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1989 Ford Mustang GT 351 Windsor Engine Part 3Our Smooth-Idling Street Motor Gets Strapped To The Dyno. From the July, 2010 issue of Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords By Steve Baur Photography by Justin Cesler
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If you've been following our Street Smart Windsor engine buildup in the last couple of issues, then you'll be happy to know that we finally have the Windsor in our late-model Mustang, we've flogged it on the dyno, and we even took the car to the track just for good measure. If you're just joining us, what you need to know is that we've set a plan in motion to make a super-streetable engine that makes in the neighborhood of 350-400 hp at the crankshaft. We've specified a stock idle, which meant making concessions on the camshaft specifications, and we kept the Windsor fuel-injected and running off of the stock A9L engine management computer to make this as much of a bolt-in installation as possible. To see how much power our... To see how much power our smooth idling powerplant can produce, we took the Pony to Ramsey's Performance in Lutz, Florida. Proprietor Dennis Ramsey has been a fixture in the late-model Mustang scene for Tampa Bay-area residents and beyond. Our basis for this endeavor is a budget 351W, or more precisely, a 359ci rebuilt short-block from Latemodel Restoration Supply that retails for $999. It comes with cast pistons and connecting rods, but more importantly, it's full of cubic inches-57 more than the stock engine that came out of our subject '89 Mustang GT. Said 5.0L ran very strong with 125,000 miles on the ticker, but in today's world, 225 hp just doesn't get it done, especially when there are four-door grocery-getters packing 40 or more ponies than that. We looked to fortify our GT with a powerplant of modern horsepower proportions, and so added a set of RHS 200cc Pro Actions cylinder heads, a custom camshaft and rocker arms from Comp Cams, and a stout intake manifold from Trickflow Specialties. Anderson Ford Motorsport opened up the intake tract with one of its Power Pipes, and reading the incoming air charge is an Abaco programmable mass air meter. The old 5.0L was disconnected... The old 5.0L was disconnected from the '89 GT starting with the fuel lines, induction, and wiring harnesses. At the other end of the combustion process, we made the simple choice of BBK Performance 351W swap shorty-style headers that drop right in and accept any common 5.0L X- or H-pipe. We went with BBK's X-style midpipe with catalytic converters to be somewhat environmentally friendly, but also to keep down the audible presence. Dynomax offered to help out with the sound dynamics as well, and provided us with a set of its brand-new VT series mufflers that feature a pressure-operated door inside the muffler case. This is designed to quell the exhaust note during normal operation, while offering unrestricted, unadulterated flow at wide-open throttle. While assembling and installing our Windsor, we encountered a number of minor setbacks. Boken-off bolts, incorrect parts, and lack of the proper tool all put us behind the deadline eight ball a number of times. To finish the story in time for this issue-for continuity's sake-we enlisted the help of several good friends, who spent a number of late nights turning wrenches, eating pizza, and of course, breaking balls. We have to thank George Xenos, Rob Baldwin, Chris Crosby, and Brian Bohnsack for helping us get the job done in time. And while we were lucky enough to have a great bunch of friends to call on and bail us out, it just goes to show that no matter how simple a job is, it can be slowed to a snail's slide by the smallest of details. An engine swap is a major job and shouldn't be taken-or planned for-lightly. We then excised the driveshaft,... We then excised the driveshaft, transmission crossmember, exhaust system, and shortly thereafter, the engine and T-5 transmission as one assembly. A week later, we arrived at Ramsey's Performance In Lutz, Florida, where proprietor Dennis Ramsey offered up his dynamometer services for Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords. Dennis has been tweaking late-model Mustangs since they were new, and he continues to turn up the heat in Ford's finest today. With a base '89-'93 Mustang 30-lb/hr mass air meter program loaded in the Abaco DBX97B, we made a hit on the Dynojet and took the Windsor up to 5,500 rpm before clicking it off. On our first pull, we saw 317 rwhp. We were unable to obtain a torque reading using the Dynojet tachometer lead, and despite our best efforts, could not achieve one on subsequent pulls. The Windsor did consistently drop rear-wheel-horsepower figures in the 320s as we fine-tuned the DBX97B using the wide-band air/fuel meter from the dyno and the free tuning software from www.abacoperformance.com. However we surmised that the numbers might have been slightly skewed due to spikes in the reading. Our subject vehicle has been... Our subject vehicle has been sitting for about the last seven or eight years, and the humid southern air took its toll on the factory exhaust parts. The tubing was well-ventilated and the mufflers were completely empty, as evidenced by the rusty windows we were able to look through. The Abaco tuning software, like any other software, is slightly imposing at first, but once you have a basic understanding of how it works, you can really take off on your own. We noticed a slight spike in the air/fuel mix that went as high as 14.5:1, and by making changes to the meter's programming, we were able to knock down that area of meter voltage to a consistent 13.0-13.3 across the pull. While our relatively mild camshaft doesn't really show off the DBX's metering capabilities like it would with a big lumpy camshaft, it will provide accurate air measurements for our profile and anything else we may throw at it in the future.  With the engine out of the...  With the engine out of the car, we needed to reclaim numerous bolts and brackets, as well as the timing cover.  In removing the timing cover,...  In removing the timing cover, we snapped off one of the rusted water-pump bolts. Not to worry though as our local Advanced Auto Parts store carries replacements in the HELP section.  In going with the 351 and...  In going with the 351 and expecting to make every bit of 350 hp, we knew we'd be stepping up in fuel injector sizing. Having sat for so long full of gas, we tossed the stock 19s in the round file. It was also a good time to update our heater and coolant hoses.  As we mentioned last month,...  As we mentioned last month, we needed to countersink the cam-retaining-plate bolt holes so we could use the included bearing behind it. Mopar Muscle Tech Editor Dave Young handled this task for us.  The Comp Cams billet timing...  The Comp Cams billet timing chain was next, followed by the timing cover, which we installed with a new front main seal. ARP head bolts (PN 154-3603) were used to seal the RHS Pro Action cylinder heads to the Fel Pro 8548-PT2 head gaskets. They retail for $64.76.  When building any engine from...  When building any engine from scratch, you'll need to check for the proper pushrod length. A last-minute oversight meant that we didn't have the right Comp Cams pushrod-length checker for the 351W, which uses longer pushrods than a 5.0L, but thankfully local machinist Scotty Guadagno of Scotty's Racing Technology (Spring Hill, Florida) loaned us the needed tool. Our measurements produced a 7.600-inch pushrod length, for which Comp Cams sent us a set of its Hi-Tech chrome-moly, heat-treated, 5/16-inch-diameter pushrods (PN 7959-16, $134.95). Comp also sells a number of pushrod-length checker tools. Comp Cams sent us a set of... Comp Cams sent us a set of new hydraulic roller lifters, as well as its hydraulic roller hardware kit, which includes the spider and dog bones for our valve train components. With a dyno session behind us, we loaded up the GT for a quick trip to Gainesville Raceway in Gainesville, Florida, for some quarter-mile fun. Our GT had been sitting so long that the tires were dry-rotted and not even worthy (or safe) of being run on the dyno; we swapped them out for a set of Weld Draglite big 'n' littles wearing Toyo Proxes slicks and front runners. We used this setup most recently on our Mercury Capri project and it has provided plenty of traction for mid-12-second e.t.'s. While assembling the Street Smart Windsor, we reinstalled what looked to be the stock 5.0L clutch, as the clutch disc was true and still had a good amount of material on it. The pressure plate was in decent shape as well, and a new clutch wasn't really part of the engine buildup. Knowing we had a stock clutch and some very tall (and stock) rear gearing, we couldn't expect great 60-foot times without sacrificing the clutch, and therefore quarter-mile e.t.'s times would not be optimal either. Still, we gave it a go. Our first run, starting with a 2.14 60-foot time, culminated in a 13.81 at 103.78 mph. Since we hadn't put hardly any street miles on the car prior to or after the engine swap, this was just an easy pass just to get acquainted with the car. The stock gears had us crossing the finish line in Third gear at about 4,800 rpm. Shift points were made at 5,500 rpm, as we knew the engine was making power at least up to that point. As mentioned in our previous... As mentioned in our previous articles, we went with Comp Cams Ultra Gold aluminum stud-mounted, roller rocker arms in a 1.6:1 ratio. Our second pass was the best of the day. The short time dropped to 2.00 seconds flat, and two powershifts later, we arrived at the stripe with a 13.06 at 106.32 mph. Confident that there was a 12-second slip available, we pulled the car around for another try. While loading the clutch to get a smooth but quick launch, we could feel that it took a bit longer to grab and recover, and drove to a 2.02-second 60-foot time. On the 1-2 shift, clutch slip occurred, but recovered on its own-we took it easy on the 2-3 knowing that the extra load of the taller gear would mean certain death for the clutch. The clocks read 13.30 at 103.31 mph. With a better rear gear and a new clutch, we would expect to drop short times by two tenths, which would put our quarter-mile e.t. around the mid-12-second range. Not bad for a naturally aspirated Fox Mustang with a stock idle. The following week, we found ourselves taking the GT back to Ramsey's Performance for another dyno session. We had found some bad spark plug wires that could well have been causing the poor tach readings, and the shop had ordered a new lead to hopefully cure the problematic reading. The changes worked, and our first pull netted 307 rwhp and 359 lb-ft of torque. The air/fuel ratio looked very good, so Ramsey opted to make an ignition timing adjustment, moving our initial timing from 16 to 18 degrees. The Windsor responded with 306 rwhp and 358 lb-ft of torque. After the valves were adjusted... After the valves were adjusted using the exhaust opening, intake closing method (E.O.I.C.), the Trickflow lower intake was bolted on. The lower manifold is probably the easiest place to spot a 351, as it is much wider than a 302 piece. We secured it with new ARP chrome-moly intake bolts (PN 154-2001, $24.95). We then decided to go in the opposite direction by moving the ignition timing back to 14 degrees. The Street Smart small-block liked what we were doing, offering 310 rwhp and 362 lb-ft of torque. Ramsey then decided to try 12 degrees; his change netted 312.88 hp and 365.30 lb-ft of torque. Allowing for a relatively efficient 15 percent drivetrain loss, our 312 rwhp comes out as 359.8 hp and 419.75 lb-ft of torque at the flywheel. In the end, we met our goal of 350 flywheel horsepower and, what's probably more noticeable, nearly 420 lb-ft of torque. While our idle quality is not quite as smooth as stock, it is very mild, and we think we can smooth it out a bit with more tuning on the DBX97B meter. We've heard it idle smoothly without the meter plugged in, so we'll keep hitting the keys. The engine drives smoothly and you can lug it at 1,200 rpm without it bucking or surging, which were also goals for the build. Ford Racing Performance Parts'... Ford Racing Performance Parts' SFI-approved balancer went on next, secured with an ARP chrome-moly balancer bolt. It's a 12-point piece that retails for $19.95. At this point, we could pull it back out, toss in some good pistons with bigger valve reliefs, and bring the lift up on the camshaft a bit to improve power output. We could also stroke it for more cubes at the same time. We're pretty content with the power output now, but if you would like to see us pursue this combination, then drop our editor a line at evan.smith@sorc.com. If we get enough interest, we might just keep going with it. In the meantime, we've got a few other non-engine-related stories using our GT. It sure is nice to have a lot of horsepower on the street, but it doesn't have to have a lumpy camshaft or a power adder to be fun. Windsor power will get the job done.  For injectors, we went to...  For injectors, we went to Ford Racing Performance Parts for a set of its 30-lb/hr pumpers. Part number M-9593-BB302 gets you an EV6-style injector that will snap right into your factory fuel rail and harness. The plastic fuel rail crossover lines will need to be lengthened/replaced. Be sure to specify high-pressure fuel line when getting it from your local parts store. We went with a 5/16-inch line and high-pressure clamps.  Our 5.8L-specific distributor...  Our 5.8L-specific distributor from Mallory was supplied by Summit Racing Equipment, which also sent us a set of Mallory spark plug wires.  Holcomb Motorsport set us...  Holcomb Motorsport set us up with this 255-lph, in-tank fuel pump (NIC41952, $119.95) on the right, as well as a Kirban adjustable, billet fuel-pressure regulator (PN DK5005, $79.95).  It seems as though stock 5.0L...  It seems as though stock 5.0L engine mounts last about as long as it takes to drive the car off of the lot. If you want to gain hood clearance, Holcomb sells these 351W-swap solid-drop mounts (PN OT6000), which sell for $49.95 a pair.  The BBK 351 swap headers bolted...  The BBK 351 swap headers bolted right up, as did the oil pan, pickup, and dipstick kit that we got from Ford Racing Performance Parts. You'll lose your factory low oil-level light, however.  On the driver's side, it's...  On the driver's side, it's near impossible to get a regular spark plug socket on the No. 6 cylinder spark plug. We cut about a quarter-inch off the end of one and it fit right in. You can also use a box-end wrench, but we couldn't get that to work once the engine was in the car.  With BBK Performance supplying...  With BBK Performance supplying the headers and X-style midpipe, we contacted Dynomax for the rest of the exhaust. It sent us a 2.5-inch setup with stainless steel LX-style tips (we plan to convert the bumper cover down the road), as well as a pair of the company's brand-new VT series mufflers.  The VT series uses a backpressure-activated...  The VT series uses a backpressure-activated door in the muffler to keep sound levels low at part throttle, while offering unrestricted wide-open flow when the hammer is down. Dynomax should have complete VT series exhaust systems by the time you read this.  We mentioned last month that...  We mentioned last month that we planned to try the RHS valve covers that we received. To our surprise, they fit with just a few modifications. There are two spots on the under side of the Trickflow upper intake that must be filed down, and then the throttle cable bracket must be modified.  Here you can see the corner...  Here you can see the corner that we knocked off of the throttle cable bracket. It's still plenty strong and now clears the valve cover with room to spare. No intake spacers were needed.  Our GT produced a solid 312...  Our GT produced a solid 312 rwhp and 365 lb-ft of torque. Allowing for a 15 percent drivetrain loss, that's 359 hp and 419 lb-ft of torque at the flywheel. With the way the horsepower just sort of levels out, we think we've reached the maximum airflow potential of the camshaft.  Sans hood, we ran our Windsor-powered...  Sans hood, we ran our Windsor-powered GT at the track to a best e.t. of 13.06 at 106 mph. That's with 2.73 gears chugging to a 2.00 60-foot time. Throw in some 3.73s and you have a solid 12-second ride.  To make sure our 351 had the...  To make sure our 351 had the easiest time breathing, we contacted Anderson Ford Motorsport and ordered one of its Power Pipes for our application. Part number AF-0112A ($232.66) netted us a 4-inch pipe and the couplings that would connect our Trickflow Specialties 75mm throttle body/Summit Racing EGR spacer combo to our Abaco DBX 97B digital mass air meter, which we got from AFM as well.  Here's our mean-looking, smooth-idling...  Here's our mean-looking, smooth-idling 359ci powerplant. Aside from some minor differences here and there, the 351W dropped in like it was meant to be there.  Anderson Ford Motorsport can...  Anderson Ford Motorsport can preload the appropriate tune into your Abaco meter, but it's very easy to load it yourself using the free software from Abaco. From there, you can play with the metering curve until your heart's content.
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