July 26, 2007
The New Alternative Auto Shop Car With a 15psi Intercooled
Whipple Kit
In the fall of 2006 Alternative Auto parted ways with the 2005 black Mustang GT the shop owned for about two years.
By the end of the 2006 season, the 05 GT had a Vortech bumped up to 17psi, a Forged short block with no other major mods other then cleaned up heads, and MAC long tube headers along with a MAC pro-chamber center muffler, plus FloMaster mufflers at the back of the car.
The 5R55S five speed automatic trans got beaten pretty good -- went low 11’s in the 1/4 mile, and ultimately high 10’s in the 1/4 mile @ over 127mph.
With over 520 RWHP and over 14,000 miles of racing and street use on the trans, the little 5R55S automatic never had one problem. It also had a 3300 stall converter and 3.73 gears in the axle. It was a great running true street car that made some impressive ETs at the track on 20 inch wheels and tires (non drag radial). All of the suspension was totally stock other then some Steeda lowering springs.
For the 2007 season I decided to start fresh with another black ’07 automatic GT purchased new. I wanted to promote what could be done with a mostly stock automatic 3-valve GT by adding a simple and limited list of bolt-ons. Plus continue to show and prove that stock non forged internals wont break (or let go immediately) even when as much as near or over 500 RWHP is produced at the rear wheels on these 3-valves and previous 4.6L motors. So I decided to start with a clean sheet and acquired a new ’07 GT.
Other then the wheels there are many similarities on the out side of the new ‘07 and old ‘05 GT.
But under the hood, and the rest of the power train their will be some pretty big but simpler differences.
|
|
|
 |
 |
Because of the growing popularity of today’s well packaged, and well designed intercooled “twin-screw” blowers this type of blower has been selected as the power adder for the new ’07 GT, and the center of attraction under the hood on the new car. The intercooled Whipple kit is the brand we’re going with on the new ’07 GT.
The goal is to try to run low elevens and hopefully high tens in the 1/4 mile like the other ‘05 GT did which was equipped with a non-intercooled Vortech centrifugal blower and Alky.
But I’m hoping that with the intercooled Whipple twin screw to achieve this goal with the stock toque converter, the stock 3.31 rear gears, and no headers along with the stock H-pipe - only the mufflers have been changed (mostly for a better sound). And of course no gutting with full weight on 20” wheels and tires again.
Like the ’05 GT we had, the ’07 will have a Methanol injection kit. The plan is to make about 500 RWHP on 93 octane with meth at about 15-16psi of boost. I’m hoping to make the stock short block live for some time with this set up. If the tune is done right with the meth and the boost kept right around 15psi, the stock pistons and rods should survive this as long as its not detonated at all, which I’ve proved can be done for years now with countless other 4.6L projects and customer cars with stock short blocks.
So in a nut shell my goal with nothing more then the 15-16psi intercooled Whipple blower kit, along with an Alky injection kit, and only a muffler change is to run very low elevens or hopefully a high 10 in the 1/4 mile. Every thing else on the cars power train and suspension will remain stock, with stock like drivability and end up as a relatively quite and un-assuming car over all except from its outside appearances and sound.
I want to make it clear that we will be selling and installing the standard intercooled 11psi Whipple blowers on automatic 3-valve Mustangs along with our upgraded Whipple installs with more boost and meth as well on “automatic” Mustangs too.
Whipple direct at this time does not offer any of their higher output kits for automatic late model Mustangs. With our experience and automatic tuning efforts, we’re confident that the stock 5R55S automatic trans will easily hold up to 445 RWHP that the intercooled Whipple kit makes on the new 3-valve automatic Mustangs. Manual trans 3-valve Mustangs are making as much as 465 RWHP with the H.O. whipple kits and no other mods.
Performance update.....
For starters the ‘07 GT has already run 11.27 at just over 121mph at the 2007 World Ford Challenge 10. With 1.71 60 foots and 121 mph, its not quite where the ’05 Vortech equipped GT was at the ¼ mile. But not a bad start for only having the Whipple, alky and a pair of mufflers installed. It may not run much quicker then this just yet, but this is a rather simple and impressive package that will for the most part easily run mid to low 11’s in the quarter mile by just stabbing the throttle and let the trans and car do its thing automatically.
It needs to be noted also that this ‘07 GT’s stock short block has already with stood about 25 drag strip runs in the mid to low 11 it’s, lots of street beatings and testing, and several dyno runs as well. The car also weighs in at a heavy 3805lbs with driver.
It should also be noted that because of this car being able to retain small 3.31 stock gears in the axle and a relatively tight stock torque converter, do to the broad TQ curve of the twin screw… It has and will show some serious drivability & streetablity both in town and on the high way. This makes for better MPG’s and very respectable top end, and very nice highway ability’s too.
11psi intercooled Whipple kits for the 3-valve Mustangs installed at Alternative Auto will sell for about $7500 installed and fully tuned. This may seem like a lot of cash at first, but remember, this is really the only mod needed to turn an ’05 and up 3V Mustang into a very fun street car. Because of the broad TQ curve of the twin screw blower you really don’t need to do many other changes or bolt-on’s Especially the automatic cars.
|
|
