Started on Sept. 5 by Will

1994 Ford Thunderbird SC

22

Suspension work: Custom Koni front coilovers w/Hyperco 600-lb springs. Koni rear shocks with Suspension techniques springs shortened by 3/4 coil. 1-1/4 front sway bar, custom 1-1/4 hollow rear sway bar. Aluminum lower rear control arms w/custom delrin bushings. Delrin rear knuckle bushings. Focus RS Brembo front calipers & 13-inch Cobra rotors; Cobra rotors w/stock calipers in the back. 5x4.5 bolt circle conversion. 18x9 Enkei PF01 wheels with 255/40-18 Bridgestone RE71Rs. Engine: 4.3 liter Essex V6 stroker with Ford steel 4.2-liter crank, blueprinted/.040 over Wiseco forged pistons w/moly graphite skirt coating, chromoly pins & Total Seal stainless rings. Custom length 4340 forged H-beam rods. MPx blower case & 25% overdrive pulleys. Ported & polished heads w/3-angle valve job, oversize stainless valves, Comp springs & .580/.580 hydraulic roller cam. 85mm throttle body. 60-pound injectors, ARP fasteners, custom 7-qt baffled oil pan. Kooks mid-length headers & custom stainless exhaust with Magnaflow cats, resonator & mufflers. Drivetrain: B&M ripper shifter, aluminum driveshaft, 2.73 gears, Truetrac differential in an aluminum center section. Exterior: VFN fiberglass 96-97 style hood, 96-97 headights, clear corners, foglights deleted. Interior: OEM 2000 Cobra R Recaro seats. Auto Meter boost/oil pressure gauges in A-pillar, OE voltmeter in place of OE boost gauge, stereo delete. Weight: 3,380 pounds. Best 1/4 mile ET: 12.46@110.41 mph. Best lap of Road Atlanta autoX course: 26.80 (ancient setup) Dyno: 377 hp, 459 lb-ft at the wheels at 15 PSI. Needs more power.

Latest updates
Feb. 04
Clutch change/gear swap results

I did mean to post an update on the last round of changes. I replaced …

July 03
Clutch time, and more

I broke the clutch recently, and since the friction disc is back ordered, I’m making …

Oct. 08
Parts used in new build

Standard 3.8-liter block bored .030 over Ford steel 4.2-liter crank, blueprinted Wiseco forged pistons w/moly …

Sept. 05
Kaboom diagnosis

The engine blew due to oil pump cavitation and oil starvation during autocrossing. Likely as …

Feb. 02
Boom!

Not sure if it was oiling or boost, but the engine is dead. Coming soon …

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Comments
friedgreencorrado
Sept. 6, 2009, 7:32 p.m.

Those were great cars. Still breaks my heart that Ford decided to go "retro" instead of onwards with T-Bird design. By now, they'd have made something like a BMW 6-series.

borf42
Nov. 4, 2009, 5:05 p.m.

What a beautiful car. My '95 SC ended up being a bit of a problem car, so I got just bought a V8 'bird with an '02 Explorer motor tuned to 244hp at the wheels. Your car is what I wish my SC was!

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