kingcars' 250rwhp/13 second Tbird project (new project brewing 2/6)

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Well they came with 302s. The Mark VII came with the 225hp HO just like the Mustang but they're pretty heavy. The V8 Tbirds came with an SO 5.0 (Standard Output) with just 155hp. But once you swap the computer, which is easy, you can have a field day doing anything you can do to a Mustang; the mechanical stuff is identical. However, the Tbirds, Mark VIIs, and Cougars never got to see 5 speed manuals except in the Turbo 2.3L editions. And once again, the Mustang stuff (pedals, bellhousing, tranny, etc) bolts right in.
 
I just took some pics of the engine compartment as it sits now; not COMPLETELY finished, but close enough. First pic is of the old engine bay when it was at it's CLEANEST; 2nd pic is of my engine bay now, needing a good cleaning:

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A couple more for good measure...

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That car sounds great! 👍

Very good work on that project. I was never too particularly fond of the newer T-Birds, but that there is a car I would seriously love to own. Maybe for the sound alone... :drool:
 
Thanks man. And ya know, my first memories of the 80s Tbirds weren't that great...I never really liked them. But once this car was mine and I got to drive it, see all the neat old school nuances, I really started growing fond of it. It's a great mix of old school and new school I guess. Then once I figured out that I can do anything to it that can be done to a Mustang, that was just icing on the cake...I always dreamed as a kid about having a rumblin V8/manual transmission car to rip around town in...and now that dream has come true.
 
kingcars
Well they came with 302s. The Mark VII came with the 225hp HO just like the Mustang but they're pretty heavy. The V8 Tbirds came with an SO 5.0 (Standard Output) with just 155hp. But once you swap the computer, which is easy, you can have a field day doing anything you can do to a Mustang; the mechanical stuff is identical. However, the Tbirds, Mark VIIs, and Cougars never got to see 5 speed manuals except in the Turbo 2.3L editions. And once again, the Mustang stuff (pedals, bellhousing, tranny, etc) bolts right in.
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I thought the Mark VII's came with 302's. I wasn't sure since I never really researched them. But they look ok and are definately something different. I'd probably opt for the T-Bird.

This is what bird I would get. Super sexy.
 

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Yeah I've seen that picture before...iirc, that car runs 13s in the 1/4 mile.
 
kingcars
and now that dream has come true.
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I guess that makes you a lucky one. I'm still dreaming of owning something with a V8 sometime in my lifetime. And after riding in a V8 Touareg a few years back, I've decided that even one of those might do.
 
JCE
I thought the Mark VII's came with 302's. I wasn't sure since I never really researched them. But they look ok and are definately something different. I'd probably opt for the T-Bird.

This is what bird I would get. Super sexy.
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@ the attachment: Is it just me or did that guy swap his front axle to 4 lug??

On the Mark, '88 and forward had the 225hp 5.0 HO. '86 and '87 had the 200HP version of the 5.0 found in the '86 Mustang(First year of fuel injection)
 
They all came with 4 lug hubs.
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Even his car is 4-bolt.
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I know his car is 4 lug. I get updates on AIM before all yallz can drool over the bird here :p

I always thought the TC was 5 lug, though.
 
Correct - no stock 5 lug for us fox Tbird/Cougar folks :( . Gotta swap it ourselves.
 
Got a couple of proper vids for you all, finally. First one is of the awesome idle/rev, and the 2nd is me taking it through the gears. The 3rd video is a blooper I guess...you'll see. Hope you all like it!





 
Nice job missing 3rd :p

Sweet car as always 👍
 
Need...fly-bys...outside of car...:drool:
 


Here's a much better WOT vid now that I'm re-acquainted with the car :) . My sis was filming. I had to do this twice cause the first time we went to do it, the batteries in the camera died...which is a shame cause I had a great launch. The one in this vid is a little boggy...but at least the shifting is decent.
 
Looks like 0-60 in about 8 seconds, according to your video. Sounds faster than that, though.

There's a MN12 T-Bird in my town with a 4.6. It's black and is for sale...at $1850. Seems like a great deal to me. I just found out that the 12th gen 'Bird has IRS, unlike your Fox car.
 
MinoltaMan89
Looks like 0-60 in about 8 seconds, according to your video. Sounds faster than that, though.
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My launching and shifting were horrible in the video; not to mention that I won't have full use of the power band till I get my new fuel pump in. My old 0-60 with the stock 5.0HO and automatic was around 6.7ish. This setup has looooaaads more in it. I was racin my buddy in his 96 Lexus LS400 (0-60 in 7.3) and I smoked him up to 60 after a couple of days of practicing my shifts, so it's safe to say that there's a lot left in it. Just needs a driver mod! :dunce: Hopefully I'll have a much more representative video up soon.

MinoltaMan89
There's a MN12 T-Bird in my town with a 4.6. It's black and is for sale...at $1850. Seems like a great deal to me. I just found out that the 12th gen 'Bird has IRS, unlike your Fox car.
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They do have IRS...nice cars. My aunt has one in great shape.






Oh, and ps - The tbird has a date with a dyno on May 8th. Stay tuned! 👍
 
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I think you should be pulling 5.4-5.8s 60mph pulls. Short shifting to 2nd early might net you a better time--your torque should really kick in once you shift to 2nd. :D
 
Yeah, those are the 0-60s I expect to get once I'm good haha. It's going to help a bit once I have my new fuel pump in and get the ignition timing adjusted so I can consistently take it to 5500 in 1st gear; the ratio difference between 1st and 2nd is pretty large (goes from 3.35 to 1.93) and now with the power band at slightly higher RPMs, it's going to help a ton if I can slam it into 2nd and keep it at/above 3500ish; we degreed my cam at 2 degrees retard to move the power band up just a notch, which matches it up better with my heads and intake. Also, note that it takes me well over half a second to do the 1-2 shift in that vid...completely unacceptable. I've been working on that a lot too. I had a huge smile on my face when racing my friend in his Lexus...I actually managed to chirp the tires for the first time with my 17x8s during the 1-2 shift :D .
 
I can't wait to get my Camaro swapped over to a T56 myself. Going to be fun chirping in 1-2 then 2-3. :D
 
Yeah dude, it's a lot more fun with a stick! I just took the Tbird out after work and practiced some more WOT shifts...definitely getting the timing down pat; plan to get a real 0-60 vid soon. Fuel pump is goin in this week, so probably soon after that. Can't wait to get it dyno tuned next month though :) .
 
At first, it sounds like any other modified exhaust Mustang at idle. But once you gave it some gas, sweet jesus. I'll be honest, I haven't heard a Mustang sound like that since a seeing a few modified '07+ GT500s. 👍
 
Taking guesses on dyno #'s? I'll guess anyways :). 267 WHP 290 WTQ
 
Reventón;3362286
At first, it sounds like any other modified exhaust Mustang at idle. But once you gave it some gas, sweet jesus. I'll be honest, I haven't heard a Mustang sound like that since a seeing a few modified '07+ GT500s. 👍
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Haha thanks, it definitely is an awesome sound...I still cant listen to loud music in the car yet; if it is on, i have it quite low. As you said in your thread...going under bridges is so awesome, especially at WOT :D .

As for a dyno guess...I'll be conservative and guess 240rwhp/285rwtq. My dad's guess is 235/290. We always try not to get our hopes too high...it's much nicer to be pleasantly surprised. 250ish seems to be the proven average for combos like mine, but a few have gotten into the 260s and that'd be amazing.
 
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I'd guess 240~245bhp and 280~290tq. And next time you do a video do an outside of the car one and with good audio--and crappy video with no music. :D
 
I'll definitely do a flyby video at some point, dont worry :) .
 
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