Got myself an AU wagon & some performance ugrade info.

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anonymous
  • Start date Start date
A

Anonymous

Guest
Ive postponed my plans on the old Cortina indefinitely and bought an AU 2 Falcon wagon as Im a bit tired of the engine in and out scenario especially when its not the car I use daily. The AU 1 wagon only weighs 1585kg (same for AU 2 as far as I can tell) according to manual and runs 9.65 comp on low grade unleaded petrol, which is pretty good I think.
Also looking into a few possible performance upgrades for this and have been surprised at what Ive found.
Have a look at this link from 112 rwkwts to 170 rwkwts from DEV package mods "without computer efi upgrade" sounds to good to believe.

http://autospeed.drive.com.au/cms/A_2065/article.html

This is a site where outcome of a DEV 4 mod was recorded with apparent air fuel sensor and teathing problems. I dont know what to make of all this. Still I really like my new AU 2 wagon.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/archive/in ... -1328.html

Cheers Tim
 
i'd work on the cortina while use the AU as a daily
buildup a nice 250

corty = 1188kg
au = 1500 or so


raced my mates AU yoot 2 drags he was doing 16.2 - 16.4

My 1977 TE Corty runs 16.9 (bought for $350)
auto Borg Warner 35.. 250 xflow.. stock motor + carby... extractors and 2 1/4 zorst
165 x 13" stock wheels. (no traction) and the motor runs like a pig.. misses and leaks oil out of every hole ir can leak from.. 1Litre per week it looses

building my new motor atm
Motor = XF EFI 250 Xflow - $250
Complete rebuild kit (bearings/lifters/gaskets/rings/water pump/hoses) $400 roughly
Cam - Crow Cam 14892 - $200

and some other things i'll be getting as extra.. new radiator and maybe a 3.89 ratio diff
XF T5 Manual Gearbox - $450

and that should be in the 14/15's

Total of new motor builtup including buying the car (2+ yrs ago)

$1650

+ theyres a lot more u can do.. turbo later.. supercharge it
do otherwork to the bottom end (EF/EL crank/rods/flatops)
or 250 crank.. 200 rods.. acl pistons to suit

and that'll give it a lot more power

250s r a cheep buildup + with the less weight.. u already got an advantage :P
 
OK... DEPENDS WHAT U WANT TO DO... one u mod any thing its never going to be as reliable as factory... Im running an au2 motor in my Eb falcon as my daily driver. Id Get a set of pace maker COMP extractors, and a small cam, im using a WADE 1388c/1590C and find the idle to be good.

Get a 3.45 diff
extractors
AU XR8 intake snorkle
CAM (around 130-150 ) Regrind from WADE cams
3000 HI stall (600 from jmm)


This will see a very good increase in power and should cost under 1.5k.. You can use stock springs with the cam i mention.
You carnt go to wild with cams in these cars with stoick ecu;s as idle qualty decreases very easly with cams with lots of overlap and duration
 
yeh. the computer is a restriction :S

i was thinking pof converting my corty to EFI.. but to me its a restrictor in different ways..

yes EFI == efficiant and its tuned perfect.

but u cant pour 4litres of fuel into the engine like u can with say a 770 demon carby...

i have a twin weber manifold to go on my motor.
1 carby per 3 ports.. as each manifold is seperate with the ends welded up.
so that'll be the efficient driving side.. with it not needing as much fuel on take off and that kinda tihng.. with no restricctions later on when i drop down a gear an dump it and fly thru the night sky like a bullet.

to convert a non EFI car --> EFI is a big deal.. and takes a lot of time and a lot of money that i dont have at the moment.
 
This is a reply to an e-mail from Wade Cams it appears they no longer make cams for the AU anymore. The JMM cams are good but are nearly $500. Apparenly Wade supply JMM

Hi Tim

The 1604 profile does not apply to the AU series, only EA to EL.

The only profiles that are available, through Jim Mock Motorsport, require a chip change.
We've tried some profiles but without success.

Cheers

Chris
WADE CAMS.


The changes I like making are never all just about increasing power. I like to try and improve on an existing design. If possible to increase power and still retain economy which can occur if its all done within careful limmits.
Im not really sure what I want to do with it yet and as Dynoed 250 says it needs 3.45 diff as it cruises just under 2000 rpm 110 kph but on the good side on the weekend it returned 632 km 60.99 litres on a single tank with three kids in back two up front and luggage with some slow winding roads as well.
Since then I have fitted 2 straight through mufflers 2.5 inch mandrel bent exhaust from cat back ($340 installed) and a Tickford snorkel $50. Im also re-plumbing a bit of pipe on the exit side of the air box as the original pipe reduces down to about 55mm near box and is 75mm approx all the rest of the way to Throttle body. Pacemaker extractors net at least a 10kw (dynoe proven) gain on there own on an AU and increase efficiency.
All up it eventually amounts to significant difference which can be felt and effects the time spent at the bowser.
Yep the AU wagon is heavier than the Cortina but around 200 KG lighter than a BA Falcon "Sedan" and for around $2000 for a JMM Dev 3 kit the AU will make same power as BA multivalve overhead cam engine and still retain good economy.

Tim
 
There were a raft of changes to the AU. 2:1 rockers with no offest, rather than the 1.8:1 rockers with offest. Cams were similar looking, but were remachined to eliminate the spacer springs. The head casting had many changes, but the basic architecture remained.


The AU 1, 2 and 3 will only grow in popularity. Its cheapness and lack of HSV style pretention will make it rather like the XA Falcon. A lot of people gave up on Ford when the XA came out, because it was soft and whale like, and not an XY. The base Falcon and 500's looked pretty plain, while the Fairlane and LTD looked gross. Yet a Phase 4 or RPO 83 or even the less favoured GT351 sedan are loved rides these days, with a svelte character missing in all Fords asside form the AU. XB's, XC's, all the XD-XG Falcons had some nasty hard line features, where as the XA hasn't got a bad line on it. David Johnstons largely stock green XA four door is the nicest Falcon I've seen in years.

Remember, the AU found the limit of Australian conservative tastes. Ford pushed the rules more than any other Falcon. It toned down the aggressive edge, and after the EL, no one liked the AU. It was sublime. An Spack AU is an atractive car, but the base Forte needed a grill lift and then an XR6 style aggression, which only the XR6 had. Lowndes Bird of Prey and the T3 Tickfords were 3 years too late to give the design a lift.

However, the AU is the cheepest newer Falcon and the easiest Ford to race up. The brakes, suspension, looks and scope for modification are massive.

The cams will surface again, because the core units are similar. The later 2:1 rockers and AU 2 head bolts are good quality, and the EEC module can be hijacked with ease, unlike the electronic throttle BA. Since the BA fly buy wire system, all aftermarket computer suppliers are 2 to 3 years behind, and in 5 years time, the common fully worked BA will still be a fair way off. The AU has the same physical size head as the BA from the EL intake to the nuew exhast, so its time to turbo yours with a BA XR6 Turbo exhast header , GT40 turbo and fuel it with an AIT style up stream injector system based on an old Mitsubishi Magna ECI EFI system. 9 pounds of boost with no intercooler will yield 280 kilowatts far easier than the BA. You've got scope for a head modified head with another 10 ccs in the chamber, and all else can be stock. The rods, crank, pistons and basic bits are very, very strong, much stronger than the EA-EF and early EL Falcons, and so much better than the X-flow. The 2.65"main bearings in the crank allow almost 6000 rpm, whereas the x-flow kills parts past 5000 rpm.


Any Cortina parts?
 
Interesting thanks
I noticed the AU didnt seem to mind the revs as much as the old 2V did. I moded the throttle body on Monday and it now lets more air through for less input from accelerator at part throttle settings.

Also fitted a 23mm spacer on the inlet side of the TB and stuffed a hyclone in it. Its not supposed to go here but I thought Id give it a try and watch ecomomy figures.

Im not sure what Im going to do with mods yet but I am having HM stainless extractors fitted tommorow. Ive been making a few calls to Crow and Wade lately. Here is some info Ive been gathering. Not sure what I think about the bad rap Crow Cams are getting though.

http://www.fordforums.com.au/showthread.php?t=13215

Snort performance do a turbo package for a AU for 3000 to $3500 which according to them can be used with stock comp and makes up to 300 kws at rear (I think) they come up on ebay occasionally. The Insurers would not like it much?
 
When you click throu that link to FF, it provides you with a lovely few seconds of advertising before any thread shows up...

I find it no small coincidence that the cam a couple of vocal posters are recommending is of one sponsor's make. Also, J and M are close together on the keyboard and can thus be typed with one hand. :roll:

If you haven't dynoed the car before the extractors go on, you've no baseline. That's going to make other performance mods a little subjective!

Try approaching the whole conundrum from a different view: Define your acceptable endpoint(s). Now map the costs of different ways to reliably meet that target. Score each method for enjoyment along the path. All you need to do then is choose the one with a most appealing balance of cost and fun.
 
I was all set to go for the stage three package from Crow which I would have been very happy with it as I do trust them. But this is not if that particular cam gives bad economy and no bottom end. The duration is still mild and in reverse, the intake is more at 210 at 50 and the exhaust is 200 at 50. Its a bit unusual and Im thinking it may not be all that ideal I would prefer it the other way around.
Yes agreed the whole thing is subjective I usually wade through heaps of cra to get an average baseline.
Still I was very dissapointed about the remarks on FF.
Thanks
Regards Tim

Heres the turbo I mentioned on ebay if anyone interested:
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll ... 13321&rd=1
 
Interesting use of a bush pig in the turbo ad. :lol:

You could face some insurability issues - at least in NSW! There's still the exhaust system and hookup required.

As to the cams - just ask yourself why would an esteemed company make something that performed so dismally? Sounds like a problem customer situation to me.

On another board, Crow were rated as the only company proven capable of billet grinding hot cams for an odd-fire Volvo V-6. If they can get accolades like that, why would they not bother to make similar effort with the AU motors? Doesn't stack up, does it?

Just wanted to add - look at it also from the point of a consumer contract. If someone knows exactly the outcome you want, it is easier to deliver. Imagine I was just asked to build "an extension" - would it be how the client saw it, or how I saw it? :wink: Define your specs and a supplier will try to work with you.

Oh, and no monkeys were spanked in the writing of this post. Top that FF.

Regards, Adam.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top