Hardware & Hard Work: The Path to 10's in an EcoBoost
For most cars, the road to a 10 second pass could be described as extraordinarily difficult, arduous, or in our case, nearly impossible. Going 10’s in a Mustang is no new thing, hell even the 2015’s have been there for a little while. What makes this particular car worthy of mention is the fact that it made it there with half the cylinders the other guys use. A 4 banger that runs with the big guys? Now we’re interested…
This car started life with the intentions of going fast. Directly from the dealer lot, Brad Gusler knew that his EcoBoost was going to be special. After a successful season of racing in Super Stang, Brad wanted to turn up the power and see what kind of ET’s are possible on this platform. With an 11.1 pass under his belt, Brad and cp-e set out to break open the motor and build a hugely strong 2.3L that could stand up to the punishment that it would take to run 10’s on a platform that no one has run before. We weren’t just treading in uncharted waters, we were in the middle of the ocean without a boat.
Previously, cp-e had supplied the turbo kit for this car, but we were always pushing the stock motor past where it should go. It came time to build the motor and build it right. Once we got the car back to our shop, our Testing & Service Engineering Director, Mitch got started on removing the motor for the build. Being a new car with low miles, the motor came out smooth. The Watson Racing prep on the car certainly helped in this aspect and made the EcoBoost a joy to work on.
Prior to getting the car in, Mitch started work on a brand new crate short block, to ensure a quick turnaround. Manley performance supplied high horsepower capable I-Beam rods and we added in our proprietary Stage 2 MagnumDI pistons to the blueprinted block.
Thanks to an extensive engine building / swapping background and a keen attention to detail, Mitch hoisted the built 2.3L back into the car and got everything to line up factory perfect. The Precision 6062 was mounted to our custom fabricated manifold and our little 2.3L was ready for all the boost that could be thrown at it. Or was it?
This car started life with the intentions of going fast. Directly from the dealer lot, Brad Gusler knew that his EcoBoost was going to be special. After a successful season of racing in Super Stang, Brad wanted to turn up the power and see what kind of ET’s are possible on this platform. With an 11.1 pass under his belt, Brad and cp-e set out to break open the motor and build a hugely strong 2.3L that could stand up to the punishment that it would take to run 10’s on a platform that no one has run before. We weren’t just treading in uncharted waters, we were in the middle of the ocean without a boat.
Previously, cp-e had supplied the turbo kit for this car, but we were always pushing the stock motor past where it should go. It came time to build the motor and build it right. Once we got the car back to our shop, our Testing & Service Engineering Director, Mitch got started on removing the motor for the build. Being a new car with low miles, the motor came out smooth. The Watson Racing prep on the car certainly helped in this aspect and made the EcoBoost a joy to work on.
Prior to getting the car in, Mitch started work on a brand new crate short block, to ensure a quick turnaround. Manley performance supplied high horsepower capable I-Beam rods and we added in our proprietary Stage 2 MagnumDI pistons to the blueprinted block.
Thanks to an extensive engine building / swapping background and a keen attention to detail, Mitch hoisted the built 2.3L back into the car and got everything to line up factory perfect. The Precision 6062 was mounted to our custom fabricated manifold and our little 2.3L was ready for all the boost that could be thrown at it. Or was it?