Will Piggy back computer allow for cut cams?

jlozinsk said:
The machinist Steve for Darton Sleeve will put 92mm sleeves in your motor but on a 3.9 cooling passages may be an issue so look at the Rover 4.4 motor which is also an AJ V8
the crank on the 4.4 is 88.5mm I think which means you can offset grind it to 91mm
enjoy slowly I will ship it to Bulgaria where I live and increase torque by increasing displacement
but I think a T56 and rebuild a 4.4 short block is practical. Sleeving is $2,200 and brings fuel and other problems.
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Yup, Steve at Race Engine Development finished sleeving my block about 2 months ago. I was the first 92mm bored block he has done. He recommended you to use a 4.4 block based on all the research I had done. In the past, he has sleeved a few other 4.0L blocks. It took him 9 months to do the job, because I was such a low priority. But he does do fantastic work. Now that he has done one of these blocks, I am sure that he will be able to do the next one faster.

Regarding stroking a stock crank, I spoke to several crank stroking machine shops in the USA, and none of them wanted to take on the job. The crank is nodular iron. If I kept the stock bearing sizes, they would have had to weld the journals and they said the welding would weaken the crank some and then need post heat treating, and a lot of straightening. They didn't recommend that that I reduce the diameter of the journals because the crank wouldn't be strong enough for the HP I am going to generate. If you are set on stroking, have a billet crank machined. What's another $2.5 to $3.5K
 
jlozinsk said:
Measure them up any reputable forged piston manufacturer will make a set for around $700
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You can't get a set of custom forged pistons in the USA for $700. Least expensive forged pistons I had a quote for was $120 a piston. The company I am going with will end up costing me about $195 a piston with wrist pins, rings and coatings.
 
The Thunderbird is perhaps the only DEW98 based car that will retain its value in the future.
In the long run it will be worth more stock versus modified. Be aware that you will never get out of it what you are about to put into it money wise.

Let’s take a step back and can you answer the following.
What is the ultimate goal for this car?
Do you want a little more HP? A lot more HP?

From a horse power perspective:
- Boring, stroking, and machining the cams on a 4.4 NA Rover engine will get you perhaps 320-350HP.
- Building it up as a 4.8L supercharged engine with a modified Eaton M112 will get you to 440HP
- Building a 4.8L supercharged engine with a Kenne Bell SC can get you to 600HP.
- If you put in a Coyote 5.0 engine you start at around 400HP,
- A built up and still reliable Coyote engine can get you to about 700HP.
- Similar HPs for LSX series GM engines.

As soon as you go over around 500HP, you will run into other problems on the car. The rear end, and ½-shafts wont hold up very long if you aren’t very careful. There is no limited slip in the DEW 98 platform cars, so you will want to put in LSD to help apply the power.

If you decide to follow the engine swap route, plan out what you want electrically and functionally on the car and put all your effort in this direction before spending money on the engine and trans.
I went the mechanical route in my Jaguar S-type Conversion and still don’t have the car running due to all the rewiring and control system integration issues. (I want the car to have full electrical functionality.) Now I keep getting distracted on other projects, one being a 600 HP engine build for my 03 Jaguar STR.

I am all for you taking the swap direction. Perhaps you will help solve some of the electrical conversion issues that plague all the forum members that want to go down this path for their cars.

If you stick with AJ-V8 based engines you will find that you will end up having a lot of custom parts fabricated for the engine. Plan on $10K to $15K USD for the engine build. I have over $6k into my engine build and I am about 60% there. All the little parts cost too much and add up very quickly.
 
jlozinsk said:
Hi

I have a ford 3.9 in my Thunderbird. I plan on sleeving and stroking it to 4.8
I want to cut the cams but do not know how far I can go without needing an engine controller.
I also want keep the VVT as this is a street car.
Also can I run 4 or 5 pounds of boost without a controller? I was hoping larger air intake & sensors.

John
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Basically same question about aftermarket tuner but for stock 3.9 Sport LS. Wondered if anyone had good experience with SCTX4 turner made for LS or does it depend strictly on who is tuning programmer? I would love to put good condition Eaton off 2004 T Bird Super Coupe on engine but lack of experience and funds spent after low ball price job from dealer on repair job ate up funds for good set of 4 new fully adjustable coil overs. I may just put 1 inch lower spring kit on all 4 corners of car and tighter or 2-5 way adjustable struts and shocks. But would like to know if conical air intake and possibly getting cats replaced with stainless tube and welding bung for rear O2 sensor's with SCTX4 would make noticeable difference using 93 Octane Mobile or Shell pump gas in acceleration? Would I be able to move RPM shift to over 6,500 before cut off (make shift at 6000 or will hit limiter) or is that it for the 3.9 top RPM with premium grade synthetic oil + filter. Will remove MPH top speed limiter. Lastly, will tuner have any affect on firming cars up shift or time lag between gears during up-shift under full throttle when in manual or SST mode? Trans is shifting very well and all engine runs well after made several repairs. Moog Sway bar links and polyurethane front end sway bar to frame helped a bit and got rid of old mail truck sound from front end. Looking for improved handling and bit more punch from small V-8 without turning rod bearing, cracking piston or rod bolt, or stressing suspension when making higher speed maneuver and braking. Thanks for time and any advise or new ideas would be welcome. For now am stuck with stock brakes, 7.5"X17" factory wheels with basically new 255"X45"X17" Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires. Thanks wes b.
 
wes b. said:
Basically same question about aftermarket tuner but for stock 3.9 Sport LS. Wondered if anyone had good experience with SCTX4 turner made for LS or does it depend strictly on who is tuning programmer? I would love to put good condition Eaton off 2004 T Bird Super Coupe on engine but lack of experience and funds spent after low ball price job from dealer on repair job ate up funds for good set of 4 new fully adjustable coil overs. I may just put 1 inch lower spring kit on all 4 corners of car and tighter or 2-5 way adjustable struts and shocks. But would like to know if conical air intake and possibly getting cats replaced with stainless tube and welding bung for rear O2 sensor's with SCTX4 would make noticeable difference using 93 Octane Mobile or Shell pump gas in acceleration? Would I be able to move RPM shift to over 6,500 before cut off (make shift at 6000 or will hit limiter) or is that it for the 3.9 top RPM with premium grade synthetic oil + filter. Will remove MPH top speed limiter. Lastly, will tuner have any affect on firming cars up shift or time lag between gears during up-shift under full throttle when in manual or SST mode? Trans is shifting very well and all engine runs well after made several repairs. Moog Sway bar links and polyurethane front end sway bar to frame helped a bit and got rid of old mail truck sound from front end. Looking for improved handling and bit more punch from small V-8 without turning rod bearing, cracking piston or rod bolt, or stressing suspension when making higher speed maneuver and braking. Thanks for time and any advise or new ideas would be welcome. For now am stuck with stock brakes, 7.5"X17" factory wheels with basically new 255"X45"X17" Continental Extreme Contact DWS tires. Thanks wes b.
Click to expand...
Better rotors and top level pads will stop you much faster
 
hi Joe,

I love my Tbird I wanted stock coyote 5 liter power level but I see that is insanely impractical. What is beginning to make sense is refreshing a bottom end of a 4.4 and getting 20 or so more HP I live in Bulgaria it will probably be the only 2004 Tbird in Europe I just can not see the expense for 700hp supercharged motor when I can buy an xk and drop in a Mast LS 640HP motor. I just needed to do the research. I would be glad to hear from you. My email is jlozinsk@yahoo.com John
 
jlozinsk said:
Better rotors and top level pads will stop you much faster
Click to expand...
I can see was just tossing out my thoughts randomly and made little sense when reading. I am mainly new owner of 2004 LS low mile V-8 with the variable cam timing 280 HP engine. My actual most direct question was about the addition of Fords SCTx4 tuner made for the 2004 LS V8. I wondered if it produced a noticeable HP increase when set to run 93 octane fuel? Also does anyone have experience with this unit. States unit has ability to remember stock settings and also remove any modified tune and reinstall factory tune whenever owner wishes. As for 2004 or 05 supercharger from the MN-12 chassis T Bird SC 3.8 V6 on an LS 3.9 V8. I saw U tube video in which LS owner did exactly that to his LS. It was incomplete video of this car being run on chassis dyno. States no information on how this person mounted old Super Charger unit on LS what was involved. Only stated it made just 5 pounds boost, it sounded good but have no actual proof car story was true. Transmission is just softer and slower gear to gear than had hoped. Shifts more like older Lincoln than sporty quick response I personally prefer. The Dealer repair just basically tripled in quoted cost and some minor damage and few parts from my car were lost. Dealer does not seem have mechanic or skills to repair 2004 LS. Sorry for the confusion.
 
wes b. said:
States no information on how this person mounted old Super Charger unit on LS what was involved. Only stated it made just 5 pounds boost, it sounded good but have no actual proof car story was true.
Click to expand...

his name was Quik LS, his LS was one of legends...

he use a ford style Eaton M90, and he made his own one off intake manifold to address the injector issue the 1st gen guys have and also give a spot to mount the blower. it was also mounted like the Tbird did, with it upside down blowing the air toward the front through a FMIC and then back around as show in here...

http://www.lincolnvscadillac.com/forum/showthread.php?13357-Supercharged-Ls-V8
 
John. I am sure you are aware of all the features of a design that are required to optimize their function in a given engine.
Although the pistons your referenced look like they might work, if you compare their details to what is required in a supercharged Jaguar engine, you will find that they won't work. Example: Compression height. LS/Jaguar 1.211" Impreza 1.286.
I assume that if you are planning to stroke the crank and use custom/different rods, then you can adjust the rods to make the pistons fit.
 
From a 2006 to 2009 Rover 4.4 liter motor and from Darton Sleeve 92mm sleeves & stock 4.4 stroke (do not weld a cast crank)
 
Moldex in Chicago I think does billet cranks for cheap $2500 or so
Rods you can choose and pins you adapt. 0.075 is nothing a thicker or thinner specialty gasket can not handle. I have done this type of thing on a few motors
The trick is rod mains must be the same or very close. You do not want to shim. The pistons are full floating so no problem.

Smile

John
 
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