Hey everyone, this question has probably been asked about 1 billion times but for some reason my search feature wasn't working right. I'm turning 17 in a few months and as my first car I want to get a 87-93 mustang. I really wanted to get a 5.0 but I got my insurance quote back...and long story short that ain't happenin' However, not only is the 2.3 gonna make me have much lower insurance, I realized its potential for a fast car. My question is, are there any turbocharger kits that you could buy, or are the turbos for 2.3's created from junkyard parts. Thanks everyone, I'm sorry if this question has been asked before
Best bet is finding a Thunderbird turbocoupe and doing a complete engine swap. Stinger has the best site for information. http://projecthp.ford23.com/turboswap.html
Keep in mind that if you insure your 2.3 as a naturally aspirated motor and become involved in a incident where there is a major liability incurred, If they figure out you have a 200hp turbo motor and not the 105 hp motor they insured you on, It is very likely they will not pay out and you will inherit the entire liability including court costs. This may also may become a court action where your wages are guaransheed(sp) until the debt is paid. In summary, honesty is the best policy even if it isn't the easiest route.
I don't think they care it's turbo'd. When I insured my SVO the only box the agent could indicate for engine size was 4 cylinder. This made me smile. -but anyway...yeah, a turbo four is a lot more fun than a n/a 5.0 imo.
I just went in to State Farm to re do my insurance and I have asked this question of the engines and they stated and I have seen where the box is for the engine size. As stated by 140cilx there is only 4, 6, and 8 cyl engine. they they look at body style LX GT or Cobra. I would also agree that since the vin number states a 105 HP 4cyl N/A engine, and the change will at least add 95 HP to the powerplant with just the engine swap, and more if you do mods or have additional items on there. So in this aspect I will agree with Dan'l and say that you will need to make sure that your insurance knows it and is aware of what you have and this will also allow your insurance to cover your investment, which will be important to cover your assets, and Liability
Like Emysterio said, the best thing would be to find a Already Turboed Ford, cause a turbo kit and installing it would be very high priced. You could get a turbo thunderbird or turbo mustang from a junk yard. They say look for one thats wrecked bad, so you know thats why its there and not the engine. Insurance for 17 year olds is very high, I'm 17 too. I was gonna turbo my 86 Mustang until I found out it was a 3.8V6 already.
Ditto the engine swap, either a Turbocoupe or a Merkur (the wiring harness is easier) will work wonders. As long as a 2.3 resides in the engine bay, insurance companies don't care if there's an iron lung of a turbo hanging off the side. Turbo "kits" are for the import pansy-asses, junkyards hold all your answers. An entire engine, wiring harness, ecu, manifolds and all shouldn't be more than $400-$500 and you still have the original 2.3 for spare parts too. Check turboford.org and use the search button for loads more info.
I know When I did my 77 chevy ( I know I hate chevys) truck I had to put that I had over sised tires and that I got some beefier parts on the engine and that It a 4 inch lift. other wise my agent said I could get in alot trouble if I got in a bad wreck. Like Dan'l said it's beter to be honest and maby pay the lilte bit more for it then get in to deep later on.
or do what i did. buy a 5.0 and put full coverage and be lucky and only pay 75 dollars a month. but in order to do that 75 a month you would have to be best friends with the agent and have your mother as the daily driver. you know since women always get cheaper insurance. it was gonna cost ME 300 for full coverage on my mustang. full coverage on my mother was 75 fuggin dollars damn women. BUT i got pulled over in my mothers nissan sentra 1.6liter 4 banger. when i got pulled over i was doing 75 in a 65 and he ticketed me for burnt out tail light and riding someones ass. ****ing cop there was hella trafic. thats when my inssurance rose to 130 a month for full coverage. but anyways i am close on paying off the 5.0 and once i do im going to buy a 2.3 mustang prolly 91-93 and put in a turbo engine and after that use it as my daily driver if i did the swap correctly. just give me till the end of summer. it would be sooner but since im on probation i gotta spend about 30 hours a month on all kinds of ****, like community service, drugs and alcohol classes, anger managment classes, and most important GED classes so yea i cant work 2 jobs as much as i wanted to anymore.
(First, if you have an automatic, stop worrying about making it faster and swap in a T5.) Here are your choices. TURBO: You are gonna want to find a donor car. The easiest one to find is a Thunderbird Turbocoupe. If you get an '87 or '88 model, you'll want to swap out the tiny IHI for a T3. Pull the motor and trans out, take it apart (the motor), and clean it up. Gather the remaining wanted/needed parts to put it in (i.e. new gaskets, boost controller, blow off valve, front-mount intercooler and ducting, 3" exhaust, LA2/LA3 computer or LB2/LB3 for automatics, 35lb (brown top) injectors, big Vane Air Meter (VAM), and any other modifications you'll want). Put it back together, pull out your old motor, and drop in the new motor. Get it running, and enjoy. That is just the simpllified process. In a stock configuration, running ~19lbs boost, you should make around 230hp. Mileage may vary. Good step-by-step instructions can be found here: http://24.91.96.177/stinger/turboswaphowto.html (Stinger's website) NATURALLY ASPIRATED: This is a much more challenging route. Pull out your old motor, and take it apart. Get the bare block vatted. Get high-compression forged pistons, and stronger rods. Shave the head a bit. Get a better n/a cam (the A237 is a popular one). Gather any other mods you'll want (bigger throttle body, mass air swap, custom-burn chip, 2.5" full exhaust, ported head, ported intake manifold, etc.). Put it all back together, and drop it back in. Get it running. This is also a simplified prcoess. This should net you ~140-170 total hp, depending on how extreme you take the cam, compression, porting, etc. NITROUS: Same as n/a. I would guess a 75-100 shot should be OK with forged pistons on the street w/ pump gas. Be sure to check out the Tech Articles Thread at the top of the 2.3L forum page. Some other good links: http://gt350r.stangnet.com/index.html http://www.40bob.com/index.html http://www.wheelspin.net/projectcars/87coupe/87coupe.html http://www.turboford.org/
They make turbo kits for 2.3L rangers that I believe can also be used on 2.3 mustangs, the kits cost around $3500. Not the most cost-effective way to do things.
I guess a lot of the 5.0's running around are having probems with insurance too... since you know... most of them are 50hp+ over stock. I personally wouldnt worry about the insurance predicament.
