Any SHO chassis EXPERTS out there?

[grailgolf]

I'm building a clone SHO out of a 1993 Taurus GL - I have torn the car down to the chassis and have rebuilt it with every aftermart SHO part available ($1,500) Tokico, Intrax, ALSFB, Long Subframe Connectors with custom X member, $1200 worth of TPR Moog bushings & strut mounts, ($900) exotic set of hand made headers for the ($3,900) Tom Morana Racing 210hp 3.0 vulcan motor, ($350) relocated cat with random tech. & flowmaster, ($1,200) ATS 18" wheels wrapped with 245/40/ and the list would probably fill the rest of this page............... QUESTION - When the Tokico's with Intrax springs were installed the ride height came out 2.5" higher than stock - We ended up cutting 2.15 coils off the front & 2 off the rear to achieve the correct ride height - Why would this happen? - My car is 400lbs lighter (3016 lbs weighted at our local truck stop) than a SHO but to my somewhat expansive knowledge of the taurus chassis there is no difference structurally. I spoke with Intrax in great lenghth and they basiclly said I had to be dreaming. I'm confident the 400 lbs would not make that kind of difference in the ride height - To my knowledge the sho chassis is exact to the SLO BUT with upgraded springs, struts etc.... Any experts out there that can throw your best guestamit why this happened?
p.s.- To my knowledge I'm the only one who has built as radical a GL - Tom Morana is a majician making serious hp out of a vulcan.

 

[NJSHO]

You probably had sagging spring to begin with, and when you put new springs in it actually raised the ride height. Then add take into account the 400 lb loss and thats probably around 2.5"

 

[drivinhard]

The unibody is the same. 3016 lbs won't make a 2.5" ride height difference over 3300-3400 lb, you are talking total 125 lbs roughly on the front springs and maybe 75 on the rears (if you corner weighted the car). IOW, a 125 in/lb spring is only going to move 1" with 125 lbs of pressure. What are the front intrax, double, something like 250 in/lb? Something more like 1/2" would be in line.

Something is amiss somewhere, unless you started with a very very low ride height (broken springs or something).

 

[luigisho]

Alot of older Sho's have a noticeable sagging in the rear and perhaps a tiny amount in the front. When I put Eibach 'lowering' springs in with Koni's and new bushings and mounts the rear actually was raised some. It rode much better with all the new stuff. Put some 16" wheels on it to fill the gaps.

OT.. why spend all that coin on a new motor when you could have grabbed a SHO motor and subframe on the cheap?

 

[Shoaz]

OT.. why spend all that coin on a new motor when you could have grabbed a SHO motor and subframe on the cheap?

I was kinda wondering that, too, but to each their own...

 

[grailgolf]

Vulcan motor is 135lbs lighter

Luigisho - The vulcan motor is much lighter and with a stought cam, 1.7to 1 roller rockers, 19lb injectors and a little ecu work you create a 210hp motor that is as reliable as any motor on the road, half as costly to maitain as a SHO motor and gets 29mpg highway. I know with it's lighter weight it will outrun a stock SHO - I have not had it at the track yet so I don't know what it runs in the quarter. My GL has no options - roll up windows, manual locks and just a radio (no tape or cd) so I believe it's as light a SLO as you can get.

p.s.- With $5,000 Tom Morana will build anybody a streetable vulcan up to 240hp (natually aspirated) - with turbo or supercharger he has a couple probe vulcans above 375hp.

 

[Racer X]

You need to post about this over at TCCA ( http://www.taurusclub.com ) . They'd love to hear about a Vulcan build up project.

Good job on the car! Can't wait to see some pics of the finished product.

 

[Mr Anonymous]

I know with it's lighter weight it will outrun a stock SHO.
p.s.- With $5,000 Tom Morana will build anybody a streetable vulcan up to 240hp (natually aspirated) - with turbo or supercharger he has a couple probe vulcans above 375hp.

Did you mean to say a stock SHO with a bad tranny or nobody to drive it???

For $5000 poured into a Taurus, the HP number better be closer to 400 than 200.

 

[ohioshodude]

Did you mean to say a stock SHO with a bad tranny or nobody to drive it???

For $5000 poured into a Taurus, the HP number better be closer to 400 than 200.

no crap...

 

[shopartsnw]

I have not had it at the track yet so I don't know what it runs in the quarter. My GL has no options - roll up windows, manual locks and just a radio (no tape or cd) so I believe it's as light a SLO as you can get.

We have an active local SHO club, that gets to the track regularly. Usually it is PIR or SIR for the road course, but we have a few that are big into the PIR street legal drags. I get down to Cottage Grove once in a while. Maybe we will cross paths.

- Mike

 

[SC and SHO Blazer]

Did you mean to say a stock SHO with a bad tranny or nobody to drive it???

For $5000 poured into a Taurus, the HP number better be closer to 400 than 200.

That would have been my thought process....for the same amount of money invested, you'd have an SHO ready to take on Vettes. HOWEVER, I did have a Vulcan that I wanted to do the same thing to. There's just somethin about being able to pull off on someone in a "regular" Taurus that give me a woody!

 

[SHO92]

So you spent $3600 to build up the vulcan to 216hp? You could have spent ~$2000 for a rebuilt/modded 3.2/mtx SHO motor and dropped it into the GL and be making 240hp.

I bet your vulcan has a pretty nice tq curve though. I also remember seeing a probe video with a built vulcan and a T-60, that thing sounded awesome and made some nice power.

Are you still running the ATX in the GL?

 

[coldsho]

ive dropped over 500lbs out of my 93 atx even with my eibachs ive raised up almost two inches all the way around. never underestimate weight. i can't wait to drive my sho once i get all the unneededs out.