Going for 300bhp!

GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#1
#1
Okay guys heres my plan i have an 83 stock GT TURBO WITH 170.000 MILES ON HER. THE SUSPENSION HAS BEEN HEAVILY MODIFIED. I dropped in a 9 in clutch and short shifter. My next goal is 300 hp. or just under so i don't have to replace the tranny or rear end. I have an intercooler bought but not installed and I've been told the Ecu will allow me to go up to 35lb. injectors.

Has anyone ever attempted this before ? and if so what were the problems you ran into. I know the 2.3 can be built even stronger for racing purposes but I want something that's relatively streetable.

Can anyone here help me?
 
AdirondackFox08

AdirondackFox08

Member Plus
#2
#2
You will probably have to look some information up on google. There really isn't anyone on here anymore that is big into the 2.3s from what I've seen. I take it you bought a front mount intercooler? I forget how much boost those turbos can get up to before running out of steam. Do you have a full exhaust, including a bigger down pipe? You might want to do a compression test on the 4 cylinders before getting too crazy on the mods. Here's a website from a quick search on google. http://www.forced4.com/threestages.html
 
GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#3
#3
Thanks for the link. I read it over and was pleased to find that several of these mods were done by previous owners. The K&N filter the exhaust system the knock sensor. obviously someone else had the same idea for this little car. I have the intercooler and hope to get that in this summer and get the injectors up to 35lbs( if they aren't there already, i'll have to check. thanks for the info . maybe i should spend sometime here and get more people interested in building these little engines. after all there are a lot of these 4 bangers out there. maybe its time to show what they can do.
 
Johnarmymp552

Johnarmymp552

Well-Known Member
#4
#4
Honestly, you could go cheap with used part (junk yard) build, and get around 300 hp at the most-

If you want more, you would spend the same to just get a used 5.0, rebuild it, and swap it in- then you will never look back-

I guess it all plans what you want to use it for.

I am not dissin' the 2.3 lima- can be a great motor, especially if John Huber built it- but if you can build the motor and still be just as fast as the guy with the stock 5.0 block with heads.
 
GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#5
#5
All very true . But the 2.3 L engine is incredibly over built with 4 main bearings to the crank. On top of that 5.0 cars are a dime a dozen. true its a cheap fix for horse power but i hope to give folks a equally cheap alternative to power that companies are only now tapping. On top of that there nothing more satisfying than beating the pants off another car , be it Camaro RSX or even another Mustang and opening that hood to show the other giuy he was beat by a single over head cam 4 cylinder.
 
GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#6
#6
Okay folks anyone following this thread.Adirondacksfox08 gave me a great link to my quest. http://www.forced4.com/threestages.html upon reading it I have found that stage one has already been achieved on my car by the previous owner so he must have had the same idea. The car now has a K&N air filter, the knock sensor has been disconnected and it is running a 3in stainless steel exhaust. I need to reattach a freer flowing exhaust. I'm going to go with a flowmaster 40 series So "Stage One" is done.

I've bought an intercooler and hope to add that this summer with the bigger injectors and fuel pump. all easy fixes So my car is at around 170hp up from 145. on to the 200 hp mark. For anyone else with a four banger these mods are not that expense. I say go for it.check out the link on Adirondackfox08's response on this thread and bookmark it. And post any progress here. Phil.
 
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AdirondackFox08

AdirondackFox08

Member Plus
#7
#7
I would pick a muffler with a straight through design, such as magnaflow, borla, or some of the race "bullet" mufflers offered by some other companies. The turbo creates enough back pressure, that if you really wanted to, you could run 3" exhaust from the turbo all the way out the rear bumper. The flowmasters are one of the most restrictive mufflers out there.
 
GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#8
#8
AdirondackFox08 said:
I would pick a muffler with a straight through design, such as magnaflow, borla, or some of the race "bullet" mufflers offered by some other companies. The turbo creates enough back pressure, that if you really wanted to, you could run 3" exhaust from the turbo all the way out the rear bumper. The flowmasters are one of the most restrictive mufflers out there.
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GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#9
#9
Yes I like the look and the sound of the Borla systems. It comes to price as well. I looked into a RacerWalsh tubular manifold but at 500 to 600 buck it was pricey for me a while back. Maybe not now. Also I don't want it to sound like one of those fart cans you see on the metric coupes.
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GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#11
#11
SuprSloBlkNotch89 said:
I thought you said you have a 83 GT? So you swapped in the 4 banger?
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No my car is a rare Gt turbo only made as a late 83 and 84 model alomg side the SVO but without the intercooler and the suspension. But my suspension has been modified by past owners and the engine as well. I've added a larger clutch an a short shifter plus 16 in.wheels and tires.
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Noterminator

Noterminator

Formally SuprSloBlkNotch89
#12
#12
GTNT83 said:
No my car is a rare Gt turbo only made as a late 83 and 84 model alomg side the SVO but without the intercooler and the suspension. But my suspension has been modified by past owners and the engine as well. I've added a larger clutch an a short shifter plus 16 in.wheels and tires.
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Oh ok. I always knew the GT as being a V8 so it threw me off lol. I wasn't too familiar with the GT Turbos so I didn't know they were only a 4 banger. I had heard of them, but never studied them or looked into them. Thanks for the knowledge. :awesomework:
 
GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#13
#13
Hey i never knew anything about the G T tURBO UNTIL I SAW AN AD IN THE PAPER15 YEARS AGO. I THOUGHT IT WAS AN SVO. But i learned all about it after buying mine. But learning about these 3 stages to 300 hp and that mine has already had stage one done is an eye opener. So on to stage two. But first I'm looking into a Borla exhaust for the car.
 
Noterminator

Noterminator

Formally SuprSloBlkNotch89
#14
#14
GTNT83 said:
Hey i never knew anything about the G T tURBO UNTIL I SAW AN AD IN THE PAPER15 YEARS AGO. I THOUGHT IT WAS AN SVO. But i learned all about it after buying mine. But learning about these 3 stages to 300 hp and that mine has already had stage one done is an eye opener. So on to stage two. But first I'm looking into a Borla exhaust for the car.
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Borla is an excellent choice. I love the sound. I've had them twice.
 
GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#15
#15
Yes the Borla exhaust , 35lb injectors and the intercooler are my goals for this year. I may need a bigger fuel pump but we'll see . I had the fuel system totally redone 5 years ago and it may be big enough to handle the larger injectors. Oh, I may also install a manual fuel pressure regulator as well. That's just under the hood.

I'm still working on the interior as well. the front seats were done last year by a local hot rod shop here in NY. i have to get the back seat done and the dash pad replaced. While I have that apart I might as well replace the 4in. speaker under there. Oh and maybe a boost guage for the A pillar.
 
GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#17
#17
Well until my son can get down here to help me install the inter cooler work has been slow. I headed to the DMV to reapply for my vanity plate GTNT83. That should be here in a couple of weeks. While I'm under the hood I may also pull the valve cover and get that repainted. I touched up the engine bay a little last summer and forgot how nice it looked until i opened the hood yesterday. I also found a dash pad on late Model restorations and the front Air dam I've been looking for as well.

Now here's a problem. I want to go to 35lb injectors but they only come in a pack of 8. Anyone else out there with a 4 banger looking to move up? let me know. Well thats all for this week. Happy Easter every one. Stay in Touch.
 
Noterminator

Noterminator

Formally SuprSloBlkNotch89
#18
#18
Not many 4 bangers guys on here sadly. But you can always post them up on eBay or craigslist. There should be someone out there looking into upgrading.
 
GTNT83

GTNT83

Well-Known Member
#19
#19
SuprSloBlkNotch89 said:
Not many 4 bangers guys on here sadly. But you can always post them up on eBay or craigslist. There should be someone out there looking into upgrading.
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Yes I may even look there first for a set but haven't decided yet. and about the 4 bangers , yes i know but that's why I'm doing this thread to show that it can be done and relatively cheaply too.

I also want to show that a four with a built up suspension and good tires and do a whole lot more than people think. Especially when the road gets curvy like up where you live.
 
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