MK4 roadster with Coyote engine drivetrain

[Lostinidaho]

Hi,
I am considering building a MK4 Roadster with my son--he will do most of the building-- and he wants to use a Coyote engine with an Edelbrock supercharger. I have some questions:

Will it fit?
What transmission would be recommended? He would like to do an IRS, and I am not clear what drivetrain components are compatible. The brochure mentions used thunderbird components, but are there new pieces that would work. I am looking for a complete list of component that would complete the factory five MK4 IRS. I do not have any car experience, my son took some car classes in High School, and we are going to do the build school in December. I have been reading many threads on the forum, but I am not very clear about the IRS option.

[2bking]

Of course I'm not a FF Tech but while waiting on an official response, I can answer some of your questions. There are a lot of builders using a Coyote engine with 400+ HP so it fits and FF has a kit to help in marring it to the other components. As far as the supercharger, there are some 4.6 modular engine builds with the factory supercharger from the Mustang Cobra that I have seen and they seem to fit but it looks to be a lot of custom work. You might want to consider a crate Coyote Boss engine (M-6007-A50XS) that makes over 500 HP and comes with a warranty but in these cars most agree anything over 400 HP is a waste unless you are going racing. It's certainly not useable on the street. At these HP levels you need the TKO600 5 speed transmission and a good clutch. There are several vendors on these forms that can get the drive train package put together for you.

The IRS is designed around components from the Thunderbird and Mark VI from the 90's. FF provides the welded-in attachment points and the axles with CV joints when selecting the IRS option. To complete the IRS, you need hubs, knuckles, and the center section which contains the differential and gears. If you go the donor route, you can purchase the rear end from a salvage yard and remove and refurbish the needed components. FF, Ford Racing, and other vendors sell new parts to complete it. If you browse the FF catalogue, you will find the components.

[Lostinidaho]

Thank you very much for the reply. I have read your build notes a couple times. Today, I have been reading every thing I can find about rear suspensions on the internet. I also read the FF instruction on installing the IRS, so I have a better idea of what is provided, and what is needed. I also read several threads on the issue of engine size and usable power. I am with you, it sounds like 350 HP is the sweet spot for some many people, but my son is a lot younger than me.
Again, thank you for your help.

[rich grsc]

Thank you very much for the reply. I have read your build notes a couple times. Today, I have been reading every thing I can find about rear suspensions on the internet. I also read the FF instruction on installing the IRS, so I have a better idea of what is provided, and what is needed. I also read several threads on the issue of engine size and usable power. I am with you, it sounds like 350 HP is the sweet spot for some many people, but my son is a lot younger than me.
Again, thank you for your help.

These cars are not something to experiment with. They have a short wheelbase and can get away from you in a blink of an eye. Unless you and your son have experience in a high HP car be careful.

[Lostinidaho]

Thank you for your comment, the plan is for my son to learn to drive it properly at the local track in Minnesota. I have a friend that has been racing a highly evolved Miata, and I am hoping he will be a good resource. My son has been battling cancer for 10 years and had to quit his welding job 3 years ago. He is excited about this project, and am looking forward to working with him on it. I am a Medical doctor, and have spent my life learning how the human body works, and I realized last night that I am learning car anatomy and physiology. 2bking talked about knuckles, hubs, center section, differential; and now I know what they look like and what they do. The build school will be very helpful, but I want to know as much as possible before our class on December 12th.