Sleeper Granada Makes High-RPM Horsepower On the Chassis Dyno

(Pat)>> You're watching Powernation!

(Frankie)>> We gave the Grenada plenty of power. Today we take care of everything else.

(Pat)>> Our Ford receives a beefy rear end, updated suspension, and more.

(Frankie)>> Then we give it a shot of the giggle gas. [ Music ]

(Frankie)>> Hey everyone, we are still on our 1977 Ford Granada Ghia project here in Engine Power. This car is coming out great, and it is going to be a mean sleeper.

(Pat)>> To get caught up on what we've done to this car so far have a look at this.

(Frankie)>> On our baseline dyno run we got rear wheel numbers of 101 horsepower and 186 pound feet of torque, weak! Once we tore down the engine and discovered that the block was 60 over we decided to use a different block that would accommodate our 30 over pistons. Then we filled that block with a forged rotating assembly, a custom ground billet solid roller cam shaft, 205cc cylinder heads, 1.6 ratio shaft rockers, and more! Since we wanted the Granada to be a sleeper, we gave the engine a patina paint job. In the dyno cell the engine was good for a stout 531 horsepower and 443 pound feet of torque.

(Pat)>> Next, we modified a set of Hooker headers designed for a mid-'70s Maverick so they would fit in our ford. Then we turned our attention to the rest of the car. Since we're making more r-p-m and more power we installed an upgraded C-4 designed for higher performance applications. We also upgraded the cooling system with an aftermarket radiator and an external transmission cooler. Now even though we have a ton of stuff already done it's gonna take a lot more to get this thing running and on the road. What do you think?

(Frankie)>> Pitter patter, let's get at her!

(Pat)>> I've heard that before. To free up anything that's stuck Seafoam Deep Creep penetrating lubricant is extensively used. Next, we'll remove all of the rear brake line connections followed by the shocks. [ drill humming ]

(Pat)>> After that the stock leaf spring nuts are zipped off. Once the mounting hardware is removed the rear end comes free from the vehicle. [ hammer banging ] [ mechanical humming ]

(Frankie)>> Now that we got our old eight inch out, we're gonna be replacing it with the tried and true Ford nine inch axle. Surprisingly enough there isn't an off the shelf option for a Ford Granada, but this was specifically designed for a '64 through '66 Mustang, and after doing some measuring and looking at the spec sheet this should go right in. It also came with a set of 31 spline axles that already had the studs installed in the right bolt pattern. So, it should be really easy.

(Pat)>> Along with that the other thing we found at Summit Racing is a complete third member assembly from Currie with their TwinTrac differential and 4.11 gearing. Now this is gonna take advantage of our engine's power band.

(Frankie)>> And this is gonna hold up just fine, even though we're not really gonna be beating on this thing.

(Pat)>> Only when the ignition's on. [ Music ] Anti-seize goes on the studs so the nuts can be easily removed just in case we want to swap the gear ratios sometime in the future. [ Music ] Once the axle shaft is in the axle retainer, which doubles as the caliper mount, gets tightened up. We opted for a brand new set of leaf springs that are an o-e-m replacement for the old ones. Instead of the stock lower plate we're installing a set of CalTracs. This setup helps plant the tires harder at the drag strip, which is almost inevitable for this project. Before we set the rear end on the ground, we'll bolt up a set of wheels and tires from Coker Tire. More on these later. The other half of the CalTracs get mounted to the front of the leaf spring. The provided lubricant keeps things moving freely. [ Music ] Squeeze it! There we go! New bushings and shackles complete the install. [ ratchet clicking ]

(Frankie)>> Up next, the Granada gets rear disc brakes, a fuel system upgrade, and new shocks.

(Pat)>> Then we'll strap it down to the chassis dyno and give it a shot of nitrous.

(Frankie)>> One of the biggest upgrades we're gonna be doing to our Granada is changing the rear brake setup from drums to discs. We got this Right Stuff rear disc conversion kit from Summit Racing equipment, and they had a bunch of them in stock, but we specifically chose this one because it has an 11.25 inch rotor, which we can make clear our 14 inch wheels, and that will be very important later on. It comes with a single piston integral parking brake caliper. So, it's gonna run, and drive, and stop just like a modern vehicle. We've already got our brackets bolted on and spaced correctly for our rotor. So, all we have to do is get the pads and calipers bolted on and we can continue on. This is a universal kit that comes with everything you need to convert a nine inch axle to disc brakes. One of the most important steps is making sure that the caliper is positioned correctly on the rotor for proper operation and pad wear. The kit comes with easy to follow instructions, and the only major modification we had to do was weld these brake hose brackets to the axle. When installing new brake components it's always a good idea to change out rubber hose connections since they can cause potential leaks, or even restrict fluid flow. Ready! Wow, that was really underwhelming.

(Pat)>> I feel way better now. [ drill humming ]

(Frankie)>> Yeah, there you go!

(Pat)>> It's gonna come out. When working on older vehicles typically the first thing you will do before you run it is change the fuel tank. When these cars sit around they will get condensation on the inside, they'll get some corrosion and rust, and that causes all kinds of problems. So, we opted to get a brand new tank from RockAuto dot com. This is a precision engineered tank that is a 19 gallon replacement for the old 18 gallon one, but it will go right back in where the old one was. It is galvanized material and made to last a lifetime. What we love about RockAuto dot com is even though we are working on a 1977 Granada they had what we need to get back on the road. So, we're gonna take this and get it ready to go back in the car.

(Frankie)>> We ran our engine on the dyno with a 950 QFT Black Diamond, and we're gonna be using that in the car as well. In order to feed it though we're gonna be using Holley's retrofit in-tank fuel pump module. These are designed to be used on stock tanks without any welding. So, it's nice and safe. This unit's really nice because it comes with a billet low profile top, an easy mounting solution, and a thick foam insert to seal against any imperfections in the surface. This one came with a 450 liter per hour pump, which is enough to support 875 horsepower in e-f-i applications or 1,100 horsepower in carbed applications, which is gonna be plenty. It also came with their Hydramat, which acts as a pick-up, a filter, and prevents fuel starvation during fuel sloshing in the tank. To regulate it down we got one of their billet adjustable regulators that goes from 4.5 to 9 p-s-i, and the kit came with the fittings and a mechanical fuel pressure gauge. It can be a little daunting cause you have to put a large hole in the top of your fuel tank, but the kit comes with great instructions, and if you follow them it makes it nice and easy. The easiest way to punch the hole is with a large hole saw. It's important to make sure you remove the cut metal and any small metal chips that end up in the tank. Following the kits instructions, we'll measure the depth of our tank and cut the supply and return hoses accordingly. With the fuel pump bracket also cut to size we can install it and the pump itself. [ Music ] With everything together, the pump is fed into the tank making sure that the Hydramat is oriented towards the center of the fuel tank. When tightening the mounting screws the swing out mounting lugs extend and compress the foam to seal the tank. Doesn't get much easier than that.

(Pat)>> Dash-6 connections on both the feed and the return are tightened up on the pump. The tank fits like a glove. We even reused the stock straps. For the rear shocks we spec'ed out some QA-1 double adjustable units that are actually made to fit a Torino, but we flipped them upside down, put on two inch extensions, and bolted them in. We had a custom driveshaft made by Precision Shaft Technologies in Clearwater, Florida. It's a steel shaft with a slip yoke and 13-30 U-joints. It's built to handle our power level and r-p-m. Up next, we design a dual muffler exhaust to keep our Granada relatively quiet.

(Frankie)>> This car wouldn't be a sleeper without a deceptively quiet exhaust. To do that we're using this Summit Racing 304 stainless builders kit, a Vibrant Performance Y-pipe, and Summit's V-band flanges. This will take both three inch collectors into a single three inch pipe before it goes through a catalytic converter and two stainless works mufflers that we also found at Summit Racing. We'll mockup the entire exhaust and tack everything solidly in place. The V-band connections make it easy to disassemble so we can fully weld everything outside of the car. [ Music ] You might be wondering why we're installing a catalytic converter. "A", this is a street car. "B", we're trying to kill as much noise as possible. This 18 inch oval muffler and 20 inch long five inch round muffler will help with sound control as well.

(Pat)>> The piece to resistance are the three inch Summit Racing electric cutouts that will allow us to uncork it and let it sing with just a flick of a switch. Now that everything is fully welded we can install the exhaust for real. The exhaust is supported by Summit Racing rubberized hangers. Oh, that's nice! [ metal clanging ]

(Pat)>> Stainless steel might seem like overkill, but it will last a long time between the frame rails of our Granada. Plus, it just looks awesome. One of the important aspects of our Granada sleeper build is that we wanted it to look as stock as possible, and that meant retain the stock hub caps. So, we had to get a different set of wheels and tires, and we turned to Coker Tire for that. We picked up a set of steel smoothies for the front and the rear. 14 by 8 here, 14 by 7 up front. These have two bolt patterns, five by four and a half and five by four and three quarter, depending on what your setup is. These wheels have a four inch back spacing, which fits our car perfectly, and the tires we went with a BF Goodrich Radial T/A P-245/60 R-14 in the rear and a P-205/70 R-14 in the front. This setup is a huge improvement over the P-195s that were on the car before. Best of all, stock hub cap goes right on. [ tapping metal ]

(Frankie)>> We mounted this MSD start and step retard box inside where the ashtray would go. This allows us to retard timing for starting and have a triggered retard for nitrous. Best of all, it's nice and hidden.

(Pat)>> The rest of the ignition system consists of an MSD Blaster ignition coil and an MSD off road ignition box. We hid this one underneath the dash to not draw any extra attention. No sleeper would be complete without some sort of nitrous. We picked up an NOS cheater plate system that's adjustable up to 250 horsepower. We've obscured it as much as possible underneath the stock air cleaner. We also tucked away two 10-pound NOS nitrous bottles in the trunk. In this build we used a bunch of specialty fasteners from ARP, and what we really appreciate about them is they always include a detailed instruction sheet that tells you exactly how to lubricate and install the fasteners to take advantage of their greatly improved material quality, construction, and clamping ability. As per the instructions, ARP Ultra Torque lube is directly applied to the threads and to the under head of the bolt. When installing the washer it is important that the chamfer faces the underheat of the bolt to clear the bolt's radius. It's also critical that no ARP Ultra Torque gets on the bottom side of the washer as it can turn it into a bearing-like surface causing inaccurate torque readings, which could allow you to over torque the fastener and damage the threads, or even excessive stretch and/or break it. ARP give you the ability to run an upgraded fasteners in virtually any part of your engine or vehicle. They offer a wide variety of materials, finishes, and sizes depending on your application.

(Frankie)>> Both of the trucks here at Powernation are diesel powered, and that's a large investment but it's well worth it if you take care of them, and Hot Shot's Secret makes that easy with their Everyday Diesel Treatment. This is a six in one diesel additive that contains their LX-4 Lubricity Extreme that helps prevent wear with today's ultra low sulfur diesel fuels. It also has a cetane improver that can boost cetane numbers up to seven points, which means more power and increased fuel economy. It prevents sludge and deposit formation, puts protective films on metal surfaces to prevent corrosion, and has a specialty emulsifier to help disperse water in the fuel system, which can cause rust, microorganism growth in the summertime, and even freezing in the wintertime. And speaking of winter, when it starts getting cold like it is now we switch over to the Everyday Diesel Treatment Plus Winter Defense. This is the same as Everyday Diesel Treatment but it has added anti-gel properties and can allow fuel to flow up to 20 degrees lower than its normal waxing point. With these products Hot Shot's Secret makes it easy to protect your investment and allow your diesel to live a long, healthy life. Up next, we put the Granada on the roller and we like what we see.

(Frankie)>> We got our 1977 Ford Granada pretty much finished up and strapped onto the chassis dyno in all of its sleeper gloriousness. If you remember, this engine made 531 horsepower at 7,100 r-p-m at the crank, but we've added some serious restrictions.

(Pat)>> Boy have we ever. We have a mechanical fan on the front, which is great for street driving because it's always pulling air in, but that will kill some power. Also has a one and five-eighths header. On the dyno it had one and seven-eighths. So, we have some restriction in the exhaust, and speaking of that now we have a two into one single exhaust that has a catalytic converter and two mufflers. So that's gonna cork it off.

(Frankie)>> Yeah, we're gonna see how much it kills, but the good news is it's gonna be very quiet, which is gonna be great cause this is a street car.

(Pat)>> It's super quiet, and I can't wait because I can still play the 8-track player in here.

(Frankie)>> Alright, I think we're good. [ Music ] Go ahead, start her up, and let's make some closed exhaust pulls.

(Pat)>> Let me turn that off. Here we go! [ engine starting ]

(Pat)>> Is that glorious or what?

(Frankie)>> That's insanely quiet compared to what it was.

(Pat)>> That's street car level. [ engine revving ]

(Pat)>> There's high gear. [ engine revving ]

(Pat)>> Are you ready? [ engine revving ] [ engine winding down ]

(Pat)>> That oil we put on the engine is smoking.

(Frankie)>> That's not bad, 324 and 288 pound feet. That is a giant power suck right there. That's a lot! That killed it.

(Pat)>> Not even gonna shut it off. We're gonna open the headers and make another pull. [ engine rumbling ] [ engine revving ]

(Pat)>> I kinda like that better!

(Frankie)>> That's awesome! [ engine revving ] [ engine winding down ]

(Pat)>> That's a huge difference.

(Frankie)>> And close them. Back to street car status. So, it made 443, that's crazy! So that's a 120-ish in the exhaust. That's crazy, isn't it?

(Pat)>> That's about right cause that's about where we thought it would make.

(Frankie)>> Made 375 for torque. I saw you were bouncing it off the rev limiter there.

(Pat)>> We've got the rev limiter set because I'm minorly worried it's gonna sling the belts off.

(Frankie)>> They were not made for high r-p-m use.

(Pat)>> And we turned 7,500 on the dyno. So that's what we set the rev limiter at.

(Frankie)>> That's about what we thought it was gonna do but that's pretty good.

(Pat)>> You know what's next, right?

(Frankie)>> I think we need to close the exhaust and we need to start putting it on the giggle juice.

(Pat)>> Yeah! Nitrous, rule of thumb is you pull one degree of timing per 50 horse of nitrous. I was just gonna do a 100 shot on this one, but I did 125 just to be safe! What we're gonna do is by rights we should take about four degrees of timing out of it, or five degrees of timing. I'm gonna do our handy dandy flip down, and I'm gonna take six degrees out of it.

(Frankie)>> That sounds good! This will be interesting. Full exhaust, 125 shot, let's see what it does.

(Pat)>> Purge it! [ nitrous purge hissing ]

(Pat)>> We're good!

(Frankie)>> Let's see what she does. [ engine revving ] [ engine winding down ]

(Frankie)>> 416 horsepower and 366 pound feet. So that's about right. Being conservative on the timing means we're not gonna get the full 125. Also, it's diminishing return with the full exhaust. That's pretty good. That's not bad.

(Pat)>> Now time for the gusto.

(Frankie)>> Open her up and make another hit. [ Music ]

(Pat)>> This is gonna be exciting! [ engine revving ] [ engine winding down ]

(Pat)>> Whoo! [ engine rumbling ]

(Frankie)>> That's awesome, 537 horsepower and 433 pound feet, which is freakin' sweet! We kinda set this arbitrary goal of 500 at the wheel. What would be cool in a street car that maybe if you took it to the strip. That's awesome, and God that's so cool. You can just close it back up, go back to the nice cruiser.

(Pat)>> That was exhilarating right there!

(Frankie)>> That's sweet!

(Pat)>> All the vitals look great. It's nice cause we have the Holley dash in there. We put that in there because that's the only thing that makes the interior not look stock.

(Frankie)>> Being able to use the standalone harness and just put the sensors in the engine. Being able to have accurate data is awesome.

(Pat)>> Everything looked great. It zinged through the pull like I knew it was gonna.

(Frankie)>> The a-f-r's were right on. Fuel pressure was good. I think we need to check plugs, unstrap this thing, and go give it a cruise.

(Pat)>> We need to take this for a cruise!

(Frankie)>> To see more of our sleeper Granada or any of the other cool projects we do go check out our website.