59 EDSEL 2.3 Turbo 5 Speed Conversion

[bhazard]

Originally Posted by amcpacer

It is good to know the 2.3 is a solid engine design. I want to convert to megasquirt but it is not currently in the budget. For now this 84 computer seems to work great. I have a SRT4 intercooler sitting around that I may try to fit in front of the radiator. I plan to buy a wideband LC1 soon so I can start upping the boost. I also have an extra water injection system that used to be on a turbo Dodge Daytona. How much intercooled boost is typically allowed for the early (84) turbo-coupe electronic systems?

I wouldnt go over 14-15psi on the early electronics, those 30lb injectors just dont supply enough fuel to be safe...your small VAF will also restrict. They went to a 3" VAF and 36lb injectors in 87.

Water injection would be unnecessary if you have adequate fueling and are intercooled, unless youre shooting for big power...over 300hp.

[Jim-Bob]

For safety, well... you would have to go back to the drawing board to add any to the car. It needs a safety cage structure to reinforce the roof, rockers and window pillars as well as side intrusion beams, seat belts, modern brakes, etc. If you saw the video of the NHTSA crash test of a 2009 Malibu vs a 1959 Chevy Impala you no doubt noted that the new car's construction let it chew through the old one like a grizzly bear through a hiker. The best advice is not to crash. I live with the fear every day myself as my 1991 Metro is unsafe to wreck but the fuel economy is intoxicatingly liberating. In an accident with a new Yaris though, I'm dead.

[Frank Lee]

Re: "safety": I can't believe I'm reading this here.

The GM X-frame's crash performance isn't directly comparable to that of it's competitors. And what sort of is so worried about crash performance for the street that they feel the need to bring it up to modern specs? Give me a break. Don't crash, or else get an Escalade.

[gasstingy]

Everyone has an opinion, so here's mine. As you've already gotten safety belts, the next two issues I would address would be a dual circuit brake master cylinder and an energy absorbing steering column.

The old girl cleaned up real nice though. Strong family resemblence to my first car. A 1957 Ford Fairlane 500 4 door sedan, bought in 1974. 312 V8 "Thunderbird Special" on the rocker covers, 4 barrel carb, and an automatic. It only used second and high for normal driving. You had to put it in Low to start in first. It got about 12 mpg.

That made me think, does your car have electric or vacuum windshield wipers? Vacuum operated wipers pretty much quit when the car is under much of a load, and I have no idea what boost would do for their operation.

[NHRABill]

not to get too far off topic but funniest thing I ever is watching a Smart car tailgating a H2 Hummer. I caught that last week in bumper to bumper traffic think her was trying to drive under the H2 lol..

Anyhow putting all of the effort into a car like this and doing the swap and all last thing you want is an accident . Drive safely and enjoy every Mile cool ride, you get my vote for the ultimate recyler award.

[amcpacer]

The dual circuit master cylinder sounds like a great idea. I found a new one on ebay POWER BRAKES FORD, MERCURY, EDSEL, etc IN CHROME - eBay (item 330522953791 end time Jan-31-11 06:59:22 PST) The description states that they can build it to work with the factory 4 wheel drum brakes. I do not want to convert to disc brakes just yet. The drums seemed to stop quite well when I drove the car before the 2.3L conversion.

This car has a ladder frame and not an X frame so it should be much stronger than a Bel Air.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cJrXViFfMGk

Still a crash would be bad. I saw a VW beetle at the wrecking yard last month and it had some kind of mesh steel collapsible column. I wonder if that mesh could be grafted into the Edsel shaft. Honestly I will probably just call it good with a dual brake circuit and seat belts.

At the moment it has a set of new 8.00-14 BF Goodrich Silvertown wide white wall bias ply tires. They are from coker tires. I will drive very slow and careful since they probably will not work as well as a modern radial. They were not my choice because they were already on the car when I bought it. I want to get some 215/75-14 radials and use a orbital sander to remove the fine lettering and paint the sidewall white. These bias ply tires are new so I should use them until they wear out and then get radials. I wonder how much fuel economy can be gained by going from bias ply to radial.

Gasttingy: I read 1959 Edsel Page that this car actually uses the same chassis as the Ford Fairlane. The website said it should average 13.7mpg. I also saw in a popular mechanics 1959 issue that they were able to get 13highway and 8mpg urban cycle (city mpg I assume) using regular octane (probably leaded ) Also it has electric windshield wipers. I am thankful for electrical wipers! Funny thing is they gave out on me just after I bought the car. It was scary going down the freeway with no wipers. I was able to fix them by freeing up the stuck carbon brushes and lubricating the bearings.

bhazard: It is nice to know there are turbo ford experts like you on here! I will get a cheap ebay relief valve boost control so it can boost to 14psi. I am actually starting to enjoy working on the Ford 2.3. It is much easier to work on than the Chrysler 2.2/2.5 which have the intake and exhaust manifolds crowded on the back of the engine. It has no A/C or power steering so changing the timing belt should be a snap! The water pump should be easily accessible too!

I am anxious for the 3 point seat belts to arrive in the mail. It will be ready to drive as soon as they are installed!

[slowmover]

The worst thing about the bias tires is the wet performance. Drums and bias are nothing that those of us experienced with will ever miss. I can't remember if yours are still drum front, but learn to adjust yourself as it is a regular need (otherwise, pulls to one side or another).

Drums + bias + wet = ride-the-bus.

I'd stay on top of tires/brakes/steering gear as best accident avoidance.

I'd also try to get 13-volts at rear lamps (signal/brake lamps).

Car looks VERY very nice!

[darcane]

I think I'd get rid of the bias ply even though they are new... they really aren't so great for driving on. Sell them to someone who only drives in parades...

BF Goodrich, Goodyear, and others make radial whitewalls. White rubber will last a lot longer than white paint.

As for crash protection, well... old cars suck in a crash. It's not just the X-frame in that '59 Chevy that makes it fall apart. Modern cars have a much more rigid cabin; notice how there is little deformation of the '09 Malibu but the dash of the Bel Air moves upwards, the windshield pops out, the driver's door pops open, the roof crumples, etc... The malibu has crumple zones to absorb the impact before it gets transferred to the cabin. Even though the Malibu is a physically smaller car made with lightweight materials, the two cars in that video weigh almost the same amount; in large part due to extra bracing for crash safety.

I love old cars, but it's not because they are "safe". Old cars need to make sure that the #1 safety device of any car is operating well: the driver.

Mike

[Frank Lee]

Does that mean one should be extra safe when driving an old car, and medium or low safe when driving a "safe" newer car?

[user removed]

Dump the bias ply tires. I put radials (with tubes) on my 37 Ford and it rode and braked completely differently than the original bias ply, even with mechanical brakes. Probably good for a 10% increase in mileage.

regards
Mech