FordNut
01-31-2004, 08:46 PM
Finally got the headers installed. WOW! It sounds great and runs even better. Since I was having before & after dyno tests, and I also had some other mods to validate, it has taken awhile to evaluate all the data that I got when I picked up the car.
Headers and high flow cats added 22 hp and 13 ft-lb of torque. Now it has 288 hp and 309 ft-lb. Todd still has these #'s beat. However, during a dyno tune when Jerry connects his computer to the car and locks the torque converter, the numbers will be better. And yes, it does need a re-tune which should also up the power a bit.
Another test that was done was verification of the delta chip function. I have 2 programs, a 91 octane and 93 octane. So if gas gets up to $2/gal or more I may get by on mid-grade instead of premium. Before the header installation, there was no difference in peak power or torque. There was a difference in low rpm hp and torque however. About 10 hp and 10 ft-lb difference from 3100 to 4000 rpm. So the chip is obviously making a difference in low rpm power.
After the headers were installed, the switch made an even more noticeable difference. The power was increased at low rpm like before, but it also picked up 6 hp at the peak. The 20 hp increase at low rpm also extends higher up in the rpm range, extending to 4200 rpm. This seems to indicate that the car can benefit more from advanced timing with the headers. So maybe even more timing could be added at another dyno tune session.
The AFR was monitored and it is steady at 13.4:1 above 4200 rpm. It is about 15.2:1 at engine speeds below 3900 rpm. Maybe the fuel tables need a little tweaking too.
I will probably leave the tuning alone until I can get the improved head cooling modification for cylinders 7 & 8. Then I won't be as worried about too much timing. I am somewhat concerned about the AFR at low rpms. A future mod I'm considering is the Pro-M MAF sensor, which will require new MAF transfer functions to be programmed and fuel table changes, so I might as well wait until then to get a re-burn.
Another test that was performed was the Plasma Booster. See the thread on ignition solutions at: http://www.mercurymarauder.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7091&highlight=ignition+solutions for more details, but it does appear to add some power at lower rpms.
The sound is great. It has a low pitch rumble like the classic pushrod-engine cars had. No obnoxious resonance or drone as far as I could tell (hard to tell when you're playing with the gas pedal so much). The real test was the drive. Spin the tires from a dead stop anytime you want to. From a slow moving roll stomp it and break 'em loose. Grab 2nd and bark the tires. It just keeps getting better. I'm glad I bought another spare set of rear tires.
System specs and other mods (took it out of my sig when I tried to update the sig and couldn't because my mod list is more than the 1000 character limit):
Kook's stainless headers, ceramic coated
Magnaflow high flow 2-1/2" stainless cats
Stock location for flanges after cats
All pipes are 2-1/2" stainless
Bassani x-pipe installed near stock location for h-pipe crossover
Edelbrock RPM stainless mufflers with ceramic packing material
Muffler hangers for '02 CV (2 hooks for each muffler)
Stock 2-1/4" tailpipes and stock tips
Steeda underdrive pulleys
Denso IT-20 plugs
180 degree thermostat
4.10 gears
MMX driveshaft
Installation instructions were gathered from other members' posts. I will post a compilation of those with added comments in another reply in this thread. One problem we had was with the steering shaft. It hit the front tube on the driver's side and the motor was shifted as far to the right as possible to correct it. The holes are slotted and allow the motor to be moved slightly. The steering shaft was also removed and ground down slightly at one point. I have not yet looked at that part so I can't comment on it in any detail yet.
Headers and high flow cats added 22 hp and 13 ft-lb of torque. Now it has 288 hp and 309 ft-lb. Todd still has these #'s beat. However, during a dyno tune when Jerry connects his computer to the car and locks the torque converter, the numbers will be better. And yes, it does need a re-tune which should also up the power a bit.
Another test that was done was verification of the delta chip function. I have 2 programs, a 91 octane and 93 octane. So if gas gets up to $2/gal or more I may get by on mid-grade instead of premium. Before the header installation, there was no difference in peak power or torque. There was a difference in low rpm hp and torque however. About 10 hp and 10 ft-lb difference from 3100 to 4000 rpm. So the chip is obviously making a difference in low rpm power.
After the headers were installed, the switch made an even more noticeable difference. The power was increased at low rpm like before, but it also picked up 6 hp at the peak. The 20 hp increase at low rpm also extends higher up in the rpm range, extending to 4200 rpm. This seems to indicate that the car can benefit more from advanced timing with the headers. So maybe even more timing could be added at another dyno tune session.
The AFR was monitored and it is steady at 13.4:1 above 4200 rpm. It is about 15.2:1 at engine speeds below 3900 rpm. Maybe the fuel tables need a little tweaking too.
I will probably leave the tuning alone until I can get the improved head cooling modification for cylinders 7 & 8. Then I won't be as worried about too much timing. I am somewhat concerned about the AFR at low rpms. A future mod I'm considering is the Pro-M MAF sensor, which will require new MAF transfer functions to be programmed and fuel table changes, so I might as well wait until then to get a re-burn.
Another test that was performed was the Plasma Booster. See the thread on ignition solutions at: http://www.mercurymarauder.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7091&highlight=ignition+solutions for more details, but it does appear to add some power at lower rpms.
The sound is great. It has a low pitch rumble like the classic pushrod-engine cars had. No obnoxious resonance or drone as far as I could tell (hard to tell when you're playing with the gas pedal so much). The real test was the drive. Spin the tires from a dead stop anytime you want to. From a slow moving roll stomp it and break 'em loose. Grab 2nd and bark the tires. It just keeps getting better. I'm glad I bought another spare set of rear tires.
System specs and other mods (took it out of my sig when I tried to update the sig and couldn't because my mod list is more than the 1000 character limit):
Kook's stainless headers, ceramic coated
Magnaflow high flow 2-1/2" stainless cats
Stock location for flanges after cats
All pipes are 2-1/2" stainless
Bassani x-pipe installed near stock location for h-pipe crossover
Edelbrock RPM stainless mufflers with ceramic packing material
Muffler hangers for '02 CV (2 hooks for each muffler)
Stock 2-1/4" tailpipes and stock tips
Steeda underdrive pulleys
Denso IT-20 plugs
180 degree thermostat
4.10 gears
MMX driveshaft
Installation instructions were gathered from other members' posts. I will post a compilation of those with added comments in another reply in this thread. One problem we had was with the steering shaft. It hit the front tube on the driver's side and the motor was shifted as far to the right as possible to correct it. The holes are slotted and allow the motor to be moved slightly. The steering shaft was also removed and ground down slightly at one point. I have not yet looked at that part so I can't comment on it in any detail yet.