same year v8 stang. Besides the bird was designed for Nascar. It still holds the fastest time and top speed at Daytona & Talledega. That should tell you how stable it is at high speed. Also with the added wheel base you got better highway feel. Besides with a Ford you can't loose the name says it all First On Race Day. Thats what counts!
Now that's comedy.
I *just* get finished posting a pet peeve on another board.. how people use "loose" when they meant to say "lose".. I mean literally, I hit Submit and then clicked over to read this topic, and there it was. :p
Like I said over there: Lose is what the Packers do.. loose is what you find all over Tijuana. :p
OK, hijack over. (I couldn't resist)
Heres some of the TT, just dont ban me lol
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/3si010.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/3si007.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/3si012.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/stealth.jpg)
The V6 that is gonna be putting V-10's to shame shortly
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/tbird019.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/EnginePics001.jpg)
what kind of turbos are on those?
i used to have a Turbo Dodge, a 600se (K-car), and now my turbo thunderbird
Those are stock 9B's, like the smallest turbo's in the world but for some reason stock for stock the car can run with/past stock supra's even though they have way bigger turbo's... The turbo's im getting are 16G turbos, and are good for 700AWHP from what ive heard...
16G's are pretty sweet, especially for a twin turbo V6 setup
what are you doing in the name of an intercooler?
For right now im upgrading my stock side mounts to DSM side mounts since they do alot better job, and later on (maybe now if my dad and me can save money else were) we will get a FMIC with all hard pipes...
http://3s.dejonpowerhouse.com/edit/1-03.htm
Before you bash me about only loving tbirds (wich would be wrong since I own a Cougar) old raven look in my garage. 3 (count em 3) 73 Nova's, 78 K10 and an 82 Trans Am. If I had a choice I would sure as hell be driving my yellow Nova over this worn out Cougar but its too expensive. I think the 3000GT/stealth is one of the coolest cars ever built and I would surely own one.
EDIT Had to add a car of a differn't breed to my sig :D
Cant beleive im the first outsider. Makes me kinda feel weird that im the only one smart enough to take a interest in something besides just a mustang with a 5.0, besides all of you of course...
well, youre not really the only outsider, many of us have differnet vehicles
the only reason im into ford is because of the thunderbirds, if it wasnt for these, id be a mopar boy, i started off with a 1971 Plymouth Scamp with a 318, got my 3.8L thunderbird, then got a 2.2L turbo Dodge, then got my turbo coupe
Well your TT looks good.
Would like to see what u could do with a T bird if u had the time to do so.
I almost bought one a few years ago.
Well i might not be able to do to much, gonna be broke because of all the money im dropping into the engine of the stealth. Just something about a V-6 killing guys with V-10's who thinks there cars are bad. But i know i would get the Tbird into the 10's if I keep it for more than a year...
As a FYI.. Your car is a '87 Sport, they are starting to become fairly rare... Several of our members would be glad to own it...
BTW... Welcome to the board....
No problems with that. :) It just sounded like you were dissing his car really bad. I don't have a heck of a lot of respect for that kind of attitude. Glad you cleared it up.
Like Shawn (Tbird232ci), I'm only a T-bird guy (but Cougars and LSC's have grown on me since I've been here). I'm actually a VW/GM guy who can't stop buying T-birds. :giggle: I have a Ford and a Jeep in my garage, with a Chevy parked out side. Obviously, I have no use for brand bashing. ;)
Tom, how can you tell it's a Sport? Console? Gold pinstripe (or is that just weathered chrome?).
Sport because it has the blacked out trim around the window, along with the console and floorshifter and 87 because of the seats.
It should also have a full digital dash.
Nice. So, only the TC's and Sports had the black window trim? I've never noticed that. :)
i didn't even think about the fact it was a floor shift, so many of you swap those in I just glanced right by it, but yep that looks stock, so you prolly have a sport,
better rear end and suspension. very good base.
some here prolly has the VIN code for the sport model.
Shouldn't that be an Anolog Cluster? I know the 88 sports got the buttstuffog but I don't know about the 87's
I can see were he got 86, maybe he looked at the door tag. I saw a 87 tc at the shopping mall that was stripped down but the door tag said something like 9/86 on it or 10/86. Probly one of the first ones ever.
They always sell the following model year, usually starting in September. For instance, the 06's have been on the lots for about a month now. So the majority of 87's would have been built in '86, if not sold in '86.
Yeah it does have the digital cluster, i was surprised to see that when i got in it...What all did you guys say i needed to do (besides regualr maintance) to get this car ready for a turbo or supercharger?
Now days seems like the new modelshiznit the dealers by mid summer. But back when our cars were built, they usually started mid/late August and the model run went to mid/late July. I have two '88 TC's built in June '88 one in May and had another built in July '88.
The thundergrowl '87 TC, is also a late build... June 1987.
my cougar was a late one i think 10/88 i cant remember..... i'll have to find the paper for it
Well you would have to do all same basic things to the T bird motor to make it a turbo motor as u would have to do to a Non-turbo stealth to make it a turbo.
Right way would be forged lower comp pistons, Good rings, In bosst was going to be high O ring the heads, Cam for bosst head work, Reprogramed computer or a new one with right fuel settings. Bigger injectors better fuel pump and lines.
Then ubgrade tranny tork conveter. rear end work susp work the list can go on.
Depends on how fast and how much boost, 6lbs can be done on stock bottom end and not have to many probs, 22lbs Hmmmmm BOOM soon
Man im reading in a mustang mag, and they got theres in the 10's for under like 2500 how in the hell...
dont belive everything you read man.(specially if i wrote it :rolleyes: ) its like watching monster garage with a 1500 dollar budget but they get 8000 worth of freebies. it pretty much doesnt happen....not impossible though. it takes a lot to get into the 10 sec club
It lists every part, 99% are from ebay... They got slicks for $200
http://www.toohighpsi.com/BudgetTT/BudgetTT.htm
though prolly not what your looking to do as you already have one! hehe.
I sent him that link in PM lol.
www.turbomustangs.com (http://"www.turbomustangs.com")
Here's an awesome site for turbo v8's
Nick
Thanks for all the sites, i checked them out... But i think we are gonna sell this car and im gonna just wait till i find a cheap 5.0 foxbody. If you guys live anywhere around GA just let me know if your interested in the thunderbird. We will sell for real cheap...
it already is a cheep 5.0 fox body.....:dunno:
man, sport, with floor shiznit and better rear end.. don't know what else you want. and mustang is going to need the same engine work as this car. oh well. to each his own.
And here I am thinking to myself; "If I only had a Sport as a starting point..." :hick:
If I was you man, I'd keep the Bord, let everyone else and their dog have a Stang....not that I'd refuse to own a Stang myself, but you know....it's a Thunderbird thang!
i'm sure you could sell it pretty quick here, if it was a decent price. I would buy it if I had money and my wife wouldn't divorce me if I bought a toy car rigth now.
We are selling it for $500 if anyone is interested just let me know o and i found some kinda old flowmaster exhaust kit in the back that will be sold with it, also it has a brand new alternator...I like those old mustangs, call me a British cigarette but who cares lol...I will get a banner on the window saying **** mustangs if that will make you guys happy...When i get one that is.
Here is some parts for the stealth that came in today...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/parts002.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/parts001.jpg)
hahah we don't HATE mustangs, just like tbirds/cougars more! hehe. it will save you a few pounds though.
well if your going to go for a all out car then a stang is a better then the T bird from a racing point of view.
Myself i like te be diffrent so T Bird Cougar Mark 7s are the way i like to go for now. Look for 80 81 notch stang there the lightest and u can do anything U want to it.
Good luck
Hey guys i havent been on in a while, i got some parts for my car:tg: and figured id share some pics...O and i have a friend with a XR7 and he wants to know what he can do for about $500 to make it have more get up and go? I told him nitrous and he said he didnt want that...
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/7373c856.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/e313fe67.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v41/Trab123/heads003.jpg)
500bux will get you an ho swap and maybe gears if you do the work yourself. best bang for the buck by far i think. its a "bolt on" 75hp. sence im guessing its a v8 already, all he needs is the engine and computer, found easily from a junkyard. swap took me less than a weekend.
whats an HO?
HO = High Output, the 225HP 5.0 found in Mustangs.
SO = Standard Output, the 150HP 5.0 found in T-Birds and Cougars.