96DropTop

hey guys sounds like i'm in the right place i need some help

i can buy a 1993 lx 2.3l auto notchback with 114k miles for about $800 the car is real clean and runs solid

but i have a few questions

1st is what turbo would you guys recommend on a lower budget my goal with this car is for it to be my daily driver that is very dependable but also get me down the 1/4 mile track in anywhere between 13.5 to 14secs

my 2nd question is would a lower budget turbo system be enough to get me into the mid to high 13's

the 3rd question is what would this turbo system cost and also the cost to have it installed
is it possible on a budget of about $1500 to $1700 for the turbo and installation

thanks for any info guys i'm new to the 4cyl forum but it looks like alot of fun

7_Zero

Hopefully some of the more knowledgeable turbo guys will pitch in, but to get you started.... In short, you cannot just bolt up a turbo to these cars, well you can, but you can only run about 3-5psi and the engine will not last very long. You need forged pistons and the n/a only has cast pistons so they will not hold up to the boost.

To do it correctly there are a couple of options. You would need to beef up the bottom end and rebuild it with forged pistons, tap an oil return line into the block or pan, get larger injectors, higher pressure fuel pump, adjustable fuel regulator, and an ECU and VAM from a turbo charged car. Also keep in mind that working with the dual plug head from the '91-'93 on the 2.3T engines requires a bit more expertise.

The other cheaper/easier option would be to acquire a 2.3T engine from a Turbo Coupe, Merkur, Capri RS, or SVO Mustang and just swap it all over. Depending on the amount of detail and time you want to spend you could do it for well under your $1500 budget.

A decent turbo would be the Garret T3 that came factory on the older turbo cars, or the smaller IHI turbo that came on the later models would work well too. The Garret will boost well into the 20's where as the IHI maxes out around 18psi I believe. The IHI will build up boost faster, but will also max out sooner, while the T3 will boost slower but give you more boost for a longer period of time. There have been quite a few people running Holsets but those might be too large for a daily driver. Right off the bat I do not think that the T3 or IHI will get you into the 13's (I could be wrong) but with some headwork (porting & polishing, larger valves, etc.) it might get you there, but that does get costly.

Also a good high flowing exhaust will go along way, single 3" with high flow cat seems to be the popular choice. Another thing to be aware of is that the automatic transmission will not hold up very well at all, they are apparently weak transmissions to start with and then add the extra power and they do not do too well. Swapping over to a manual T5 will make the car more fun to drive and it will be able to handle more power. If you want to stick with an auto the C4 is probably your best bet.

Take the above info as a starting point, I am slowly working on swapping a 2.3T so what I have mentioned is just from info I have gathered and not from actual experience. There is a lot of info on the boards, find some time to search through them and you will find practically everything you need.

*Edit* check out Evintho's sticky at the top of the 2.3 section
https://mustangforums.com/forum/4-cy...ated-2-3l.html

96DropTop

ok thanks for the info and good luck on your build

one more question did ford ever produce a turbo mustang other then the svo's from the 80's?

7_Zero

Yes they did, Pace Cars and Turbo Cobra's produced from '79 - '82 that used a draw through turbo setup.