The regular old plain-jane 2.3 at it's best had 109hp... in 1974, and it went downhill from there, though fuel economy eventualy went up a little bit (heck, in 1974, a 2.3 Mustang II or Pinto could do 30mpg plus... and it still had a points-triggered distributor and a 2-stage 2-bbl. Holley!)
The 2.3 Turbo is both the same and different, the displacement is the same, but the pistons are forged in the turbo motor, the connecting rods are a slight variant on the old Boss and 289 hipo designs, the block is modified for oil feed and return, and the intake and exhaust manifolds for each are unique, as is the cam.
An N/A 2.3 can be built to scream... for some big money... but only with either a full aftermarket EFI (I'm still contemplating a Holley 4-bbl. TBI on an Offy 4-bbl. 2.3 intake... lol...) or a carburetor (You'd be surprised how big a carburetor a stock '70s vintage 2.3 can run with just an adapter plate, I drove mine for a few days with a 600cfm Holley 4-bbl., it idled at 1500rpm, but it took off like a shot from a cannon! The factory EFI systems for the EFI 2.3s, while based on the same basic principles and architecture as the 5.0 EFI systems, aren't really all that upgradeable.
Hey Dawrr? When you say "late 80s" T-bird, do you mean the 1983-1988 Thunderbird "Turbocoupes" or the 1989-1991 Thunderbird "Supercoupes"?
Two different animals, the "Turbocoupes" are 2.3 turbo cars, while the "Supercoupes" are 3.8 Supercharged cars.. Both were awesome in their own right, but I'd take an '87 or '88 Turbocoupe any day... over almost any other Ford. (The four exceptions would be a 1978 Mustang II King Cobra, a '71-76 Thunderbird with a 429 or 460, a 71-73 Mustang convertible, or a 1963-1968 Thunderbird.)
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
hey so can anyone suggest some quick cheap upgrades for the 2.3 n/a. Imma get a 2.3T but till then i wanna do somin here.
Could i gut the intake upper and port the lower, then use them on my 2.3T?
about how much hp could i get from that and a cold air intake?
ne other suggestions?
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As you may have guessed- I'm a young gun with dreams of pimpin' my baby 2.3n/a into a fire-breathin Shadow Runner.
so far:
1987 hatchback mustang
2.3L, replaced to a '89
Air silencer removed
t-5 all the way
1400 watt sound system w/ twin 12" chrome subs
-The shadow runner was a legendary chinese horse that could outrun its own shadow[/size]
Greatest Move Is To Dont Waste Your Time And Especially Money Tryn To Upgrade The N/a.....not To Many Parts For That Motor Anyways.....just Get The Turbo And Go From There.....
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-1988 Mustang LX-
-Concept X9 Hood And Full Body Kit -All Black High Gloss Paint -Black 17x9 Pony Embelm Five Stars With Chrome Rivets -Reconstructed nterior -Smoke Tail Lens -Smoke Corner Headlights -Z3 Fenders -Dark Window Tint
-Short Shifter
SOON TO COME... 1985 FUEL INJECTED TURBO ENGINE FROM T-BIRD INTERCOOLER UPPER INTAKE LOWER INTAKE EXHAUST SYSTEM BOV
Greatest Move Is To Dont Waste Your Time And Especially Money Tryn To Upgrade The N/a.....not To Many Parts For That Motor Anyways.....just Get The Turbo And Go From There.....
no way it wont b a waste. what im talking about would fit onto a 2.3T. If i could beef up the injectors and fuel pump and get a response then that would also transfer into the 2.3T. I want ram air for my car eventually, so i can add that 15-20 hp easy, also will b made to fit both ways...
how about a 3 inch xhaust that xits under the car? when i get the 2.3T ill just need the downpipe.
i wanna do somin now...not waste my time waiting. but i dont wanna go overboard and try to get 300 hp outta a n/a.
cheap easy upgrades is the name of the game.
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As you may have guessed- I'm a young gun with dreams of pimpin' my baby 2.3n/a into a fire-breathin Shadow Runner.
so far:
1987 hatchback mustang
2.3L, replaced to a '89
Air silencer removed
t-5 all the way
1400 watt sound system w/ twin 12" chrome subs
-The shadow runner was a legendary chinese horse that could outrun its own shadow[/size]
Well Like I Said Theres Not To Many Parts For The N/a....and Just Cuz There The Same Engine Doesnt Mean..u Can Take You N/a Part And Put It On The 2.3t...hell And If U Can U Might Now Be Able To Get The Same Amount Of Hp...
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-1988 Mustang LX-
-Concept X9 Hood And Full Body Kit -All Black High Gloss Paint -Black 17x9 Pony Embelm Five Stars With Chrome Rivets -Reconstructed nterior -Smoke Tail Lens -Smoke Corner Headlights -Z3 Fenders -Dark Window Tint
-Short Shifter
SOON TO COME... 1985 FUEL INJECTED TURBO ENGINE FROM T-BIRD INTERCOOLER UPPER INTAKE LOWER INTAKE EXHAUST SYSTEM BOV
Well Like I Said Theres Not To Many Parts For The N/a....and Just Cuz There The Same Engine Doesnt Mean..u Can Take You N/a Part And Put It On The 2.3t...hell And If U Can U Might Now Be Able To Get The Same Amount Of Hp...
i know u can do that. all u need is an oil return line. other than that the blocks are exactly the same. Get the internals and blah blah blah and u got urself a 2.3T. Problem is cost. U will still need the donor car unless ur willing to spend thousands on parts such as the turbo itself, the computer, fuel pumps, brakes, etc, etc.
but yes u can get the same amount of hp, on a block that prolly has less wear. but that will be marginal. The intakes from my old 87 will bolt onto my new 89 engine, the 84 TC 2.3T and even the 88(89?) TC.
as for parts there are plenty if u look around, and mostly u dont need parts, just port and gut away and ull get plenty of power. If u wanna go crazy u can get a used volvo head and slap dual cams on it. All can polly b done to both.
my question, before i got in a debate with J.Quality , was if those cheap upgrades would work. I know if i port and gut and get a cold air intake, then imma need more fuel to keep that car from being lean. So will larger injectors do it?
true id be already on my way to that 2.3T but then i dont ahve to go out and buy more parts for it when i do get it! Swap those upgrades into the 2.3T and i should b over 300 hp. My goal would b 400-and i should get that with a cam, a decent intercooler (of course), methane injection, and some good clean 93 pump gas!
sorry for the essay
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As you may have guessed- I'm a young gun with dreams of pimpin' my baby 2.3n/a into a fire-breathin Shadow Runner.
so far:
1987 hatchback mustang
2.3L, replaced to a '89
Air silencer removed
t-5 all the way
1400 watt sound system w/ twin 12" chrome subs
-The shadow runner was a legendary chinese horse that could outrun its own shadow[/size]
its injected into the intake like nas, its made by snow performance. it cools the intake air, like No2(cept more), and has explosive potential! u can run it with nas i've heard...but im not too sure if i want that much exploding.... bottom end might not b able to handle it.
no i dont think id get a 2.3T for a while, i need the space and i still at home with my parents now. but yea, neone watchin this heated debate with ideas?
also i wanna completely rebuild the 2.3t, get all the parts, and fab what i can, and get a beater b4 i take my daily off the road.
__________________
As you may have guessed- I'm a young gun with dreams of pimpin' my baby 2.3n/a into a fire-breathin Shadow Runner.
so far:
1987 hatchback mustang
2.3L, replaced to a '89
Air silencer removed
t-5 all the way
1400 watt sound system w/ twin 12" chrome subs
-The shadow runner was a legendary chinese horse that could outrun its own shadow[/size]
Now, now ladies...........let's not get our panties in a wad! Yan Jin, there really isn't much you can do to wake up a N/A 2.3 short of spending alot of cash. Forget the injectors. However, you did have a good idea with the 3" exhaust. It won't make alot of difference with the N/A, but it'll be easily adaptable and really wake up the Turbo motor. Throw a CAI on your N/A for now. The N/A motors were built for economy, not performance, plain and simple.
If you're just antsy to fix up your car, spend some money on asthetics. Bodywork, paint, ground effects, wheels, etc. Or, save your money for that 2.3T!
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'89 LX ragtop with turbo'd TC motor - Thunderstang!
'86 Turbo Coupe (daily driver)
'88 Turbo Coupe (parts car)
The 2.3 cars are fairly slow. A good driver, and a 2.3 LX notchback with a 5-spd and the optional 3.73:1 posi will still be lucky to keep up with your Neon assuming both are stock and non-turbocharged.
That's not to say things can't be done with either/or.
My 2.3 in my '74 Mustang II (which is a bit lighter than the 79-93 fox-body Mustangs) with it's 4spd and 3.55:1 rear gear would quite likely dust your Neon in the quarter (assuming your Neon is stock) with it's Motorcraft 2150 carburetor, emissions delete, ported intake and exhaust manifold, Sealed Power Camshaft, electric fuel pump and fan, and 2" glasspack exhaust, Accel coil and wires, NGK plugs, Bluestreak points, and Zoom clutch... but, of course, it left the factory with 20 more horsepower than the EFI 2.3s, and has even more due to my mods.
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
Evintho is right, The more you spend now on your N/A 2.3, the less you'll have down the road for the 2.3T. The only big pickup in power you can get out of an EFI N/A 2.3 is nitrous oxide, and even then only if you're running a mass-air 2.3 and are willing to settle for only a 75hp gain (well, you "can" run a 100 or 125hp kit, but you'll likely toast the engine fairly quickly, might get a few passes before she blows, but really, a few 15-16 second passes and then a big mess to clean up would hardly be worth it!) If you bought higher-flow injectors now, they would "fit" your current 2.3, but would likely just make it run rich or flood it, the turbo engine later on would be able to handle them, but your current one probably wouldn't, the stock 19 lb injectors are actually a little on the rich side already in an N/A 2.3 EFI if you keep your foot in it too often.
You can pretty much do your exhaust, transmission, rear-end, and any ignition upgrades you want now, those will carry over fine (just make sure you get a free-flowing muffler, not a baffled or delta-flow type like a Flowmaster, they don't work as well with turbos as they do N/A, a Dynomax ultra-flo would be ideal), but the fuel system, intake/head work (which is only going to pick up about 15-20hp in itself) and much else powertrain-wise would be best left for later.
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
What about those hoses coming out of the air box, wut do i do about those? Smae twith that hose going from the header into the box, do i plug that up?
What is the diameter of the throttle body? If i took an import intake aboput 3" wide...would it fit?
About the tube thing that goes from the manifold to ur air box u can just jerk that dam thing outta there, it really doesnt do anything. after u take that off, you can make it look better if you take off the heat shield , most likely the bolts will snap off but thats no biggie. After u take the heat shield off the manifold it willl make the engine look half ass better than it did before. i really dont no anything about the two lines ur talking about that go to the top of the air box, I wouldnt do anything to them i took them off my car tonite to see if it would make any difference and it didnt at all so u can leave those lines discvonnected.
I want to say thanks, even though I didnt start this thread, cuz I'm in the same boat as Travis clear h20. I just bought a 2.3L 92 two weeks ago, and everyone else says"there's nothing you can really do these motors were built for gas mileage and that's it. Well, so are all the "ricers", but they pull off some (admit it) decent stuff with those cars. So thanks for actually having some ideas.
, was if those cheap upgrades would work. I know if i port and gut and get a cold air intake, then imma need more fuel to keep that car from being lean. So will larger injectors do it?
