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Topic: 1988 Thunderbird from Sweden (Read 49991 times) previous topic - next topic

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #150 –
Here's a video of some driving!
YouTube video:
Video Preview Image

Only half throttle because I'd just blow the headgaskets to hell if I'd floor it. Which sucks because I know that if I would floor it, the thing would just rocket away like a madman on heroin! Which it did last time before it blew the headgasket.

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #151 –
sweet man I love that sound

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #152 –
Went to a weekly car meet today. One of the nicer ones during the summer.
Love the mix between american cars and european classics, tractors etc.
Today was well over 300 cars in that field!
Sorry for the bad pictures, forgot the phone with the good camera at home.
My T-bird there

Panorama view in bad quality

Awesome Panhard!

Panhard engine









A very cool sleeper minus the seats


Some more overview

An old Celica!

Edsel Ranger

Aston Martin DB7



Some old race car


Peterbilts

An INCREDIBLY nice Volvo F88! Fabulous! Every single part was just absolutley perfect!



And lastly, if you know what this is I will give you a cookie!
Hint, it's a Swedish sportscar!



That was a nice warmup for Power Big Meet that starts on wednesday. If you don't know what it is, it's one of the worlds biggest car meetings. In my town of 130k residents there's about 14 thousand american cars. Best weekend of the year ;)

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #153 –
nice pics looks like a cool show

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #154 –
It's a very nice show. Old Ferraris and such too. Fun seeing more cars than just american cars even though they're the best ;)

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #155 –
And the fun is over, engine is knocking.
I believe that the S/C belt was too tight and has sheared the front crank bearings. Only a theory though.

I was just about to place the order on the transmission and so on, now I need to buy a new engine instead! Oh well...
I'm looking at a 427w from Fordstrokers with a Dart SHP block. On top of that I'm thinking AFR 205 heads, Victor Jr intake and so on. Start off with the D1 on it and eventually get an F1R for it.
Aiming at 800RWHP when done. Which will take time though.

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #156 –
Quote from: Thunderbird88;418159
And the fun is over, engine is knocking.
I believe that the S/C belt was too tight and has sheared the front crank bearings. Only a theory though.

I was just about to place the order on the transmission and so on, now I need to buy a new engine instead! Oh well...
I'm looking at a 427w from Fordstrokers with a Dart SHP block. On top of that I'm thinking AFR 205 heads, Victor Jr intake and so on. Start off with the D1 on it and eventually get an F1R for it.
Aiming at 800RWHP when done. Which will take time though.

 
Not a surprise to have the SO engine give it up quick!  It served as a mock up to get everything in place.:D

A blown 427 and a D1 shouldn't have issues with 800 RWHP though a manual trans.  Automatics are a bit different, the converters play havoc on dyno readings.  It'll still make great power!  Just depends on what you hope to accomplish and the importance of dyno numbers.

The F1R has the ability to push way beyond 800 RWHP even with an automatic.

Consider a bigger head.  TW CNC 205 (~$2k), High Ports (225's ~$2,200) are options.  There are others, just depends on how much more you may be able to spend. 

The Victor Jr would be a restriction unless heavily ported.  There are other choices, but any option you choose will need some porting to keep up with the heads. 

The flat hood is going away with the 9.5" block, so picking a Trick Flow Box R (~$800) may be good starting point, or a modified Super Victor. 

Freezy74 on Corral has a great reputation on blower cams. 

Woody at Fordstrokers will offer options if you outline your goals.  If the end game is an F1R, build it for that, and you'll only build it once!

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #157 –
Kaase P-38 Heads would be real sweet on the stroker block :evilgrin:

http://www.jonkaaseracingengines.com/component/content/article/231-kaase-p-38-heads.html

At $2500 for complete set of heads, ready to bolt on which includes valve covers w/gaskets, that seems to be a good price :burnout:


86' T/C 4.6L DOHC
16' Chebby Cruze 1.4L Turbo
17’ Peterbilt 389 600hp 1850ftlb Trq 18spd

[SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]

“Heavy Metal Mistress”
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1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #158 –
86T-bird: Looking through the options maybe 225's might be better. I just don't want to overdimension everything and make less HP than what I would with smaller heads.
Which intake do you recommend then? As far as I've understood the Victor Jr is a very good flowing intake. Yes, factory hood is going away, gonna run a 5" cowl hood so I have space.

I'm thinking of buying a shortblock from Fordstrokers. It's either that or get it built in Sweden.

I've been doing some thinking and I'm gonna stick with the route of ordering my transmission, hood and stuff I wanted and meanwhile when I have time I'll tear down the engine and replace the bearings (not sure it is the bearings but I think so) and then just atleast keep the car drivable. Because if I'm gonna start building a new engine for it right now it's not going to be drivable for atleast 2 years.
So meanwhile I can drive the car, I'll build my 427 on the side.
Maybe the 427 build/order of parts will start in spring, but for now I'm going transmission :)

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #159 –
Quote from: Thunderbird88;418348
86T-bird: Looking through the options maybe 225's might be better. I just don't want to overdimension everything and make less HP than what I would with smaller heads.
Which intake do you recommend then? As far as I've understood the Victor Jr is a very good flowing intake. Yes, factory hood is going away, gonna run a 5" cowl hood so I have space.

I'm thinking of buying a short block from Fordstrokers. It's either that or get it built in Sweden.

I've been doing some thinking and I'm gonna stick with the route of ordering my transmission, hood and stuff I wanted and meanwhile when I have time I'll tear down the engine and replace the bearings (not sure it is the bearings but I think so) and then just at least keep the car drivable. Because if I'm gonna start building a new engine for it right now it's not going to be drivable for at least 2 years.
So meanwhile I can drive the car, I'll build my 427 on the side.
Maybe the 427 build/order of parts will start in spring, but for now I'm going transmission :)

 
On the intake:  I'm very familiar with the 8.2" deck Vic Jr & Sr.  For the minimal increase in height, there is a massive difference in runner size and how much straighter the runners are to the intake ports.  The Jr, out of the box is matched to a Fel-Pro 1250 intake gasket.  The Sr, out of the box is matched to a 1262.  Flow numbers are significantly greater on the Sr. and runners flow more evenly.  I have never compared the 9.5" deck versions of these manifolds, so the difference may not be as dramatic, due to them being wider and taller.

On the heads:  Don't buy into the myth of too big of a head.  GM is putting 245CC heads on 6 liter truck motors that pull 5,000+lbs and make power everywhere.  It's poor cam selection which results in a poor performer and getting a custom cam is the way to ensure you get one that meets your needs.

I believe your plan to get the trans is prudent, as even a de-tuned version of your combination will tax any automatic which isn't stout. 

Hate to be a downer on what you may find on tear down, but I suspect there is more than rod bearings causing the noise!  Cast pistons & 14 PSI... 

Anyway, IMO it's not worth putting a dime in an SO engine (even if it is just bearings), nor is it worth putting in a stock 8.2" block with a better rotating assembly - with the blower combination you have.  Either option is a grenade and you've just experienced little it takes to light one off! 

Food for thought:  Since you intend on moving to a 9.5" block in the future; put in a basic 351 Windsor now.  It'll still have cast pistons, but if the boost is kept low and the tune safe, you won't spit the block with the power it can make. 

I've seen a stock Lightning short block (with hyper pistons) put 680 HP to the wheels.  Back in the early 2000's (when Lightning short blocks were new & cheap from Ford) Lido Iacobelli of Alternative Performance ran 9's with one consistently with ~20+ pounds of boost.

Being in Sweden, 351 Windsors may be in limited supply, much less a Lightning short block or long block.  But hey it's just a suggestion!

Hope you have good luck on getting a plan together.

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #160 –
Oh, cheers for the info on the Victor intakes! It's those I've had in my mind for this car but ofcourse I'm open for suggestions. With the 427 I don't want to cut corners, I want everything the best (within reasonable limits ofcourse) and a serious combination.
Yeah, ofcourse, maybe 225's are the better option then :)
Oh yes, current combo can rip the AOD apart so that is a must fix anyhow.

The engine I have does have forged pistons in it. It's not a fully original SO engine ;)
I can atleast check what's wrong in the engine, give it a try. Unfortinetly I'm always on limited time because I'm working in China most of the year now.
Yeah, putting a standard 351 in it could work but I feel it's money down the drain. Money that could've been spent on building the most badass engine I've ever had.

But I'm going to order the transmission and other misc parts which I know I want and then sit down and start putting up a list on what I actually want inside my engine. Not going to rush it.
And I want 800RWHP. Either if it's 801 or 815, doesn't matter. Aslong as I'm over 800 on the wheels through an auto I'm happy :D And I want to keep the boost down a bit. Maybe maximum like 14 psi? Is it doable?

Another video my friend apperently took of my car the day before shiznit went down :) I just absolutley love the Procharger sound! And now I know how much noise it actually makes on the outside, I like it!
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=633440379999506&set=vb.100000006503345&type=3&theater

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #161 –
If 800 RWHP through an auto is the ultimate goal, the D1 is too small and you'll need more than 14 PSI.  An F1R or F2 will have plenty of pumping power to push the boost necessary.

There is no hiding the sound of Procharger!  People turn to look to see what's coming.

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #162 –
I know the D1 is too small. But I'm going to start out using the D1 and later go over to F1R

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #163 –
I've just placed an order and paid for a new transmission! 1200hp rated AOD from Freddy Brown Performance. Also with a 10" torque convertor.
And I'm going through the process of ordering a 5" Cowl Hood from VFNFiberglass too.
Then I'll need to order a few order parts and then start saving up for the engine and make up my mind on what I want on it! :)

Also found two brand new OEM grilles on Rockauto.com! There's 11 remaining, grab them while you can!

1988 Thunderbird from Sweden

Reply #164 –
great looking cars,
I will bet you are the only one running the roads in a bird over there?

nice work