Airborneflyguy

I was contemplating the saleen SC but in reading many a forum I think I've decided I might do some engine work first. Connecting rods, pistons, piston rings, maybe a head job, and perhaps micropolish the shaft...um I forget what it's called exactly but where the connecting rods connect at the bottom . I don't know a whole helluva lot about this stuff and have never built up an engine before so I was looking for suggestions on brands and different options. What should I expect parts and labor to cost? Is there anything else I could do or a cost effective way to do a little here and a little there while getting the desired effect and not paying out the nose. I plan on my car lasting a looooong time as a daily driver so I just want to build this thing up right instead of just throwing a blower on and killing it 50k miles later.... Oh and what kind of performance numbers could I expect doing something like this. Sorry 'bout all the questions but like I said...I wanna do this right and I don't wanna spend money twice or on repairs instead of mods.

GotYoNacho

If it were me, I would get the S/C first with a VERY conservative tune. It will last as a DD if you aren't pushing the envelope. Once that's in, start getting the parts for the engine over time. I would even pick up an extra block and have it built and just put it in storage. Once the engine is built, I would go aggressive on the S/C boost and tune. When you kill the engine, you'll have the extra one all set.

gregsdart

From what i have read, seems 400 hp is ok from a saleen blower, but not a lot more. Part of that is based on Fords' crankshaft durability testing for the 550 hp GT motor, which is a 5.4 liter mod motor with 4 valves per cylinder. They went to a better crank due to breakage during testing. A duplicate of this shortblock with a custom piston with proper compression for high boost, along with head stud kit and the best gaskets available will get you down the road in a hurry without much problem, if it is tuned properly. Crank, rods, pistons and block are all better equiped to handle high Hp than an 05 or 06 4.6 motor. Be sure and use a very good piston, on par with the Gt motor piston, probably best obtained from whoever did the ones for the GT. This will probably lighten your wallet by $6500, and another $7000 for a full saleen blower kit and fuelpump upgrade, along with a full exhaust to handle the extra ponys. From all this i would expect to get 550 to 600 hp for my $$, then start looking for driveline and suspension parts to handle the power!!

Airborneflyguy

Yo Nacho! Seems like if I were you I would have a lot more spending money Not too sure about getting an extra engine in the near future, and I sure would hate to blow mine up and take out a tree in the ensuing carnage...I do agree about the saleen w/ conservative tune however. I could have plenty of power easily with that, but the pospect of up to 400 ponies NA just sounds so much better to me. Not sure how the torque would measure up though.

Greg...a duplicate of which shortblock? 4.6 or 5.4? Oh how I wish I could have the 5.4 but I have to work with what I have now. The biggest problem I face now is a lack of resources and testimonial. This new set-up is just now being tweeked and manipulated internally so it's really a game of wait and see. More and more vendors are coming up with internals and headwork so time will tell how well different set-ups will work. In the mean time I'm trying to find out what the best route to a stable long-lasting 350-400hp NA is. Not to mention a set-up ready for moderate boost.

A lot of ppl have force fed their 05 GTs and I'm still waiting to see how they stand the test of time and what the real weaknesses are. Thanx for ya'lls responses and keep them coming. I'm sure I'm not the only one that wants more than just a blower. Hell, if I could make 400 NA a blower wouldn't be as big of a deal now would it? Again there is still a lot of R&D to be done on different P&P and valve set-ups, cams, etc... We'll all have to see where it goes from here.

fin1

Makes you wonder how ATI can make this claim and yet have any engine longevity.

http://www.procharger.com/2005_mustang_600hp.shtml

gregsdart

I am in the same boat as you are, waiting to see what durability issues show up before making my move. I have the saleen VI blower, but not on my 06 as yet, only have 3000 miles on it.
My idea is to emulate Fords 550 hp GT motor or the Shelby GT 500 motor, the 5.4 size, to get the same durability that they spent all the $$ on in testing. That would mean ordering a top$$ crank, and the same rods and similar pistons rings and bearings as they used. The big question, and the one i am affraid of the answer to, is how much can the aluminum block we now own take for punishment. There is a reason Ford went with the HEAVY iron block instead of the light aluminum one, if that is what is truely coming with the Shelby GT 500. The long life that we want out of this setup may very well require a better block than the stocker for more than the 500 hp that I am interested in making some day. One of the real tests of a blocks strength is to put a blower on it, and crank up the boost at low to mid rpms, where it pulls the most torque. And that is in effect what i believe we both will end up doing given the chance.
Detonation possibilitys, along with high cylinder preasures put a lot of strain on the main webs of the block, as well as the crankshaft. My experiance in this area is with a dodge drag motor, making over 900 hp at 7800 rpm. The damage i have seen to bearings and main caps is scarry!!

GJP05

At over 500rwhp don't forget to replace the 2 piece driveshaft and the fuel pump will kick out at around 460rwhp. The stock block will handle 450rwhp easliy with a good tune. The clutch will also need to be replaced and I would also replace the brake system.

gregsdart

On the drive shaft, that makes sense, but i would think the stocker will handle the gaff as long as the original tires are used, not sticky drag radial type tires. With the stock tires, they can only put as much strain on the drive shaft as the tires can hold, which decreases with each higher gear. Then if a stiffer clutch is added, that might change the picture again, putting more shock load on the shaft.

GJP05

The drive shaft is really weak, I already had one replaced and that was before I had done any mods to my car. As far as the clutch there is someone that already had to replace theirs due to the Saleen S/C but others are still running the stock clutch with the S/C so it could be hit or miss. Check BMR's website for the drive shaft and you can see their carbon one next to the stock one and there is a big weight difference as well as one piece versus two piece. I can't remember what the stock tires are rated but the drive shaft is 450-500rwhp before it snaps in two.

Airborneflyguy

I didn't see ATI claiming anything about longevity, and rightly so. Those mustangs are gonna be toast in short order

Sup GJP05. I just can't get around a freakin DSN phone at the right times and I'm signal!!! We're getting everything ready for our redeployment. Scheduled a flight outa Kuwait on Nov 12th! Needless to say we've been hoppin n poppin everyday all day long...

So it seems there is a lot to be done to push 500 ponies. It almost appears that just the SC would be plenty unless you're willing to fork over some serious loot. Really regreting gettin that extended warranty[:'(]. I still wanna get good numbers NA but it's sounding more and more like a royal pain in the a$$. Either way, I only have 500 miles on my GT and would like to wait 10-15k before doing anything. Wanna let all the kinks present themselves before I give ford an excuse to void my warranty. Then again there are alot of dealerships that will honor it even with a saleen SC. Looks like Nacho had the best idea so far, but let's not let the topic die off just yet. There's just not enough talk about this subject on this forum...atleast relating to the 05/06.

So lemme query this...if I were able to get say 400rwhp NA, how do ya'll think the torque would compare to the saleen blower? And can anyone give me a link to similar discussions on other forums? Or how about this...If I were to push 450+ with the Saleen VI what are the main things that would need to be upgraded to safely handle the compression and torque. I would say piston rings and connecting rods...perhaps valve springs, clutch, and it seems drive shaft as well. Am I missing anything or overdoing it? Last but not least...the price on this SC, anyone forsee it coming down in the near future or even going up as demand increases? Um...yeah...that's it.