We opened up the fender a...
We opened up the fender a bit so the UPR inlet pipe would fit. The UPR inlet places the Pro-M MAF sensor in the fender, a high-pressure area. The better placement of the Pro-M meter coupled with the efficient piping certainly helped our blower produce more boost without spinning the impeller harder.
Bolting on this supercharger system was an easy task, not because JPC has done this combo many times over the years, but mostly because Vortech designed the kit to be simple. A couple of engine accessories are relocated using Vortech's cast brackets, the supercharger mounts easily on a plate, and a secondary pulley is bolted to the factory crank pulley. The company does a great job in providing every nut and bolt to install the system.
Our lives were also made easier thanks to the V-3 being a self-lubricating blower. That meant we didn't need to drill and tap into the engine's oiling system, like its V-1 and V-2 predecessor. The blower contains its own oil, which is checked with a dipstick, and there are holes for draining and filling the head unit with Vortech's special oil.
The Pro-M meter is attached...
The Pro-M meter is attached to the UPR plastic tube with a rubber coupler.
On the chassis dyno, we were simply blown away-no pun intended. The engine responded very well to a nominal amount of boost (6 psi at 5,500 rpm) and output climbed to an impressive 405 rwhp. The standard kit is advertised as producing 5 psi on a stock engine, so why did it make 6 psi on our modified one? Remember, boost is a byproduct of engine restriction (backpressure), and our bullet had a much more efficient top end thanks to the heads/cam/intake upgrade. Conventional wisdom dictates that our overall boost should have been lower than 6 psi since our engine was less restrictive than stock. Our best assumption is that the UPR inlet pipe increased boost by a few psi thanks to its more efficient and larger inlet to the impeller.
Pro-M recalibrated our MAF...
Pro-M recalibrated our MAF sensor for the 60-pound injectors. This unit is 80mm and is the standard size most NMRA classes require for competition. The MAF sensor has to be calibrated to the injector size so that the computer delivers the proper amount of fuel. The factory parameters are designed for 19-pound injectors.
The amount of airflow through a supercharger is based on engine rpm since it is attached to (and driven by) the crank. The higher the rpm, the higher the boost will be (within reason and designed operating range of the blower). Burcham ran the car to 6,000 rpm and it did make upwards of 8 psi, but the power fell off as the engine didn't operate efficiently in that range.
"I have the tune very safe right now and the air/fuel is really rich. It was steady at 10.5:1 through most of the pulls. The tune is really conservative and it could probably make 30-40 more rwhp with more timing and less fuel."
Horsepower junkies may be wondering why we didn't make the jump to the higher power. The answer is because the car still features a stock bottom end, which is pretty tough, but has its limits. This is a '93 Mustang, which features hypereutectic pistons rather than the forged pistons normally found in '87-'92 5.0L H.O. engines. There are future plans for this car, so we didn't want to beat it up too badly with this first set of blower modifications. "This power is good for mid-11s with sticky tires and powershifting," proclaimed Burcham.
It took less than a day to install the base kit and get the car on the chassis dyno. That isn't bad for the 96-rwhp increase, which works out to be 16 rwhp per 1 psi of boost. We also love the classic supercharger whine at idle, although it's toned down compared to the original V-1 blowers. And if that isn't enough for you, Vortech offers upgrade kits to help raise the power level and keep you in front of the new Camaros and Challengers roaming the streets.
The UPR pipe and Pro-M meter...
The UPR pipe and Pro-M meter are slid under the fender and then pulled through the hole to meet up with the back of the SCi-trim blower.
Burcham prescribed Autolite...
Burcham prescribed Autolite spark plugs that were one heat range colder than stock.
Vortech supplies a fuel management...
Vortech supplies a fuel management unit (FMU) as a secondary fuel pressure regulator. This unit spikes the fuel pressure based on boost. Vortech supplies its kits with a 12:1 ratio (12 psi of fuel pressure for 1 psi of boost). It is designed for use with a stock/near stock engine with 19-pound injectors. The company has various ratios for different sized injectors up to 42 pounds.
We replaced the 24-pound injectors...
We replaced the 24-pound injectors from the naturally aspirated combination to a set of Ford Racing 60-pound units.
A UPR 255-lph in-tank fuel...
A UPR 255-lph in-tank fuel pump helps keep enough fuel in the fuel rails for this supercharged engine.
We also added a Vortech T-Rex...
We also added a Vortech T-Rex fuel pump, an external fuel pump that is available in the High Output supercharger system as well as being sold separately. Here is a template to help enthusiasts drill the proper holes to mount the pump. Vortech makes the external pump installation as easy as it can be by including wires, proper mounting procedure, and anything else for this pump to go in correctly and operate flawlessly for many years. We know some Mustangs that have relied on T-Rex pumps for nearly 10 years of service.