What Would It Take ?

[1992F-150-4x4]

Alright, lets say I wanted to turbo my motor ? What would it take ? And nothing crazy, lets say I just wanted to make some boost to give it a little kick.

What all would need to be replaced or upgraded ?

Right now I've got a 1992 300 CI 4.9L with a 5 speed manual trans. Side note, it's a 4x4 truck.

 

[StrangeRanger]

For a small turbo making no more than 6 PSI boost you probably won't need any engine mods IF the engine is in top notch condition.

You would need:
The turbo with the associated plumbing and controls
Bigger injectors
A re-flash of the PCM or a piggyback chip
Better exhaust
A vacuum reservoir and check valve for the brake booster
Possibly more cooling

If you have a worn engine, then you're going to want to re-build it a bit better than dead stock for that extra insurance

 

[1992F-150-4x4]

Alright, I'll throw another question out.

What kind of increase would be expected with 6PSI ?

My motor has 67,000 miles on it, so for a 92 I would say it's in top shape.

How would this effect my reliability/durability ? Would it shorten the life of my motor ? and by how much ?

thanks.

 

[StrangeRanger]

If you assume zero flow losses and zero heat gain (both of which are a physical impossibility) the maximum torque would be:

(14.7 + 6) / 14.7 x 230 ft-lbs = 324 ft lbs

In reality, there's going to be a pressure drop flowing through the intake system and you're going to heat added from compressing the air. The real world torque would be somewhere around 280 ft-lbs.

Horsepower? At what RPM? If you limit it to the stock RPM range, then something less than 200

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

it will cut th elife of a 300 in half......so that means it should only last 3 million miles now.

adding a turbo will not affect life of the engine for a stock like application. as long as you have a proper tune it will last just as long as it would NA.

I am not sure if there is support for EEC Tuner for the 300 ECU. I have a buddy into ford tuning big time (mustang guy) and tells me a mustang ECU could be put on a six with the cylinder count changed. if that can be done then you could get a mass air ECU and meter for a mustang (with proper sized injectors) and run them on your 300 with the tuner. but this would prob run about $1000 for everything if it is new. you can modify your stock harness to take the meter and to work with the 5.0 ecu pretty easy.

hanging the turbo would run about the same if you buy a new turbo and go with a proper install (SS lines, upgraded fuel system, intercooler, clamps and tubing)

so for about $2000 invested you could have a decent turbo 300 putting out 12psi of boost....

there is alot of work to be done to only support 6psi the right way.



you could prob get by on stock injectors with an FMU and MSD spark retard box. would not be optimum but it would def work.

 

[1992F-150-4x4]

Yea, it's just an idea I've been toying with, I built my teachers Eagle Talon last year, it's AWD and turboed, and the feeling you get when you floor it and you're building boost. Then all of a sudden you're gone, I love it.

 

[StrangeRanger]

Do you really think the stock pistons will live long at 12 PSI?
How about the stock head gasket?
As for the injectors do the math. The stock injectors flow 14 lbs/hr @ 39 PSI. I don't think you're going to be able to raise the pressure to the point where they'll flow enough to support the sort of HP that you'd get at 12 PSI and I have my doubts about 6 PSI.

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

FMU and a high pressure pump.

maybe some 19's with an adjustable reg? bump down the base pressure a couple PSI and gain it back with the FMU?

 

[StrangeRanger]

At 12 PSI with an intercooler and no major head work a 300 is going to be capable of something like 320 HP @ 4500. Assume a BSFC of .55 lbs/HP-hr. and you need 176# of fuel per hour. At a 90% duty cycle that would require injectors with a theoretical capability of 196#/hr or 32# per injector. To get there with 19# rated units you'd need to meter at a pressure of 115 PSI. I do not know of an FMU that works at that sort of pressure. Personally, I'd look at 24s which would only have to operate at about 70 PSI to make the required throughput. Either way you're looking at some control rework.

Modifying/supplementing the fuel pump(s) for that flow and pressure would be an interesting but doable project, especially in a twin tank truck

 

[XFlow_Fairlane]

I was talking more of a 6psi setup.....

granted once you get the boost bug....

 

[StrangeRanger]

At 6 PSI, you need 19s and a stock 55 PSI FPR, no FMU required. At 55 PSI the 19s flow 22.5# each or enough to support about 250 HP.