Turbo Cfi 3.8

Topic: Turbo Cfi 3.8 (Read 2166 times) previous topic - next topic

Turbo Cfi 3.8

September 10, 2013, 11:38:05 PM

Now call me crazy for even pondering such an idea, but I have a few friends that are in the Honda scene and they have showed me that you can buy a full t3 turbo kit for around 500 dollars, off of Ebay.
Yes the kits are probably not the best of quality (if anything i can always upgrade the turbo) since they all mostly originate from China but I believe it would work well with my application running low 6-7 # of boost.
I could purchase 2 160 # bosch injectors for fuel delivery and come up with some sort of custom carb hat for air delivery.
Of course I would have a fuel pressure regulator and the related sensors so i shouldn't grenade the engine.
I already have the larger cfi from a 5.0, but have also learned that a cfi off of a 454 chevy would possibly work and could be adapted and they have a large aftermarket support, or at least more than what the fords have.
And I already have a 255 lph Walbro fuel pump
I would also clean up the heads and do a little gasket porting, possibly run a new cam
Only problem I would see is with any sort of tuning because of the computer. But i guess I could always make something like a mega squirt run with the cfi
I'd figure about 300 rwhp? maybe 350 with more boost or a better turbo. (and this all power that the Mustang 3.8 guys say the engine should handle just fine)
So for about + - $1000 i could have that, which is honestly what a jy 5.0 swap would cost
Then a 8.8 and possibly a better aod.
Anyone that has looked into these engines can you tell me if my plan would work or if i am completely out of my mind.

Turbo Cfi 3.8

Reply #1 – September 10, 2013, 11:51:57 PM

just throw a 5.0 at it.

Turbo Cfi 3.8

Reply #2 – September 11, 2013, 02:52:04 AM

Link to $500 turbo kit for a 3.8?

or atleast hot side parts.

seems like a good way to complete blow your budget, re-consider the idea and sell it all at a loss.

Turbo Cfi 3.8

Reply #3 – September 11, 2013, 06:59:42 AM

You will be changing head gaskets on a regular basis. And those pistons will change holes as you boost it. BAD IDEA!! But it will definitely work!! And as you point out easy to hook up to your throttle body. That is the only PLUS!!

Turbo Cfi 3.8

Reply #4 – September 11, 2013, 08:04:44 AM

Wouldn't you have to go to a lower compression piston? That's how the 2.3's work; the turbo setups have forged pistons and lower compression.

I agree about the head gaskets too. Although I wonder about the 3.8 Supercharged setup. They have a special head gasket that remedies the constant blowing on the 3.8 SC. You might see if that gasket would work on your originally NA setup.

Turbo Cfi 3.8

Reply #5 – September 11, 2013, 07:37:05 PM

I would make the turbo manifold myself, something along the lines of this http://www.ebay.com/itm/T04E-10PC-T3-T4-UNIVERSAL-TURBO-KIT-TURBOCHARGER-INTERCOOLER-WASTEGATE-BOV-WRAP-/170893520952?pt=Motors_Car_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item27ca0c3038&vxp=mtr....
The gaskets are at supercoupe spec and I do know about the head gasket failures on these engines... from experience
The mustang guys say 8-10 psi is safe on a stock 3.8 motor, but that may be different from these cfi engines and they may have piston difference.

Turbo Cfi 3.8

Reply #6 – September 11, 2013, 07:51:29 PM

i like your motivation,
suggestion

you do have the 87 model so the option to squander up a 4.2L engine may be an answer to a lot of your limitations.

the 4.2 being internal ballance but you can swap in the 4.2 bottom end into your block.

the flow of the 4.2 heads would complement air flow which is drastically bottle necked in your current 3.8L intake.

on your 5.0CFI, you could hone out a lot more to add larger butter flies. take a peek at the diameter of the egr base plate and you will see how much more air flow room you do actually have,, and if you were able to port match the air path from the cfi down to the intake that would help a lot.

so , stroke that thing out...

Turbo Cfi 3.8

Reply #7 – September 11, 2013, 11:53:45 PM

I've read about the 4.2 bottom ends and that may be something to look into if I'd want to make more power than the proposed 350 ish...
The way I figure is that a 5.0 gt40 swap would put me at around with jy/craigslist prices
$400 engine
$200 wire harness
$300 intake and heads
$150 engine mounts
1000+ Total
and net me about 250-275 to the wheels for about the same cost.
Reliability would definitely probably be better, but the turbo cfi stuff is kind of uncharted territory... possibly for a good reason, but...

Turbo Cfi 3.8

Reply #8 – September 12, 2013, 11:05:03 PM

fordmuscle.com has a hat turbo application write up and as toohighpsi.com did relatively the same thing.