Most liked posts in thread: Hit a milestone and still making changes.

Mocked up, then made a mount to relocate the P/S and Coolant reservoir. Plumbed and installed them along with the coolant and oil lines for the turbo:





Made a mount for the Nitrous and Fuel Pressure solenoid:




Fabbed up a new coil mount to relocate it for the wastegate actuator.




Installed the radiator and I/C, and finished the piping and hoses:




But... I screwed up, when I mocked up the radiator to have the necks welded on, I did it without the upper support bar in place, and now the top neck hits the W/P housing along with the fan touching the dipstick tube, when I tried to install the upper mount bar.
Found this out Tues before leaving for the Dragon, so that's where I am now.
I did however start the car, it fired up immediately and idled much better, with codes of course, but that's too be expected without any tuning changes at all.

So that's where I'm at, radiator is coming back out, neck will be cut off and mocked up properly and dipstick tube will be modified, so it'll just be a matter of waiting on my fab guy to weld on the new neck before I can get it reinstalled and finally done for first round of tuning.

Oh, and yes, I still plan on using the Nitrous, along with the new HFS-3 Aquamist system that I have sitting on a shelf right now. I'll go through all that as it progresses.

Sorry for the super long all-in-one post and thanks for reading

 

Yea, no garage & a small house things tend to get like that, esp. with the change of seasons, we're in transition from warm fall (still summer stuff) to winter/holidays, there's stuff everywhere right now, that's part of the problem with getting everything on the car done, between not so nice days and things that "I'm Told" are more important, and my long work days, I'm lucky the car is getting the attention that it is.

Like This? :lol::lol::lol:


Or I could have always used a tablet & the Torque app. :lol::lol:



I actually am going to be adding 1 more (besides the W/M) sort of, since I'm pulling the fuel psi gauge off the dash & putting it on the chrono pack with the new NOS psi gauge I'm going to have a spot open up, I'd rather replace it than pull one of my dash cups.(I've grown accustom to the look of 4) I'm leaning toward EGT, but not really sure yet, my pre I/C portion of the double readout is bumping the readout peak a lot (peaks @ 225*f) so I'm also looking into what to do with it.

I wish, at my age & stress level, I could use a little "mind numbing" every now & then.

 

As a supplemental update to last weekend.
Vacuum system is now working perfectly. Ends up that with the turbo you want to either alleviate the crankcase/PCV from the system or add a vacuum pump.
Since our engines are just fine with this turbo configuration and a simple crankcase vented to atmosphere, that was the fix.

With the crankcase in the mix I was getting 1-2 psi vacuum at idle, now without, 11-12 psi.

So configuration is as follows, fuel regulator only to the factory port.
The port I added connects to the vacuum manifold with MAP sensor, Brake servo, Boost/Vacuum gauge and BOV all attached to it.

First test drive was a great success, the car runs perfectly normal and everything functions exactly as it should, both in traffic, stop light to stop light and open hwy. For normal driving, except for a code related to the change, you'd never know I did anything to the car at all.

Only issue to be addressed is heat control related, I need to add a little more of the DEI Form-A-Sheild to the cowl and bonnet.
And for anyone interested, that stuff works stellar, while the metallic side gets just as hot as you'd expect, I can actually touch the back side of the piece that rests almost right against the downpipe and it's only warm to the touch.

Hopefully I'll have time Sun to work on that and some of the other items, but tuning should commence shortly, either way.

 

As far as louvers, while if done right they can look good, I'm thinking there weigh be enough reward for the effort, since I'm only looking to improve shal when not moving, I'm thinking the effect would be minimal for this. It's going to bed needbe done some of forced or drawn air system if anything.

As far as cosmetics, I have to admit, I think a couple of well placed flush mount hood locks/latches would look pretty good.

 

It's been a while since an update and now that MOTD is over I've finally got some time.
I wasn't able to get everything done that I wanted for MOTD.

Had a set back over the winter and didn't get the car back together until March.
A few weeks after the Dyno session I developed a coolant leak, ends up that my radiator cap went bad, but not in the good...not holding pressure...way, but in the bad...won't release pressure way, and it built up so much pressure that it blew out the bottom of the radiator core. (One bad thing about aluminum reservoirs, they don't crack first) So I had to have a new radiator made. Luckily there was someone fairly local that builds custom radiators, but he's retired and would only do it in his spare time, so it between the weather and his schedule, it took 4 months to get done.
It's actually a beautiful piece and except for the cost, it's actually better than the earlier one. Plus with this failure, I know without a doubt the rest of the system is completely leak proof, lol.



The MOTD trip itself was great, absolutely no issues or drama at all, simply get in the car and drive.
The only issue I had was once there, I wasn't able to give as many rides as I would have liked to, one of the things I couldn't finish before the trip was the BBK, and after a couple of hard pulls up and down the hill by the resort, the current brakes were just glazed over and I had to let them sit a good long time before any more hard driving, which really limited me to offering rides.

I was however able to get a few, nonessential items finally taken care of though.
First was the PCV and addition of a Catch Can. While our engines don't "need" a vacuum source for PCV, and you can simply vent to atmosphere, having it can only be a plus.
The reason I didn't add it right away was that every time I tapped into my vacuum manifold for it, the vacuum would drop so much that it would effect my brake booster and I'd lose power assist, no matter what size line or where I connected. The solution was to add individual ports directly from the intake manifold itself. So, since I need to remove the manifold to ensure no metal into the system I figured I'd clean and dress it up a little too.

The before:



During:



After:



Also added a cover for the injectors to keep rain that comes through the scoop from directly wetting the connections:



New Catch Can Bracket fabbed up and mounted:



Installed and everything put back together:



I also finally got around to building the brackets for my Fire Extinguishers:







They follow along with the seats so no issue with them being in the way.

Lastly I found this decal in the bins at Chad's tent, couldn't help but put it on the car....Lol

 

I've got the "way too many" comment from some, and yes, I get it, it's actually not something I strived for or anything, I just found a personal need for all the info so tried to make it as aesthetically pleasing as I could, thats all.
That and I wanted to show the plugs on the back of the gauge pods, that was always a sore spot about them for me, hell thats why I did the gauges on the dash in the first place, instead of on the chrono pac.

 

So, last weekend Good, Not so good, Good, WooHoo

Good - Radiator came back from my fab guy, installed and everything fit properly, fired the car back up and all seemed well, but it was Sat night and storming so no test drive.

Not so good - Came out Sun morning to a small coolant leak, seems that my fab guy accidentally burned a pin hole in the core, so back out it came and off to the radiator shop.

Good - Back from the radiator shop, got off work an hour early last night, so everything went back in and filled. Came out this afternoon to no leaks, so I'll fire up the car this weekend, pressure test the system as well as bleeding and topping. All the other systems so far have been leak free (knock on simulated faux wood grain).

WooHoo - Shifter got here Tues.....

So, this weekend:
-Finish the EGT gauge install, plus cleaning up some of the under dash gauge wiring.
-Burp, bleed and check all the fluids.
-Update some tuning software
-Install the shifter
-Fab up some fire extinguisher mounts

Besides all that I still have to install the W/M system, figure out the nitrous controller mounting and plumbing, and install my new DT-BBK.
Besides this, the car needs a few non performance item's worked on, but none of that effects driving the car at all.

Fortunately all but the EGT gauge and software update, are things that can be done while we're doing the DD and pump gas tuning.

I'm really stoked to get the car on the road this weekend, and work today won't go fast enough.
New pics this weekend.

 

No new pics, but did get some time this weekend after all, had to tap a second vacuum source from the Intake Manifold to run only brake booster, isn't as good as OEM, but works just fine (just a slightly stiffer pedal)
Only thing to really deal with now is if the vacuum in the vacuum manifold is enough to let the MAP sensor and fuel regulator function properly, the factory vacuum connection is now running, fuel regulator, MAP sensor, crankcase and BOV, and after my test drive late last night the BOV is functioning perfectly. If I need to I'll tap another direct line to single out the fuel regulator, but so far seems good.

Tuning piece is on its way and hopefully I'll be able to take my first real drive (not just up and down the street) later this week.

 

Sundays work, the heat situation is sorted, while the ceramic heat coating works well, it alone just isn't enough for the exhaust side of the turbo, so the addition of a turbo blanket, and a strip of Form-A-Shield under the cowl has taken care of the issue.
With that done, it was time for the next phase of testing, and made a mildly hard pull in first and hard shift into second, which brought up a few issues...

First being that this wastegate actuator just isn't enough, it's only a .75 bar which translates to 11 psi max, and while 11 psi breaks the tires loose at 5200 in 1st, even doubling it with a boost controller isn't going to give me as much flexibility as I'd like, so there's a 1.2 bar or 18 psi actuator on the way.

Second and larger issue is that I miscalculated the amount of engine movement under hard shifts, (even though I'm running Ireland upper and lower bushings along with a TSW top motor mount) and the shift from 1st to 2nd pulled the upper radiator hose loose. Since I do all my testing really close to the house, the car never got above 200°, but of course this needs to be addressed, so there's a new, longer, flex hose on the way as well.

Maybe not the ideal result, but this is what testing is all about, esp with the amount of custom fab involved in a project like this.
Some updated pics this weekend.

 

It may take a while, but once the shifter and W/M tank goes in, I'll get another full set of interior pics, there's still 3 more gauges (W/M, Boost Controller, Nitrous fulf level) to go back into the dash pods on the chrono pack.

 

Thanks, while it's been a pretty big undertaking and seemed daunting at first, the way things are coming around, it's been worth it. If for nothing else than gaining the first hand knowledge and confidence for other future projects.

 

Wanted to get an update in before the holiday weekend.
Tuning is coming along just fine, with weather and my work schedule there's been a few delays, but nothing out of the ordinary.

Received an unexpected surprise last week when I did my 3rd fill up. Back and forth to work and minimal hard pulls, through 2 tanks of gas I'm averaging 36.8 mpg, and that's calculated, not with the trip computer. Never expected that at all, best I got with the Sprintex was 29 hwy / 26 around town. I'll check it again after all the tuning is done, but either way, I'll take it.

Did the first WOT pull a couple of weeks ago, pretty happy for the base starting point (basically no tuning at all and stock rev limit) 316 hp / 251 tq according to Virtual Dyno.

And yes, I know it's not that accurate, but I can't go running to a dyno after every change (since we're street tuning) and honestly all I'm looking for with it is to see gains or losses, overall, it will be what it will be. I do all my pulls at the same exact spot, the Virtual Dyno setup is the same every time and so far the ambient temps have even been the same.
Honestly, I may even wait to see if they bring back the dyno to MOTD next year before strapping it down.

I did however run across something interesting with that WOT pull. According to my boost gauge tattle tale (have to use the gauge since the MAP Sensor tops out at 19.8) and reading from my vacuum manifold as I am, I only saw 24.7 psi, and I've seen 26.5 just after the boost controller install. So it got me curious, the piping had been off and on when doing the exhaust studs and oil leak, so I figured something just didn't get put back and tightened properly.
After a little research and going through the system, I found the issue... The T-Bolt clamps.. While they got tight enough, the also slightly bent my aluminium piping so that the openings were just a little out of round. Probably not an issue if you don't take things apart much, or can perfectly align everything again, but that's just not feasible for me.
So all the T-Bolt clamps have been replaced with Breeze Constant Torque worm drive clamps, and I'm back to seeing 26+ psi.

Speaking of, as far as boost and power, I'm fine with where it's at, esp considering I'm using the 64ar exhaust housing and the full 2.5" JCW exhaust. Honestly, it's pretty much on point for what the tires can handle anyway, and the only way to give it more overall would be going to a stand alone ECU and boost-by-gear.

Here's the way I see it now...
I will be getting better tires, but not until spring, so I'll just have to deal with these for now.
As it stands, with the current boost setting, full throttle and 1st gear aren't even a thought above 4000 RPM, and once I hit full boost around 5000-5500 in 2nd it also just rolls the tires right off the pavement. But it does hold traction in 3rd and up, so I'm thinking it's just right for my setup with no boost-by-gear option, it will be really fun in 2nd, and if I want more in the upper gears, I can always spray it with a 50 shot or something.
But.... That's now, things may change with the final pump gas and esp W/M tuning. I'll just have to see how it plays out.

I should have at least 1 of the 3 days to work on some of the other things that need to still be finished, so we'll see.

Just for reference, here's a screen shot of where I was with the final Sprintex pull prior to it losing boost, and the first WOT pull with the turbo. I may try and get an actual weight on the car this weekend as well.

Sprintex to Turbo

 

Between the heat coating, turbo blanket and heat shielding, it's not bad at all. Body panels (cowl and bonnet) are only warm to the touch because of the heat shielding and bonnet liner.
So far with ambient temps in the mid 90's, the hottest it's gotten under the bonnet was 205° sitting and idling for 10 min or more. While not excessive, I'm still going to try to address it with some kind of blower or fan that can keep air moving even when the car isn't. Under bonnet air temps when moving are only 10-15° above ambient, with the temp sensor back between my air filter and coolant reservoir.

 

Finally another update, the tuning has been coming along, but remote tuning the everyday and warm idle (the closed loop stuff) is a very slow process because of all the minor adjustments, esp now that we've gotten into the extra maps available with the newer VDO ECU.

Well, come to find out the the ByteTronik team has opened a shop in Austin TX with a new Mustang Dyno, and their tuner was in the states for a month.
So.... Road Trip...

I went down the weekend of the 20th, except for my new alternator going bad, it was a pretty good trip.

Ended up taking most of the first day to iron out the afore mentioned closed loop tuning, but it's done and runs perfectly normal. As a matter of fact if it weren't for the power, it drives completely factory, you'd never know that there have been so many changes and modifications to the car.
Then after replacing the alternator, we were able to get the pump gas WOT tuning done as well.

I'm very happy with the results, esp being on a factory ECU, and can't say enough about the time and care that the guys put in to make sure everything was right, top notch, all the way around.

Only thing that bums me out is that prior to the trip I completed the Aquamist install, but because of the alternator problem, there just wasn't enough time for us to do the W/M tuning. But no problem, doing the open loop WOT tuning remotely, is much less time consuming than the everyday driving.

Only other issue was my manual boost controller was a real PITA to adjust and stay consistent, and while it's good now, there's an electronic unit going in this weekend. It will allow much simpler and more accurate adjustments when going from pump gas to W/M tunes.

Speaking of boost, we ended up running out of injector at 22psi, so that is where it will live for pump gas, we'll be able to turn it up with the supplement of the Meth, so no need to get larger injectors for now.
Besides, these 650's are supposed to be one of the most efficient available because of their spray pattern and atomization characteristics.
(I can't help but wonder if they aren't a big part of my exceptional fuel millage. While I didn't calculate MPG on the trip, I can tell you that going from a completely full tank to low fuel warning light, I was able to travel 360 miles.)
And for anything who thinks you can't road trip a car with all these modifications, except for the freak alternator issue, the trip was 1700 miles total, and everything just worked.

Here are a couple of pics of the W/
M install and some dyno graphs.
(For some reason, the final tune in those graphs is not the best number, best number was 329, but I'm not going to cry about 7 hp on a graph, you could lose or gain that with a temp or atmospheric change, if I do get that graph, I'll post it up later)
And since I won't be on that dyno for W/M tuning, I'll adjust the virtual dyno settings to best mimic the actual dyno (weight and dyno type) in order to get a good representation of the W/M changes in power.

So here's the obligatory "on the dyno" pic:



This first graph is a comparison of how the car was when I first got there, running 27 psi:



This is a comparison of safe boost at 22 psi, before tuning:



Here are the W/M install pics, with my injector size and probably running 100% Meth, the jetting calculated out to be in the neighborhood of 1.3-1.5mm, so instead of spraying that much so close to the MAP sensor, I'm doing split delivery as suggested by Jeff Howerton, .6mm Pre-T/B and adjust the Pre-Turbo as needed.

W/M Tank install:







New CAI Filter Positioning:



Rear W/M Nozzle, Pre-Turbo:



Front W/M Nozzle, Pre-T/B:



I guess that's about it for now, new boost controller should be in and setup this weekend, then on to the W/M tuning, as weather permits.

 

Here are the virtual Dyno comparisons I mentioned.

First is the direct comparison of the before and after tuning using the old Virtual Dyno settings from the earlier posting a few months ago.

And second is an example of where the new settings need to be in order to mimic the actual dyno results.
I'll be using these settings to do further comparisons since I won't be on the same actual dyno again, while not perfectly accurate they will be close enough for my use.





If nothing else it's a good example of how tough a Mustang dyno can be...

 

What surprised me is, that's with only 22 psi. on pump gas.
The plan with the W/M is 25-26 psi.

 

Those are back a page, post# 133 & 138

Tuning results on pump gas with 22 lb boost:
322 whp / 251 tq

The injectors were running 93-95% with the 22 lb's, my hope is that a 75/25 mix with the W/M will allow me to run 26-27 psi.
If not larger injectors and Deatschwerks fuel pump are going in.
I didn't put the extra money into this engine and turbo to only run 22 psi, esp as little as the full boost is actually seen, since it is still a street car.

 

Well, first mod after the 200k mark, Thmpr's Adjusted Cam Gear:
Since I was doing both the ACG & the 60mm, I thought why not get an individual comparison to go along with the combined effect.... So here it is, these are my results, the only change is the ACG, all the conditions were as close as I could get them, this is with a STOCK cam.
OEM Gear
ACG
(bottom graph is power only, wanted to show, that's not where the power came from)



I'm plenty happy.

 

Just a short update, got everything mocked up properly over the weekend and radiator should be back mid week, ready for install this coming weekend. That and the EGT gauge line will be run and connected to the new gauge and data logging software as well.
Plus new CAE "esq" short shifter is in the way from GP Garage in Italy.

Fingers Crossed, car will be in the road this coming weekend.

Once everything is checked over and tuning begins, the next big thing will be the Aquamist install, for the second round of tuning.

Honestly, besides the actual work time, the biggest hurdle is trying to figure out where to mount the nitrous modules and if I even have room for both of them. It's going to probably take some fancy brackets and more plumbing magic to get more than one to fit, but that's the final step and not a priority for a month or so yet.

Oh, Harbor Freight welder is gone, entry level "non-flux core" mig welder has replaced it, along with a small entry level plasma cutter. (Both are basically for body work on my next project, so didn't need much power) and new tig will be here in June (back ordered).