Five Oh B gets blown...

[Five Oh B]

Hey there,

 

My Mach is an '03. Pretty much stock right now (VERY limited funds) - MagnaFlow exhaust, C&L CAI, wheels & tires (315's on the rear - Ohhh Yea - Steam Rollers) MAY have to sell it soon - to help make house payments for a while longer. No - didnt get caught up in the refinance crap that so many people did - lost my job in IT with WellPoint Health Networks (Parent of Blue Cross of CA). Have never been able to get my way back into IT

 

Ahh, I do miss my Camaro sometimes. Was a '72 - small block (383), manual shift TH400 (10" converter), 12 bolt w/4.10's, 36" ladder bars. An all business car (no A/C, no heater, no radio, no rear seat). Skinnies on the front, steam rollers on the rear (on polished Centerlines). MAN that car was an adrenalin rush

 

Still have a very close friend up in Federal Way (although we havent talked in a while - life gets in the way). I WILL be calling him this weekend - just to say hi We took a trip up there about 6 years ago (driving vacation). Drove past the place I used to work (which of course isnt the same business anymore), and drove by my old apartment (used to live about a block away from Poverty Bay). Bringing up old memories here for sure

 

Anyway, I have been on the phone again (left message) with Vortech. TRYING to get them to O/N your injectors to you. Even if they wont O/N them to you - shouldnt be long. They are here in So Cal. Will keep ya posted

 

Now - back to work for me

 

Page

 

Yes, Page, back to work for you. You've done plenty on my behalf today and I know you have other customers to attend to. Sell, sell, sell!

 

I hope you can keep the Mach 1. The 03/04's were awesome factory cars! Mine was fairly stock: Azure Blue 5-speed car with 4.30 gears and just an cat-back exhaust upgrade. Best ET was 13.01 @ 105+ mph in the 1/4 mile. It even ran 13.02 @ 105+ with the factory 3.55 gears, so they don't really need steeper gears as they make a lot of torque for a 4.6L.

 

Sounds like your Camaro would have handily beat my GTO. Similar drivetrain in a smaller/lighter package.

 

OK, we're all out of time for reading the forums for now as other pressing business must be handled. I'll post any further developments later today.

[Five Oh B]

Other options - Saleen, Roush, Magnuson, and of course Paxton.

 

Hehehehe - cant guarntee I can make the smokin deal I made on the Vortech though

 

Yes, that was a smokin' deal on the Vortech blower - thanks Page! Not sure how much longer my wife would have made me wait to buy one, otherwise. Vortech has a good reputation, so I'm eager to mash the pedal for the first time. If I remember correctly, Ruf (Bryan O.) has a Vortech blower on his GT.

[Five Oh B]

Update: the local speed shops don't have the 39 # fuel injectors I need, but Vortech "graciously" agreed to overnight the set they forgot to send me (at my expense! I had to pay them for the overnight shipping!). Now I have to hope that they show up early enough tomorrow to get them to the shop to complete the install before they close for the weekend! To complicate matters, they won't ship them to the shop, only to my home, so that delays matters even more when time is already short tomorrow! Let's just say that I'm fit to be tied right now.

[RStangsOC]

Update: the local speed shops don't have the 39 # fuel injectors I need, but Vortech "graciously" agreed to overnight the set they forgot to send me (at my expense! I had to pay them for the overnight shipping!). Now I have to hope that they show up early enough tomorrow to get them to the shop to complete the install before they close for the weekend! To complicate matters, they won't ship them to the shop, only to my home, so that delays matters even more when time is already short tomorrow! Let's just say that I'm fit to be tied right now.

 

Hey Five Oh - sorry things didnt go better with the injectors. I pushed for them to pay the overnight. Sounds like all they did was more or less split it with you (somewhat).

 

I think they have an issue with their inventory system. I got a call back from them about 20 minutes ago. They said the injectors pretty much had to be in the original box - as they just completed an inventory cycle count of the injectors and came up dead on (not 8 over as they thought they would). Stuff happens - they easily could have made a mistake on bringing the parts INTO inventory.

 

When all is said and done - you will be a happy man

 

Page

[RUFDRAFT]

Brian - I've had my Vortech now for over 8 months.

 

Zero issues.

 

Relax and enjoy the ride when you get 4k and above! And hang on! :happy feet:

[Five Oh B]

Hey Five Oh - sorry things didnt go better with the injectors. I pushed for them to pay the overnight. Sounds like all they did was more or less split it with you (somewhat).

 

I think they have an issue with their inventory system. I got a call back from them about 20 minutes ago. They said the injectors pretty much had to be in the original box - as they just completed an inventory cycle count of the injectors and came up dead on (not 8 over as they thought they would). Stuff happens - they easily could have made a mistake on bringing the parts INTO inventory.

 

When all is said and done - you will be a happy man

 

Page

 

I paid them $41 to overnight the injectors, not so sure they cut me any slack. Carlos at Vortech has not once said anything to make me feel better about this situation, or any other questions I've had of him over the past few days. He should try smiling as he's talking, so that some happiness comes through the telephone line.

 

Five of us stood there looking through the box from Vortech, each wondering where the injectors were. One of the mechanics thought that perhaps this kit didn't come with bigger injectors as it's a mild setup, but we reviewed the parts list over and over, and the injectors are clearly posted on that list from Vortech, as well as their website listing for this kit, so somebody definitely forgot to pack them before shipping the system to me.

 

You are right that I will be happy when this is all done and behind me. I just hope that time heals my contempt for the way Vortech handled this. Again, we all make mistakes. It's how we fix them that shows our true character.

 

Thanks again, Page. I appreciate your constant follow up and efforts to get this fixed on my behalf. Stillen has been great. I hope I say that about Vortech, as well, when I reflect back on this project.

[Five Oh B]

Brian - I've had my Vortech now for over 8 months.

 

Zero issues.

 

Relax and enjoy the ride when you get 4k and above! And hang on! :happy feet:

 

Bryan, which Vortech blower did you install? I was off the forum during the time you had it done, and your signature holds no clues. I'm assuming one of their charge cooled systems?

 

I'm certainly looking forward to the combination of centrifugal blower, 4.10 gears, and 4,300 rpm stall converter. I wonder if my stall speed will be driven up a lot from the boost. God forbid I end up with a converter that flashes to 5,000 rpm's!

[RStangsOC]

I hope I say that about Vortech, as well, when I reflect back on this project.

 

EVERYTIME you jump on the Loud Pedal - you will get a HUGE smile on your face

[RUFDRAFT]

Bryan, which Vortech blower did you install? I was off the forum during the time you had it done, and your signature holds no clues. I'm assuming one of their charge cooled systems?

 

I'm certainly looking forward to the combination of centrifugal blower, 4.10 gears, and 4,300 rpm stall converter. I wonder if my stall speed will be driven up a lot from the boost. God forbid I end up with a converter that flashes to 5,000 rpm's!

 

Sorry, Brian. I've got the V2 intercooled polished version. 9 lbs of boost at 6350 rpms. 39 lbs injectors - GT500 fuel pump. My tuner said he could give me another 30 hp safely, but I wanted to stay mild.

 

My only issue is grip. On my street KDW's, I can't launch with TC off. When the boost comes on, it's all I can do to grab 2nd gear. I need DR's.

 

But - I'm getting 30-31 mpg at 60 mph!

 

PS - If I had known I was going FI, I would have stayed with 3:73's. The 4:10's need slicks.

[Five Oh B]

Sorry, Brian. I've got the V2 intercooled polished version. 9 lbs of boost at 6350 rpms. 39 lbs injectors - GT500 fuel pump. My tuner said he could give me another 30 hp safely, but I wanted to stay mild.

 

My only issue is grip. On my street KDW's, I can't launch with TC off. When the boost comes on, it's all I can do to grab 2nd gear. I need DR's.

 

But - I'm getting 30-31 mpg at 60 mph!

 

PS - If I had known I was going FI, I would have stayed with 3:73's. The 4:10's need slicks.

 

Sounds like one very wicked Mustang you've built, Ruf. Mine will be a milder version, as I opted for the non-intercooled model (for now). I have two sets of wheels/tires that I swap back and forth. The factory 18" fanblades with the BFG KDWS will be overwhelmed, from what you're saying, and they're already a challenge without the blower. I also have a set of 17" charcoal Bullitt wheels with skinny Pirelli's up front and wide BFG drag radials on the back for track days. I've driven this set on the street and it works well unless it rains a lot. A little rain and they still work well, but if there's standing water they can't channel it out fast enough making for a dangerous ride. For the summer, I'll likely drive on the drag radials most of the time to take eek every last bit of traction out of the car.

 

My wife was tickled pink to hear your mpg figures, but fuel economy had no bearing on my decision to supercharge. I had been getting about 23-24 mpg at a steady 70-75 mph, and about 26-27 mpg at a lower 55-60 mph cruise. Automatics are, by design, less efficient than manuals, plus the big stall speed of the racing converter rears its ugly head when I hit an incline and put load on the engine, so I figure I'm still getting more than acceptable highway mileage now. Perhaps the blower will increase the efficiency of the driveline and I'll pick up a little?

 

I'm still holding judgement on how the 4.10's will be with this combo. The automatic cars seem to need more gear than a manual trans, but I may have to relax the shift firmness in the tune so that the car doesn't lurch sideways with every WOT shift. With a stick, you can modulate the clutch release to keep the car from going sideways to some degree. With the automatic, you're at the mercy of the computer and the valve body in the trans to do it whether you're ready or not.

 

I just went out to the shop to look over the progress. Supercharger is 99.9% installed. It's been checked for leaks, some minor fabrication had to be done for belt clearance, and some brackets had to be made to route wire looms out of the way. Looks awesome! Just waiting on those injectors to arrive today so they can button up this job and road test it.

 

On a side note, one of our customers who bought a 2006 GT supercar from us brand new had his GT at a local tuner for some dyno work the other day. He has already swapped a smaller pulley in and tuned a bit, but hadn't dyno tuned it before. Put down 620+ rwhp, which is probably about 730hp at the crank! This GT is currently the highest mileage '06 GT on Earth, with well over 40K miles on the odometer. To say our customer enjoys driving it is an understatement!

[RStangsOC]

On a side note, one of our customers who bought a 2006 GT supercar from us brand new had his GT at a local tuner for some dyno work the other day. He has already swapped a smaller pulley in and tuned a bit, but hadn't dyno tuned it before. Put down 620+ rwhp, which is probably about 730hp at the crank! This GT is currently the highest mileage '06 GT on Earth, with well over 40K miles on the odometer. To say our customer enjoys driving it is an understatement!

 

 

Hey Five Oh,

 

You should sell that customer some of our Ford GT Parts We manufacture a fair number of parts for the GT (urethane, exhaust, AP Racing brakes - of course)

 

Page

[RUFDRAFT]

Brian - Here's the rest of my performance mods.

 

Vortech V2 Supercharger – Intercooled – Installed by DTP Racing in Chesepeake VA - Stage III Comp cams/springs * Diablo dyno-tune by DTP Racing - Ford racing: headers & 4:10 gears * Eibach Sportline Springs * Hawk ceramic brakes * Steeda adjustable UCA/ bump-steer kit/ adj camber plates * Kazera 18’s – 8.5 f / 9.5 r * BFG KDW’s – 245’s and 285’s * Hurst short throw shifter * Bassani SS Race exhaust * J&M Adj. lower control arms and Panhard Bar * Spydershaft Aluminum Driveshaft.

[Five Oh B]

Brian - Here's the rest of my performance mods.

 

Vortech V2 Supercharger – Intercooled – Installed by DTP Racing in Chesepeake VA - Stage III Comp cams/springs * Diablo dyno-tune by DTP Racing - Ford racing: headers & 4:10 gears * Eibach Sportline Springs * Hawk ceramic brakes * Steeda adjustable UCA/ bump-steer kit/ adj camber plates * Kazera 18’s – 8.5 f / 9.5 r * BFG KDW’s – 245’s and 285’s * Hurst short throw shifter * Bassani SS Race exhaust * J&M Adj. lower control arms and Panhard Bar * Spydershaft Aluminum Driveshaft.

 

Nice!!! The intercooler, cams, and headers probably really help that bad boy breathe. You are my inspiration, Bryan. Thanks for being you and for paving the way for us to follow.......

[Five Oh B]

It's done! Fuel injectors arrived late this morning, and went on quickly. I installed the supplied tune from Vortech, and modified it for the 4.10 gears and tire height. Unfortunately, I can't change the redline with the supplied tuner, so I'm stuck at 6,000 rpm shift points. I had them set at 6,500 rpm's before, so I hit the dang rev limiter a dozen times on the quick test drive I had with the technician riding shotgun. Gonna have to have a custom tune written to address that.

 

I'm still at work for a few hours, so I only had a 5 minute test drive, but wow, this car is so very different now. Revs so fast and blasts through the gears like a 2-stroke motocrosser. The stall converter appears to be flashing much higher, as expected, so the tach stays between about 4,800 and 6,000 rpm's at WOT. Power comes on linearly and builds as rpm's rise, but with only about 1,200 rpm's of spread, it's hard to quantify with so little seat time. Definitely gotta raise the redline and shift points, and possibly consider a smaller stall converter.

 

Tire spin is ugly now. I think I'll switchover to my racing setup for awhile (17 inch Bullitts with drag radials). I'll post some pics after I'm off work and get the car cleaned up. Might be a day or two as I'm working all weekend, but pictures will follow....

 

Thanks to all for the encouragement, advice, and well-wishes. Special thanks again to Page at Stillen who exemplifies what great customer service is all about. His follow up and helpfulness is second to none.

[RStangsOC]

It's done! Fuel injectors arrived late this morning, and went on quickly. I installed the supplied tune from Vortech, and modified it for the 4.10 gears and tire height. Unfortunately, I can't change the redline with the supplied tuner, so I'm stuck at 6,000 rpm shift points. I had them set at 6,500 rpm's before, so I hit the dang rev limiter a dozen times on the quick test drive I had with the technician riding shotgun. Gonna have to have a custom tune written to address that.

 

I'm still at work for a few hours, so I only had a 5 minute test drive, but wow, this car is so very different now. Revs so fast and blasts through the gears like a 2-stroke motocrosser. The stall converter appears to be flashing much higher, as expected, so the tach stays between about 4,800 and 6,000 rpm's at WOT. Power comes on linearly and builds as rpm's rise, but with only about 1,200 rpm's of spread, it's hard to quantify with so little seat time. Definitely gotta raise the redline and shift points, and possibly consider a smaller stall converter.

 

Tire spin is ugly now. I think I'll switchover to my racing setup for awhile (17 inch Bullitts with drag radials). I'll post some pics after I'm off work and get the car cleaned up. Might be a day or two as I'm working all weekend, but pictures will follow....

 

Thanks to all for the encouragement, advice, and well-wishes. Special thanks again to Page at Stillen who exemplifies what great customer service is all about. His follow up and helpfulness is second to none.

 

Hey Brian,

 

Drive it down here - I WANNA RIDE You can pick me up - we can head over to Fontana and take it on the track Okay - probably not

 

Thanks much for the kudos - its appreciated

 

Page

[RUFDRAFT]

It's done! Fuel injectors arrived late this morning, and went on quickly. I installed the supplied tune from Vortech, and modified it for the 4.10 gears and tire height. Unfortunately, I can't change the redline with the supplied tuner, so I'm stuck at 6,000 rpm shift points. I had them set at 6,500 rpm's before, so I hit the dang rev limiter a dozen times on the quick test drive I had with the technician riding shotgun. Gonna have to have a custom tune written to address that.

 

I'm still at work for a few hours, so I only had a 5 minute test drive, but wow, this car is so very different now. Revs so fast and blasts through the gears like a 2-stroke motocrosser. The stall converter appears to be flashing much higher, as expected, so the tach stays between about 4,800 and 6,000 rpm's at WOT. Power comes on linearly and builds as rpm's rise, but with only about 1,200 rpm's of spread, it's hard to quantify with so little seat time. Definitely gotta raise the redline and shift points, and possibly consider a smaller stall converter.

 

Tire spin is ugly now. I think I'll switchover to my racing setup for awhile (17 inch Bullitts with drag radials). I'll post some pics after I'm off work and get the car cleaned up. Might be a day or two as I'm working all weekend, but pictures will follow....

 

Thanks to all for the encouragement, advice, and well-wishes. Special thanks again to Page at Stillen who exemplifies what great customer service is all about. His follow up and helpfulness is second to none.

:happy feet: :happy feet: :happy feet:

 

Enjoy the boost, my friend! And thanks for the kind words. The folks on this forum gave me lots of advice on how to build my hot rod.

[Five Oh B]

Page - sure wish I could take some time out to visit Stillen. It would be a pleasure to meet you in person.

 

Bryan - this is a great community we have here in the forums. I feel bad that I was missing from here for so long. Life threw a bunch of complications my way, and things are good again.

 

Looking forward to some of the NW gatherings, such as Grabber's "2nd Annual NW Meet & Greet." We went last year and had a great time, and are going this year again.

 

Looks like I may be able to hit the dragstrip on the 21st to get some shakedown runs with the new-found power. Gotta learn to drive it, as its character and powerband are very different now.

[RStangsOC]

Page - sure wish I could take some time out to visit Stillen. It would be a pleasure to meet you in person.

 

Hey - you are more than welcome to come down anytime Open invitation

[Five Oh B]

After a couple hours of drivetime, here are some thoughts on the Vortech blower on my 07 GT....

 

At a steady 65 mph on cruise control on flat terrain, it pulls 20 mpg (down from 23 mpg pre-blower). Custom tuning will likely help as efficiencies are improved - especially with regards to locking up the converter in the trans.

 

Attended a weekly Mustang gathering last night. Blowers draw a lot of attention and questions! My car is normally the wallflower at these gatherings as it is such a sleeper visually.

 

As this is a centrifugal blower, it does not offer that instant big-block V8 style torque that a roots or twin screw blower would. This is more like a turbo in that the boost and acceleration build very linearly. It's deceptively fast and it has caught me off guard every time I mash the pedal. I realize now that I need better brakes!

 

Leaving the shifter in drive is best for now, as I cannot manually shift it fast enough to avoid the rev limiter (set at 6,250 rpm's by Vortech). The 4.10's and stall converter, as well as the much improved power just make this thing zing though the gears faster than I can react, plus I am used to having a higher redline. I really want to shift at 6,500 rpm's as I have been doing previously (I had the redline set at 7,000 rpm's), but in drive it shifts at 6,000 rpm's with Vortech's tune. The horsepower is still building at 6,000 rpm's, and is probably good to at least 6,500 rpm's.

 

Having the boost and power come on as revs build is great for launching the car. The 4.10's and big stall converter still pull the car hard at launch, but there's not enough boost at the line to complicate the launch (at least on dry pavement). Sure, I can spin the tires a lot if I want to, but if I ease into it, the car actually launches drama-free - unlike the roots/twinscrew cars that struggle to launch and settle without serious suspension upgrades.

 

I suspect that my drag radials will make launches simple at the track, while the boost at speed will really be where the improvements are seen on the timeslip. I don't expect much, if any, improvement in my 60' or 330' times, but suspect 1/8 mile ET/MPH will be improved, and the 1/4 mile ET/MPH will show the biggest improvement. I am going to predict right now that the car should run 12.30's at 111+ mph on drag radials in the 1/4 mile. Next track day I can hope to attend is May 21st for a test 'n' tune session.

 

Oh, it was raining on my way to work this morning. I programmed the traction control off yesterday. Only the slightest throttle can be used in the rain. Any little flash of the stall converter immediately builds boost, which turns instantly into tire spin on the wet pavement. I may have to turn the traction control option back on for inclement weather (I drove all winter without traction control with no problems - funny how boost changes things!).

 

I'll take a few pics this morning. The car is dirty still, and I want to rearrange a lot of the clamps when I get some time to hide the screws for a cleaner look under the hood, but at least I'll have some initial pics to share.

[Five Oh B]

Forgive me for such a dirty car; it's been raining today, I'm at work, and I was in a hurry to at least take a couple quick pics....

 

[Five Oh B]

Closer shot....

 

[Five Oh B]

From the front - sneaky V6 grille and foglamps with that blower rising above...

 

[Five Oh B]

Now that there are blue 39# injectors and blue hose clamps for the blower, I'm thinking a set of blue powdercoated valve covers would match nicely...

 

[Five Oh B]

Super tight fit behind the blower. Had to dremel the top corner of the valve cover to clear the belt...

 

[RUFDRAFT]

Great write up and pics, Brian. You're spot on about the boost. Mine almost reacts like I'm "spraying" at about 4k!

 

The twitchy throttle response makes it difficult to drive it smoothly through the gears! It wants you to jump on the go pedal all the time! My wife has asked me, "why can't you change gears better?!" :happy feet:

 

Welcome to the Boosted Club, my friend. You'll never go back.

[Grabber]

The install Pic's look great. Does it have a cool SC whine when you get on it too ?

[RUFDRAFT]

The install Pic's look great. Does it have a cool SC whine when you get on it too ?

 

Quick hijack! Grab - are you sure you can park all those Mustangs on your lawn?

[Grabber]

Quick hijack! Grab - are you sure you can park all those Mustangs on your lawn?

 

 

Yes.

 

I will be playing with the layout on some graph paper next week.

[Five Oh B]

Great write up and pics, Brian. You're spot on about the boost. Mine almost reacts like I'm "spraying" at about 4k!

 

The twitchy throttle response makes it difficult to drive it smoothly through the gears! It wants you to jump on the go pedal all the time! My wife has asked me, "why can't you change gears better?!" :happy feet:

 

Welcome to the Boosted Club, my friend. You'll never go back.

 

You are so right about the twitchy throttle. You likely notice it more with a manual transmission, as I've noticed if I manually shift my automatic it surges like crazy resulting in some bucking. However, when I leave it in drive, it is much smoother.

 

Gosh, I can't wait to bump the rev limiter up. Having the party over at 6,000 rpm's is taking away from the fun, especially after having it at 7,000 rpm's for the last 1.5 years before the blower, as well as the '03 Mach 1 I owned that redlined at 6,800 rpm's. Centrifugals like rpm's!!!

[Five Oh B]

The install Pic's look great. Does it have a cool SC whine when you get on it too ?

 

Due to the stealty, sleeper theme of my car, I went with their SQ (super quiet) model. Hardly any whine, but a few heads turned at a local Mustang gathering I went to last night as I was backing into a parking spot. There were a few guys in attendance who definitely can hear any hint of a supercharger lurking under-hood. I think the vast majority of the public will not hear a thing, though.