When Shawn King rolls his Mustang into the waterbox at the 22nd Annual NMRA Nitto Spring Break Shootout at Bradenton Motorsports Park on March 3-6, it will look, sound and run differently than it had previously, as he has replaced his supercharger with a turbo.
The 76mm turbo was built by Forced Inductions and will complement King's HD Performance and Parts-built small-block Ford, which is designed around a Dart Iron Eagle block and wears Trick Flow Twisted Wedge heads and an Edelbrock intake. A new set of Billet Atomizer injectors have been installed, and a new turbo-friendly cam by Bullet Cams is on the way.
King, who uses a Holley Dominator for engine management, will continue to rely on his Pro-Formance Transmissions-built Turbo 400, but his converter is in the capable hands of Frank Lupo and Sean Wiley of Dynamic Converters, who are setting it up to accommodate the change in power-adders.
I've been a blower guy my whole life, but it was time to go to the dark side and see what it's like, said King, a former member of the United States Marine Corps who lives in Hendersonville, Tennessee. I was among the few still running a belt-driven supercharger and it was time to step up.
Additionally, King moved to a Weldon 2345-A fuel pump and ditched his alternator and single 12-volt battery in favor of a dual 16-volt battery set-up after engaging in conversation with friend - and reigning Edelbrock Renegade champion Frank Varela - about ideal charging systems for high-horsepower combinations.
His UPR-suspended car was recently outfitted with a new UPR mid-plate as well as some rear-end bracing, and was mini-tubbed and fitted with new headers and turbo plumbing by Jason Harvey of Top End Fabrication. He'll continue to run Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial Pros, and later in the season, he'll have the car's axle housing shortened and install custom axles.
While he ran as fast as 8.12 with his previous combination, he's looking to pick up considerably this year in the class where the current records are the 7.59 and 184 mph laid down by Varela.
The competition is so tough and these guys are so fast, but I think we'll run toward the front to the middle of the pack, said King. My combination has always been a year or two behind the rules, and this will be the first time that it's in line with current rules. I'm very excited. I finished eleventh in points last year, but my goal this year is to finish in the top five.
His UPR-suspended car was recently outfitted with a new UPR mid-plate as well as some rear-end bracing, and was mini-tubbed and fitted with new headers and turbo plumbing by Jason Harvey of Top End Fabrication. He'll continue to run Mickey Thompson ET Street Radial Pros, and later in the season, he'll have the car's axle housing shortened and install custom axles.
While he ran as fast as 8.12 with his previous combination, he's looking to pick up considerably this year in the class where the current records are the 7.59 and 184 mph laid down by Varela.
The competition is so tough and these guys are so fast, but I think we'll run toward the front to the middle of the pack, said King. My combination has always been a year or two behind the rules, and this will be the first time that it's in line with current rules. I'm very excited. I finished eleventh in points last year, but my goal this year is to finish in the top five.