Best Guess: How Much HP Will This Turbo F-150 Project Make?
This build is slightly unorthodox, which makes estimating horsepower even more entertaining.
From truck pulls, to drag racing, to drifting, to autocross, there are loads of popular pursuits in the automotive world. But there’s one element of enthusiast culture that crosses all boundaries — bench racing.
In the off chance you’ve arrived to this post by happy accident, we’ll explain that bench racing is the practice of debating which rigs would win a theoretical matchup, which combination of mods is best, or how much power a given build will make. Obviously, isn’t the realm of facts and figures. Hearsay and speculation rule, so there’s no barrier to entry, and given the right company, bench racing is a blast.
Which brings us to this project by Ford Trucks forum member “Whistling Pete.” He started this thread back in August of last year, and in the best traditions of bench racing, he’s been looking for guesses on how many ponies this turbo F-150 is going to make. Now, there’s nothing terribly unusual about that request, but his photos caught our attention, because the setup looks unconventional, to put it mildly. So far, there haven’t been any real bites, save a wry response from lonewolf, who ventured that zero — as in zilch, nada — is the winning number. Unfortunately for Whistling Pete, he hit the nail on the head — as the 302 Windsor wasn’t running at that point.
Before he sent it out to a local machine shop to get refreshed, there were almost half a million miles on the engine, which we think is awesome. Now, as of February the mill still isn’t running, but the info that Whistling Pete has posted about what’s been done so far makes it sound promising.
– D.S.S. E forged pistons 8723-4030 Dish with valve relief .030 over (I know this is slightly lower compression but turbo will make up for this and I want a easy starting engine)
– Crank and rods are stock
– Melling high volume oil pump M-68
– Howards cam hydraulic flat tappet (108 lobe seperation to help low compression engine act like high compression engine – .551 lift 272 duration)
-NGK iridium IX plugs (tr7IX/3690) It would be great to know if I am running the right plugs heat range 7
– Summit high output coil (sum-850507) 48,000v
-GT40P heads ported (that took FOREVER)
-75MM billet throttle body
-Water to air intercooler/ intake manifold ( hope this works )
-50mm blow off valve
-Stainless shorty header (port matched)
-HX35 turbo with internal dump valve
-Megasquirt CPU
-stock fuel system (let me know if what to do there
At this point, the engine will fire with the help of some starting fluid, then dies, and getting the MegaSquirt system dialed in is proving problematic.
Despite the fact that he’s using the kit for this specific engine, the TFI ignition control module doesn’t seem want to talk to the fuel pump, and when he’s unplugged it, the pump has kicked on. That’s just plain weird. To us, that makes it sound like there’s something spooky happening wiring-wise.
Obviously, this is a frustrating situation for Whistling Pete, and up until now, he’s basically been talking to himself.
So we wanted to shine a spotlight on his build, hoping some of the membership might be able to chime in with suggestions about how to get this baby running. We know the well of knowledge here runs deep, and given how popular the MegaSquirt system is, it’s safe to bet that someone here has conquered this specific issue before.
That said, if you think you might know what’s happening here, want to float a guess about horsepower, or just ask Whistling Pete what his plans are for the hood, check out the thread. We know firsthand how difficult it can be to get a project firing on all cylinders, and we’re sure he’d appreciate any encouragement!
Head to the thread to help out Whistling Pete!
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