[BuyingOldCars]

I bought myself a little $500 '93 beater that needed headgaskets the other day.

kj7jr5gggez81.jpg (960×720) (redd.it)

Just browsing around for some performance stuff and found a twin turbo manifold setup with some cast manifolds that are listed for a 3.8 Mustang. This is not my first horsepower rodeo - I was an engine machinist and builder for a decade, and have built many high hp turbo engines over that span. If I can source some bolt on turbo parts dirt cheap enough, I'll go ahead and mess with boosting this thing after I change the headgaskets.

For 94-97 Ford Mustang SN95 3.8 V6 Cast Iron T3/T4 Turbo Manifold Exhaust Header | eBay

I was curious if anybody here has any experience with this manifold kit? I'm thinking the manifold side should be a fit as long as the steering shaft relocation mod is done. Interested to see exactly where this kit would place the turbos inside the engine bay.

 

[BLOWN38]

I assume the headers will face forward so no steering mods needed? Give it a go!

 

[Kenz]

I have noticed that GM F-Body as well have turbo kits on Ebay for the 3.8's. I would assume they are of similar design. Kind of interested in the kits myself. From my limited knowledge of the 3.8's on both GM and Ford is that they are durable engines. Both came boosted from the factory on certain models, of course they are built a bit different when factory boosted...

 

[BuyingOldCars]

I assume the headers will face forward so no steering mods needed? Give it a go!

I'm considering a yolo buy on them, but I just can't figure out how they are oriented going by the picture. I'm guessing that the manifold without the wastegate goes forward+up on the drivers side and uses the short turbo flange pipe to put the turbo above the power steering pump near the battery. And the other manifold with the wastegate flange goes forward+down with the long turbo flange pipe that loops up under the a/c compressor to put the second turbo close to the intake box. Without a crossover, each manifold would need its own wastegate but only one of these headers has a flange for a gate! 😳

 

[BLOWN38]

I'm considering a yolo buy on them, but I just can't figure out how they are oriented going by the picture. I'm guessing that the manifold without the wastegate goes forward+up on the drivers side and uses the short turbo flange pipe to put the turbo above the power steering pump near the battery. And the other manifold with the wastegate flange goes forward+down with the long turbo flange pipe that loops up under the a/c compressor to put the second turbo close to the intake box. Without a crossover, each manifold would need its own wastegate but only one of these headers has a flange for a gate! 😳

Yeah the setup looks weird with the one gate port. Probably not a bad buy for just the manifolds themselves.

 

[T6Rocket]

This is the 3.8 engine that although an otherwise good engine, is known for blowing head gaskets in a very high percentage of them. With positive boost pressure added to the mix, the gaskets will last about 5 minutes.

Al

 

[Wile E. Coyote Jr.]

Theres a guy on YT who made a video series installing that kit on a mustang and the turbos are positioned super weird. But it did make boost, so why not.

 

[BuyingOldCars]

Theres a guy on YT who made a video series installing that kit on a mustang and the turbos are positioned super weird. But it did make boost, so why not.

Oooh, do you happen to have a link to that?

 

[Grog6]

If you think the gm3.8 is reliable, you've never owned one. It took me a week to waste the head gaskets. They really don't like to rev.

 

[Kenz]

My Firebird loves to rev. The 3.8 is still pulling until it hits rev limiter. Need to get that sucker tuned.

 

[XR7-4.6]

If you think the gm3.8 is reliable, you've never owned one. It took me a week to waste the head gaskets. They really don't like to rev.

The 90s era 3800s are a different animal really, those were one of the better V6 engines you could get in a car for a while. But even before the GM 3.8 was the better engine, sorry but Ford ripped it off and cast the heads out of aluminum instead of iron, which ultimately plagued them until the improvements in 1996

 

[Grog6]

Of course, the one I trashed was an 83. My local machinist asked, "You're really going to rebuild that?"

I should have taken the hint, but no. I blew the HG in less than a month, and smoked the transmission.
I fixed it, sold it soon after I inherited Lazarus, with 28k miles.

 

[XR7-4.6]

Of course, the one I trashed was an 83. My local machinist asked, "You're really going to rebuild that?"

I should have taken the hint, but no. I blew the HG in less than a month, and smoked the transmission.
I fixed it, sold it soon after I inherited Lazarus, with 28k miles.

Beats the Iron Duke some of those came with, it had to be strange to own a car as brash as a Firebird that was no quicker than a mail truck.

Good looking cars though, I used to be indifferent to 3rd gens but they've grown on me a lot since they disappeared from the streets.

 

[Grog6]

I was going to put a v8 and a 5 speed, and had lined up a donor car, but I found out the unibody sheetmetal stackup was different, and mine would bend like a pretzel if I converted it.