Torino Wagon Turbo 250 build

[bubba22349]

Another day of parts arriving! I've ditched the idea of using a mechanical pump and have bought a Holley Blue pump and a dead head rising rate regulator. The pump is supposedly able to put out 16PSI. I plan to run only 8-10PSI boost so it should be plenty powerful.

Carb mounting is still being quite tricky. With the adapter, 1/2" spacer, and carb hat on there is more fitment issues. The linkage looks like it is in a good spot as well as the fuel line. Now the hood wont close

Great job you have the carb oriented the right way on the engine for the best flow! How much room do you have between the fuel bowl and top of valve cover could you use less than the 1/2 inch spacer? If so there were some thick crab base gaskets used on the mid 1970's 2V Ford V8's that could work well and also insulate the carb from heat. Looks like the base of your carb hat could be milled down some to drop it another 1/2 inch, how much to high is the carb setting up? I really like your build plan for the Wagon, good luck

 

[ldm314]

Great job you have the carb oriented the right way on the engine for the best flow! How much room do you have between the fuel bowl and top of valve cover could you use less than the 1/2 inch spacer? If so there were some thick crab base gaskets used on the mid 1970's 2V Ford V8's that could work well and also insulate the carb from heat. Looks like the base of your carb hat could be milled down some to drop it another 1/2 inch, how much to high is the carb setting up? I really like your build plan for the Wagon, good luck

Take a look at my last post, with a different carb hat the hood just closes. The 1/2" spacer it just right, the carb is nearly touching valve cover. I still need to figure out how to get this throttle cable mounted, looks like I'll need to make up a bracket for it. All my fuel system parts are in too, hopefully I can get it running again soon.

 

[powerband]

... with a different carb hat the hood just closes. ..., the carb is nearly touching valve cover. I still need to figure out how to get this throttle cable mounted, ...

;; ;new carb hat looks promising once 'plumbing' from turbo is determined. With the smooth transition' 2X1 V.I . adapter and suitable spacers the 2300 series 2bbl fits 'snug'with no space wasted between valve cover and fuel bowl.



(SC uses 'blow off valve on charge tube)

The '74 Maverick was simple relocation of existing 'over the VC' OEM bracket throttle pedal and cable.

. .

dead head rising rate regulator

interested to see how your 'dead end' fuel supply works out.

have fun

 

[ldm314]

For the turbo intake I am going to have the turbo outlet towards the passenger front, air to air intercooler in the middle, back into the carb hat from the drivers side.

Today I figured out how to mount the throttle cable. I didn't have an over the valve cover setup on this before. The throttle cable went across the back of the motor to the passenger side where the transmission kickdown linkage is. I took the valve cover off, welded a mount to the top of it, sandblasted and painted with some high temp self priming enamel. Valvetrain looks nice and clean thankfully.

 

[ldm314]

Here is the pump and regulator. I need to get a pressure gauge so I can get it set. On the right side of the red there is a fitting for pressure. For now I just have a brass screen there. It came with a barb fitting as well. The way it's designed it looks like I'll need a check valve and vent for the pressure side to ensure it doesn't see vacuum.

 

[ldm314]

Now all I need is a return spring

 

[ldm314]

It's alive again! I only drove it to the mailbox and back but it definitely has some more power to it.

[bbvideo=1120,630]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bli80sPbOv0[/bbvideo]

 

[ldm314]

I've been driving it around gently the last couple days. Amazing difference already. Great results from a $165 ebay carb. So far only a few issues:

• Air filter wasn't tight enough, fell off and got mashed. The carb hat and filter do touch the hood. Still works though, now very tight.
• Throttle lever wobbles a bit on the throttle shaft.
• Accelerator pump needs adjusting. Mashing the gas wide open causes a huge stumble. Not noticeable under normal driving conditions.
• C4 kickdown not connected.
• Idle speed needs some tweaking. Because the vacuum advance is running on manifold vacuum there is a large difference between Neutral/Park RPM and in gear. Need to bump up the idle a little more.

Next up is to remove the stock fuel pump and replace it with this electric pump and regulator. Time to start looking for a wideband o2 setup too.

 

[62Cometman]

The only true issue in that list, at least in my eyes is the wobble of the throttle shaft, if it has that much play it will likely leak boost as well, i have heard of guys using o rings to try and reseal shafts or use bronze bushings turned very thin to make the difference, i would just be aware of the potential issue that may come but proceed for the time being

if you havent looked into where your oil is coming from you could use this adapter from speedway if you have the room, theyre pretty trick units and give you both the supply and return, the only downside i will say is that the oil is non filtered, but this shouldnt be an issue unless you suddenly get metal in the oil, in which case you have bigger issues :roll:

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Perma-Co ... 97979.html

 

[powerband]

Throttle lever wobbles a bit on the throttle shaft.

... do you mean the carb housing is loose fitting to the throttle shaft or lever for cable loose on shaft? .

it will likely leak boost as well - 62COMETMAN

.. Important detail for forced induction, with a few remedies . Carb shaft leakage options are addressed in "Hangar 18 ' blow-through carb mods and discussions on forums. New Throttle base plates for the 2300 are widely available in 350 and 500 CFM versions if needed.

have fun

2300-7448 2bbl Stage III - Xternal Power Valve port, Hat - FPR boost reference port, o-ringed shaft, welded cable lever, trimmed-smoothed horn, jet xtensions, solid float, bowl vent anti slosh whistle, ... ' and fuel bowl vent xtensions past hat ...
. . .

>>

. .. .

 

[ldm314]

The play is not in the throttle shaft itself, but the metal piece that connects the throttle cable to the throttle shaft. I'm going to take it off, add an O-ring, and weld it back into place. After adjusting the cable, adding a spacer to the mount, and re-positioning the springs things are working better. I need to trim the throttle cable and sheath some more to fix the angle and lubricate it well but it is easily driveable. The cone intake filter just hits the hood now, a bit less interference with some hammering.

After 100 miles on the new carb it is definitely running better. I've just started a new position at work and will be driving it around 70 miles a day. Other than a small flat spot off idle it is running very well. Surprisingly spun the tires merging into traffic the other day. Dealing with no kickdown on the c4 has been fine. So much torque that D works most of the time.

Recently I've upgraded the headlights to LED style. Took a bit of grinding to the headlight housing but they are pretty nice so far. Next change will be to remove the mechanical fuel pump and install the holley pump and regulator.

Once I'm happy it is running well and have some more time I'm going to get the turbo in place. Making a J tube, turbo prep the carb, route oil lines, intake piping, then going fast! The worst part is going to be cleaning up my basement to get the chop saw setup.

 

[ldm314]

if you havent looked into where your oil is coming from you could use this adapter from speedway if you have the room, theyre pretty trick units and give you both the supply and return, the only downside i will say is that the oil is non filtered, but this shouldnt be an issue unless you suddenly get metal in the oil, in which case you have bigger issues :roll:

https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Perma-Co ... 97979.html

That adapter looks like it may be the way to go. With that flow I may be able to add an oil cooler circuit as well. My current thought is to tap off the sender and drain into the oil pan but I haven't bought parts other than the generic oil line kit for the turbo.

 

[powerband]

Build overall concept and the many details add up to lots of work , parts and research.
,
Next change will be to remove the mechanical fuel pump and install the holley pump and regulator.

Turbo oil supply works tapped off oil sender port and Oil Return can simply be returned to blocked off mechanical fuel pump location if electric is used. If turbo oil returns to other place, FP blockoff makes a good crankcase vent for boosted conditions.

Electric fuel pump should be interlocked with oil pressure safety switch cut-off for worst-case scenario's ...

have fun


250's Oil port with OEM light sensor, Pressure gauge, compressor feed, and safety interlock using Air Tool manifold.

 

[ldm314]

Build overall concept and the many details add up to lots of work , parts and research.
,
Next change will be to remove the mechanical fuel pump and install the holley pump and regulator.

Turbo oil supply works tapped off oil sender port and Oil Return can simply be returned to blocked off mechanical fuel pump location if electric is used. If turbo oil returns to other place, FP blockoff makes a good crankcase vent for boosted conditions.

Electric fuel pump should be interlocked with oil pressure safety switch cut-off for worst-case scenario's ...

have fun


250's Oil port with OEM light sensor, Pressure gauge, compressor feed, and safety interlock using Air Tool manifold.

Thanks for the picture, that tool manifold is a great idea!

FP blockoff is how the VW kit I have does it, but I thought the return would be too far away on the other side of the block. I'm not certain on where I'm going to put the turbo yet either. Either behind the shock tower or in front of it towards the alternator are my two choices. I need to really to just hold the turbo in and see how it fits in those spots.

Today I started driving it to work, about 100 miles a day over 3 hours with traffic. The power steering return hose started leaking quite a bit more and needs to be replaced asap. Then my wiper motor went out with the wipers straight up!

There is something still funky with the carb linkage. The return spring on the carb is pretty weak, the spring mount from the throttle kit wasn't quite long enough either. It often idled too high and lightly tapping the accelerator fixed it. I adjusted the cable length a little and also noticed the angle of the cable mount was off so I tweaked it a bit. Hopefully this power steering line holds until I can get a replacement!

 

[ldm314]

Drove to work again another 100ish miles down. Maybe closer to 80 per day but the traffic makes it seem longer.

Worked on the throttle cable again today. Still had the same problem as yesterday but a little better. Turns out was too much bend and the the cable was still too tight on the carb. Today I cut about 6" off the end of the throttle cable sheath. Then I had my son hold the accelerator down all the way and I trimmed the cable. I then adjusted it with him holding it down so when your foot is on the floor it just barely WOT at the carb. Finally I added some "chain and cable" lubricant to the cable. Sitting in the driveway the cable moves like butter now, almost no resistance and it goes right back to idle

This morning I ordered a new power steering return line and wrapped the badly leaking line with some silicone rescue tape. When I got home the pump was not whining because it ran low on fluid. It still read full on the little dipstick. Definitely found the leak and will swap out that hose when the new one arrives.

Engine running wise things are still doing great. A steep hill that I could barely do 35 up now gets to over 45 by the top. Once warmed up there are no flat spots off idle and doesn't ping or bog wide open. The factory carb had an issue with hot starts. Go into a store for 20 mins and it would have to crank a bunch before it started. Not a problem with this carb at all so far. I'm not going to need to adjust it again until I tear it apart to boost prep it.

I'm quite surprised by this cheap ebay carb. I didn't open the bowl to check anything and so far have only adjusted the idle speed and mixture screws. When cold it will stall when put into gear. Not too surprising since I have the choke wired open. I've also read that a turbo does help a little with that.

 

[ldm314]

So this project is still in the works. Driving well still, getting 20+mpg easily.

I bought another wagon as a parts car. It also is a 250, but has an AOD in it instead of a c4. Comes with a bunch of extra parts too.

 

[ldm314]

Some updates on this project. With how things are these days I've been a bit busy. March 2020 someone pulled into me and messed up the bumper and fender. Insurance didn't work out and it was left to me to fix it. All the shops nearby wouldn't touch it - who can find parts for a wagon these days? The donor falcon came with a good bumper and was part of the reason why I picked it up.

I drove the wagon around a while with the bent up bumper until one of the small power steering pressure hoses broke. Then I drove my F150 for a while until I beat it up a bit too much, snapping the wheel studs off one wheel. August I fix the truck. September a forest fire forces us to evacuate for 2 weeks. Thankfully the truck was running. Holidays and all that happen. This weekend I finally got time to get back to the wagon. Saturday I tackled the power steering. The replacement lines don't fit great but they go in. Old bumper is off, new bumper on, fender is pounded back into shape. All that is left is to get the lower valence straightened out a bit and put back on, then find some place that can match the paint.

Before:

After:

 

[bmbm40]

Cool wagon project. That AOD could be a benefit for a highway cruiser.

 

[Wayne clark]

Some updates on this project. With how things are these days I've been a bit busy. March 2020 someone pulled into me and messed up the bumper and fender. Insurance didn't work out and it was left to me to fix it. All the shops nearby wouldn't touch it - who can find parts for a wagon these days? The donor falcon came with a good bumper and was part of the reason why I picked it up.

I drove the wagon around a while with the bent up bumper until one of the small power steering pressure hoses broke. Then I drove my F150 for a while until I beat it up a bit too much, snapping the wheel studs off one wheel. August I fix the truck. September a forest fire forces us to evacuate for 2 weeks. Thankfully the truck was running. Holidays and all that happen. This weekend I finally got time to get back to the wagon. Saturday I tackled the power steering. The replacement lines don't fit great but they go in. Old bumper is off, new bumper on, fender is pounded back into shape. All that is left is to get the lower valence straightened out a bit and put back on, then find some place that can match the paint.

Before:

After:

Cool wagon project. That AOD could be a benefit for a highway cruiser.

Great project & a nice write up .


I plan on a similar install on my 69 Ranchero 250 auto useing the drawthru off a 78 Regal sport coupe I have.

If you have any interest in selling parts off your parts wagon pm me at wc4225@gmail.com. I have a 69 Fairlane also and Torino parts are supposed to fit it and the Ranchero.

I plan on watching your experiment to hopefully save myself a lot of effort.

Best of luck as you go forward

 

[Satish Naidu]

You could also run a MSD 6BTM box specifically designed for boost applications that electronically retards ignition based on boost pressure, their instructions show you how to wire up with and HEI based distributor.