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 Today I talk about the Ford Modular engine family.  I did a blog post about these engines a while ago, but since we recently bought a Ford Expedition with a 5.4, I thought it was time to revisit it.

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The reason I am talking about this is because it is snowing here and since it is one of the first snowfalls of the year, a lot of people around here are still remembering how to drive in it.

I talk about how to practice driving in the winter, hint find a big parking lot.

I also talk about traction control, ABS, 4 wheel and all wheel drive.

I also talk about snow tires, and how they work better in snow.

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Like the Chevy 302 in the first gen Z/28 or the Mopar 340, there was no low performance version.

Others, there were changes in the basic engine block, like going to 4 bolt mains for more strength:

Or even cross bolted mains:

Some Like the previously mentioned 302 and 340, like the Ford 427, didn't come in a low performance version.

Some Like the ZL1 427 used aluminum for the engine block to save weight.

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If you don't know, here is what a pop-up camper looks like folded:

And here is it set up and ready to camp:

There is a cable that lifts the top up, and that broke.

And here is me getting the top lifted so we could use the camper:

Listen as I talk about how I fixed it, and how you can improvise things also.

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Muscle cars were already on the decline before the manufacturers had to do much of anything with emissions standards.  And having to clean up the exhaust on the cars forced them to make major improvements to the engines.  Yes it was painful for a while, but look what we have for engines now.

As a comparison, let's look at the Ford 302 and the modern DOHC 5.0.  There is only like 9CC difference in displacement, so it is close enough to call them the same.  The highest power rating I could find for the 302 in the muscle car era was a Shelby HO version that put out 315 horsepower and 333 lb-ft of torque.  The 5.0 in Boss 302 trim made 444 HP and 380 lb-ft of torque.

And the modern 5.0 is rated for 17 MPG city and 26 MPG highway with the manual transmission.  I would be surprised if the 302 could manage 17 MPG highway.  Yes, I know the overdrive transmission in the new car helps, as does the improved aerodynamics, but it is a big improvement.

Now I think things may be going to far, since there are rumors that Chrysler is going to stop making V8 cars.  Sure it is just a rumor, but that would mean no longer having awesome engines like the Hellcat available.  Sure, I will probably never own one, but just the fact that they exist is great.

Yes turbo V6 engines such as the Ford EcoBoost are awesome, but lets hope the V8s continue to be around.

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I go over the differences between the two, and how they are related.

To understand foot pounds of torque, imagine you are trying to get a rusty bolt off.  You weight 200 pounds, and have a ratchet with a one foot long handle.  If you are putting your entire weight onto the handle, you have 200 ft-lbs of torque.  If you put a two and a half foot piece of pipe over the ratchet, you now have 500 ft-lbs of torque.

Horsepower was defined by James Watt as 33,000 ft-lbs per minute or 550 ft-lbs per second.  What that means is that in the second example with you generating 500 ft-lbs, you were making about 1 horsepower, however briefly until either you fell off the ratchet/pipe combo or ran out of room for it to move.  That would explain why you wouldn't be able to move the car very fast or very far.

There is a relationship between horsepower and torque.  The relationship is horsepower = (torque x RPM)/5252.  So to get the horsepower for an engine, you multiply the torque it is producing by the rpm it is running at and divide it by 5252, which is a constant.  So it stands to reason that the faster you can spin an engine, the more horsepower it will produce.  That usually means less torque (and by extension horsepower) at lower RPM due to the compromises needed to increase high RPM power.

The key to remember is that we are talking about horsepower and torque at the crankshaft, not at the wheels.  Taking gearing into account greatly changes the horsepower vs torque thought process.  If you have an engine with a lot of horsepower and little torque, so usually a smaller engine with its power high in the RPM range, you can use lower gearing to increase the torque.  So if at X RPM the engine is making 400 ft-lbs of torque, and first gear in the transmission is 2.5:1 and the differential gearing is 4.0:1, the torque is multiplied ten times.  So that 400 ft-lbs becomes 4000.  But if we have an engine that is making 200 ft-lbs at 2X RPM, and the transmission gearing is 3.40 and the differential gearing is 5.88, we are a rounding error away from multiplying that 200 ft-lbs by 20 and getting the same 4000 ft-lbs at the wheels.

Yes I know that the numbers are convenient, that is why I picked them.  But the point is, that you need to be looking at the torque vs horsepower at the wheels as well, not just at the engine.

So we know we can increase torque with gearing, but what about the horsepower part of horsepower vs torque?  Since the torque is multiplied by ten, but the RPMs have been divided by ten, the horsepower is the same.

With the gearing, that is the reason that new vehicles come with 5+ speed transmissions, especially the automatics.  It allows the engine to operate at the best RPM for acceleration (and fuel economy).  With more gears, you can do more with less, since the RPM drops between the gears isn't as great.

So to show how it all works together, let's compare two engines with the same horsepower, but very different torque

First, lets start with a 400 HP 318 Mopar.  Yes, you can get 400 HP out of a 318, check here for the details.

And subject number two is a 6.7 liter Powerstroke diesel from a Ford truck.

For some of the basic specs, the 318 makes 400 HP at 6,200 RPM, and the Powerstroke makes 400 HP at 2,800 RPM.  For torque, the 318 makes 382 lb-ft at 4,900 and the diesel cranks out 800 lb-ft at 1,600 RPM.

Lets assume that both vehicles weigh the same, and have the same transmission.  This mythical magical car will only differ in the engine installed, and the rear end gears.

Lets assume that they have an eight speed transmission, since this car will have the latest and greatest set up.  The main reason is that the close gear ratios make the comparison easier.

Regardless of gearing, the horsepower to the rear wheels doesn't change.  Let's ignore friction losses, and since this is a magic car anyway, let's say they both have 400 HP at the rear wheels.  The reason that the HP numbers don't change with gearing, is that gearing changes torque.  And if you put in higher numerical gears to get more torque, you have fewer RPM's, and the same horsepower.

Let's go with the fact that both of them will hit 150 MPH at redline.  First thing we need to figure out is tire size, since that will affect gearing.  In going with a common size on muscle cars, 215/75r15, the diameter is about 27 inches.  Since width doesn't matter for this, let's just go with 27 inch diameter tires.

The next thing to look at is the top gear ratio of the transmission.  With the new ZF 8 speed our mythical car has, that is 0.667 for top gear.  Let's just say the redline for both engines is their horsepower peak, 6,200 for the 318, and 2,800 for the Powerstroke.  If you put in gear ratio calculator into Google, there are plenty of options to choose from.

For the 318, to hit 150 MPH at 6,200 RPM, we need 4.98 gears.  Just goes to show what a tall overdrive can do.  For the Powerstroke, we are looking at 2.25 gears for 2,800 at 150 MPH.

Are you starting to see why torque doesn't matter when you are racing?  The diesel may have over double the torque, but much taller gearing.

The gear ratios for the transmission are:

So the overall gearing in each ratio is the transmission ratio times the rear end ratio.  Here is another handy chart that shows the overall ratio for each:

So what does this mean?  Torque does matter, but what matters is the torque at the wheels.  The engine torque doesn't change if you are in first, or fourth.  But the torque at the wheels changes, with horsepower the same.

So we know the max HP doesn't change for either engine depending on the gear, but torque does.  So does the gearing advantage of the 318 overcome the torque advantage of the 6.7?  You guessed it, time for another chart:

So when you take gearing into account, they 318 puts more torque to the wheels when geared to hit the same top end as the 6.7 at redline.  Although in all honesty, the differences between the two is small enough, that it would only make a difference if our magic call was also able to put 100% of that power down to the ground every time, and even then it wouldn't be much difference.  We are looking at around 5% difference, so let's just say the same.

But on the street, when the engine is at a lower RPM, say around 2,000 RPM, you would feel the difference.  That is because the 6.7 is making close to its full 800 lb-ft at that RPM, and the 318 is making considerable less.  The article I took the engine from, only listed dyno results from 3,000 RPM, where the engine was making 332 lb-ft.

It is when you are outside the realm of ideal gearing and not operating at or near the horsepower peak, that a torquey engine will be faster.  Imagine both with more reasonable rear end gearing and a 4 speed or a 5 speed without at much overdrive.  Wide open, they would still be about the same, but driven on the street, the 6.7 would seem much faster.

And that is why for a street driven engine, if they both have the same horsepower, as long as you are not giving up anything, like an engine that barely fits, weights too much etc, go with the one that makes more torque since it will be more pleasant to drive on the street.  On the track, go with which ever one you like, fits in the car, or the racing class you are in since the torque doesn't matter since you will running the engine near or at it's horsepower peak as much as possible.  And that is my thought on horsepower vs torque.

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Please listen along as I list my favorites, and why they are my top 10 muscle cars.

Here is a list of them in pictures:

#1 - 1969 Dodge Charger

#2 - 1969 Hurst Olds

#3 - 1970 GTO Judge

#4 - LS6 Chevelle

#5 - AMC SC/Rambler

#6 - Fox Body Mustang

#7 - 1987 Buick GNX

#8 - Boss 429 Mustang

#9 - 1970 Buick GS Stage 1

#10 - Plymouth Road Runner

I talk about AMC, Mercury, Oldmobile, Plymouth and Pontiac.

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I go over what numbers matching means, and thinking about what you want your car to be. I also talk about making sure you understand what it is like to drive an older car.

For rust, I talk about some gadgets I have heard of to help find body filler.  I will give a few Amazon links to show what I am talking about.  I don't have any experience with these, but they seem to have good reviews:

And the stud sensor I mentioned (I have no idea if it will really help find body filler, but it sounds like a good idea)

And remember, it may be cheaper in the long run to buy a finished car for more money, than to buy one that needs a lot of work.

You can email me at pat@themusclecarguy.net if you have any suggestions on buying an old car, I would love to hear them.

And where to go to find more information about a product to see if it is really what you want.

And the most important thing, keeping what you want in mind, as that will be different than what someone who posts in a forum or a web site may want.

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First the Roots blower.  Blower is the correct term, as it just blows air faster than the engine can use it and builds boost like that.

Plus they look and sound cool.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uWqdAb_nOow

The screw type superchargers work similarly, but they actually compress the air inside the supercharger, making them more efficient.

Turbochargers are driven by the engine exhaust rather than by a direct connection to the engine, so when you don't need them, they are just there.  That also means, that you have more complex exhaust plumbing to deal with, and you can have lag until the turbo kicks in.

The centrifugal supercharger works like the compressor half of a turbo, but rather than be driven by the exhaust, it is driven by a belt.  There are also ones that have variable drive ratios so they can make more power and low and high RPM, since they usually don't make as much at lower RPM.

With turbo chargers, there are ones that can change the geometry of the turbo on the fly, so it can act like a small turbo at low RPM, and a big one at high RPM so you don't get lag at low RPM, or have the turbo not be able to keep up at higher RPM.

With using a turbo for forced induction, you can run with one or two turbos.  Assuming they are sized correctly, there really isn't any performance difference.  Although with twin turbos, you could run dual exhaust.

There are also set ups that use two different sized turbos, a small one for low RPM and a big one for high RPM.  When the RPM goes up, the small one is bypassed.

A quick note on electric superchargers.  Most of them are crap.  The cheap ones just use a fan that is probably not able to push enough air to do any good.  There are a few kits that are good for short term boost.  So the worse they make it sound in, the closer to reality it probably is.  Also Audi is coming out with an electric boost set up on one of their diesel engines.  What it is designed for is for the split second before the turbo can start creating boost.

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First of all, if you are not familiar with what I mean by traction bars, here is what they are:

These are universal ones, which may or may not work well on your car, but it gives you an idea what they are.

What traction bars do is to take the rotation of the differential housing, and uses the bumper or snubber on the front of the bar to push against the spring eye to stop the rotation.  That force is then used to push down on the differential since that force has to go somewhere and it helps push down on the tires.

Another option for traction bars are the caltrac type of bar.  They work on a similar principal as the regular traction bars, but do so fir more adjust-ability and better use of the force to keep the spring from twisting.

And the pinion gear doesn't climb the ring gear, it is just Newton's third law that for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.  To show this, just try loosening a tight bolt with a good creeper and not have your feet on the ground, you will just turn.

Another option than using traction bars is to use spring clamps on the front portion of the spring together to stiffen the spring in the front so it won't twist as much, something like this:

Here are the links I mentioned in the show:

Traction Bars diagrams

Make your own Caltac bars

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So as I started looking more at air compressors, I learned some things.

First of all, what I have in my garage currently for an air compressor is pretty much good for filling tires, and a little bit of use with a blow gun.

It is just a little 6 gallon air compressor rated for 2.9 CFM at 90 PSI. It is a direct drive oiled air compressor.

Sp what the heck does that mean?

Starting from the top, 6 gallon is the size of the tank that holds the compressed air. The larger the tank, the more air it holds and the less often the compressor needs to run. The draw back is that it will then take longer for the compressor to refill the tank. That is why usually larger tanks also have a lager CFM compressor.

CFM is the main thing you need to look at when shopping for a compressor.

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With the van, it was a pretty easy decision, as it wasn't an easy fix in a parking lot.  But for something you can do at home, should you do it yourself?

I prefer to fix things myself, and if it is for a car that isn't the only vehicle, so you don't have to get it fixed to go to work the next day, it can be fun.

And with classic cars, you need to be able to find a mechanic to work on it that knows something about carburetors, and since the last carbureted car was built in 1990 (kind of scary to think that was 25 years ago) and most vehicles had switched to fuel injection before that, there are many mechanics out there that have never dealt with a carburetor on a car.

Just somethings to think about.

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You can check the show notes at www.themusclecarguy.net/28

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Engine quench is the distance between the piston and the cylinder head.

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Pro-Touring: A classic muscle car with enhanced suspension components, brake system, drive train and aesthetics, including many of the amenities of a new performance car; developed to function as well or to surpass the capabilities of the foremost modern performance vehicle. Pro-Touring cars are built with an emphasis on function and are intended to be driven.Whether they are driven on the street, the race track, the drag strip, or through cones at an auto-cross is of indifference; regardless of the location, pro-touring cars are destined to be driven.

What that means, is you take a classic muscle car, upgrade the suspension, brakes, wheels and tires to make is have the performance of a modern car.  And not just in a straight line like is traditional.for a muscle car.

There are a lot of options for for suspension modifications, here are the ones I mentioned in the podcast:

Hotchkis Sport Suspension

Detroit Speed

Firm Feel

QA1

Schwartz Performance

And a couple of web sites with more info about pro-touring:

Lateral-G

Pro-Touring

Pro-Touring Mopar

And here is the video I talked about in the podcast showing the differences between stock and modified from a pro-touring stand point: