Oldewoodupes

https://www.excellence-mag.com/issue...e-at-la-sarthe

Cool story I had never heard, maybe some others haven’t either. Happy Thursday

SwayBar

That was a good read!

Jason89s4

Really cool story and vision of the builder. I was wondering how the S4 engine was in a 82 car, but kept reading about that swap later on.
Talk about bespoke…an S4 engine mated to a 1982 5 speed!

Darklands

If I recall correctly Ben had pictures of it in his story, maybe he knows the whole picture?

karl ruiter

Very nice.

On a side note, I am also looking at putting a 5.0 in my '79, and having similar flywheel concerns. I'm hoping to put a timing ring off a '91 auto flywheel onto the outside of my '79 5 speed flywheel. I have been told this should work, but not done it yet.

Cheburator

It does work - i have it in all my 3 5spd cars... not hard to do either provided the machine shop is competent

GregBBRD

Agreed, great read!
Sad that he did not put a 2 valve 4.7 Euro engine back into the car, to make it more like it was in 1984....

Probably without knowing the difference, there's a HUGE difference between how an S4 returns oil to the crankcase versus how the original 4.7 liter engine did this. The 5.0 engine is going to "pack" 4-5 quarts of oil into the cylinder heads, at continuous high rpms (which Le Mans requires, if one is running at 170+ mph.) That, very simply, does not leave enough oil to reach the pick-up on any kind of a high "G" kink or turn. Extensive modifications are required, to be able to run an S4 style engine, in this manner. The engine will not survive....unless he goes really slow.

And making 450hp, from the S4 manifold is NEVER going to happen....no matter how much work is done to the manifold. That would defy physics. (Even 400hp, from a 5.4 with an S4 style manifold would be a dream.)

GregBBRD

I believe that an '85/'86 manual transmission flywheel is a better starting point when using the automatic timing ring.
You will want to TIG weld the trigger ring to the flywheel, in 3-4 areas (which all '85/'86 flywheels should have done to them.....the stock trigger rings frequently move.) The TIG welder will need a special rod compatible with the two dissimilar types of metal, or the weld will crack as soon and it cools off.
Done this enough times that I have a dedicated jig to properly locate the timing ring,