FORD MOTOR COMPANY’S BEST KEPT SECRET?

It’s no secret that forced induction (mainly supercharging) is about the only thing which has kept grassroots Ford racers, street rodders and tuners competitive on power over the past fifteen years.

Down on cubic inches to their "Brand X’ competition, forced induction is the great equalizer for Ford fans. Supercharging and, to a lesser extent, turbocharging took hold in the FoMoCo performance aftermarket during the pushrod 5.0 Mustang era and both have exploded in popularity in the years since Modular V8 power assumed OEM dominance.

Ford Motor Company (F) has occasionally recognized this in their U.S. showrooms with legendary limited production supercharged offerings -- such as the 2003-2004 "Terminator" SVT Cobra, the second generation 5.4 SVT Lightning and supercharged Harley-Davidson pickup trucks, the current 500 horsepower GT500, and the late 550 horsepower Ford GT supercar.

On the other hand, Ford Racing Performance Parts (FRPP) has more often than not ignored forced induction. Until recently, except for an occasional non-intercooled, low-boost supercharger kit and a few upgrades for the 2003-2004 SVT Cobra, FRPP’s offerings were au natural ("all motor," in current "tuner" parlance). Even as superchargers sprouted in 5.0 and 4.6 Mustangs almost like a factory option, FRPP stubbornly kept pushing crate engines which were not "boost-ready." To be fair, FRPP is often constrained both by its apparent primary mission (homologating serious racing parts, such as the Grand Am-series "Cammer" engine) and the need to keep costs low by using as many OEM assembly-line parts as possible.

However, when the OEM production line yielded gems like the "Terminator" Cobra engine, the FRPP catalog generally failed to offer them at reasonable price, if at all (the current on-line FRPP catalog does list 5.4 GT engines . . . at an MSRP of $38,000! And you could buy a good used car for the crate price of a production GT500 engine). Even the most myopic FRPP apologist must admit that FRPP has been late to the power-adder party and a few inches of boost short.

But now . . . maybe . . . FRPP is ready to "take it to the streets" with a serious forced induction Modular mill: The "Aluminator."

The Aluminator is FRPP’s best kept secret. FRPP’s website gives few details on it. The September 2007 issue of Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords (at page 46), fills in some of the blanks, though.

The Aluminator is based on a Cosworth-tweaked, 2005-present Mustang GT production block. FRPP claims "double the duty cycles" of prior aluminum 4.6 blocks (presumably including the benchmark Teksid blocks). However, instead of filling the bottom end with the spindly, powdered-metal, cracked-cap and hypereutectic CRAP that FoMoCo’s moronic bean counters saddle the production ponies with, FRPP slams in "the goods" that even "Terminator" John Colletti would approve of:

-- An eight-bolt FORGED crankshaft
– Manley H-beam connecting rods
– Mahle forged pistons (which work with 2V and 4V heads) with either 10.5:1 or 8.5:1 compression ratio (4V head).

What’s even better, Aluminator long blocks feature FOUR VALVE Mach I/ 2003-2004 Cobra heads and 4V front dress!

Enterprising parts matchers can step up to new CNC 4V heads and other FR500 top-end parts.

Direct bolt-ins for "all motor" Mach Is and "Terminator" Cobras are both supposedly available. Thus, engine swappers who have to satisfy "the Man" through emissions testing and underhood inspections may be able to slide Aluminators by in pre-2004 models.

FRPP apparently has licked the durability issues which required the 2003-2004 Cobra to use an iron block. The proof is its long term test in Ken Gushi’s "drift" Mustang, wherein an Aluminator lived the entire 2006 professional drifting season with 700 supercharged horsepower and a 7,000 r.p.m. rev limit – and no engine failures!

Long suffering 1996-1998 Mustang GT, naturally aspirated SVT Cobra, and Marauder owners, your new engine is FINALLY READY.

The same issue of Muscle Mustangs and Fast Fords contains Richard Holdener’s recipes for up to "1000 h.p." from the 4V Modular – based on the 2003 "Terminator" engine. More than a few FoMoCo racers and rodders are undoubtedly salivating at the prospect of an ‘03 Cobra-spec Aluminator fitted with an HP Performance twin turbo kit, a Paxton Novi 2000, a Kenne-Bell supercharger or even a FoMoCo production-type Eaton Roots blower.

Hopefully, the Aluminator will tide FoMoCo’s grassroots racers and rodders over until the future BOSS/Hurricane trickles down to the streets. Now if FRPP would only ADVERTISE IT . . . and offer some "boost ready" SBF/BBF pushrod power for the old-schoolers, too . . . .

A SHOUT OUT TO DAVID FREIBURGER AND HOT ROD MAGAZINE

The September 2007 issue of Hot Rod Magazine is a definite keeper. Although Hot Rod honcho David Freiburger’s insane, mega-buck Nelson twin-turbocharged "F-Bomb" Camaro missed its expected debut (because of a testing crash), Freiburger and company filled in the "turbo hole" with a triad of bitchin’ home-built turbocharged supercars.

Leading the way is Paul Johnson’s incredible 848 RWHP twin-turbocharged 455 PONTIAC -Powered (Real Pontiac, not Chevy) 1980 Trans Am. Johnson’s Pontiac features sanitary new TIG welded twin turbo exhaust manifolds from www.turbopontiacs.com.

Also included in HRM’s turbo-fest is the wild 1300 h.p. SBC/single-106-mm-turbo-powered 1964 Rambler Classic Four-Door of Brian Anderson that almost shocked Hot Rod’s Pump Gas Drags a while back.

Filling in the low-buck position is a Mike Sitar-style budget 5.0 Mustang twin turbo by Mike Bruell (who claims only a couple thousand in the entire engine/power-adder combo and nearly 200 boosted drag strip passes on a bone-stock, junkyard Mercury Mountaineer short block).

This issue of Hot Rod is a must read for anyone interested in turbocharging REAL (V8) engines.