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400hp Build, Advice please!


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Hey all,

 

I purchased the Starion from Roy S that was for sale, will be picking it up shortly. I want to get my ducks in a row so that I know what I'm doing once I pick up the car. I'm looking for around 400hp as I owned a 350hp focus and the power to weight ratio says I need about that much for it to feel similar. What parts will I need to make that happen? Thanks in advance for the advice :)

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Need an aftermarket cam? How much headwork? Can the stock tranny handle those power levels? What parts make up an MPI system? (I think I know cause of the drift truck part out but Id like to make sure).

 

As best I can tell the car has some headwork, walbro 255 pump, block with 8:1 pistons, forged rods, etc. I'm planning on going all out so make sure you guys toss it all in there ;)

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You'll need about 10k to sink into the car to get that done too unless you just want it to blow up along the way. Just because you get the motor done or the MPi swap done you'll still bust the transmission and you didn't get a clutch yet and that alone is about 500.00 if you expect to hold that much torque. If the rear suspension is blown then the wheels will hop and you'll bust the axles or tear the tranny mount out so that's some more money and this is why it all ads up. If you want to use that power that means tires. It means a turbo, an intercooler, a header, some gauges. All custom made parts every one. Least expensive ECU is Megasquirt.
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Already has a stage 3 clutch but not sure on the branding. Hopefully that'll be enough, will cross that bridge when I get to it. Any other transmission work necessary to handle that amt of torque? Cryo treated gears etc?

 

And yeah I'm planning on spending about 7k but will do 10 if I have to.

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I would say rather then spend the money to build a stock trans you might as well swap out to a t56 or other conversions that have been done. Building a trans will get pricey quick.
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I know, I'm just asking what the limits of the stock transmission are because if they are close to my power goals I may adjust them accordingly anyway.
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They have lasted up to 400hp im pretty sure..phil (phinko on the boards) is right at 400ish and i think he still uses the stock one.

 

I would figure that a conquest with the same hp will feel much faster than a focus mainly because of the torque?

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well 400 should be about where I come in at. I plan to run a stock trans but I know it won't last forever. I have a spare and my trans guy told me to freshen up the one I have the best I can for what's avalable then run it till it blows and then bring him my spare and we can build it. He just gustimated at the time but gave me a figure of 1200 to build it to the max. So when it happens I figured I would go t56
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Good deal guys thanks for the advice.

 

I had 350whp and about 325wtq with the Focus--I had the cam timing etc adjusted to produce torque. Even with drag radials it'd blow the tires off in third gear at 18psi and even haze them in fourth. It was fast. RWD is just more fun and for whatever reason I love the SQ's :)

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a good sprung disk, good condition trans, and properly working/adjusted hydraulic system and the trans will hold together.

Our 5spd has held up to repeated mid 1sec 60ft's behind a nearly 500hp 4g64.

 

if the trans is already hard to shift or is grinding that it probably wont last.

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I don't think you'd need any head work, but every bit helps. MPI will basically "unlock" the motor, and it doesn't cost 10 grand, I'd say you could get away with spending 2000 dollars if you look for deals, buy used parts and assemble everything yourself. My first tune cost 450 bucks I think, so that's not terribly expensive, though I'd absolutely do it. It's so much better than risking your engine if you aren't sure you know what you're doing.
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^ I don't think anyone is saying 10K for MPI I think people are saying 10K for a build for 400 HP with other things to support IE fully forged motor, suspension work etc.
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Yeah I know all about tuning being important, I blew off a local tuner because the guy I was using in California for remote tuning was the only one who knew what he was doing. I'm hoping to learn enough to be able to attempt a conservative tune myself just to say I did it, and then go to a specialist to fine tune it.

 

What's everyone's preference for exhaust, MPI system (custom, magna, others?), cam, fuel pump, injector size, etc.? I want a car that pulls hard but I don't want to lose its ability to be a good weekend cruiser--needs to have decent resolution for tuning so that it doesn't have too many driving nuances.

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I cant get any results when I search T56 in the forums whats up? I've read the forum on it before and I know its in here somewhere.. So who has all the parts to make a T56 fit? I am verrry interested in doing a T56 swap sometime soon possibly this year..
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All right guys, quick update on the car. I am definitely planning on going MPI here. The combination of an 88 computer, a bunch of aftermarket parts, a 1g MAS, and no other tuning solutions makes the MAF transfer on the car feel like total garbage. It hesitates when you roll back into the throttle and with nothing other than a narrow band O2 in the car for the time being there's NO way to know what the AF really is. I'll be swapping in my AEM shortly and have tried to stay out of boost for the time being. On the upside I drove about 350 miles with the car yesterday and averaged 26.5mpg since it was almost all 65mph highway miles. Hopefully that didn't come at the expense of the engine as a result of the untuned setup but I've heard here that the 1G MAF richens up the fuel tables all across the board so I don't think that's the case.

 

I still gotta get under the car and make sure there aren't any glaring issues that need to be attended to first but it's just about time to start getting some performance parts. First on the list is new brake pads and calipers in the front as they're sticking and worn.

 

What are your guys' preferences on an adjustable suspension setup? I'd like to run adjustable coilovers but TEP doesn't seem to think they can be had for under a grand. Please let me know what you think.

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Why are you reading TEP's website? That kind of thing will get you banned here. Nothing TEP has is good for you, and you don't want it. Remember that. Buy yourself a billet 5762, get a 292 cam, a nice header and all the exhaust accompaniments. Then get an MPI manifold. The ones that will make the most power are the custom sheet metal ones with somewhat shorter runners. Then you have throttle body choices - get one with idle control built in. Then an intercooler with pipes. Just go by horsepower ratings. IMO one that is 100hp over what you plan on making should be fine. Then if you are using a gasoline based fuel, you might want 650cc injectors, alcohol you might want 900's or 1000's.

 

Then choose an EMS and install it.

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Why are you reading TEP's website? That kind of thing will get you banned here. Nothing TEP has is good for you, and you don't want it. Remember that. Buy yourself a billet 5762, get a 292 cam, a nice header and all the exhaust accompaniments. Then get an MPI manifold. The ones that will make the most power are the custom sheet metal ones with somewhat shorter runners. Then you have throttle body choices - get one with idle control built in. Then an intercooler with pipes. Just go by horsepower ratings. IMO one that is 100hp over what you plan on making should be fine. Then if you are using a gasoline based fuel, you might want 650cc injectors, alcohol you might want 900's or 1000's.

 

Then choose an EMS and install it.

 

I'm running Delphi 950's in my MPI setup, altho some of you have said that is too much, along with the 75mm throttle body being too big.. Doesn't really affect the pull of the car.

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Using TEP for a JE piston vendor is about all they are good for. They have plenty of bs on their site about this car that some idiot wrote down over 10 year ago like all that bogus crap about the 86s and charging you when you order parts then they order them sometime in the future after the Colts win the Superbowl again.
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^^Yeah I've heard that kinda stuff about them here. I wasn't planning on ordering anything from there but so far it's the most comprehensive parts listing I can find. If anyone else has better links please let me know--I know about star orion, do they have a website besides their ebay listings? I also know about *DM but I've heard some mixed reviews about them as well. What EMS would you guys suggest? I was thinking megasquirt.

 

If you could also let me know what brand the cams and other parts you were suggesting are that'd be great. I'm new to the game and don't really know what a 272 cam means etc.

 

What coilovers/suspension setup would you suggest? I have a trust front strut tie bar that I installed after a couple hours of fitment issues...What a piece of garbage. If it wasn't included free with the car I woulda lit it on fire and threw it away.

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Bro, why not just do a swap? I think you will have far less problems in the long run. And spend less money I a solid 4g swap. Mpi is cool and I love the g54b torque but I think with 10k you could have a much cooler swap than an mpi car lol
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I know it's not sound reasoning but I'm a purist so I gotta stick with the powerplant that came in the car. It has plenty of good attributes and since the engine is already built etc it'll be a lot cheaper than buying any other stock platform and building that engine as well.
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How muh money do you have to spend on it right now? I will tell you what you can buy with it.

 

But for now, lets pretend you are wealthy and money is no object. Get a really high end Motec ecu and pay someone to wire it all up. A sheet metal intake manifold (SMIM) and huge cam and super sweet tubular stainless exhaust manifold will help in a big way, but you choose how much power you want and how you want to make it by choosing the right turbo. So go with that first. Start with your desired RPM that the turbo spools at. You want 3000rpm, 3500rpm, 4000rpm?

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3500 or so is pretty desirable. It allows the car to be a decent cruiser/commuter should I have to use it for that (if my DD is in the shop, etc.) and still spools quick enough to have a usable powerband. I would like the car to be set up for mid-high rpm power as I was thinking of getting into drifting with it.

 

I've got a couple grand but I need to do some things to the car that will allow it to pass inspection IE the front struts are shot and brakes need work. As I sell more stuff off the Focus I can put more money into the SQ. I was gonna pick up the full MPI setup first since it's available in FS for a good price. It already has cross drilled and slotted front rotors and fresh pads for the rear so I need some advice on good front brake pads. I'm gonna go with the s-o stainless brake lines as well. What coilovers would you guys recommend? Doesn't seem logical to replace blown struts with factory parts when I can go aftermarket.

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