newbie. project + questions

[2.3 project]

i have owned several hot rods and i have been a honda guy for a while now. but i lost my license and i am about to get them back so i sold my fully built turbo accord to keep me out of trouble. soo i needed another project.

soo i purchased a 88 mustang 2.3 automatic. i was going to swap in a 302 and a t5. but i have always been interested in the 2.3 turbo. i also have a ranger but it is a 4.0 litre. this is what i have so far.

i have the car.
just bought new weld pro star wheels 8 in. in the rear 4 in. the front
275/50r 15s in the rear and i havent bought the front tires yet.
i already have a 7.5 in. lsd and 373 gears.
i am picking up a 88 t bird t coupe motor tommarow.
i am going to try to get the vam harness with it. and the computer

but my ?s are can i keep my automatic trans in the car for now? what about the computer. do i need an auto computer or will they both work for what im doing?

i want to keep the car automatic for now. and eventually put a t5 trans in it.

but i just really want to get the car drivable for now so i can finish everything else. like my suspension and body work and so on. but i will definatly be building the motor eventually.

the 2.3 that is in it is way under powered. i have tried everything. timing vacum leaks fuel pump tune up. everything and it just has no power.

so i really just want to know if i can use my auto trans. and what computer i have to have. and i i cant get the vam from the other car where can i get one? and what are my options for tuning? thanks for any help and i will have pics of my car up sometime this week. thanks

 

[wicked93gs]

no power probably means blown head gasket, most likely between cylinders...you will likely not get any overheating or coolant/oil mixes with this type of blown head gasket...do a compression check and find out...not a big deal, the head gaskets on these engines are easy to change...especially if you have the engine out of the car...as for tuning, the Ford ECU has of course a few tuners available such as quarterhorse or tweecer...however the stock ECU is fine for up to around 300HP...especially considering you will have the LA3 ECU(best 2.3T ECU) from the T-bird...not sure if the 88 mustang tranny is computer controlled, but assuming its not(or if it uses a seperate module), there is no reason you cant use the LA3 ECU

 

[Red_LX]

No I think he just means it has no power because it's an 88hp 2.3 with an auto behind it.

Anyway, yes you can keep your auto, you may have to swap ECM's (but hang on to the 5 speed one). Your car has an A4LD which they used behind the turbo engine for many years.

Just be forewarned, the A4LD may not last very long behind the turbo engine.

 

[2.3 project]

yes i understand that the trans will not last long . but like i said i plan to put a t5 behind it in the near future. and as far as no power goes im pretty sure it had way more power than this stock. it is unsafe. i am scared to get ran over. but i am not worried about it anymore. so how much hp does the t bird t coupe have stock. thanks for the help guys.

 

[2.3 project]

ok i picked up the motor today. the turbo i tight no shaft play. everything looks great. i wasnt able to get the computer so what is the best computer for me to get?i found a pc1 from a 85 t coupe and i found a lb2 from a 87 t coupe. which would work for me.
and where can i get a vam? is there an aftermarket one or do i just need to search the junk yard to find a stock one? thanks

 

[wicked93gs]

get the LB2 since it was programmed for the I/C it will have better fuel and timing maps for the later turbo engine...as for the engine having no power...not a surprise with the NA engine...they were only rated at what? 88HP? for a 3000lb car, that wont move worth anything...as for the turbo engine it makes right at 200HP and240ft/lb of torque(intercooled version) in stock form...as for the VAM, as far as I know there are no aftermarket ones(I could be wrong) so you will have to find one in the junkyard....just so you know though...Probe GTs came with a VAM setup as well...not saying it would be easy to adapt, but it should be possible if you have no other options...I myself am planning on doing away with the VAM and going with megasquirt(I prefer stand alone speed density setups for several reasons)

 

[2.3 project]

i need to change that. the motor turned out to be an 86 t coupe. but i plan to put an aftermarket intercooler and exhaust on it so it should make decent power? if i turn the boost up some.


now i ordered the " big vam" is there a certain computer i need for the " big vam"? and as far as tuning do i need anything to tune it? all i want for now 250-300 hp. do i need any kind of piggy back system. if so what kind is recomended?

 

[wicked93gs]

LA3 or any other I/C computer is preferrable for the big vam and FMIC, or you can have your mustang's ECU tuned for the turbo engine

 

[2.3 project]

who can i send it to to have it tuned. is there someone that i can send it to with a list of what all i am doing to it and have them put a strong base tune on it for me?

i was just looking at the megasquirt systems. and i believe i could handle that. the prices arent horrible. and then it would work no matter how much power i want to make. thanks for the help.

 

[wicked93gs]

warning, the learning curve on megasquirt is pretty steep, but it is easier on a ford(you can use either the distributor or the DIS pulley, depending on what all you are doing) I have done it on several cars, but if you are looking to get it up and running quickly, it wont happen with MS unless you're a pro...as for the other tuners available...they probably cost just as much, but is sure to be easier(look into TWEECER or quarterhorse)

 

[bhuff30]

You'll likely find you can get in a lot more trouble with a 2.3 turbo stang than a turbo accord.

As mentioned above, your automatic transmission is the A4ld and it does not hold up well to the turbo engine. Ford limited the turbo engines with this transmission to 150-160hp. Having burnt up several, I would agree. Sure, you might get one to hold for a while, but you'll break it eventually if you are having any real fun.

Personally, I recommend a C4. Works great for me so far. It will allow your 7.5" rear end to survive more than a week, and you don't have to worry about finding a clutch that will hold.

Well, like you said, get it running first, then worry about having fun with it. So you know the potential... I've gone 12.2s with mostly stock junk, including a 7.5" rear end, stock turbo, stock cam, ect.

 

[2.3 project]

thanks for the help guys. yeah i have thought about the c4. but i have heard that the bellhousing is hard to find. but i have a trans guy that is really good with the c4. he actually built the one in my 71 f100. so i may end up doing that. but can i get the same power results with the auto computer? if not can i run an auto with the manual ecu? thanks

 

[2.3 project]

ok so today i ordered my computer. i also took the prostar wheels back. decided i could spend that money in more needed places. so i went ahead and got all of my stuff to do my exhaust. and as soon as my computer gets here i will be ready to get it running. i am going to start pulling the old motor tommarow.

but i have one ? the motor has blue top injectors in it. is there any way to tell what size they are. they look brand new. but i just want to make sure they are the right injectors for the motor. thanks for any advise. goodnight

 

[wicked93gs]

blue tops were the old ones...32lbers I believe? later intercooled rsions came with brown top 35lbers....however those should be fine to about 250HP with higher fuel pressure...

 

[Red_LX]

To my knowledge green tops were the 32lbers....blue tops MAY be 32 lb aftermarket replacements. Can't remember the exactly brand it was, the same company made "black tops" that were replacement 35's.

EDIT: Oh yeah, forgot to ask the important question- what year is this turbo coupe you have?

 

[2.3 project]

they are ford injectors. they say 569 on the side of them i dont know if that is cc or what but. ne way waiting on the computer to get here.

but i got the motor in about 2 hours ago. got it running on the stock computer and fuel pump. i didnt drive it or even rev it so dont worry. but my computer should be here mon. or tues. i am having problems findin a big vam. the one i was going to get got sold out from under me. so now if i can find one i will be ready to go.

i am happy to hear it run this soon. i really appreciate all the help from u guys. updates tommarow. hopefully some pics for yall. thanks

 

[2.3 project]

i meant to ask. how good is the small vam. will it work temporarly? but i dont want it to kill power but that is all i can find. and how much power is the tweecer or quarterhorse tuning system good for? anybody know. i have been looking into it and i belive i could figure it out. thanks again

 

[wicked93gs]

the reccomendation is on the stock ECU...300HP or less, anything over that a standalone like Megasquirt or FAST or AEM, etc etc is reccomended

 

[2.3 project]

aight thanks. well i went to summit racing today and got my walbro 255 fuel pump. and a boost guage. now i just need the vam and my computer to get here and i should be ready to test drive it. thanks

 

[Red_LX]

Again what year is your turbo coupe? It's helpful info to know because it'll pretty much tell you what you have and don't have.

The small vam will work fine for you until you're ready to swap ECU's and go to the big VAM and 35 lb injectors, you just won't be able to run as much boost.