1986 4.6 4v drag car questions

[Gregory&SonsRacing]

Hey guys I am new to this forum, been involved with the Lightning forum (NLOC) for 10+ years.

I have recently decided to get back into racing (my 2 year old recently got a heart transplant and will never be able to go to the river or lake, the only other thing he enjoys around our area is the drag strip) I used to race my lightning and occasionally my fathers 2012 5.0... I've had a 98 mark 8 sitting for a few years waiting on a project so I bought a 86 notch 4 cylinder car.

I am wanting a strip only car so I have started its diet, stripping interior, sheet metal dash and gutting the doors. I have the QA1 k-member, 10 point cage, full lexan kit, lightweight seat, battery relocation and fuel cell so far.

The problem I am running into is, I have only fully built or restored older vehicles. I am not up to date with the electronics. I have read a few threads about the Ron Francis wiring kit but I'm wondering if that would be a fit for my application.

The final goal is turbo, wanting to push around 750-800 hp (at the crank) and run in the low 6's, high 5's in the 1/8th

any and all suggestions would be great! It has been awesome so far being back turning wrenches and getting to teach my oldest son (5 years old) some stuff.

 

[Bill]

Hi Gregory. Welcome to the site. I can't tell you about the Ron Francis harness, as I have never used one. Depending on what year your Mark VIII is, the harness that is in it will serve you pretty well. What year is your Lincoln? Also 750-800 hp with a single turbo is doable, but don't forget that your Lincoln engine has a cast crank. You would be pushing the upper limits of that crank. An upgrade to 96-98 Cobra crank would put you squarely in the realm of dependability. Also depending on the year, you'll want to upgrade the intake to the Cobra unit. That will allow you to adapt a turbo kit more easily, as well as giving you much better flow. Both parts are generally available and won't empty the bank. If you have one of the older Mark VIIIs, you may want to look for a Cobra engine harness/computer set up as well. They can easily support the HP you plan to run, and are fully tunable for the turbo application. What transmission are you looking to run? A lot of the answers you will need are on this site, as several people have done similar swaps and there are a number of drag racers on here. Dig in. Make yourself at home. Enjoy building a four eyed fox.