Engine Question

[CarGuy]

Just curious to know the specs on the 2.3 motor that is put in our cars. How much horse power does the engine have with out the blower? Its neat to see some of the SVO's with +300-400 hp, but how much is coming just from the turbo. I could be wrong, but I havn't seen many pump gas, naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engines exceeding 180 hp . What are some good engine combos for our 2.3? Are there any good aftermarket heads or intake manifolds. I've seen the SCCA spec fords running a SOHC hemi-head on a 1.9 L. That would be kinda cool if that bolted to the 2.3 - however the 1.9 only pushes 105 hp.

Thanks

[KevinK]

Base NA was 88 HP and 145 for the non-intercooled FI version in 84. The carbed 2.3 is good for 200-225 HP with some work. After that you need some major intake work and start digging into the bottom end. Remember the NA engines do not have the BOSS 302 rods like the 83-88 turbo cars. The block is pretty solid.