I like it...but your pretty much driving a small Class B RV, add in oversize A/T tires and some Head/Crosswinds at 60 mph and it's going to hit a aerodynamic "brick wall". Trying to push beyond that level is constantly loading the engine and it will literally burn the exhaust manifolds off over time. Same thing happens to RVs,Box/Cube Vans, etc...................

 

Definitely a cool looking van--I like the camo paint--but thinking about a poor little 4.6 pushing that beast around makes me feel sorry for the 281 cubic inch motor.

Thinking of adding the high roof and more weight, I know you don't have enough power. Can you write off a swap to a 5.4 or a 6.8 V10? (You would have to change out a lot of etronics especially with the 6.8...)

I'll bet that changing back to Michelin LTX M/S2 tires will give you more of a performance gain than the engine mods you are proposing due to lower rolling resistance. And working the engine hard with lower coolant flow due to the pulleys does not bode well for the flaky cylinder heads which you probably have. If you hear a ticking noise from the right (usually) wheel well, that is the first sign that the valve stems are carboning up and the valves may be on their way out.

I'd put a 4.10 axle in that van if I was gonna drive it as is. With the .70 overdrive on the trans, your final drive will still be a 2.87. My '86 GMC van (Turtle Top camper conversion) had a carbed 305 with a turbo 350 trans and a 2.73 "EPA cycle" rear gear which was stupid for the real world--more stupid than your van with the 4.6. I put a 3.42 gear and an Auburn limited slip in the van and it lost no gas mileage and the performance improved dramatically.

George

 

The paint is great, I never have to wash it and I just spray on more when the paint comes off. Its been prepped well so most of what you see was done 4 years ago with rattle cans.

Yes the van is loaded with stuff even when empty because of it being a conversion van. Its very slow.

I have the big tires (245/75/16) because every time I go camping, I go offroad. The extra ground clearance has gotten me in to, and out of, some tight spots plenty of times, with less than a half inch to spare with the side skirts or exhaust. Driving on loose dirt and sand, in the middle of a desert - well its not somewhere to get stuck or attempt to go with highway tires.

I get almost 14 mpg average between city and highway, and 15.7 - 16.2 on the highway (loaded) on a long distance full tank run.

The exhaust system is a bit modified for "free flow" so it should have less problem getting heat away from the manifolds now than stock... I dare not mention this more here.

I spend all my highway time at about 65-68 mph so I suppose I really wouldnt notice much difference with a 4.10 rear at speed, but the acceleration would be nice. I think it has a 3.55 (H9 axle code) in it. I went from 3.27 to 3.75 in a crown vic and it is a huge difference off the line.

While I could definitely write off an engine swap, I already have a 1999 with a 5.4 and it's such a dog I won't be doing anything other than the suspension mods that are already complete. I am so disappointed with the 5.4 that came with that van. I don't tow with it, so maybe I am missing out? I believe that the 1999 5.4 in the van is not a PI head motor, but I have not yet confirmed.

I hit plenty of brick walls in this van with the high winds in southern California deserts and am really thinking about upgrading the front sway bar with a Hellwig.

I stuck my head in the wheel wells today and didn't hear any ticking sounds (at idle, at temperature) but the van was manufactured in late 2002 so it does have the engine which could develop the problem.

My plans for electric fans were originally just to get rid of the fan attached to the pulley, but it would also clear up any overheating worries.

Thanks for all the info and ideas for my project.

 

I build underdrive accessory pulleys for non-Ford performance car applications. Just water pump and power steering are replaced, not the alternator. We see a legitimate 7-11hp at the wheels.

As for cooling effects in those applications, none... not even with our SoCal and middle eastern desert customers. At cruising rpm, any factory water pump should be more than sufficient. At higher rpm, some factory pump pulleys cause the water pump to run faster than required and the water cavitates (makes bubbles) and cooling efficiency decreases. I do not know if this applies to the 4.6 Ford motor, but it is accurate in several other applications.

In my experience, every little bit helps. If a motor is underpowered for the application, what's the point in giving up and saying "that's how it is"? Pulleys here, ignition there, headers up top, exhaust out back, all these things that increase efficiency help across the board. And the best part about bolt-ons is that they are cheap and are not affecting internal engine durability, in fact helping it.

DJ Kontakt, I'd love to hear more about what you've done to your van.

 

Sorry. My REAL WORLD experience is different.
There is no way you turn enough RPMs to make it worthwhile. See above post #7.
I'm not selling anything.
BTW you get 20% more hp with these

 

What is your "real world" experience? Tell me about the dyno testing you've done. Tell me about the conversations with the vehicle manufacturer's engineers. Tell me about the thousands of vehicles you have your parts installed on.

I see you've got NASCAR experience. Looks like Robert Yates' Ford NASCAR engines benefit from an underdrive pulley design:

http://www.mustangandfords.com/news/...g-engine-shop/

Looking forward to your data.

 

READ POST #7. Maybe your comprehension will be better after another reading.
We tried it on numerous engines and Yates SELLS the parts. What do you think they are going to say?
I stand by what I said.

 

I read your post. I relayed my legitimate experience with more than just your one motor.

Was your race motor using power steering? Did it have some other type of water pump already? Race motors usually start out as different sorts of creatures.

It it doesn't really matter the vehicle; water pumps and power steering pumps use roughly the same power. On older truck stuff, conceivably even more. Whether it's a/c, wp, p/s, they're all typically drawing 8hp-15hp each. So cutting down the loss from just wp and p/s easily comes up with 10hp saved, as my repeated dyno testing on street motors proved.

I don't have opinions on this stuff, I have my my own proven facts. I assure you, I have spent plenty of time debunking useless modifications also... but pulleys, that stuff works. $250 for 10rwhp isn't a bad deal on a non-turbo motor.

 

We did more than one. We played with this for 2 decades. We ran 2 to 3 different cars per year.
You obviously missed the RPM part too.
Your selling but I'm not buying.
You sell these too ?

 

Wow, I'd think after 20 years, you'd get it right. I managed to do it in about a month. But what do I know, I've only been building performance and race parts for 19 years, including for Grand Am, so you've got that advantage on me.

But maybe if you stopped posting pics of dumb modifications and actually looked at what other people are successful with, you could have gotten more done in 2 decades.

Street motor real world results, repeatable in this application, 7-11rwhp. Not like a supercharger, but the difference between driving with air conditioning on or off, noticeable. See attached pic.

 

who drives around at 5k rpm? ESPECIALLY IN A VAN
it's not worth it for a street machine
it's barely worth in in racing

BTW, I have one on one of my Vettes.
In daily driving, it is not noticeable.

you sell snake oil , plain and simple
go sell some magnets

 

Man, you're deliberately trying to discard any understanding or logic from this conversation.

THAT particular graph was for that small motor.

Power that accessories use is the SAME, as explained previously, no matter what motor they're on.

For a bigger van engine, running lower rpm at cruising, that means the accessories are OVERDRIVEN even more. Same 8-15hp per accessory at cruising rpm. More, of course, at high rpm.

So you can choose to keep not getting it, to dig your hole deeper, to make what you think are funny comments but are just plain juvenile in a technical conversation, or you can think about it.

Otherwise, back to your NASCAR crew and work on your tire-changing speed. Leave the numbers stuff to the engineers.

I have to spell this out? 10hp gained on a 450hp motor is not as noticeable as 10hp gained on a 200hp motor.

You fail at automotive technology. My dyno results are independently verified in magazines and web articles.

 

YOU ARE TRYING TO SELL SNAKE OIL
IT'S A JOKE. It is not worth if for a daily driver.
On a race car it's used to slow down the pumps and if you get over 2 hp it's a bonus.
Go hang with PT Barnum, you can find suckers together

BTW , I built cars and engines.
I'm also not selling a thing.
I expect this BS from a someone selling.

 

Interesting chart Rob, this is with an underdrive pulley set and no other modifications? How does this affect vehicles that see extended idling in hot weather? Exactly how much of a belt speed difference are we talking?