Superchargers on GT40s

Lynn Larson brought up an interesting topic with respect to how to put a supercharger on a GT40. There may be some elegant solutions for those so inclined.

Remember the 3.8L Supercharged V6 motor that appeared in the Thunderbird SC from 89-95 (and Cougar XR7 for 90)? This was a successful application of the Eaton M90 supercharger nestled in the valley of the V6.

The motor used a special intake manifold that accepted the intake charge from the backside of the motor. The manifold was very flat so that the blower could sit on top of it. The motor had no distributor so that the drive snout of the Eaton was easily packaged.

If a similar manifold could be made for the SB Ford a similar blower package should be easily produced - the whole thing is certainly less overall height than Webers.

Ford EEC IV control should be easily accomplished since the blower can be fed through the MAF just as in the orignal application. The EFI 5.0 V8 systems are extremely adaptable so won't be problems there. In fact, the crank fired Explorer 5.0 system would be perfect.

Now, I've got an M90 around here and a V6 manifold should be easy to scare up for modeling purposes. How would one make a V8 manifold - make a clay model first then???

Drive on the M90 would have to be longer but the Magnesoun (spelling) company that rebuilds Eaton units have a lot of different drives available that bolt on, I've used them before.

Interest?

R

Kenne Bell Co. makes Eaton based kits for 5.0 and 4.6 mustangs. They have incorporated an intercooler in their intake manifold. They also have manifolds w/o this feature.

I remember an article in Car and Driver or something like that ~ 1 year ago which had a supercharger kit like you are talking about for the SOHC 4.6 L mounted in a late model mustang. The blower was mounted low in the center of the V and feed air from the back. I wish I could remember where I saw the article.

Gary

Actually, the KB blower is not Eaton based but a Lysholm twin-screw design - quite a bit of difference in efficiency.

The KB blower will not fit too well since it uses a standard or Cobra 5.0L lower intake depending on the model you choose. This adds quite a bit of height over the manifold design I just discussed, which is flat and allows the blower to really sit in the V of the motor. Plus, the KB blower hangs to one side which would cause exhaust routing problems. I've had one of the KB blowers before though and they are great performers.

The 4.6L blowers that fit into the valley of the mod motors are common and packaged nicely. Roush, Allen, and others sell these but they are not made for the Ford SB (at least not the SB we all know and love).

Ron

[ March 04, 2002: Message edited by: Ron Earp ]

Chris,
The beauty of the one Ron described for the V6 and the one I seemed to remember seeing somewhere (may have been this one) is that they are gear driven presumably off of the ring gear on the flywheel. If such a supercharger could be fitted to a SBF it would be perfect for a GT40. Otherwise, as MikeD stated, turbos would be logistically easier.

Lynn

Most of the guys I know running blowers in the car club I belong to are running this kit from Allen Engine Development. Mind you this is for the modualr 4.6 SOHC

Allen Engine


One big plus is it comes complete with intercooler.

Hi Lynn

The blower in MN12 post looks crank diven to me.
The other problem with a blower is the heat build up in the engine bay.
I dont know of any ring gear driven blowers and would think that if you tried to do this with a standard ring gear it would fail from lack of lubrication.

Chris

Eaton superchargers can be modded from standard to achieve very good efficiency gains in reducing the drive power, increasing the flower per rev, and reducing the temperature gain.
One such company is "Endyne Energy Dynamics" , I am sure there are others

:0)

Yes,

The ones I'm referring to are belt drive and the shaft would be basically where the distribtor is but about 4 inches out in front.

May be some clearence problems for sure.

There was a Ford SVT Contour prototype produced in the mid-90s with a shaft driven Eaton that was pulling off the ring gear/transmission. As we know now, this never saw production and I don't have a lot of details about the setup. But, as Lynn mentioned, this would be one way to package one on a GT40.

Ron

I'd think a twin turbo would be more "doable". Isn't there a GT40 in the UK
already running a twin turbo set up?

I'd also think twin turbo would be easier on the driveline parts since boost comes on at
higher rpm.

MikeD

Hi Ron

How would you drive the blower?
The drive pulley would be tapping you on the shoulder.

Chris

[ March 04, 2002: Message edited by: Chris Melia ]

Chris,

Yes it is crank driven...as you can see the alternator has been turned around backwards and the blower is driven by the existing serpentine belt

Tilton has a method of driving items off the pressure plate basket (using a toothed belt) if you are using one of their multidisk racing clutches and ultra low ground clearance bellhousings. Looks like it might work here.

You should be able to find an intake manifold appropriate for your application. The new Autorotor twin-screw superchargers (available from Kenne Bell) would be a good contender as it is more efficient under heavy boost than the equivalent roots-type Eaton. They both have models where the intake is at the back of the supercharger rather than on top, they are both available with and without aftercoolers.

Another consideration is a centrifugal supercharger from Vortech or Paxton (among others). It would bolt on with the other accessories (alternator, A/C compressor, etc.) and you plumb the intake into any 5.0 EFI manifold. A lot less low end torque but it makes up for it with high levels of boost at high RPM.

I have seen mention of a 302,twin turbo, injected GT40 on an Australian site.
Any of you guys down there have any information on this car?
I would love to see some photos of that
engine bay!

Bill