Marriage is a compromise....
Marriage is a compromise. Right, honey? Now give me the keys please.
Last month, we introduced you to Project MILF (Mustang I'd Like to Flog) and showcased the installation of Ford Racing Performance Parts' Handling Pack. With the Legend Lime S197 GT looking and handling smart with the upgraded suspension components, we decided to dial up the fun factor with a bit of forced induction. Once again, enter the crew at FRPP, who supplied their Super Pack, which includes one hot Whipple blower.
With the focus of this project being the creation of a dual-purpose grocery-getter/butt-kicker, the power increase needed to be sizeable yet suitable for daily use. Instead of giving Project MILF a lumpity idle with a set of cams or swapping out the stock Three-Valve heads for a set of ported items, we went the easy route. We ditched the factory induction setup for the Super Pack to ram air down the Pony's throat.
 So far, our grocery list contains...  So far, our grocery list contains only two items, but they are pretty big. Good thing our shopping cart comes with a big back seat and trunk. As of now, we have improved the stance and handling of the S197, along with the cool factor and power numbers with a Whipple blower. |  The kit came with the blower...  The kit came with the blower and everything we needed to bolt it on. |  Before we gutted the top half...  Before we gutted the top half of Project MILF's Three-Valve mod motor, we ran the car on Crazy Horse Racing's Dynojet chassis dyno. The car turned the rollers to 251.1 rwhp and 364 rwtq. |
The Super Pack is an all-encompassing blower kit that centers around a nonintercooled Whipple supercharger. As is common knowledge, utilizing forced induction can be-with the right tune-a sure-fire way to easily raise the power output of any engine. The principles behind supercharging are pretty basic in that the supercharger, commonly known as the blower, forces the air charge into the cylinders, rather than relying on Mother Nature to get it in there. The larger volume of air allows you to step up the fuel volume, thus the engine burns more fuel (at the proper air/fuel ratio) and makes more horsepower.
Obviously, heat plays a major role in the oxygen count in the air charge, as the hotter the air charge, the less oxygen is present. That's why with higher boost levels, an intercooler is needed to lower the temperature of the air charge for more power and safer operation. Also keep in mind that with the blower, premium fuel is no longer a treat, but a necessity.
In actuality, FRPP offers two forms of its Super Pack, the first being the 400hp version we installed. The other is rated at 500 hp and is intercooled, whereas the 400hp kit is not. The only problem is that the 500hp kit is only avail-able for Mustang GTs with a manual transmis-sion. If you have an automatic as we do, you're out of luck unless you want to attempt fabrication and custom tuning.
 Take a long look at the stock...  Take a long look at the stock intake manifold and inlet system. Those parts and pieces won't be there for long as Chris Winter of Crazy Horse Racing readied himself to swap out the factory pieces for the new Whipple blower. |  The first thing we did was...  The first thing we did was take out the stock airbox and inlet tube. We then carefully removed the throttle body as we're reusing it with the blower. |  To make the install easier,...  To make the install easier, take a piece of masking tape and mark the drive-by-wire and mass air wires. |
"Our 400hp kit is available for both manual and automatic cars, while the 500hp kit is not recommended or available for automatic cars," says Jesse Kershaw of FRPP. "With the 500hp kit, there is an air-to-liquid intercooler modeled after the intercooler that was on the '03-'04 Cobras. Also, the calibration is different. We worked closely with auto transmission engineers to prove out our calibration, and we tested it extensively."
The calibration with said tuner not only changes parameters within the transmission but within the tune of the engine to optimize power and reliability. The only item that does not come in the box with the kit is the tuner, however it is shipped separately after you receive the kit through the FRPP Web site. "The tune has gone through the gambit of Ford testing," Kershaw says. "It's been tested at high and low altitudes and temperatures, for emissions and high loads, such as those you'd find in mountainous terrain. We made sure that when we developed the tune, we accounted for all conditions. There may be more power in it at a 70-degree ambient air temperature, but we needed to protect the car for all scenarios. This way you don't blow up the engine at 20 degrees of air temperature when the air meter pegs out and the car runs lean."