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3.6-liter Kenne Bell Blower - Pulley MammothEvolution Performance Pulls Out All the Stops! From the December, 2012 issue of 5.0 Mustang & Super Fords By KJ Jones Photography by K.J. Jones
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Our never-ending technical exploits continue this month with a project that solidly supports Editor Steve Turner's staunch position about late-model Mustangs: "They're made to be modified!" Yes, while keeping a Pony stock is one way to go, we are all about making changes--subtle and not-so subtle--which is one reason why we really appreciate Fred "The Idea Man" Cook, Nelson "The Shoe" Whitlock, and Chuck "The Wrench" Wrzesniewski of Evolution Performance. Oh, and don't forget Jon "The Wizard" Lund of Lund Racing, who is the braintrust behind calibrating ECUs in almost all of the mega-powered Ponies that Evo develops. Radically augmenting the supercharged Four-Valve engines that power '11-'13 GTs, Boss 302s, and '07-'10 Shelby GT500s, then pushing those modded Ponies on the chassis dyno and dragstrip, is the Evo crew's trademark. We're sure veteran 5.0&SF readers and those enthusiasts who follow forum chatter and Mustang videos on the Internet, are familiar with many of the benchmarks that Evolution-prepped ‘Stangs have set over the last five years. Chris Cruz's 2011 King of the Street-winning '11 GT has had the distinction of being the big dog in Evo's pound since May 2012. It stopped the time clocks at Maryland International Raceway in 8.99 seconds.
The shop's new focus is its latest acquisition, the Grabber Blue '13 Shelby GT500 that we introduced in our Oct. '11 issue ("To The 9s," p. 78). In typical "Fred form," a plan for hopping up the Shelby was drafted long before the 5.8-powered 'Stang arrived at Evolution's Aston, Pennsylvania, headquarters.  In the past, any time we saw...  In the past, any time we saw or even heard about dyno numbers like these, our natural first thought was they were produced by a highly modified, ultra-sophisticated Mustang that probably took years and a king's ransom to build. The relative ease with which enthusiasts can bring new Mustangs close to and beyond the 1,000-plus-horsepower zone is absolutely mind-boggling. So, imagine how we felt when Evolution's new 5.8 Shelby did this...with just a blower swap!  Fred Cook's inside track with...  Fred Cook's inside track with Blue Oval landed Evo this '13 Shelby GT500, before some of the nation's biggest dealerships and even Shelby America received its allotments. Within days of this bad boy's arrival, it had been dyno-tested, had bolt-ons applied, and was treated to Shelby American's first Super Snake-style hood for the all-new GT500s--a good idea for this operation, as the Kenne Bell 3.6 stands tall and won't fit below the stock bonnet without modifying a few things.  Our last installment on Evo's...  Our last installment on Evo's Shelby featured the results of initial baseline tests and the car's response to basic bolt-ons. For this blower swap, we backtracked slightly and returned the GT500 to its bone-stock form, including reinstalling the factory CAI and 62mm throttle body. For the sake of time, American Racing Headers' long-tubes were left in place. Steve's report focused on a series of bolt-on upgrades and their dyno-test results, which definitely are impressive in their own right. With this effort, we're going far beyond the bolt-ons and straight for the gusto by strapping Kenne Bell's massive 3.6-liter Mammoth twin-screw supercharger onto the stock Trinity powerplant. Yes, the exhaust system was modified (with long-tube headers) in the last tech outing, and a fragged clutch was replaced with an improved piece since then, but the fuel system and transmission remained totally stock. As always, our objective is to document rear-wheel power and improve on the Evo Shelby's landmark 9.99 dragstrip e.t., which was recorded at Atco Raceway just days after the first round of mods. One of the big differences in Fred's plan for achieving ultimate Shelby performance this time is that the '13 'Stang will not immediately slide down the race-car side of the slippery slope. "We're keeping this car in street trim, with the seats, carpet, radio, air conditioning, and all other amenities intact," says Fred. "Our first Shelby (Evolution's '07 GT500 was first in the 8s) and the Kona Blue ('11) 5.0 eventually evolved into race cars. Yeah, they both ran 8s, but there's a lot more to be said when a car like Chris's GT does it with a majority of the factory gear still in place." Your author once again ventured across country to document this latest advance in new-era Mustang technology, which took place in July 2012, in the tech bay and dyno cell at Evolution. Our Dream Team's efforts are all conveyed in the following photos, captions, dyno, and dragstrip data. 5.0 Horse Sense: With 'Stangbangers like us and the crew at Evolution, the buck will never stop at simply adding a CAI and tune to a new Pony, and calling it good. That's just the start. A new '13 Shelby GT500 is too potent to leave alone, and it's just natural for us to seek its potential. After reading this report, we bet most of you who share our passion for power will strongly consider following suit ... immediately.  As usual, Chuck Wrzesniewski...  As usual, Chuck Wrzesniewski deftly handled all of the heavy lifting that's involved with this project, starting with removing the battery, draining the coolant, and disassembling most of the Shelby's induction and accessory-drive systems.  Since the procedures of this...  Since the procedures of this exchange are basically the same as they are on the earlier 5.4- powered Shelbys, Chuck uses the same 1/8-inch-thick intercooler protector he designed (during Evolution’s initial forays into blower swaps on GT500s) to keep foreign matter out of the ’cooler once the stock supercharger is removed.  Here are top and bottom comparative...  Here are top and bottom comparative looks at Kenne Bell's 3.6-liter twin-screw supercharger (left) and the Eaton 2.3-liter TVS blower that is standard on all '13 Shelbys. The obvious difference between the two huffers is the overall stoutness of KB's billet chassis and Mammoth air-intake plenum versus the 100-percent-cast OEM piece, and of course, the larger twin-screw rotors in the 3.6-liter. From a pulley/boost perspective, Kenne Bell starts with a bolt-on, 4.0-inch wheel that should promote roughly 20 psi of boost on the Trinity. The Eaton sports a press-fit, 2.71-inch pulley, which tops out at 15 psi.  Here are top and bottom comparative...  Here are top and bottom comparative looks at Kenne Bell's 3.6-liter twin-screw supercharger (left) and the Eaton 2.3-liter TVS blower that is standard on all '13 Shelbys. The obvious difference between the two huffers is the overall stoutness of KB's billet chassis and Mammoth air-intake plenum versus the 100-percent-cast OEM piece, and of course, the larger twin-screw rotors in the 3.6-liter. From a pulley/boost perspective, Kenne Bell starts with a bolt-on, 4.0-inch wheel that should promote roughly 20 psi of boost on the Trinity. The Eaton sports a press-fit, 2.71-inch pulley, which tops out at 15 psi.  The GT500's stock supercharger...  The GT500's stock supercharger uses a four-male-lobe-by-four-female, rubber-coated rotor setup, which actually routes intake air around the outer perimeter and compresses it in the manifold below the supercharger. By comparison, the KB uses a larger and unique four-male-lobe-by-six-female-lobe rotor package.  Its twin-screw rotors turn...  Its twin-screw rotors turn inward, sending--literally squeezing--intake air from the back of supercharger to the front, and discharging through the fully open bottom of the plenum.  Despite the '13 5.8-liter...  Despite the '13 5.8-liter Trinity engine's awesomeness, we're a little disappointed at this discovery--a step in the supercharger's inlet and the large support piece that clearly impedes inlet airflow. Both are cast into the case, and there really is no way to machine a clearer path into the unit. Its airflow is estimated at 920 cfm, and the TVS blower's ability to help generate 662 crankshaft horsepower certainly supports the fact that it's definitely no joke.  The Mammoth inlet features...  The Mammoth inlet features a much-subtler ledge and a totally clear path for airflow. The difference in flow is roughly twice the amount of the OEM blower, an estimated 2,000 cfm!  As a liquid-cooled supercharger,...  As a liquid-cooled supercharger, the Kenne Bell uses engine coolant to help control the expansion and contraction of the supercharger's straight-cut gears and front bearings.
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