The T3 Super 60's used in the 2.3's Fords have served me well! In my SVO, I put down 221 whp with about 17 psi, just a tick over stock for that car. In my Pinto, well, the dyno SAID 286 whp, but I think that was a bit optimistic because the track times didn't quite line up (but there were some changes made between the track and the dyno...so who knows). That was also a Super 60 on pump gas, but at about 23 psi. I sold the car with that turbo on it, and it was still fine. It was used when I got it and I drove it at that level for more than a year.
Some info on those... The center sections of all the T3s in the turbo 2.3 Fords are the same, and they just changed the housings for different applications. The compressors are all the same size, and the only difference is the outlet of the cover. The SVO has a normal outlet that you'd put a coupler and hose clamp on, where as all the others have this 2-bolt flange. You can get an adapter that bolts to it that's a 90* elbow, or you can just make a piece or modify the cast aluminum piece that was used in the original application (they did that on the non-intercooled cars).
The turbine sides were sized differently, depending on what the application was, but it was either a .48 a/r or .63 a/r. I KNOW the SVOs had the .63 a/r turbine, which was probably because they were all manual cars. I've seen the .63 a/r housings on early Turbo Coupe motors, too, and MAYBE a manual XR4ti here and there. Not 100% sure... The numbers I posted were with the .63 a/r housings.
They all have internal wastegates from the factory, but some of them were adjustable. They're all set to about 10 psi, and they'd used the computer to control the boost beyond that. The adjustable ones can go much higher, and I always used a stock internal gate because it just worked really well! The trick to nice boost control on those is the little brass fitting screwed into the compressor housing. I can elaborate on that if you'd like, but it's something that a lot of people don't buy into, so let me know if you want more info.
You'll RARELY find one that's NOT liquid cooled. My early-build 84 SVO wasn't, and when I sent it out for a rebuilt, they just swapped the center section with a liquid cooled one and sent it back. I wish they hadn't. I've never seen another one like that.
You can clock the housings pretty easily (wrench clearence gets tight when it's in the car). It's tough to explain, but when you see it, you'll know what to do. The outlet elbow houses the 02 sensor as well as the wastegate door, so be sure to get that if you go that route. It's an abrupt-looking 90* thing, but they're all I've ever used and always worked good enough for me. There is a guy that makes an aftermarket one that's BIG though.
These things are great on the street for us, since they're pretty well matched to the engine. They say the .48 would spool up quicker than the .63, but really, it was a wash, IMO. Even with the .63 housing, it was ALWAYS there, though I had a 2' section of 3" tubing for exhaust, which might have had something to do with it. We did a lot of data logging with that motor, and we had full boost as early as 2700 RPM.
I have one in my Turbo GT right now, and I think it's smoking a little bit (as in, I don't think it's anything else). I have no idea where this one came from, or how much boost it's putting out, since I have no boost guage (this car just got thrown together recently). It also spools up slowly, and I think it's because it's got a full 2.5" pipe all the way out to the bumper, as well as not-yet sorted out boost controls.
I also put a Grand National front end on one with my friend for use in his SVO. It was a .63 turbine side with the GN backing plate, wheel and cover put in place. We didn't balance it, and we weren't too sure what would happen. But it worked OK. It WAS slower to spool, but not by much. He ran an 8.0 @ 88 in the 1/8 mile with it, though there was a 40-shot used as well. I can't remember what ever came of that thing...but it did well for a home-brewed hybrid.
That's all I know!
