I was at work Friday, thinking about my decision to run this little Duratec 2.3, and going over the pros/cons of the swap, when my friend that has the old T/C that I was thinking about buying called.
Though the reasons for his call had nothing to do w/ anything,.... the conversation got around to the fact that he still had the car,.. and that I could still have it for 600.00.
So,.. I told him I'd take it.
The newer Duratec is all aluminum,... is a twin overhead cam unit w/ a plastic intake manifold,.. and makes like 140 hp N/A. It's backed by a 5R55e 5 speed trans,.. and it is tunable through an OBD-2 diag port.
Presently,.. the engine isn't capable of handling any kind of boost that'll be sufficient enough to make the 300 WHP I want it to w/o upgrades to the pistons, the intake, and of course the fuel system. There are no over the counter turbo manifolds, or intakes either. The attraction to the engine is its weight, (or lack of, actually), the advanced tech incorporated ( Dohc, S.F.I, D.I.S.)
Despite the stock limitations,.. there is a decent aftermarket, and you can make it capable of standing up to all the power you'd ask of it.
This "option" will cost me 1000.00-1200.00 and I'll get the engine, trans, accessories,.. harnesses, and the requisite computers/controllers. I'll also get a 96 GT 5 lug rear included in my "deal".
Got all that?
The turbo coupe is an 88. I'd get the entire car as a donor. The Turbo'd 2.3 in that car already has forged internals, but is cast iron, has one overhead cam,.. a distributor, and the first gen OBD (eec what?) For an ecu .... But with the right cam, fuel, and turbo upgrade,.. will easily handle the power requirements I'm asking it to do.........in otherwise stock form.
Since I get the whole car,...i'll be able to get all suspension componentry, (these cars had an active ride control provisioned in the computer) the 3.73 disc braked 8.8 rear as well,... all the wiring, the dash, GT style sport seats, and console which I would use. As a result, I will have an other than 1st gen fox dash, and console in that car.
So what's the problem you ask?
The auto trans.
The auto trans is the stinkin' problem.
All turbo Fours w/autos came w/a hand grenade ford called an A4LD. I really want this car to be an auto,.. and originally thought that they had an AOD behind them.
Wrongo!
I've been doing alto of reading (since the car is still not here yet), and A4LD'S are just junk. They cannot be prepped to stand up reliably behind any kind of power,... and even behind a stock explorer 4.0 fail, for a variety of reasons. The few out there that have got some sort of thing going to prep them to survive are transmission techs,... and away more capable than I w/ regard to rebuilding one.
The Duratec has the much improved version of that transmission,.. the 5R55e behind it,... but even that trans,.. is not that sturdy when subjected to 300+ ft.lbs. of torque.
Hence my dilemma.
If I could just find a way to put a durable auto trans behind the Lima 2.3 engine that is in the T/C,.....I'd be a happy camper. I'm trying to avoid converting it over to manual,..since that seems to be the choice most make when upping the power on a 4 bangin' turbo combination.
I prefer an auto on this build. I would rather take a slight loss in power to the ground, and not have to lift to shift when this thing starts honkin',...(or risk a missed shift while attempting a power shift on the 4 cyl T-5)
There used to be an adapter plate out there that allowed for that,... but that company stopped making it.
Though the reasons for his call had nothing to do w/ anything,.... the conversation got around to the fact that he still had the car,.. and that I could still have it for 600.00.
So,.. I told him I'd take it.
The newer Duratec is all aluminum,... is a twin overhead cam unit w/ a plastic intake manifold,.. and makes like 140 hp N/A. It's backed by a 5R55e 5 speed trans,.. and it is tunable through an OBD-2 diag port.
Presently,.. the engine isn't capable of handling any kind of boost that'll be sufficient enough to make the 300 WHP I want it to w/o upgrades to the pistons, the intake, and of course the fuel system. There are no over the counter turbo manifolds, or intakes either. The attraction to the engine is its weight, (or lack of, actually), the advanced tech incorporated ( Dohc, S.F.I, D.I.S.)
Despite the stock limitations,.. there is a decent aftermarket, and you can make it capable of standing up to all the power you'd ask of it.
This "option" will cost me 1000.00-1200.00 and I'll get the engine, trans, accessories,.. harnesses, and the requisite computers/controllers. I'll also get a 96 GT 5 lug rear included in my "deal".
Got all that?
The turbo coupe is an 88. I'd get the entire car as a donor. The Turbo'd 2.3 in that car already has forged internals, but is cast iron, has one overhead cam,.. a distributor, and the first gen OBD (eec what?) For an ecu .... But with the right cam, fuel, and turbo upgrade,.. will easily handle the power requirements I'm asking it to do.........in otherwise stock form.
Since I get the whole car,...i'll be able to get all suspension componentry, (these cars had an active ride control provisioned in the computer) the 3.73 disc braked 8.8 rear as well,... all the wiring, the dash, GT style sport seats, and console which I would use. As a result, I will have an other than 1st gen fox dash, and console in that car.
So what's the problem you ask?
The auto trans.
The auto trans is the stinkin' problem.
All turbo Fours w/autos came w/a hand grenade ford called an A4LD. I really want this car to be an auto,.. and originally thought that they had an AOD behind them.
Wrongo!
I've been doing alto of reading (since the car is still not here yet), and A4LD'S are just junk. They cannot be prepped to stand up reliably behind any kind of power,... and even behind a stock explorer 4.0 fail, for a variety of reasons. The few out there that have got some sort of thing going to prep them to survive are transmission techs,... and away more capable than I w/ regard to rebuilding one.
The Duratec has the much improved version of that transmission,.. the 5R55e behind it,... but even that trans,.. is not that sturdy when subjected to 300+ ft.lbs. of torque.
Hence my dilemma.
If I could just find a way to put a durable auto trans behind the Lima 2.3 engine that is in the T/C,.....I'd be a happy camper. I'm trying to avoid converting it over to manual,..since that seems to be the choice most make when upping the power on a 4 bangin' turbo combination.
I prefer an auto on this build. I would rather take a slight loss in power to the ground, and not have to lift to shift when this thing starts honkin',...(or risk a missed shift while attempting a power shift on the 4 cyl T-5)
There used to be an adapter plate out there that allowed for that,... but that company stopped making it.
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