I have a friend that has a 96 Cobra with a Vortech installed and wants to know will the 03 rods and pistons work on this car and be balanced properly? Thanks!
Originally posted by Booyah
Why all of a sudden does everyone think the aluminum block is so weak? They have taken the aluminum block well over 1000 hp...
And I'm sure his buddy isn't going to be going over that.
Originally posted by Hissman
The aluminum block isn't weak, it is just that Ford wanted to be as bullet proof as possible so they wouldn't have to pay for warranty service later. They went with the Iron block for the same reasons that they went with Forged internals. Longevity. The iron block also holds in heat and is able to make more horsepower than the Aluminum block, but this is sometimes offset by the weight advantage of the Aluminum block. As long as you keep out detonation, and uses some good thought about the amount of boost you use, then the lower compression ratio of the 03 pistons should keep you safe. Usea a good boost gage, and try to keep it at a good number. With the Comp ratio of the 03 pistons you could probably run as much as 12-15 pounds with no problems, but just to be safe I would keep it around 9-10 pounds.
Free up you exhaust as much as you can, it will drop the boost pressure, but you will be moving the same amount of air, then Jack the boost back up to optimal levels.