The first years of the 4.6 liter-powered Mustangs are, to most Ford enthusiasts, unremarkable at best. Admittedly, Ford was still getting their modular feet beneath them, having spent the past three decades concentrating solely on pushrod performance. But up until 1998, even famed Mustang tuner Steve Saleen was having better luck replacing the Mustang’s SOHC 4.6 with an old-style pushrod 351 Windsor for respectable power (the ’98 4.6 made only 215 horsepower from the factory).
Perhaps that is why certain Saleen owners, like Ryan Tutor of of Raleigh, N.C. went with something more radical. He transplanted a 302 stroker motor into is 1998 Saleen, which he has owned since 2003. Now, he has upped his ambitions and is stepping up to a 4-valve modular motor after he “hit the horsepower wall with the 2-valve stuff" and is documenting the project on the
Corral.com forums.
Pictures: Ryan Tutor
Ryan it seems is a true Mustang enthusiast. A current owner of a 2006 Mustang as well as his ’98 Saleen, Ryan has also owned a many Fox-bodies, a ’98 Cobra, and a 2000 GT among others. He decided to step up to the 5.4 liter 4-valve motor so he could make upwards of 1,000 horsepower while still maintaining some street manners. For this ambitious project, he turned to the guys at
Fastlane Motorsports. “They treat you like family and have the old-fashioned approach to customer service and after the sale satisfaction,” Ryan says of Fastlane. In fact, he still works Saturdays at the Fastlane parts counter, and has known the group for over six years now. “As long as I own a mustang, Fastlane will be doing all the work to it that I cannot do myself.”
Big Kahuna indeed...
There is plenty of work for Fastlane to do, that is for sure. To start with, the project calls for a 5.4 liter short block using
Oliver rods and
CP pistons. GT Supercar 4-valve heads will provide infinitely better air flow than the original 2-valve heads that came on the first-gen 4.6 motors, though they will use stock GT cams. A Sullivan intake modified by Kris at
Champion Heads will also help flow large amounts of air to the twin
Garrett 67mm Big Kahuna turbochargers.
That is quite a smile. Does Fastlane do dental work as well?
He will be using a custom-made air-to-air intercooler as well as hand-built custom headers to help intake and exhaust flow. Both these and the intercooler-to-turbo duct work were handcrafted by Jim at Fastlane.For a transmission, Ryan turned to the T-56 6-speed from a Dodge Viper for quick, tight gear changes. This requires a custom aluminum driveshaft, and a
SPEC Super-twin clutch kit with an aluminum flywheel provides clamping power. Though the goal is 1,000 horsepower, Ryan wants to be able to hear his stereo over the exhaust and enjoy the luxury of air conditioning as well. Though he wants the car to be dependable enough for long trips, he mostly plans to take it out only for cruise nights and shows like Mustang Week, where he plans to debut his creation.
Very clean, very nice Saleen.
No burnouts yet, but there is video of the smooth start-up
posted to the Corral to hold you over for now (can't embed the video sorry).The car is clearly mobile, which means it can’t be far from complete. Once the finished product hits the streets and starts laying down rubber, we’ll be sure to bring you an update. For now, you must drool over the subtle sounds of 1,000 horsepower.
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