[Cracker289]

Hi,

I have a 90 model Mustang with the 2.3 four banger. I want to upgrade it to turbo, but I need to know the "DO's and DON'T's".

What turbo's can I use to convert mine? A turbo from a factory 2.3 SVO Mustang is a given I would think, but what about a turbo from a Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, or a turbo from an XR4Ti?

Is it worth the time and effort to use a used factory turbo from oneof the cars I mentioned, or am I better off buying an "aftermarket" turbo from Garrett or something?

Will my factory computer still work fine, or will I need to get some sort of Ford SVO computer?

I'm looking for somewhere in the neighborhood of 200 horsepower, I'm willing to do some work on the induction like a hotter cam (suggestions?) and larger vavles. Any guidance from you guys who have hopped up a 2.3 is greatly appreciated!!

John

66 Coupe - 289
90 convertible - 2.3

The best advice I can give you is to buy a turbo motor, computer, and engine harness from a junkyard or wrecked turbo 2.3 car. Your car comes with cast pistons from the factory, which are far less forgiving under boost. Also, the turbo cars such as the turbo coupe run with whats called a vane air meter...it's sort of like mass air, but it's not. What it does is instead of having a mass air flow sensor, theres a vane (kind of like a sheet of metal on a hinge with a spring trying to keep it closed) in the intake tract. The computer uses the distance the vane is opened to measure how much air is getting into the motor. People have tried upgrading to turbos off the mass air systems and in this case, it simply doesn't work very well. Save yourself some headaches and buy the entire turbo motor setup in one shot. You can get it off a turbo coupe, xr4ti, or any turbo ford.

[Cracker289]

Thanks for the tip. I'll just try to find an entire turbo donor car, and then rebuild the engine before I swap it in. Probably upgrade to forged pistons? What kind of compression should I go for, I know you need a lower compression ratio on a blown on turbo'd engine, compared to a naturally aspirated. Something like 8:1?

Thanks for your help.

[351GT40]

you may do an internet search for a site called 2.3L mustang something it details a stwp by step 2.3L turbo swap into an early 90's mustang 2.3L

[carguy65]

Yeah your going to want the turbo motor. They block and heads are a little differnt and it would be less work because the oil cooling lines and stuff are already there. I love my 1984 Turbo GT. You can pull your motor out of a Turbo Coupe, Cougar XR7, Merkur XR4ti, Turbo GT, Capri RS Turbo, or a SVO so there are enought to go around. You may want to buy the whole car and check local laws before starting into it.

[Cracker289]

Well getting a motor out of a turbo T-bird or Xr4Ti might be a good idea, but I really like the idea of getting a new SVO 2.3 block and building it from the ground up. That way I know what I have. I guess I need to visually check out my existing intake setup against a turbo setup to see what sensors are different, etc. Since the turbo blows upwind of the throttle body, I should be able to use my old computer, right?

[carguy65]

No you will not beable to use your old computer unless you have a custom chip made for it because of Air and fuel and about a million other things.
Ford does not make the Turbo 2.3 blocks anymore the 2.3 n/a block and the 2.3 turbo block are slightly differnt. You would be better off buying a XR4ti or Turbo GT or the later 80's Turbo Coupe and swaping from there. Now if you get a Turbo Motor core I can get you a complete factory rebuild. As far as looking at a motor Ford had about 5 different intakes they used on the 2.3 turbos from 1984-1989 so thats not the big deal. The Turbo cars also came with a watercooled oil cooler system, and the later t-birds came with pretty large intercoolers. The XR4ti, Turbo GT and early T-birds and cougars never had factory intercoolers. The housing on the turbos is differnt if you have a intercooled or non intercooled car. Because if you get a factory intercooled car your going to have to change the hood using an aftermarket svo style hood. If you get the early non intercooled cars your going to need to get a adapter elbow from turbonetics so you can run a front mount intercooler. now your going to want to run the front mount intercooler if you want to keep your stock hood. If you want to give me a call feel free to do so.
1-800-775-0101 ex 3030 I amd the speical projects director for California Mustang I drive a 2.3 turbo car to work everyday. you can check out my photos to see the motor in my car.

Talk to you later

[351GT40]

if anyone needs 87-88 turbo coupe stuff, let me know, i have alot of it.
engines, trans, wiring, turbo parts, intercoolers, blocks, tons of stuff for 2.3L turbo, and v8 mustang parts for upgrades (suspension)
later!

[140cilx]

Originally posted by Cracker289
Well getting a motor out of a turbo T-bird or Xr4Ti might be a good idea, but I really like the idea of getting a new SVO 2.3 block and building it from the ground up. That way I know what I have. I guess I need to visually check out my existing intake setup against a turbo setup to see what sensors are different, etc. Since the turbo blows upwind of the throttle body, I should be able to use my old computer, right?

-this would be an unnecessary excercise in spending your money. The bottom ends are identical turbo blocks car to car, I have 2 turbo engines w/ 150,000 on each, and you can still see the cross-hatch on the cylinder walls, compression is still great, no ridge at the top of the cylinder. A used engine versus a new engine is likely to show you no increase in performance or durability. Change the seals, replace the rings, crank bearing and rod bearings, you've got a like new engine.

I'd contact 351GT40 and get started. The '87-88 TurboCoupes have the easiest wiring harnesses to adapt to your car, just a few wire changes and your done. PM me if you'd like some links to walk you thru it.

[Cracker289]

I'm not positive I understand what you mean. When you say the engine blocks are the same, do you mean all turbo blocks are the same (Mustang SVO and Thunderbird SC), or do you mean that all the blocks are the same, for the SVO block, the regular production blocks, and the turbo blocks?? If the bottem end is basically the same, then I would like to step up to an SVO block and it seems like it would handle the power better. As far the heads go, I was thinking of going with the SVO cast iron head which has larger valves and a roller cam. But I don't know how well this will work with a computer controlled turbo engine.

Thank you and everyone else for all your advice so far, I'm learning a lot and it's helping me decide which way to go. My goal is about 200 horsepower, just enough to make sure I don't get dusted by 5.0 Stangs and riceburners!! LOL.

[140cilx]

Mustang SVO and Thunderbird SC

Totally different engines. The SVO is a 4 banger, the Thunderbird SC is a V6.

Otherwise, back to what you were wondering, what's the difference from one turbo 4 to another is nothing. Bottom ends are the same and interchangeable. Going w/ a SVO block w/ not give you a stronger bottom end over a TC or Merk block.

The SVO, Merk, TC heads are all the same w/ NO difference in valve sizes. You do have some cam choices, but the heads for all of the turbo's (SVO, TC, Merk) will accept the cams interchangeably so you are not restricted to looking for a specific year or model head. You can even use the naturally aspirated 2.3 heads w/ a few minor changes - but that's another topic.

My point is, find the cheapest, yet still good 2.3 turbo block and head, it's likely to be in as good a shape as the next. If a low mileage engine (less than 100k) and a high mileage engine (over 200k) have both been maintained properly, sitting them side by side and checking the cylinders, measuring compression, checking bearing wear, you often won't be able to tell the difference between the two. They are strong tough engines.

200 hp is nothing, and you'll hit that goal just by dropping in a stock turbo 2.3 and putting a K&N cone on your VAM.

For more fun, add a $40 boost controller, K&N, Front Mount Intercooler, porting the intakes & E6, 3" downpipe, bigger fuel pump and Adjustable Fuel Pressure Regulator (AFPR). These are enough to put your car closer to the 300 hp level and you are not even getting fancy yet, just doing the good solid proven upgrades.

My '84 SVO is mostly stock w/ just a few upgrades: K&N & TC intercooler & Ric Gillis Boost Valve. I've not had a 5.0 or new 4.6 even give me a challenge locally. I can put many car lengths between us in a race in a short distance, most often I don't even bother breaking the rear end loose. I'm running 18 psi by the way. Nor has a Camaro beaten my SVO and I've got a couple of late model ('96 & '00) buddies that have tried. One of them is a LT1 or LS1 (forget which goes in the Camaro).

The SVO won't get any more mods until I finish the '88. The '88 I'm shooting for 400 hp, and that's still 300 hp under what some of the top guys are getting out of their 2.3's!

[Cracker289]

Yes I know the T-bird SC is a V6, I must have had a brain fart, I meant to say turbo-coupe. My question about the engine block was not "are turbo blocks the same" car to car, but are turbo blocks the same as regular blocks, or SVO blocks, and if not do you know what the differences are.. If I can use a regular block then it makes more sense to just leave my block in the car and change everything up top, but if I definitely have to have turbo block, then it makes more sense for me to get an engine and build while I am still driving my car with the naturally aspirated 4 banger. At any rate I'm gonna have a blast once it's all done. LOL.

[140cilx]

the n/a blocks are SOMETIMES the same.

Some n/a blocks have a OIL RETURN PORT cast into them just like the turbo blocks. You would just drill and tap this and you've got an oil return from your turbo. Other n/a blocks do not (my '88 doesn't) and you've got to tap the oil pan.

Either way of getting the oil back into the pan is fine - and those blocks are fine.

There have been some hilarious urban legends about the turbo blocks being "x-rayed" for integrity checks at the production line, or using a higher nickel content than their n/a brethren, but they were all just legends and that stuff dispelled.

[Cracker289]

What does "n/a" mean in reference to the engine block?

[Cracker289]

Naturally Aspirated.. DUH.. I can't believe it took me an hour of scratching my head to figure it out, and I figured it out JUST after I hit "submit" on my previous post.. LOL.