Turbo Meister

Since the turbos create much heat under the hood I decided to install these 4 Mustang GT 500 hood vents. I found that "Cherry Red" Rustoleum spray can paint matches the paint on the Z. I also modified the MSA airdam to channel more air flow to the Arizona Z Car radiator. The Z runs cool while off boost. But when the turbos spool up....The heat is on. The addition of 2 small oil coolers has brought my oil temperature under control while boosting 25 psi.The airdam was also painted with the spray can paint.

I was prepping the Z to race at Pomona today at the NMCA West True Street race when I noticed this. Obviously I didn't go. That wheelie the Z did a while ago must have done more damage than I realized. Both the oil pan and the trans pan sustained damage but the trans was not leaking so I thought It was OK. NOT!!!

Car looks fantastic....as do the power numbers. Looking forward to seeing videos of the beast.

Kevin at CSU modified my Proform 750 carb for $400. That included the installation of Annular Boosters, BRPV's, Shaft sealing, internal passages enlargement, and other modifications that I could not do myself. My modifications, previously, only permitted lower boost settings. With the CSU carb I now safely run 25 psi boost. That resulted in my 9.08 / 153 mph run at Fontana last year.

The box was made out of 3/16 Aluminum as is the Hat that I currently use. The engine had a lean misfire and blew out the welds. The solution to the tuning problem was using a carb with Boost Referenced Power Valves. I liked the plexi box because it didn't need to be welded; the top, bottom, and sides were simply glued and screwed together. But, it was big and required much unscrewing to get to the carb. There are still Pics of it in my Gallery.

It looks great!!! Make sure there are no sharp corners on the new HAT close to the hood. When I did my wheelstand, and the frontend came down the corners of the hat dinged my hood. The corners are now ground down and smoothed.

Congratulations!!! Well deserved. Z looks and runs great

My Z still uses new replacement stock struts, now 13 years old, and original springs. My biggest problem is trying to keep the front wheels on the ground at launch.

And this Thursday was my first opportunity, in a while, to get some runs in. In order to run at Fontana's Street Legal races I would have to slow the Z down to only run 10 seconds, flat. "BORING"!!!!!! Maybe the Irwindale shutdown is only temporary,,,,,

I'll amend that to say, unless you are willing to run a monster cam, high compression, rev to 7500 rpm, and not really have a very streetable car.

Before I got my turbos I researched centrifugal supercharges for the Z. Vortech and Paxton were offering reverse rotation chargers for corvettes. I was planning to buy one when a friend gave me two turbos.....the rest is history. Darius, on this site uses one but I'm not sure if it is reverse rotation.

I don't think the 11's are realistic for a 327 without a power adder. My personal experience lists traction as a top factor in successful and consistent drag race times. My Z's best et with a naturally aspirated 383 was 11.15 at 123 mph. However, I had a backhalfed car with a Ford 9" and 12" rear tires. Best guess for hp was 450/500 flywheel. A friend had a Z with a 421 engine. He only ran 13's because he could not hook up at launch.

If that is you driving, I hope you are ok. This video reflects why I prefer drag racing!

What V8 and how much power?

Great Performance by the Z. I really enjoyed the videos especially with the varied views.

It looks great. Welcome to forced induction. When I had an airbox for my turbos, I lowered the engine for stock hood clearance. If you don't want to do that, but want the stock hood, maybe a carb hat would provide clearance.

My Z is tubbed and back-halved with a Ford 9", M/T 325/50/15 Drag Radials, 12" Weld wheels, and 3.50 gears.

You should be able to run high 11's with your setup if you can hook up at the starting line. Much faster with nitrous, but I never used it so can't give estimation. When I had my 383 engine, built similar to yours, the Z ran a best of 11.15 at 123 mph naturally aspirated. But I used 12 " wide rear street slicks. Dyno estimate 450 hp at the flywheel.

Great Video!!Nice Car.

Davy, Although Mckinney removed a good portion of the crossmember the addition of the more robust steel all around has strengthened it compared to the thin stock material. Since I use a motor plate to support the engine the crossmember bears much less weight than when the engine was attached to it. Now only the front suspension and steering linkage are supported by it. I'm still trying to control my wheelies at launch and hope it doesn't result in another oil pan crunchability test. If it does happen.....we will see how well the crossmember handles it. As you pointed out, I have never used a sway bar. The Z launches better at the strip without one and my street cruising is not that aggressive. But I do thank you for your concern because sometimes I'm too focused on performance to think of safety. Hanns

The Z's crossmember needed to be modified to allow the new low-profile circle track oil pan to be used. The pan holds 7 quarts and measures only 7" in depth. It is a nice Summit Racing pan with numerous baffles priced under $100. Mckinney Motorsports trimmed a good portion off the crossmember, boxed it, and welded on a 1/4" skidplate on the bottom for extra reinforcement. For the first time I will now be able to remove the oil pan, when necessary, without having to undo motormounts and jack up the engine for clearance.