[ZebLX90]

i know the turbo 2.3's had forged rods and pistons instead of cast iron and i know that the combustion chambers in the head were more of a "D" shape and that the turbo motors have an oil drain in the block for the turbo


but my question is when i bought my car the motor was blown so i rebuilt it using forged internals,

so if i get
-turbo 2.3 head
-8UA ecu (cause its auto)
-turbo coupe wiring harness
-larger VAM
-brown top injectors
-turbo,intercooler,wastegate,etc
-fab the oil pan
-Mass air meter

could I then SAFELY turbo my N/A 2.3? has to be built to last its my daily driver
sorry about the length and any info would be GREATLY appriciated

thank you

[Mikel89us]

Yes, and the N/A 2/3s have forged rods, cast aluminum pistons, and bothe the 2.3t and 2.3 use cast iron cranks. The pistons and proper engine management are crucial though.

[ZebLX90]

actually the motor is a 2.5 out of a later model ranger and it has the according crank with forged steel rods and pistons

and by engine management i assume your talkin about using the correct ecm,injectors,fuel pump,etc right?

[OHC230]

Zeb, you can turbo the stock motor as long as you tune it properly and keep boost at a conservative level. You don't need a turbo head and may find it difficult to locate one. Is your current motor a dual plug engine or did your keep the single plug head?

I'm not totally clear on what pistons are in your rebuilt motor, you indicated that they were forged, are they dished or of a flat top design?

The engine management system from an 87 or later T-bird would be the preferred system, but not an absolute requirement and you might find it to be more expensive in the long run to use that system, rather than sourcing parts from other turbo 2.3 Fords and using a custom tuner to perform a final tune.

Your stock fuel pump will be on the weak side for this application, so I would suggest that you replace that first with a 190 LPH pump, a dirty job, but needed.

[ZebLX90]

I kept the single plug head and just curious what is a "conservative" level of boost?

as for the pistons there flat top pistons,also they might not be the right ones im 100% as i bought an assembled shortblock locally and was "told" they were forged

if I couldnt get and 87+ turbo coupe what would be a good second choice and also who makes a good custom tuner?

thank you for the reply all info is greatly appriciated

[OHC230]

OK, I am going on the assumption that you are running flat top pistons, hopefully forged and you have a 89-90 N/A head, which out of all of the iron heads, I like the most. Your compression will be anywhere between 9.0:-9.8:1 if you are using a standard head gasket and a non milled head. I would start with the boost at 10 PSI and see how that goes first.

If you are JY shopping for fuel system parts, then be on the look out for any turbo ford with brown top injectors.

Here is your link to one of the more popular tuners for the 2.3.

Moates.Net