Some ignorant newbie questions

[jesperi]

I've just got myself a 1990 Mustang GT. I'm new to Ford in general, and fairly new to EFI (I had a 2002 Camaro, but I barely tinkered with it, I'm much more used to Carbureted and few electronics), so I have a few ignorant questions.

1) The car is an AOD, and it's staying Automatic due to physical limitations and Connecticut State regulations. Has anyone heard of, conceived of the idea or know what kind of a nightmare it might be to try and cram the new 5R55S transmission out of the '05-'06Mustangs into a Fox? I know it would at least take a lot of electrical crap just to get the car to shift right seeing as how it's a fully electronic transmission and I don't even know if it would bolt up (probably wont) or if a custom bell housing can even be made to get the job done. I just like the fact that it's much more aggressively geared then most Automatics.

2) Over the winter, I'll be working on an engine for the car. My first REAL engine project (so expect a lot more ignorant questions to come, heh). I want to start with a brand new DART Iron Eagle block and working from the ground up. In general, I plan to spare no expense on the internal. The question is, I plan to throw an Aftercooled Vortech V-2 SQ supercharger on top. What is a realistic notion of how much compression vs how much boost you can run. Example: Could you run 17 lbs on 9:1 compression or 10 lbs on 11:1 compression, etc. I'm just looking for a rough estimate as to how much compression to build the engine to versus how much boost I want to run. Also, what's a realistic notion of how much boost you can run without doing anything too outrageous to the car thus making it undriveable. In other words, I want to be able to run mostly high grade pump gas and such.

Thanks in advance,
Geoff

 

[jrichker]

Your AOD can be modifed to work very well with a rebuild & new valve body. Do a search here on Art Carr or Lentech, try a Goolge serach too.

With 9:1 CR, running 17 PSI boost is going to make for a very short lived engine. Detonation will take its toll.

 

[donsbad68]

8.4:1 and 16lbs ran for a long time for me before

 

[getusummm]

Look into running E-85 fuel or meth injection if you want to run a high cr and/or high boost. Search around turbomustangs.com for more info on either.

 

[jesperi]

I know the AOD is alright. I just like the really low gears on the 5R55S and the fact that it's a 5 Speed Auto geared more like a manual. I imagine it gives the car a snappier feel, so I'm curious if it could be fit into a Fox.

As for boost, I definately want to keep it to a level where I can run relatively normal gas.

 

[Woodrow]

If you want to put another tranny in it put in a light weight full roller 700r4

 

[superhuaman]

Sure, you can use that 5R55 in your fox...
But really, the only way to do that, is to do an 05-06 4.6 swap with engine, trans, wiring, computer, etc. EVERYTHING
You cant use that trans with your 5.0.

 

[rigamaroles]

Eh, just because it hasnt been done doesnt mean it cant be....I would imagine it could be done, but it would take some fabrication, lots of $$, and a tech that knows a lot more than your average mechanic. But in my mind, just get a stall converter and a shift kit, people that install those say its a total night and day difference and wished they'd done it sooner.

 

[jesperi]

I went to a local speed shop and talked to them about a few aspects of the project so I could get some input from people who know a good deal. One of the things we ended up discussing was the transmission. The bottom line is that it would be POSSIBLE to rig the 302 up to that transmission... however it would be such a nightmare as to not even begin to be worth it. Essentially I'd have to do something silly like rip the whole computer out of a brand new Mustang, install it with the Trans and then reprogram the entire thing to trick it into running the 5.0 properly. Not something I feel like getting involved in, so I'll be sticking with AOD.

Thanks for the help,
Geoff

 

[tunedin302]

Good decision. There are many other good alternatives for the fox.