Nitous Mustang vs 80 Turbo T/A
 

Well, back in the "day" when I had the turbo 301 in my T/A, I had been playing with the boost, as it was running only 7.5 psi, and stock is 9-10, so I disconnected the wastegate to test it and see if there was an exhaust restriction or not.

Well, I had goquick with me and his friend, and probably 50+ lbs of tools in the trunk, and going down Manchester in Ellisville, MO there was a 84 Mustang with loud exhaust and he kept trying to mess with me. Knowing I had the wastegate disc, I wasn't game. I knew the dangers. BUT, as it would end up, get got up to Clarkson rd and Manchester traffic light, we were side by side. Dang. Light turned green and I nailed it, he nailed it, he had more traction issues than I, but I still got some good rubber (stock 3.08's), and a HARD shift 1-2 and then 2-3. The police station there is right at 1/4 mile from the light. I stayed in front of him all the way up till we backed off. I glanced at the speedo at the police station and I was up to 110 (I had a 73 cluster with a 160 speedo and 8K tach). We got down the hill where the road went to 2 lane (now 4, but then it was 2) and he turned off at State Street. I guess he didn't wanna play anymore.

Well, GoQuick here can tell more about the guy and the fate of the car later, but apparantly the N20 hit still didn't compete with a overboost of my 301. The boost gauge I have went to 10 psi, and it was pegged by 2000 rpm.

Well, I got to my goquick's house and went to drop him off and my car was white smoking bad. We topped off the coolant and he followed me home in his 69 Custom S with a 428 with Ram Air IV cam. He said my 301 Turbo that night pulled every bit as hard as his 428 ever did, and he was good for 12.2's.

I blew both head gaskets that night, my second set blown since I had it.

Some say the 301 can't be made to run, but with no cat, tweaked timing (remember boys and girls, PEAK timing stock on a 301 Turbo is 24 degrees), some other mods that are now common on the "hot air" recipe GN Regals that I did long before they were discovered put me at a [email protected] mph and that was with a 4030 race weight and 3.08 gears. And that, only on 7.5 psi boost with the factory wastegate.

If goquick gets his way, the 301 will some new respect soon....

Anyone got a 80-81 "T" 301 block they don't need??? (all non turbo 301's in 1981 were T blocks, some in 80 as inventory depleted, 77-79 are worthless)

Cool story N0DIH --back in the 80's just for fun one night I blew past a Porsche Turbo Carrera doing about 90 mph in my 81 Turbo T/A. He eventually past me on a blind corner-dumb. Guess I Should'nt of embarrased him like that. My friend tipped his Cowboy hat as we slipped by him again --just up the road the police had someone pulled over. So we took it easy from then on--The WS6 T/A sure handled nice that night--it felt like it was on rails.

I got in a race in west county at the stoplight on Manchester at 141 in the early 90s. I driving a buddys (who is a hardcore Ford FE guy) 1974 Ford F250 & it was pulling a very heavy construction trailer to pick up a car with. This truck had a modified FE 428 that was bored .030 and had a crank that was offset ground (cant remember if it was 080 or .100) which equaled about 443 cid. It also had medium riser heads with headers.
Anyway, this is when all those slow 16 sec SS454 pickups were out & some actually thought they were fast :rolleyes: Well, this moron was showing off his loud mufflers on this SS, so I gave the ole FE a rev. He & his buddy laughed because this Ford looked like a beat up 4wd farmtruck. Well, I did look out of place, in west county.
When the light turned green I took off in second; by the time I hit 4th gear they were probably 1 1/2 legths behind the trailer. I took a left into the Shop in Save in Ellisville to pick up some redneck wine (Beer,I think it was a S & S) and they pulled in behind me asking questions. I popped the hood (the engine looked old & dirty seems all FE Fords leak around the valvecovers) and told 'em it was a stock 390.
Not a Pontiac story, but I could tell the Chevy guy was upset

Yup! I hear that! Funny. I am not a Ford fan, but I like the FE engines for some warped reason. 390's and 427's are my fav, 427 taking the cake. Almost bought a 67 XL with a 428 medium riser, duals and a factory 4 speed. Should have... It still had the stock 390 emblems..... It ran ok, but not as hard as it should have. Probably needed some serious tuning.

Yup, it was shop and save. goquick used to work at the AutoShack across the street that is where we met, he met the driver/owner of that Mustang talking trash about never have been beat so he brought up the question of a blue TTA, and he was upset and wanted to know who it was and how he knew.... But the car was destroyed, he let a friend borrow it and it got wrapped around a tree or something. If he would have hooked up, I am sure he would have got me, but considering the weight advantages he had, my 301 put some serious power to the pavement. Based on 14.2's that is 290 rear wheel hp, and with a 110 that night, probably a lot more.

I don't think the heads are the weak spot in a 301, just the intake, but still not as much as people think. The 301 Turbo laid down around 4500 rpm, and wasn't worth much to rev over 5000 rpm. Cam was smallish and turbo was smaller. So it made boost down low (1200 rpm!) so it was good on the street, but lousy at upper rpms. If I do get to, I want to build it up again, done right....

NoDih, I probably dealt with goquick there (Autozone) was out in the area alot; dated a girl who lived near the S & S almost four years.
301s get bashed alot, I think they were much better then the 110 hp 3.8 Buick V6 in GM RWD applications.
'Gotta give credit to someone modifying/building a engine with little/no aftermarket support.

Well if you saw a blue 80 Turbo lurking with WS6 snowflakes, that was me. Goquick had a 69 Custom S with a 428 and a Ram Air IV cam at the time. It was a fun ride too...

I was there from 88-89 then I went into the Army and then off to war (Gulf War: Desert Storm/Shield). My parents had a place out in Grover. They sold it a couple years ago and moved to Florida...

N0IDH---My 81 TT was also Blue. There was also a burgandy 81 TT running around our area that was modded. One night he came by me and he floored it--all I heard was this big Whoooooooooosh sound and he was gone. Tried to talk to him but could'nt locate him .

NoDih, scary how time flies. West County (everything past HWY 270) has changed so much in 15 years, I havent driven through there in a long time.
Oh yea, Grover was kinda the sticks; used to be a salvage yard (109 I think)
now its built up with houses 4 foot apart ! I dated that girl from late 89 til 1994, thats when I was out there. I mainly drove my 77 Scout II then.
Always seemed west county was the king of roadrage land, even before the term was used.

screw the 301 get a 400 turbo:)
the 301's werent too bad of cars- i wish pontiacs would play with turbos again:D
seems like every car maker except gm, the ones who really pioneered turbos in street cars, have turbo cars- too bad they dont offer a turbo ls series
good story

I am not driving my T/A anymore, wish I could, $$ don't allow, (I drive 120 miles a day to get to work and back, and I need some mpg, so I drive a LT1 powered Cadillac Fleetwood Brougham with the factory 7000# towing package), but I would hate racking up the miles on it too.

I have a low compression 400 in there now, and a set of 5H heads to lower it more if I needed to, but it it ripe for turboing. I have an old LD465 turbo from a M35A2 truck (army duece and a half) that might work on it. But the reason the compression is low is crap dual valve relief pistons, so I don't think I should risk boosting that 400. Turbo probably too small anyway, it is for a 465 CID engine, but one that redlines at 3600 rpm. So it might work on the 301.... Or my LT1.

When I put in my 70 455 "YH" with small valve #15's (they are same as #64's just with small valves) and 067 cam, the turbo 301 and the 455 ran about the same when the 301 was in boost. But the 455 was overall a much more enjoyable engine. But the 23 mpg at 55 mph was sooo nice. The 455 never got over 16. I just sold my THM200 4R I was gonna put in it yesterday, that with 3.08s should have done well for mpg. The 301 REALLY needed OD and some 3.73's. IT would have been a terror with some more gear and a deep OD to help mpg. 301's really did good for mpg. I drove a 77 GP with 2.73's and a THM400 and got 25 highway often. It was one of the nicest rides. Power sucked, but it was such a nice ride I never cared. Even factory moonroof.

1980-1981 Pontiac Turbo Trans AM was first MASS produced V8 Turbo in the world. The 1961-1963 Olds Turbo Jetfire wasn't considered mass produced, I guess from what I had read. Turbos came before, but non were V8's.

If you ever look into it closely, the 301 Turbo setup was soooo badly designed. I don't think Pontiac WANTED to make much power with it. Think of it this way, the engine would have needed a new crank and rods to survive, which it had pathetically weak ones. That is design $$. They honestly should have sourced some fat 6.050 stock rods and use a 400 crank and destroked it and used that. If Pontiac would have fixed the intake and the turbo compressor exit, that is probably 50-75 hp alone. They are SOOOO bad. Then the choked exhaust. I really feel the 301 should have made 350 hp very easily on 10 psi boost. With such minor mods, mine was putting down 290hp and that was rear wheel. So maybe I was close to 330 and that was still with 7.5 psi boost and the stock screwed up intake.

Man I gotta play with my 301 Turbo again.... Show the world it can be done right.

Isn't there a racer out there doing a Turbo 301 in Super Stock? I think they factored him at 11.7. That is insane for a 301. But shows the potential.

ive got a built low compression 400 with the plans to turbo in the future or maybe procharge, but for right now im just tryin to get it on the road- i would like to see the aftermarket industry get into the 301's a little more b/c they made so many and it would make a neat street project, heck maybe i would get one

NODIH,the LD465, is that the Hercules engine ? Former neighbor had a deuce and a half.

Brad,
Yep!! That's the multi-fuel engine found in a lot of Duece and a halfs. We
used to get them @ Jasper once and a while. They're a genuine B__ch to
find parts for!! Some late-model 6X6 were converted to the 250 Cummins/
Allison combo,but you don't find too many of them. I guess the DOD is
holding on to them.

I know setting the injection pumps are a pain; helped the neighbor once with his. Hurry, I would imagine those engines are pretty durable, so hopefully you wouldnt need parts often. I always thought his was a little underpowered; a 250 Cummins would have been more ideal.
Funny part of this neighbor (since this is kindaof a story thread) he was in club for military motors, they would have meetings on his property. It almost looked like a anti government thing going on sometimes with the vehicles parked ! One guy had a International made half track. It was absolutely bad azz; it had rubber tracks and could be street driven (well; who'd stop you ?) The engine looked very familiar; International 450 Inliner; same as one my uncles old R series IH's had.

Brad,
The parts I'm refering to are pistons,rings,bearings,etc. I know the heads
are prone to cracking. Why?I haven't the slightest idea. My dad ALWAYS
want a 6X6. He said the ONLY thing that could stop one in Korea was a
tank! The airport I worked at back home had two we used for snow plows.
These were OLD Duece and a halfs: try 1953 and 1956!! They had 300ci
GMC engines and 4-speed Hydromatics. We ran open exhaust that exited
above the cab. After 8 hrs of plowing snow,you couldn't here yourself think!!

You mean the old 302 cid inliner Jimmy ? Sounds as deafining as my old 1970 Hendrickson, which had a Detroit 6-71 (huh ?)