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Thunderbird turbo?

2K views 19 replies 7 participants last post by  boostdfocus 
#1 ·
My buddy has two turbo chargers off a Ford Thunderbird. I was wondering if its possible to mount it on my zetec and what would I have to do to make it work? Also are there kits to mount this kind of turbo charger to a focus?
 
#5 ·
^^^ not necessarily. You are going to have to do a lot custom fabrication and unless you have the tools, welders, and benders.

there are already fabricated parts for specific turbos.

But if you have the time, money, and motivation anything is possible.
 
#7 ·
PSI does not equal power (really wish people would learn this).

Mass Flow equals power.
That takes into account CFM and AIT's. High CFM + High AIT = crappy Mass Flow vs lower AIT.
AIT's (at moderate pressures) will reflect the efficiency of the turbo. Low efficiency and it'll heat the air too much. That means you need a larger intercooler to chill the air; which lowers the response/spool.


You're looking for a turbo that flows around 400 CFM @ ~80%.


There's good reason a lot of the TC guys don't use the stock turbo (myself included).
 
#8 ·
stock internals I think most people run 10 psi max... might be better response in the FI section.

iminhell says that it has the same bolt flange as the T3 so you can ignore the "custom" stuff I mentioned although you will still need a tune and that right there will set you back $500-$700.
 
#10 ·
give it a try, get the rest of the stuff and tune it. The turbo from those come off of a 2.3 ford, they are a compressor upgrade for my mazda's 12v sohc turbo engine so if anything, I know where you can sell them because people love to make a "Tbird f2t hybrid turbo"

It's a small turbo, slightly bigger than my stock one for that matter... it will spool early and not be of too much use but my question is.... is he just giving it to you or selling?
 
#12 ·
max? well, better than bolt on NA upgrades. It will fall flat on its face before you get too far in the RPM range. I don't know WHERE exactly, but if it dies out at 4,300 rpm on a 12v sohc, it really could be even sooner, I won't bother to figure it out [dunno]. If you try to push it any further, its just gonna blow hot air.
 
#14 ·
its a lot of work to go FI, fun most of the time. It sure will be different, but you will want more when the boost no longer feels impressive. If I'm not mistaken, the downpipe flange is the standard 5 bolt on those. Could be totally wrong. IF it is correct, then when it comes time to upgrade the turbo, the two flanges will mate up but you will probably have to make the charge tubing larger unless you use reducers. The stock compressor outlet is 1.75" if I remember correctly.
 
#18 ·
what I would do is find out if the downpipe flange is the standard 5 bolt t3 (and I will probably look that up now that I'm curious) and go from there. This way, you can have a turbo that will not max out your engine (with tuning of course) and when you're ready to go bigger with it, find a larger turbo with a t3 turbine side that is more suited to the engine. That will be the easy part, swapping to a larger one.

edit: looks like it is in fact the standard t3 5 bolt flange. All I can say is just make sure you don't try to push more than the turbo is good for or you'll be asking for his other one. They say not to go past 16 psi on OUR (mazda) engines, however the focus I don't know. I wouldn't push it more than that.
 
#19 ·
Wow this sounds familiar...
I have an IHI turbo from a Thunderbird on my 2006 2.0 Duratec with an upgraded compressor wheel. This combo is good for 103mph in the 1/4 max. The power dives off after 5500 RPM, closer to 5300RPM with the stock compressor wheel.
If you have the other version, the T3 then it will flow more but good luck finding one that isn't complete junk. The bolts rust into center section making it darn near impossible to rebuild. I've tried twice.
If you somehow manage to find one that is rebuildable (and rebuild it) then it should be a decent turbo for a stock bottom end. You'll also likely need to run a .06" oil restrictor.

All that being said, I wouldn't do it unless you just really desire on ongoing project that will suck away your time and money.

EDIT: I will be selling my IHI/16T hybrid turbo soon, as I am moving to a GT2871r. If you or anyone else reading this is interested you can PM me or just wait for it to show up for sale in the for sale section.
 
#20 ·
I custom made my factory manifold work with a TD05 16G from an Evo 8... I have around 1850 in my entire kit with tuning and everything.
 
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