Chapter 5
Flip-flop...Flip?

by Ryan King
9/06

I’ve discovered that the problem with any project (especially a dormant project) is changing directions.

Changing directions with a project can occur at any time and for a multitude of reasons. From what I’ve seen, the most prevalent reasons are losing or changing interests or visions, discovering new information, changing life situations and screwing shit up.

Even though I’m fully aware of these issues and have learned from both trial and error and observation to improve my research and planning, I’m not immune to these problems.

Case in point: the Project GT Mustang.

Going into Stage 2, I had a definite vision for what I wanted to see happen (check out Stage 2 for more details). However, I wasn’t immune to not just one of the issues mentioned above, but all of them...all at once.

To start things off, behind the scenes, I made at least five distinctly different plans for Stage 2. Don’t get me wrong, researching and having multiple options on hand is great for understanding a project as well as providing directional flexibility. The problem is, it also makes it easy to switch directions at the drop of a hat when the situation, information or whims change.

When I originally bought the car, I was in complete rapture with the way the car drove...well, everything except for the tepid power band. My initial assessment of the car was that all it needed was a little boost...literally. A small blower would be the only addition needed to make this car perfect.

So, plan one was to simply repair the car and, at a later date, add a small blower. This plan is both cost effective and does nothing to unsettle the car’s balanced driving characteristics. It also provides a simple way to improve performance as there are many supercharger kits specifically engineered to work well in stock applications. As a bonus, picking the right supercharger means there is no need to change the rear gear set for drag racing.

Plan two comes from more indepth research. My reason for not performing any more mods to the car (other than a blower) is the notoriously temperamental ‘94-’95 engine control. More research has lead me to discover specific light, bolt-on mods that the car can take well...which, incidentally, would also improve the performance of a supercharger once it was installed. Of course, installing bolt-ons isn’t cheap, but certainly cheaper than, say, a stroker.

This leads me to option four.

No, I didn’t just make a typo. Option four precedes option three.

Let me explain.

Option four was actually the initial plan for Stage 2 (not the initial plan for the project which was option one). This plan precedes option three because option three is actually a bridge between plans two and four, which I came up with after I came up with the one, two and four plans.

Plan four involves a stroker engine. Specifically a recreation of the 347 engine I had installed in the Project LX Mustang because I was really impressed by its driving characteristics (it had almost brutal amounts of low and mid-range torque along with strong high RPM power). There are a few improvements the original design needs to really be a great engine so I will make those improvements before I install it.

This is the plan I outlined on the Stage 2 page.

The improvements I have made to the initial design that went into the Project LX Mustang, are a Trick Flow Street Heat intake, 1.7:1 roller rockers to match the Crane Cams 2031 cam and a TwEECer R/T so that I can tune the combination correctly.

While adding a blower to the trusty little 5.0 would be nice and add some mid-range and high-end power, it wouldn’t do anything for the low-end grunt. And I like a broad power band. With this car’s prodigious proportions, it needs what a stroker has to offer to drive the way I’d like it to. To be honest, considering this car’s size, even a 347 isn’t large enough for my tastes, but it’s just about the largest engine I can install without making other major changes.

Now back to plan three.

I came to the realization that I could go in between options two and four to get a combination that would be easier to install and tune. By installing the same top end components on the 5.0 that I was going to put on the stroker motor, I would end up with a combination that had the same displacement as the original engine (this allows for less tuning because the change from the original combination’s engine control requirements aren’t as drastic as they would be with the increased displacement) and almost the same top end power (accompanied by a loss of low-end compared to the 347, but improved over the stock 5.0 because of improved volumetric efficiency). It would also have the advantage of being very similar to the Cobra engine used in the ‘94-’95 cars (again, easier tuning because I can start with the base tune for the Mustang Cobra from those years). The final and most substantial reason for going with this plan is the improved fuel economy over the stroker.

Although there are many positives to option three, it has equally negative downsides. One, (as I already mentioned) it wouldn’t have the power band of the stroker. Two, I would need to do nearly as much work putting it together as I would assembling the stroker. Three, I would spend nearly as much money as I would installing the stroker.

So on to plan five.

Plan five is aggressive.

Aggressive in its performance and its financial needs.

It uses the same stroker shortblock already mentioned, but stuffed with a Comp Cams XE266HR cam. That isn’t the only change. It will then be topped with AFR185 heads and an Edelbrock Performer RPM II intake. In addition to those changes, it will need many other parts to match its performance level. That isn’t all. The increased performance level will require a new set of wheels and tires along with a new set of Cobra brakes.

I haven’t considered the fifth option as a real option for much of the time I’ve been contemplating my choices. More as an idealic fantasy really...for the time being.

As you can see, with so many choices available to me, it was easy to flip-flop between them.

When finances looked good, I wanted to go large with the fifth plan.

When finances looked ugly or I was afraid of screwing up the way the car drove by making a modification that would impact its drivability, I wanted to go with one.

When finances looked tight but I wanted a bit more power, it was easy to choose the second plan.

When I was feeling adventurous and wanted to make power but save on gas, option three was right up my ally.

As I mentioned above, with all of the parts I’ve already accumulated, option four didn’t cost much more to do than option three and would provide me with the kind of driving I wanted without costing me an arm and a leg that the additional mods of option five required.

Since I’ve also spent the last year researching the Project LX’s options and getting a changing perspective on its needs and dealing with other problems that have lead to the purchase of first, a Saturn, and finally the Project Commuter Mustang (I’ve also come to a realization about the direction of Stage 2 for the Project 351 Mustang, see Chapter 6 for more details), I’ve had a lot of impetus for change.

The issue, then, is settling down and moving forward so I can get something accomplished as well as get back to doing what I enjoy: driving the car.

To be perfectly honest, I really want to stick with option four.

Hopefully there won’t be too much time left before I get back to the Project GT. I think the last thing I need is more opportunity or reason to rethink my choices.