[jim_howard_pdx]

If you decide to run a twin turbo, I would check both the Mustang and the Thunderbirds engine compartments and select the one that will make mounting the hair dryers and waste gates the easiest.

Are you planning on running fuel injection or carbs? If you run fuel injection you will need at least 36 lb injectors. The 24 lb thunderbird injectors will just slow you back down.

If you go with the 351, use a good iron head like the Dart Windsor Jr. It is already set up with stainless steel valves for about 700 dollars. Has the 1.97 and 1.60 valves. Angle mill the heads to reduce the wedge to about 54 cc's Take away alot of that gap. Then counter mill the intake manifold. Port the heads to a 1250 Felpro gasket size. Port match the intake too.

Use a dome piston, like 12.5 to 1 compression. Make sure the valve reliefs work for your cam or modify them accordingly. Then take a dye grinder and smooth down the dome so there are absolutely NO ridges, no angles, and no edges that can glow and cause predetonation. When you have the entire piston really smooth then sand it to a semi polish and measure the cc's. You should end up with a .060 to .080 quench area between the dome and the wedge, filling in as much of the wedge space as possible. You are after 10.5 to 1 compression.

Now if you run the dual turbos with the very tight quench area, you will not detonate, and you will be able to get about 125-135 horsepower per liter safely. If you leave the stupid wedge large then you will have to drop the compression to about 8.5 to 1 to eliminate detonation. I would prefer to have the very tight quench and run up the compression. This gives you more volumetric efficiency, and you will be rewarded with more mileage.

We did this on a stroked Cleveland engine in a Pantera. It ran 212 mph at Bonneville. The engine never hickupped or coughed or sputtered and it held its world record for 3 or 4 years.

Just get rid of the wedge, and get the quench going for you and not against you.

You can do the same with a 358 windsor. Use the stock crank, use eagle rods, and domed pistons modified as above. Get the compression to 10.5 to 1. Then add your turbo whenever you want a thrill.

The 358 windsor can be cammed to give you about 500 hp without having to change it when you add the turbo. Just use a very high lift, low duration and low overlap cam. Comp cams has some great ones.

Make sure to run the trick MSD ignition box with retard. When the boost kicks in, it automatically retards the spark. These are slicker than snot.

My Honda 1.8 liter engines with 10.5 compression get almost 300 horsepower with a single high volume hair dryer. I do not dual turbo them because of space issues. They never detonate, and do not require water injection. I do like to use it when I am drag racing.