The turbo kit relied on the factory cast-iron exhaust manifolds. The factory components offered both strength and reliability, not to mention they kept the heat energy directed to the turbo. A custom Y-pipe was employed to direct the heated exhaust gases to the 60-1 turbo. The turbo was positioned in front of the motor directly behind the radiator. This position provided a short path from the turbo to the factory intake manifold. The short intake tract length minimized the (boost) pressure losses associated with lengthy induction systems, ensuring the boost supplied by the turbo was directed to the motor.
Naturally, the restrictive factory mass air meter and filter assembly were ditched in favor of a free-flowing 3.5-inch inlet tube/MAF system. The new inlet featured a cone filter and was machined to accept the factory MAF electronics. On the exhaust side, the turbo system relied on a single 3-inch outlet from the turbo that split to feed the factory after-cat exhaust. The system can be used with aftermarket exhaust systems as well, but the single downpipe eliminated the catalytic converters. The exhaust also relied on the oxygen sensors for optimizing the air/fuel mixture under closed-loop operation. We managed to knock down nearly 26 mpg on the 950-mile trip to Roswell and actually exceeded that figure on the way back, which is an indication the closed-loop operation was working flawlessly after the turbo install.
As with any turbo system not running a dedicated electric oil pump, the Snow Performance kit relied on good, old gravity to drain the oil from the turbo back into the oil pan.
Given this was the prototype kit (actually the second prototype-though jigs were already made for production, and therefore no price was available as of press time), we thought it was prudent to not only test the motor (and more importantly, the state of tune) in Roswell at altitude on a Mustang dyno, but also back in California at sea level. Testing in Roswell indi-cated that using the turbo system equipped to provide just 4 psi resulted in a jump of nearly 100 hp. That's impressive considering the super-conservative boost level. After the lengthy drive back to Power Train Dynamics, we turned Steve Ridout loose on the tune (Chip Master Revolution software) and cranked the boost up to 5 psi. The reason for the 1-psi jump in boost was that Snow Performance decided to add a Boost-a-Pump to the Stage 1 system, which provided additional fuel for tuning with the higher boost level. Given the extra fuel pressure from the fuel pump, Ridout was able to dial-in the mixture at the higher boost setting. The results were impressive.
Running just 5 psi to the otherwise stock 4.6 motor, the Snow Performance single turbo kit produced nearly 390 hp and 407 lb-ft of torque. We can't wait to install the injectors and tune the Stage 2 kit.
Creating a drain for the turbo...
Creating a drain for the turbo required punching and tapping a hole in the oil pan. It is also possible to remove the pan and weld on a fitting or section of steel tubing to serve as an oil drain.
High-pressure oil for the...
High-pressure oil for the turbo was fed from a fitting just under the oil-filter housing.
The position of the turbo...
The position of the turbo required cutting and replacing a section of the upper radiator hose.
Here is what the revised radiator...
Here is what the revised radiator hose looked like after the modification.