Modifying a car has become all too easy these
days. Spend some dollars on wheels and suspension, give the engine a few
bolt-ons, bung on some fibreglass styling and – voila! – you have a modified
streeter. No need to crack open the engine, no need to do anything with the
interior and certainly no reason to splurge on a custom paint job.
Well, Joe Russo (aka Big Joe) is here
to show what can be achieved if you’re willing to go all-out.
Joe is a Ford fan from way back and a string of
modified blue oval products has served him well over the years. But, really, he
always craved a GT. That day of fulfilment came in 2003 when Joe picked up a
brand-spankers Blood Orange FPV GT – 290kW of Boss glory.
Joe was pretty impressed by the new GT but thought
it was important to give it a few mods to keep pace with the rival Holdens. At
the time, nobody had much experience tuning the Boss 290 engine but Joe struck
gold when he approached Sydney’s Autotech Engineering. Spiro and the team were
thorough and careful in their approach, treating it to a high-flow exhaust, cold
air induction, under-drive pulleys, a lightened flywheel, shortened diff ratio
and engine management changes. These mods gave a conservative 260hp (191kW) at
the wheels, 13.2 second quarter mile performance and near-factory
refinement.
At the same time, Joe had given the car an
effective visual boost and the machine was pretty well known in the Ford camp.
Recognising this, Autotech Engineering, Haltech and DC&O decided to sponsor
the car with their products and services. And Joe was only too happy to
participate!
The engine has since been rebuilt by Autotech
Engineering and includes Aries forged pistons (maintaining the standard
compression ratio), Scat rods, a heat-treated crank and full balancing. The DOHC
heads are also ported and stuffed with an aggressive set of custom cams and
firmer springs.
The crowning glory are the eight 50mm DC&O
throttle bodies which give the race look while ensuring near-zero intake
restriction. The conversion was relatively complicated because it involved
swapping from electronic throttle control to a cable set-up – a new pedal
assembly was required as part of the conversion.
The worked 5.4-litre V8 spits its exhaust gasses
through a custom twin 3 inch exhaust with a pair of canon mufflers visible at
the rear. Custom 4>1 headers are employed up front.
A Haltech E11 programmable ECU is configured as a
stand-alone management computer working with Haltech supplied igniters for
direct-fire ignition. Spiro from Autotech Engineering says the standard
injectors are up to the job but a Walbro high-flow pump is required.
With all the good stuff, Joe’s Boss engine has
delivered between 470 and 500hp (345 – 368kW) at the wheels on a range of Dyno
Dynamics chassis dynos – and it is known that even more could be extracted with
a more aggressive tune. Remember, the engine still runs the standard compression
ratio (which allows the use of pump fuel) so there is a lot of flexibility for
further power.
Not that it’s needed.
The factory five-speed manual is holding up okay
but, so far, five driveshafts have gone to heaven. A Mal Wood shifter, Xtreme
ceramic clutch, billet flywheel and a 4.11:1 diff complete the driveline mods to
date.
Transferring torque to the pavement are Nitto
235/35 and 275/30 tyres fitted on 20 inch Raven alloys. These hide a tasty brake
upgrade compromising Alcon six-pot front calipers and 383mm discs while the rear
uses four-pot Alcons with 343mm discs. Braided lines and high-performance pads
are incorporated as part of the upgrade.
With a whole lot of time and money invested in the
mechanicals, Joe hasn’t let the body escape major modification.
The body has been draped in sensational orange
pearl which is based on a Lamborghini colour. Splashes of custom pearl black on
the bonnet, wing, bumper aprons, fog light area and side window surrounds add to
the appeal. And the body kit? Well, it’s the standard FPV set-up - it just looks
different thanks to the new colour.
Open the door to a standard FPV GT and it’d be
easy to conclude there’s no need for modification. But that’s the wrong attitude
in a car like this. Joe has treated the standard seats, door trims, console,
steering wheel and other trim pieces to colour-coded orange leather and
stitching. The sound system has also been started again from scratch with a JVC
DVD and LCD monitor, front splits, 6 x 9s, an amp and 12 inch sub. JB Hi-Fi can
be thanked for the sound set-up but a more extravagant system is soon to be
installed.
As you might imagine, Joe no longer uses the car
as a day-to-day runabout (it’d be a disaster to get a stone chip in that custom
paint), but he does enjoy it as a weekend ride. He also gets some kicks from car
shows – at the time of writing, his GT has been entered in only two shows and
has claimed three trophies!
You can appreciate why this car is a trophy magnet
when you look at the attention to detail. The immaculately presented engine bay
(with full colour coding, braided hoses, a stainless radiator tank and valley
cover), the all-new interior and work-of-art paint job are guaranteed eye
catchers.
When you combine this level of presentation with a
fully performance built engine you’ve got one awesome GT – and a refreshing
change from the norm. But just wait until the car enters its next stage of
development. Joe’s plan is to change the body colour (nooo, please don’t!),
upgrade the sound system, install a tricked auto trans and rebuild the engine to
suit forced induction. The goal - 1300hp (around 950kW) at the wheels!
Contact/Thanks:
Autotech Engineering +61 2 9897 1378
http://www.autotechengineering.com.au/
Joe would also like to thank the team at Autotech
Engineering, Haltech, DC&O, RSV in Granville, JB Hi-Fi, Big O Tyres and
Wayne the trimmer!
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