2nd Place
'87 Thunderbird Turbo Coupe
Steve Choma, Beachwood, NJ
12.31/109.94
With his stout 12.35 performance, Steve Choma has the fastest Turbo Coupe that we know of. He improved upon the car's performance with each pass, tweaking the boost, timing, and fuel.
When the Cougar went down for the count late in the day, Steve tried hard to come up with the few hundredths necessary to take the win but fell short. His best e.t. of the day, a 12.31, was achieved through 26 psi of boost and quick shifting of the 148,000-mile T5.
The short-block also sports the same mileage accrual, but having been "built Ford tough," it has proven to be up to the task of propelling the luxury ride to quick elapsed times.
Steve purchased the car while still in high school as it was a twin to his father's own Turbo Coupe. It didn't hurt that his dad had kept his Bird even after wrecking it, which allowed Steve to scavenge parts from it.
A college student on a budget, Steve has sunk an estimated $6,000 and untold hours into the Turbo Coupe over the last six years, and continues to modify it as he works his way to a mechanical engineering degree.
| STRIP SPECS |
| Owner: | Steve Choma |
| Hometown: | Beachwood, NJ |
| Driver: | Steve Choma |
| Year/Model: | ’87 Thunderbird |
| Turbo: | Coupe |
| Weight w/Driver: | 3,366 lbs |
| Engine: | 140ci (2.3-liter) inline four-cylinder, overhead cam |
| Built By: | Ford |
| Intercooler: | Custom front-mount air-to-air |
| Power Adder: | 50 trim T3/T4 turbocharger, 0.63 exhaust housing |
| Maximum Boost/ Nitrous Qty.: | 26 psi |
| Intake Manifold: | Stock cast aluminum
|
| Cylinder Head(s): | Cast iron turbo D-port, ported by Bo Christman |
| Compression Ratio: | 8:1 |
| Camshaft(s): | Ford Racing A-237, duration 226 intake/234 exhaust, 0.420-in valve lift |
| Ignition: | Stock |
| Exhaust: | E6 exhaust manifold ported, 3-in downpipe, 3-in Catco catalytic converter, 3-in DynoMax Super Turbo muffler |
| Transmission: | Stock T5 five-speed |
| Converter/Clutch: | Spec Stage III clutch |
| Rear Type: | Stock 8.8 solid axle with 3.55:1 ring-and-pinion |
| Wheels: | Weld Racing Rodlite, 15x4 front, 15x8 rear |
| Tires F/R: | BFG 195/65/15 front, Mickey Thompson ET Drag 26x10 rear |
| Suspension Front: | Stock |
| Suspension Rear: | Stock |
| Best ET/MPH: | 12.69 / 107 mph |
| STRIP LOG |
| Run # | 60-FT | 1/4-Mile | MPH |
| 1 | 1.77 | 12.67 | 107.76 |
| 2 | 1.71 | 12.57 | 108.73 |
| 3 | 1.74 | 12.53 | 109.51 |
| 4 | 1.64 | 12.35 | 110.16 |
| 5 | 1.66 | 12.31 | 109.94 |