Super-Charging the Bullitt

After agonizing over this decision myself, and after talking to many ppl about this subject, i've decided this: If ya keep the boost down then engine life shouldn't be affected. around 8-10 is ok, but any higher and you are inviting problems. To maximize power and engine life you must install the intercooler. And to me, most importantly and the route im going to take, is to install forged internals. Pistons, rods crank etc.. The way i look at it is that I am going to have to pull the motor one time at least. Either I pull it before the blower and strengthen it up real good or pull it later after it blows up. For now, im going to try to get as much as possible out of the motor while normally aspirated , ENJOY it for awhile, and then go ahead and screw it up! Just my 2 centz...........

Gary

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On 2001-11-06 23:54, BC wrote:
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On 2001-11-06 22:35, Bullitt#4660 wrote:
Having mine installed on Monday 11/12 I'll let you know how it goes.
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Where are you taking it to get it installed or are you doing it yourself? How much are they charging you? Are you going with the aftercooler too?
Have you done or are you doing any other motor mods, bolt on or otherwise?

Thanks. I am seriously thinking about this for the future.


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Getting it done at Fairway Ford here is SoCal. They are charging me $900 for the install and $175 for the two gauges on the interior (boost and fuel pressure) They have done tons of them and the car retains the factory warranty, that's the only reason I'm having them do it, otherwise I would have done it myself. I'm not getting the aftercooler done either. I don't have any other mods done to the engine so Vortech should be able to burn a standard config chip for it and make it run fine with no detonation. (fingers crossed)

I have had one on my Bullitt since new. The install is pretty straight forward, the fuel pump is the hardest part. I am making around 6-7psi with an AFM Powerpipe. The car drives and idles fine. I paid $600 for the install from a friend that owns a speed shop, if it wasn't a friend I would have installed it myself. My recommendation is to go through www.speedworx.com to buy it. They will work with you on the price.

As for how much boost can you safely run...none. My 99 S281 ran fine from the day I installed the charger until I traded it in on the Bullitt, and still is. I have friends that did the same thing and within months they were replacing their motors. You can hedge your bet by running your car fairly rich(Vortech chip verified on a dyno) and run nominal boost, but there's always a chance for disaster. My recommendation is to make sure you have the funds to replace the motor(or inerds) when you install the charger. You may not have to use them, but then again you might.

I also have a friend with the SVO charger(roots style) on his 98. Nice torquey motor, nice piece. I would almost wait for the Roush one to become available, it seems to make more power and it's a prettier piece.

As for warranties, if your dealer told you they would warranty the motor after the charger they mislead you. The blower by itself does not void your warranty, but if it caused the failure it will. If you think the dealer will replace a motor after you popped a piston due to detonation or overboost you're crazy. The most common failure on the 01 4.6s is broken ring lands caused by detonation. Kinda hard to hide what happened.:smile:

My personal opinion on this is if you buy one be informed as to the risks/benifits associated. They are not chump change(for most of us) to buy or have the motors fixed if something goes wrong.

Sorry for the pic quality.

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On 2001-11-07 00:05, Bullitt1447 wrote:
I'm seriously considering the screw type supercharger from Kenne-bell. Seems like the best route for me. I use the bullitt 99% for the street and about 1% at the track. Seems like you get into the torque band quicker with a screw type than a centrifical supercharger.
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I emailed Kenne-Bell ([email protected]) and asked if they had a supercharger for the Bullitt and this was the reply;

The kit is under development and scheduled for production very soon. If you would like to be placed on our mailing list for when the kit is available, please contact our sales dept. at (909) 941-6646. They will be happy to assist you further. Thank you for your inquiry.