Picked up this 2000 LQ4 from a wrecker with the 4L80e and everything on it.


It was NASTY inside. Prob 250k miles or so.


Cleaned the pistons up


The 2000 came with iron 317 heads. Found some freshly rebuilt alum 317 heads. Went with LSA head gaskets to really kill any compression I had to begin with...


Engine bay with supercharged GT40 motor removed


The day I picked her up
I’ve tried a couple times to make a new thread. It never works, so before I waste my time (for the 3rd time), I’m just gonn try to text only for right this second. Lots of pics and details of the build.

Cleaned up the engine bay a tiny bit. Removed all factory engine wiring and tucked the headlight Wiring.


Test fitment


3 340lph fuel pumps, billet hanger, 10an feed line, 8an return


New water pump, double roller timing chain


New knock sensors and knock sensor harness


Tig welded in 12AN

Passenger side mock up. Motor sits in place without the cherry picker even holding it





So the car already had a tubular K member and front coil overs. Of course... mustang 5.0L sbf mounts. I bought universal LS mounts for $70 on amazon and made adaptors to fit them together.

Charge pipes


Cross member


New alternator bracket from LS concepts


How the $100 cross member came


Safety loop is about pointless now

Went with a Holley Dominator EFI setup with Holley 83lbs injectors. 3 bar map sensor.


Screen shot of the first start up with 5-6 holes in the intake, no vacuum hoses at all


Downpipe fits upside down, PERFECT


E85/flex fuel sensor is only !

it’s a full On3 single turbo it. It’s not perfect. But it’s better than building my own

On that on 3 hot side, was it made to go under the car?
Is the fitment good enough for the price?
no power steering?

for the price, I‘m not mad at the On3 kit. It could be better. The V-bands are not the “Female/Male” type that couple into each other, they are like “flat to flat” and the clamps tend to tighten on the lopsided ( or “Kattywompus”). The downpipe will not fit, period. It’s supposed to go down and out. On3 clearly states it for a T-56 trans, not a 4L80e, so I can’t bitch. But I’m not convinced it would have fit with a T56 either.

The On3 wastegate outlet on the passenger side is irritably close to the belt tensioner. The oil returnline pretty much has to ride the passenger side up-pipe into the turbo (I plan to heat wrap all my hot pipes and double shield the oil return line). The kit comes with enough oil feed line to catch oil at the oil pressure sensor, but..... doesn’t come with the fittings to Tee into the oil pressure sensor, and if you use the oil cooler block off ( like I did ), you have to add a section of hose to reach the turbo. You are REQUIRED to buy sleeves to cover your spark plug wires, if not, 100% chance you burn 1/2 your plug wires on your first test drive. If you use the Downpipe as intended, you will have to remove it to change or check the spark plugs on the passenger side. The header flanges fit pretty ok. The T4 turbo flange was wrapped to hell and never came back. The turbo to turbo flange bolts supplied had nice locking nuts, but they were too small for the job, so I switched to larger bolts/nuts.

i think you can run power steering with this kit just fine. I didn’t because when I got the car, it had already been converted over to a manual flamming river rack (with blown out bushings I replaced with poly ones ). But I think it’s meant to run power steering. I was going to run the truck alternator/power steering bracket, but I didn’t like any of the belt options and the alternator was going to need a little shave job as well as the fiberglass hood for it to shut. So I did the LSx concepts alternator bracket, which let me upgrade to the larger 140-145Amp alternator from the 105Amp I had.

I think I played a grand total of $2400. Turbo, intercooler, intercooler piping, hot side, Downpipe, On3 44mm wastegate, 50mm Tial Knock off BOV ( I have a real Tial BOV on my turbo fiesta, and it is a MF-er just like this one ).
i’d say It’s worth $2400 all in. Not worth $2600 lol.

If Holley wasn’t taking so long, I would have prob went with their cast log manifolds. They are supposed to be doing a cross member for the LS fox with a 4L80e too. But again.... too slow.

one more bitch, because it’s what I’m dealing with currently. The water pump thermostat outlet points either directly at my belt (on it). Or it faces directly into the up pipe from the driver side where it hits the turbo T4 flange. So an off the shelf radiator hose won’t work.

i also added a 2nd 44mm wastegate to the driver side hotside header. I’ve read these kits ( and others ) can get boost creep. I don’t want to run more than 10-12psi to run 9.99999 ( I will if I have to ), but either way, If I want to drive around on 5psi springs, I want 5psi. Not 5psi building to 15 psi

VS racing wastegate added on


See how the return is not fantastic

i have the Holley efi boost control solenoid. Just have not wired it in yet. First things first.

Buddy of mine made a donation to my “make a whoosh fountain”. 295-55R15 from 2014. A little more safe than my tubed slicks that are front 2000 or 2003 I think

Salesmen will tell you, you can not use a truck oil pan “buy mine for $550”. But.... I’m a little cheap. And I like the deep truck sump.

Dash for the ole 1984

Drove the car a little yesterday with barely any brakes lol. Then ran out of E85, lucky coasted to the shop.

yes sir. I asked you want you wanted for the DP in a PM I think lol.

I added a 2nd 44mm wastegate to the driver side