Blown Thunderbirds?

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cbird

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I was in a body shop recently and came upon a 900 hp 1990 Mustang, used as a race car, but also street legal. It got me thinking, why not install a supercharger or turbocharger in my 2005 Thunderbird and boost the hp to about 400?
Does anyone have any knowledge of appropriate kits for this or any experience with this? Yes, I expect it would void any warrantee, but my car already has over 100,000 miles on it, so that is not an issue to me.
 

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cbird said:
I was in a body shop recently and came upon a 900 hp 1990 Mustang, used as a race car, but also street legal. It got me thinking, why not install a supercharger or turbocharger in my 2005 Thunderbird and boost the hp to about 400?
Does anyone have any knowledge of appropriate kits for this or any experience with this? Yes, I expect it would void any warrantee, but my car already has over 100,000 miles on it, so that is not an issue to me.
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....the closest swap would be the supercharged AJ34S engine from Jaguar....400HP / 408 ft lbs torque.....I think you would still have to address some clearance isssues....
 
cbird said:
I was in a body shop recently and came upon a 900 hp 1990 Mustang, used as a race car, but also street legal. It got me thinking, why not install a supercharger or turbocharger in my 2005 Thunderbird and boost the hp to about 400?
Does anyone have any knowledge of appropriate kits for this or any experience with this? Yes, I expect it would void any warrantee, but my car already has over 100,000 miles on it, so that is not an issue to me.
Click to expand...

There is no aftermarket supercharger or turbo kit for our engines....
 
Thanks. I went back to that shop and they think they can provide me with options. i will let you know if I pursue this.
 
B.B did you also have to change the tranny?? Better suspension? Just curious:D
 
blackt-bird said:
have one in florida i built it at my shop 2003 with an eaton blown runs great makes about 400hp at the rear wheels.
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I'd like to see photos....
 
Heres the photos Richard sent me... LOOKS GREAT!!
 
I don't see any photos, quickdraw.

Just wanted to chime in on this thread and will be perusing any others on T-bird performance, as I'm considering buying one of these cars for my next project and wondering if it's doable.

One thing I did find out from doing research all afternoon. In 2003, Ford showed a Saleen supercharged edition at a show and was considering offering it as an option for the T-bird, but that never happened of course. It occurred to me that it was ODD to put a roots blower on the engine due to clearance issues with such a slim hood. So I did some digging... Low and behold, a sister car, the Jaguar S-type (also shares the DEW98 platform) had a supercharged option, the model called the S-TYPE R. Here is an article about it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_S-Type.

What I find CURIOUS is that this Jaguar has exactly 390 hp, just like the claims made about the Saleen Concept. The Jaguar STR has a 4.2L V8 with an Eaton M112 supercharger. (FYI, 06-10 Roush Mustangs have an Eaton M90, while 07-10 GT500s have the M122--all in the family). My familiarity with these blowers makes the Jaguar engine interesting. So, it is fair to speculate that Saleen just dropped the Jaguar STR engine into a 2002 T-bird along with some show car bells & whistles like the air extractors on the hood.

It's a shame that this great looking car hasn't been hot rodded more. I built a 500hp 2006 Mustang, preparing to sell it now, and looking for my next project.
 
Looks like those photos got deleted somehow... here they are again...

Yes, Ford invested quite a bit of money towards adding a supercharger to the Thunderbird. I was there at the Lima (Ohio) engine plant and saw the 75 foot addition to the engine assembly line to accommodate the blower. Before they got all the problems solved dwindling sales killed the project. Although they are basically the same engine the jaguar engine block casting and heads were different. Also a major roadblock was the Jaguar and Ford computer systems were completely different and couldn't communicate with the many sensors and instruments. This guy (his email address is in post 10) claims he solved all the problems and I believe $10,000 is his asking price to install one in your Thunderbird.
 

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It is a beautiful car but apparently an engine swap is required to do anything interesting under the hood. Thanks for the info about the cancelled supercharger. Too bad, that would have seen the T-bird continue its sales run due to all of the performance fans snapping it up (DEW98 or not).
 
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twobitcoder said:
It is a beautiful car but apparently an engine swap is required to do anything interesting under the hood. Thanks for the info about the cancelled supercharger. Too bad, that would have seen the T-bird continue its sales run due to all of the performance fans snapping it up (DEW98 or not).
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I'm not positive it cant be done but my thinking is that the days of engine swaps are over. There are too many sensors and inputs into the cars computer(s) and getting them to talk to each other and having the ignition timing, fuel and air mixture, etc regulated properly isn't something easily done.
 
Ford Motor Co is certainly not finished with the T-Bird. It will make periodic appearances and we should send them mail stating our desires. The chances are good that someone within the company has looked in on this and other similar pages anyways. Any good marketing manager would. I myself don't need a supercharger or a turbo but, a stick shift seems appropriate.

(PS, New owner here with a 2004 merlot. I live in the Dearborn Design Center area.)
 
Jondalar said:
Ford Motor Co is certainly not finished with the T-Bird. It will make periodic appearances and we should send them mail stating our desires. The chances are good that someone within the company has looked in on this and other similar pages anyways. Any good marketing manager would. I myself don't need a supercharger or a turbo but, a stick shift seems appropriate.

(PS, New owner here with a 2004 merlot. I live in the Dearborn Design Center area.)
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First of all, WELCOME the TBF, and Congrats on your new Merlot. I'm sure you'll enjoy the ride.
I agree with you note above. And, if TBird reappears I believe it would be a 4 'seater' like the '58's etc.
 
I'm also afraid of Ford making 4 door Birds again. Or making them out of Taurus's by using minor trim pieces that would be unique to it. It's not easy to figure out why they do what they do.

Incidentally, I went to Harbor Freight Tools, (hope everybody knows what that is,) and put together a pulley system with rubberized hooks, straps, and nylon rope, to aid in removing the top. Total cost $18. I know that other members have surely done something similar, but being a new guy here I'd like to think I discovered something. Fred
 
Many don't have the ceiling clearance to put in a hoist system. But, yes Fred others have done that as well, with Harbor freight set ups. In fact, some have put the motor above the ceiling or joists, in their garage, and just have the cable/hook hanging out.
The hoist is a great aid to getting that top off, it is so cumbersome - Good luck with the install.
 
With about 70,000 units produced, I'm surprised there isn't more of an aftermarket for this car. That is not a limited run by any measure. I really don't get it. With any sports car out there, you'll find at least one "fan" who has created aftermarket parts for it, especially if no one else has taken it on. If even 10% of owners purchase some of your products, that's a customer base of 7,000 or so which is huge for a small shop (for instance, Roush or Saleen, which do #'s in that range with the Mustang). This is not a boring car. I don't get it.
 
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