The Master Power T-70 turbo...
The Master Power T-70 turbo is next. A light coat of the copper gasket sealer is all you need along with the provided hardware. Before you mount it permanently, measure and drill a hole through the framerail for the oil drain line. Then connect the drain line to the turbo and bolt the unit to the header. B&G says that the T-70 is good for 650-700 rwhp. We'd like to find out, but it won't be with our Recession Special's stock block.
Our subject vehicle for this test is a '90 5.0L coupe that was recently fitted with a freshened-up 302 short-block, stuffed with a mild Crane 2030 Compucam camshaft and topped off with a pair of Thumper Performance ported E7TE cylinder heads and a Cobra intake manifold from Ford Racing Performance Parts. The exhaust system consisted of Brothers Performance shorty headers, a 2 1/2-inch Dynomax X-style middle pipe, and 2 1/4-inch Borla mufflers welded into the stock exhaust system. This relatively mild combination produced 253 rwhp and 298 lb-ft of torque.
What we found out during the dyno test was that our stock 19 lb/hr fuel injectors were just about running wide open at max rpm, and our stock mass air meter was tapping out at 4.5 volts as well. If we were to make any more power, boosted or otherwise, we needed to upgrade. To that end, we called Granatelli Motorsports in Oxnard, California, and ordered one of its BA-2400 90mm mass air meters ($245). Another call to Brothers Performance in Corona, California, netted a 255-lph in-tank fuel pump (BPWFP255, $99) and a BBK inline fuel pump kit (BBK1602, $269.99). Our contact at Ford Racing Performance Parts set us up with an octet of 42 lb/hr fuel injectors.
From what we've read on the web, the majority of people are installing the B&G kits at home in their garage. We had planned to do the same, but we happened to be at HP Performance in Orange Park, Florida, to baseline our project car on the shop's Dynojet dynamometer, and afterward the crew ended up performing the installation, and even taking a bunch of photos for us while we were back at the office meeting other deadlines.
B&G can provide a bung to...
B&G can provide a bung to weld to your oil pan for the drain line. You can also punch and tap the pan for the appropriate fitting.
That being said, HP's Steve Duncan, who has a B&G kit on his personal Mustang, jumped in to knock out the installation. "Hollywood" Jason Combs also turned a good number of the wrenches during this install, and once it was all up and running, we turned to HP proprietor Tony Gonyon to handle the dyno testing, along with tuning duties via SCT software.
B&G is very forthcoming in the various mods you'll need to make in order to install the kit. We had been warned that LX front bumper covers need to be trimmed quite a bit for the front mount intercooler, and true to their word, it did. We may look into some custom modifications to hide the unit a little better down the road. Aside from the front bumper cover, we needed to grind on the driver-side sway bar mount a bit, and we also clearanced the passenger-side floorboard to get the downpipe to fit down the backside of the engine. Other than that, everything fit very well. We didn't need to hack up the inner fender aprons or anything, which makes for a clean installation underhood.
With the twist of the key, the turbocharged 5.0 burbled to life, and a few quick taps of the throttle had the turbocharger whistling-music to our ears for sure.
When we were putting together this story, we contacted Turbosmart about using one of its eBoost2 electronic boost controllers on our subject vehicle. The eBoost2 is available in 60 and 66mm units and can be housed in any common gauge pod. While offering boost control, it also has numerous other options that we'll explore in an upcoming issue. Unfortunately, we were unable to install it for this story, and to be honest, it really is a luxury given the frugal nature of this buildup. For our dyno testing, we relied on the wastegate spring, which provided a solid 10.5 psi of boost.
The oil supply for the T-70...
The oil supply for the T-70 turbo comes from the oil sending unit log on the driver side of the engine. You'll need to remove it, drill and tap it, and then reinstall it. You can then hook up the supplied oil feed line.
While we're working on the...
While we're working on the passenger side of the car, we bolted up the wastegate and ran the vacuum line into the engine compartment.
Next it was time to mock up...
Next it was time to mock up the air-to-air intercooler. Steve Duncan and Jason Combs removed the front bumper cover to do this. The bumper itself needed a minor trimming to fit the intercooler behind it. The bumper cover was a different story, requiring quite a bit of clearancing to allow the intercooler tubing to fit behind it. B&G had warned us that the kit fits the GT bumper covers much better, but hey, we have a notchback, so we'll do what we have to do. Knowing that the paint and body on the car is about a 3 out of 10 helped ease the guilt of cutting. We might look into modifying the bumper cover at a later date to conceal the tubing better.