4lt to 4.6lt upgrade finally finished

4lt to 4.6lt upgrade finally finished

Author
Discussion

Chris Hale

Original Poster:

20 posts

268 months

Thursday 23rd January 2003
quotequote all
My engine upgrade is finally complete; it’s only taken me a year...

It all started a few months after I bought the car a 92 Griff in Mica blue my dream, The previous owner thought is was okay to drive the car with the temperature in the red, this in turn warped the heads, he replaced these prier to me buying the car everything seemed okay.

So after about five months I noticed that there was a lot of steam coming from the tail pipes, alarm bells started to ring I thought that one of the head gaskets had blown.
So I took the car to Progress Engineering in Maidstone for them to look over the engine, and guess what the gasket was okay it was the engine block, it was warped just like the head’s , so I had two choices have the 4lt rebuilt or upgrade to 4.6lt.

So the engine upgrades started, and as I look back Steven heath is so right when he
Said set yourself a budget and then double it.

List of upgrades:-

1) 4.6lt Cross Bolted and balanced engine fitted into car.
2) Lightened fly wheel
3) Stage three heads (Progress Engineering)
4) Rechiped ECU (Progress Engineering)
5) Carbon enlarged Trumpets (ACT)
6) Ported inlet manifold (ACT)
7) Upgraded Clutch

Results on the rolling road test 215 BHP at 5000 RPM I forget the Torque.

I must mention that before I started any of these upgrades I upgraded the brakes to Griff 500 spec with green stuff pads from Peninsula (Very helpful people).

The car was a lot better than the 4lt but it was still not as good as a 5lt and seeing as the money I had been spending on the car was the money that I was saving up for a 5lt Griff with there was only one outcome more upgrades, so It can time to call in the A Team, Tim Lamont from ACT and Mark Adams, If these guys don’t know it know one does.

I decided to buy one of Tim’s Triple Throttle Plenum’s, what a peace of kit, It was sitting in my office for a day before I fitted it and I could not take my eyes off it looked like it was doing a hundred just sitting there, also decided to get one of Mark’s Chip’s.

Went down to Power engineering and meet Tim and Mark to get everything set-up.
First we fell into a few problems, the rising flow regulator that I had fitted a few months ago, was crap and not working for the car, at this point Chris Todd from Power Engineering step in, this guy is totally committed to all thing petrol he replaced the regulator with a cosworth one and even make a heat shield for it.



Then can the first rolling road run, 240 BHP at the flywheel both Mark and Tim did not look happy.

After a little time pondering and changing airflow meters it was found the tube from the air filter to the airflow meter was collapsing under load, so the engine could not breath, this was rectified and the results started to happen.

First 279 BHP at flywheel then 290 BHP, the final result was a stunning

309 LBS/FT and 300 BHP at 5546, and if my memory serves correct it was around 240 BHP at the wheels, I must say that I was only expecting 280 at the most.

So at present my griff seems to have the same if not a little more power than a Griff 500, but the 4.6 is a lot more revvy than the 5lt and that’s the way I like it, oh happy days.

But all this would not be possible without the help of Tim from ACT and Mark Adams, and I must not forget Chris Todd from Power Engineering, If you get a chance you have to see Marks nutty fiesta 1.9lt Turbo / Super charged and NOS 300 BHP in a Fiesta brave man.

I have listed some contact details below if anyone is interest.

Tim Lamont ACT - +44 (0)20 8715 3160 or on +44 (0)7903 585048
Mark Adams – 01694 720144
Power engineering – 01895 255699
Progress Engineering – 01622 687070 (Very good heads)

I just cannot wait for the good weather so that I can go for a good plast, if I can get my camera working I will post some pic’s of the rolling road section at Power Engineering.

I have also attached a picture of the events at Power Engineering you must admit that ACT triple Plenum is quite a piece of art.

This is the first time I have tried to attach a picture, so I may not work.





Chris.




>>> Edited by Chris Hale on Friday 24th January 17:47

bcms

241 posts

289 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all
Wow - sounds like a result to me! Congratulations, it sounds like you have at least as much, if not more power than a 500 so looks like money well spent! Roll on the summer.

EdT

5,132 posts

291 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all
Chris - are you going to Racing Green open day tomorrow. Would be great to see the GRiffith

Ed

GreenV8S

30,487 posts

291 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all
Do you know what cam that was with? I'd be very interested to see the torque curve if you have any way to scan it in or just pick off the torque at say 1000 rpm intervals?

simon.b

1,230 posts

289 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all
I do love a happy ending

Cheers,

Simon.

simon.b

1,230 posts

289 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all
I do love a happy ending

Cheers,

Simon.

chris hale

Original Poster:

20 posts

268 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all

GreenV8S said: Do you know what cam that was with? I'd be very interested to see the torque curve if you have any way to scan it in or just pick off the torque at say 1000 rpm intervals?


Yes the cam is a 218 reground, I will try to get the rolling road report scaned or at least I will take a picture of it and e-mail it to you, just have to get my camera link to my pc, will sort it this weekend.

Chris.

GarryM

1,113 posts

290 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all
What a tremendous advert for Tim & Mark - 240bhp to 300bhp after they've tinkered with it! A 25% improvement!

Can you tell me... to maintain that performance does a RR session become part of the annual maintenance program or can it be maintained thereafter at that level by your local dealer/specialist?

Congratulations - you must be a very happy man! Roll on summer.

chris hale

Original Poster:

20 posts

268 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all

EdT said: Chris - are you going to Racing Green open day tomorrow. Would be great to see the GRiffith

Ed




Hi Ed,

I will not be able to go to Racing Green open day,
but I'm sure we will meet up at sum point in the future.

Chris.

chris hale

Original Poster:

20 posts

268 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all

GarryM said: What a tremendous advert for Tim & Mark - 240bhp to 300bhp after they've tinkered with it! A 25% improvement!

Can you tell me... to maintain that performance does a RR session become part of the annual maintenance program or can it be maintained thereafter at that level by your local dealer/specialist?

Congratulations - you must be a very happy man! Roll on summer.


The rolling road, was only to set-up the engine and reprogrammed the ECU, Mark Adam's waved his magic wand at that one.

So know the car is set-up I will only do routine maintenance to the car to keep the power output up to standard.

One reason that my car gave 300BHP is probably because of a few things, first the heads are Stage three (Progress Engineering) and second ACT's induction package put that together with a little magic from Mark and voila!

2 sheds

2,529 posts

291 months

Friday 24th January 2003
quotequote all

GarryM said: What a tremendous advert for Tim & Mark - 240bhp to 300bhp after they've tinkered with it! A 25% improvement!

Can you tell me... to maintain that performance does a RR session become part of the annual maintenance program or can it be maintained thereafter at that level by your local dealer/specialist?

Congratulations - you must be a very happy man! Roll on summer.


The 240 figure was due to blocked breather pipe from filter.
The car wouldn't need regular tuning as the upgrades are uprated "breathing" with a fuelling chip to match neither of which can change/ go out of adjustment, and the Engine spec certainly isn't radical, but a well built engine to start with.
Tim

CLINT887

57 posts

262 months

Saturday 25th January 2003
quotequote all

My engine upgrade is finally complete; it’s only taken me a year...

It all started a few months after I bought the car a 92 Griff in Mica blue my dream, The previous owner thought is was okay to drive the car with the temperature in the red, this in turn warped the heads, he replaced these prier to me buying the car everything seemed okay.

So after about five months I noticed that there was a lot of steam coming from the tail pipes, alarm bells started to ring I thought that one of the head gaskets had blown.
So I took the car to Progress Engineering in Maidstone for them to look over the engine, and guess what the gasket was okay it was the engine block, it was warped just like the head’s , so I had two choices have the 4lt rebuilt or upgrade to 4.6lt.

So the engine upgrades started, and as I look back Steven heath is so right when he
Said set yourself a budget and then double it.

List of upgrades:-

1) 4.6lt Cross Bolted and balanced engine fitted into car.
2) Lightened fly wheel
3) Stage three heads (Progress Engineering)
4) Rechiped ECU (Progress Engineering)
5) Carbon enlarged Trumpets (ACT)
6) Ported inlet manifold (ACT)
7) Upgraded Clutch

Results on the rolling road test 215 BHP at 5000 RPM I forget the Torque.

I must mention that before I started any of these upgrades I upgraded the brakes to Griff 500 spec with green stuff pads from Peninsula (Very helpful people).

The car was a lot better than the 4lt but it was still not as good as a 5lt and seeing as the money I had been spending on the car was the money that I was saving up for a 5lt Griff with there was only one outcome more upgrades, so It can time to call in the A Team, Tim Lamont from ACT and Mark Adams, If these guys don’t know it know one does.

I decided to buy one of Tim’s Triple Throttle Plenum’s, what a peace of kit, It was sitting in my office for a day before I fitted it and I could not take my eyes off it looked like it was doing a hundred just sitting there, also decided to get one of Mark’s Chip’s.

Went down to Power engineering and meet Tim and Mark to get everything set-up.
First we fell into a few problems, the rising flow regulator that I had fitted a few months ago, was crap and not working for the car, at this point Chris Todd from Power Engineering step in, this guy is totally committed to all thing petrol he replaced the regulator with a cosworth one and even make a heat shield for it.



Then can the first rolling road run, 240 BHP at the flywheel both Mark and Tim did not look happy.

After a little time pondering and changing airflow meters it was found the tube from the air filter to the airflow meter was collapsing under load, so the engine could not breath, this was rectified and the results started to happen.

First 279 BHP at flywheel then 290 BHP, the final result was a stunning

309 LBS/FT and 300 BHP at 5546, and if my memory serves correct it was around 240 BHP at the wheels, I must say that I was only expecting 280 at the most.

So at present my griff seems to have the same if not a little more power than a Griff 500, but the 4.6 is a lot more revvy than the 5lt and that’s the way I like it, oh happy days.

But all this would not be possible without the help of Tim from ACT and Mark Adams, and I must not forget Chris Todd from Power Engineering, If you get a chance you have to see Marks nutty fiesta 1.9lt Turbo / Super charged and NOS 300 BHP in a Fiesta brave man.

I have listed some contact details below if anyone is interest.

Tim Lamont ACT - +44 (0)20 8715 3160 or on +44 (0)7903 585048
Mark Adams – 01694 720144
Power engineering – 01895 255699
Progress Engineering – 01622 687070 (Very good heads)

I just cannot wait for the good weather so that I can go for a good plast, if I can get my camera working I will post some pic’s of the rolling road section at Power Engineering.

I have also attached a picture of the events at Power Engineering you must admit that ACT triple Plenum is quite a piece of art.

This is the first time I have tried to attach a picture, so I may not work.





Chris


>>> Edited by Chris Hale on Friday 24th January 17:47

Hi Chris!
I have a 4L which I am thinking of upgrading to 4.8 (yes--4.8 with offset crank-recommended by MA) I already have the cam and induction. As I live very near Maidstone this firm Progress Engineering sounds interesting. Could you tell me what it all cost and do they have the bits and pieces? Sounds like a long wait though and then you have the visit to Uxbridge as well. Like you I prefer a more freely revving engine compared to the rather laborious 5L

GarryM

1,113 posts

290 months

Sunday 26th January 2003
quotequote all

2 sheds said:
The 240 figure was due to blocked breather pipe from filter.
The car wouldn't need regular tuning as the upgrades are uprated "breathing" with a fuelling chip to match neither of which can change/ go out of adjustment, and the Engine spec certainly isn't radical, but a well built engine to start with.
Tim




The blocked breather pipe hadn't been spotted before though (had it?) - so still a cool 25% improvement due to you and Mark. The fact that it is a fit and forget type upgrade is very appealing - just need to invest a bit in training the monkey behind my Griff's steering wheel first!

chris hale

Original Poster:

20 posts

268 months

Monday 27th January 2003
quotequote all

Garry,

Your not wrong, just sighed up on the EVO Trackday induction coure, that should improve me I hope

jamesk

2,124 posts

286 months

Thursday 30th January 2003
quotequote all
More importantly, what does the monster sound like?!?

chris hale

Original Poster:

20 posts

268 months

Friday 31st January 2003
quotequote all

In a word, awesome, have you ever listened to a precat 4.6 on a rolling road doing 6000 rpm. begins to heart after a time.

Jamesk

2,124 posts

286 months

Friday 31st January 2003
quotequote all
I thought so

I've got the movie of the SEAC on a rolling road -

I was tempted to enquire about the 4.6l Griff that was advertised on here for a while but never did. Hmm..

loudpedal

3,934 posts

276 months

Friday 31st January 2003
quotequote all
Dare I ask... what did the whole lot cost you (quick scan of thread and couldnt see... apologies if I'm being blind!)???

Sounds VERY interesting!