ok so i'm buying my first TC. its an 83 with an automatic and i wanted an 86 with a 5 speed, but that can be fixed easy enough. getting it cheap enough that i couldnt pass it up.
i plan to do a full tuneup first thing. after that i'm going to get a FMIC and put a 3" exhaust from the turbo all the way to the back bumper.
on to the questions. what do i need to do about adding fuel as i add boost? a friend of mine has a turbonetics t3/t4 hybrid thats brand new he said he would sell for $200, but doesn't know the specs on it.
i'm shooting for 250 horsepower, what should my modifications be?
i have always wanted a TC, but havent done much research and cant really find much online about buildups and yes, i have been all over all the TC forums...
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ok, let me see if i have this straight...
i need to pick up an 87-88 TC ECU, 4 injectors out of a lightning, a bigger VAM, cam (i have heard of using stock ranger cams, good? bad?), header (whats a good one at a decent price?) and a turbo upgrade?
i guess i will pick up that t3/t4 hybrid from my buddy
I'm going to say for 250hp, just do a front mount, 3" exaust, Boport 1.5 cam + springs, and a megasquirt system. My car makes 250hp off the .60/.48 factory automatic turbo at 18psi. No head porting and very slight exhaust manifold porting(just matched the turbo gasket- nothing in ports)
hey lookie there! i figured out the password to my regular account.
i'm in the same boat as you, except i'm starting out with an 87.. for injectors, you could get stock CFI injectors.. they're the same size and plug, but 46*. found out a lot of guys are using them on worked 5.0's instead of spending 300+ on performance injectors.. if it helps, i also started a thread, seeking some 'building' info as well.. may be something in there you can use to your advantage
http://www.foxtbirdcougarforums.com/showthread.php?32500-TC-2.3-questions
and tom says a ranger cam is a big no no.. it's a roller cam, BUT it's smaller
Also, Turboford.org is an invaluble resource for the 2.3T engine.
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Why would anyone need a Megasquirt standalone for only 250hp?
The Turbo Coupe injectors are low impedance 2.5 ohm peak and hold type... The std 14-16 ohm injectors are not going to work(at least properly) with a TC ECM, you'll need the brown top 35Lb inj that are on the '86-'88 models, those are std with the large VAM... Boost is referenced to the fuel pressure regulator so as it is increased fuel pressure also increases...
Additionally the late ECM is going to require some wiring changes to work in a '83...
Pull out the 2.3, find a good 5.0 H.O out of a fox body mustang and a good c4/aod trans. and put that engine in. no replacment for displacment. better yet add a turbo setup to the 302 and make a real Turbo Coupe.
and then in 20 years, there won't be such a thing as an original tc.. i've molested 2, sure.. but i'm willing to give the 3rd a chance.. plus i've seen some tc's whip some mustangs pretty badly ;) there's a big replacement for displacement, it's called a turbo lol
I'll likely be dead, so I won't care...
i should still be alive.. i'd only be 45.. scary thought.. eek
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Mid-year 85 was the start of browntop use on 2.3Turbo, along for the use of a big VAM on the TC.
The 86 TC I stripped sure looked like it had green tops and a small Vam on it
Couple of things to note....There was no 83 turbo coupe (or any turbo ford for that matter) automatic. So if your ride has an auto...its probably an 84. The C3 is not strong. Although I did get 14 flat @ 97 mph back in 2003 on 20psi and a GN intercooler. So once you start to warm the car up....bye bye tranny. There is no performance parts available.
Your car will already have a T3. Get the 35lb injectors, some sort of 87-88 Turbo Coupe ecu, and big VAM. Do the rewiring. I would get the exhaust, big fuel pump, gillis, tune the car for the before mentioned 18psi and enjoy it. If you get all that done and run a low 14 at the track you are heading in the right direction. If not....you will need to fix some problems.
Good luck,
Travis
P.S. The top 25 fastest TC on NATO will give you some good ideas. http://www.turbotbird.com/toptcs/
You are correct on the VAM. Small VAM-35#er's from mid-year 85 thru 86.
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My gut feeling, and that's all it is, is they changed over to the browntops at the same time as they phased out the inline intake and went to the "four square" style.
1986-88 Ford turboCoupe Peak and Hold 35lb/hr Brown Top 87-88
30lb/hr Green Top 86
Found this on the web. But if memory serves me i think i did see an 85 at Carlisle that had brown tops. I thought the guy changed them out. Once again the Mistery of the 2.3 lives on!!!!?????
Per the '86 Shop Emissions Manual, '83 & '84 Green, '85 & '86 Brown... No mention of the 85.5, but it does have info for the 85.5 1.9L...
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i'm so freaking confused!!!!!
sure does seem like it would be easier to drop a v8 in it and be done...
Just to add a data point, I have a mid year '85 and it has the brown tops. Not sure about the vam though, is there an easy way to tell if its the big one? (i.e.part number), and I will have to look on the door for the build date. I did buy the car from the original owner who was a mid 50's yr old woman. She was a secretary at a Ford dealer, and all work was done by that dealership.
Ford
let me ask this, since I have the brown top injectors, does that automatically mean I have the big vam? if not and I got a big vam, could i just plug it?
just checked the build date on my car, it was 3/85, i thought it was later. hmmm...
No, and no.
Big VAM's came on all SVO's and 87/88 TC's. Your ECU strategy was deveoped using the flow from a small VAM, so it's not plug and play without a corresponding ECU swap.
well i went and looked at the car again... it has that stupid stick-on chrome around the bottom and its pretty much rotted the whole bottom half of the car out... UGH!!
that stuff is a waist and a pain in the, you know.. it doesn't even look good.. i'll never understand why people would disgrace a car with that 'vinyl chrome' junk
i didnt even take the time to look at the strut towers and front "frame rails" after i saw the rest of the rust. i know that it would take a set of doors and lower quarter panels for sure, possibly front fenders too. i want the car, but i'm not sure i'm interested in that much work when i have the 88 that needs very little body work