I already posted this in the 2.3L category also but I was wondering if I could possibly turbo my 2.3L in my '76 cobra II its carbed but i heard somwhere that some carbed 2.3L came turboed from the factory??
So, about how much power do you think I could get out of this 2.3L and still keep it close to original... i.e. no efi, no boring over, no nitrous... etc. ??
I've been tackling this on my II for about 5 years now (I still haven't started her up yet...I'm a little slow ) Ford did offer a carbed turbo in 79 to 81. These cars are oftet maligned due to poor reliability (many owners just didn't maintain them right and cooked their turbos) HP was around 145 factory at 6psi boost but several guys have "fine tuned" them for much higher power.
If your thinking about putting a turbo on, a few words of caution. The pistons in all the factory turbo engines were forged, a little detonation combined with boost will eventually destroy the cast pistons in a non-turbo 2.3 (what we have in our IIs). Also the factory systems included ignition controls (boost retard) that you will want to include in some form. Plumbing wise, the carbed set-up was a "draw-thru" system that pulled air/fuel through the carb and pushed it into the engine. Intercooling is not an option on these.
99% of "Turbo Ford" guys will tell you to forget the carb set-up and swap in a later complete EFI engine and related components from a T-bird Turbo Coupe or Turbo Cougar. Honestly this would likely be the easiest swap and would also provide higher HP (200+) at less risk or tuning headaches than the carb set-up. EFI is the choice if you want streetability. The EFI set-up is a "blow-thru" design where air is forced through the intake by the turbo, this will allow intercooling which reduces detonation and increases HP by making the air denser (colder)
This wasn't a concern for me as I'm working on a rarely used weekend cruiser that won't see lots of street or track time so I went with a "blow-thru" carb set-up. This route has been a lot more grief (and fun) as it was never factory offered and has required a lot of custom made parts (one of the reasons it's taking me so long). My engine is complete now, just need to complete the rear suspension, install a drive shaft, and complete the wiring harness before I fire it up...hopefully by the end of the summer.
Don't want to discourage you in anyway, there are some very nice, very fast turboed IIs (ask a351Must2...not me ) Just make sure you know what you want your car to be used for, what skills you have, what kind of budget you plan (then triple it! ), and then decide what will be best for you.
The factory carbe turbo setup is not the most ideal, or the most reliable, but I've heard of them making pretty extreme horsepower in a race-only configuration running alcohol...just nothing streetable. They were actually only rated at 125hp from the factory, which isn't hard to reach without a turbo. What was said in the 2.3L forum is accurate though...you should be able to get it to around 200hp in streetable form.
The blow-through carbed turbo setup TurboII is doing may require some fabrication, but IMHO is easier to setup, tune, and make good power with. The only limitation I see with blow through is how much boost you can run through a carburetor...and that's only really limited by fuel pressure.
If you really want to make power and have a car that runs better and gets better gas mileage than what you have now, you need to switch to the 83-88 EFI Turbo 2.3L + 5spd. The '83-'86 EFI wiring harness is very simple and self-contained with only a few wires that need spliced into the Mustang II harness. The '87-'88 wiring harness is a nightmare so don't even think about it. As for power...expect between 170-220hp without an intercooler and using only very minor modifications like K&N filter, large exhaust, and increased boost. Add an intercooler and you can basically add another 50hp to those numbers. Do some TurboFord.org studying and add the right modifications/tuning and you can get over 300hp. Start spending money on the big stuff (head, header, turbo, fuel injectors, computer) and you can go in excess of 400hp and still be streetable.
My pinto rocks I used a totalled svo mustang for parts but you could use the
turbocoupe harness, even seen alot of wrecked merkurs around ( Ihate to gut a merkur
I have a friend who had the carb setup on a jeep, he was happy with it, but was shocked when another guy in town put the efi setup in a ranger.
Personally I think the EFI setup is easier to find and maintain Ive had them both.
Hey guys,
thanks alot for the info.. maybe i should have been more specific when posting my question... I am thinking about keeping it close to stock as possible, but would like some engine/drivetrain mods to help with accel. and power... but i wont be racing it.. just driving it every now and then as a 'fun weekend' car... maybe eventually take it to shows... but for now, it is my daily driver and will stay like it is until i get my '83 hatch back on the road (bad bearing in one cyl) then i will start the mods and restoring it to original cosmetically
Turbos are pretty much out if you want to keep it close to stock.
While we're on the subject of Turbo's though...I am thinking that a carb enclosure box like used with the Paxton carb'd blow through supercharger would work with a carb'd 2.3L with the exhaust-side turbo from the EFI Turbo 2.3L.
For more HP with a more stock (appearing) carb'd 2.3L, there are lots of hipo things you can do to the 2.3L. Unfortunately, anything that will get you much horsepower will require some machine work and an infusion of $$$. Check out this old "Hot Rod" article: http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~bmclean/pages/m2_faq2.htm
Turbos are pretty much out if you want to keep it close to stock.
While we're on the subject of Turbo's though...I am thinking that a carb enclosure box like used with the Paxton carb'd blow through supercharger would work with a carb'd 2.3L with the exhaust-side turbo from the EFI Turbo 2.3L.