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The mighty T-Bird started life as a grandma grocery getter with a standard 5.0L engine.
The engine was factory rated at 165hp and 250lb-ft of torque. The car used to belong to my buddy's grandmother who was
the original owner and babied the car. Me and my buddy (Dan, partner in speed) used to talk about how it would become
the "race car" when he got his hands on it. We really couldn't modify the car because it wasn't his yet, so we did subtle
little things such as, a K&N air filter and an Accel cap and rotor kit. Dan took the car to Atco raceway to see
what it could do. He ripped off some discouraging numbers and his best run was a tortoise like 16.45. Not too
long after that, the oil pump shaft snapped and the motor was history.
After sitting for about a year, the car was DONATED to me. I figured that I would pick
up the pieces and begin to make this car what it should have been. After hours spent on the phone, I located a good
condition High Output 5.0L engine for a reasonable price. When using the HO engine, it is necessary to also use an ECU
for an HO application. The motor and ECU came from a '91 Lincoln Mark VII LSC.
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The engine and ECU are a direct bolt in. The only mod required was a Mustang H-pipe
to make the exhaust work. If you have a column shift car like me, you will need to install an aftermarket floor shifter.
I won't even get into all the crap I dealt with while installing my B&M floor shifter, let's just say that everything
that could go wrong did go wrong....I would recommend a Hurst shifter for anyone taking on this project.
Needless to say all came out well...my mods to date are as follows: '91 5.0HO conversion, Flowtech
full-length headers, 2.5" off-road h-pipe with 2.5" Dyno Max super turbo mufflers(dumped), B&M street/strip shift
kit(helped my trans problems but still not perfect), BBK oxygen sensor extensions, K&N OE style air filter, fenderwell
air inlet silencer removed, Accel Ignition cap&rotor, and Autolite Racing AR133 spark plugs. I also put on 15" 10-hole
Mustang rims with 265/50R15 tires, which seem to have superb grip. I also upgraded the front brakes to the
'87-'93 Mustang GT style brakes because the factory 4-cylinder Mustang brakes Ford used on these cars are absolutely
insufficient. 10/10/04-I installed an 8.8" posi-rear with 3.08 gears, see the tech article for details on that project.
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