Welp, the 5.0 is requiring me to do more work than I'd anticipated before the track opens in April (need a new radiator, rebuilt differential, new balljoints, new front brake lines, and will probably swap my pulleys and slap some headers on while I'm at it) so it looks like the 2.3 won't be getting any attention for awhile longer anyway.
I'm finnishing up on a project right now. Its a 89 LX sedan with a full race built 2.3 Huffing NOS. "DON"T LAUGH I"M SERIOUS!!!!!!!" I can't say how it works as its not quite done. but its a 150 hp kit we're gonna jet done to 100-125. If anyone is thinking about building a 2.3 race engine STOP!!!! OMG what a job lol. But very very soon it should be finnished very soon still waiting on a custom intake to fit the Esslinger head, and also waiting for the Cobra brakes and 5 lug conversion to come off back order.
There is a gutted out Race Pinto around here that had a carb'd 2.3 that was worked and running 13.90's.
He then put a 75 shot on it and it dropped to 12.90's.
Last year he put a mild 2.3 turbo in it and it is running 11.50's.
FWIW Two years ago I grenaded the 8.8 in my 87 running a 100 shot off the line, with my two step sending me off with ~15 psi. Fun for the 2 seconds it lasted!!
No times with the 150shot, 3 months went by before i swapped to a turbo motor (just flipped the kit over to the turbo motor).
The dramatic end to my 2.3n/a was when i turboed it, lasted 10 mins at 10psi blew the HG to waterjacket, hydrolocked cylinder #2 and broke all 4 piston skirts (may have bent the #2 rod aswell!) ahhh the good old days.