1967 Cougar Godzilla ZF 8HP70 swap
 

A book has many chapters, and one can argue that the Cougar story already has many chapters. Calling this chapter 2 doesn't seem fitting, as this is more like chapter 4, but whatever. Here is a link to the last few chapters:

https://www.pro-touring.com/threads/...es-and-videos)

Every journey starts with the first step, and here is the first step of this journey:

https://j.hmjimg.com/2024/04/24/CV2-001.md.jpg


https://j.hmjimg.com/2024/04/24/CV2-002.md.jpg

This is a 2021 7.3L Godzilla from a wrecked F250 truck. The plan is to keep the shock towers and the current front suspension setup. Engine management will be handled by the Holley Dominator ECU which will be integrated with the TurboLamik TCU that will control the ZF 8HP transmission.

I don't know how quickly this project will move, given our move to Texas in the next 60 days, but it would be awesome to have it ready for the Holley Ford Fest in late September.

Andrew

I wondered if there might be a change for the motor w/the recent events/failure. I'll be watching for the updates.

We are moving to Denton...neighbor...

Andrew

I saw that previously. Not a bad choice IMHO.

Wow, that's a big change. Best of luck with the move and the build, Andrew. Keep us posted. Love what you're doing with your builds.

Welcome to the hood....

T,

I have been working with TurboLamik, for the last several month, on having full integration between the Holley EFI systems and the TurboLamik TCU. What this means is that the two will be connected with just 2 wires. This applies to the Holley Dominator and HP using V6 and also to Terminator X and X Max using V3. The Dominator and Terminator X Max are optimal because they have two CAN busses and DBW throttle.

The TCU needs information in order to make shifting decisions. Namely, it needs RPM, TPS, MAP, and torque output. Those are the basic channels that are a must, however, in order to make the transmission work optimally, the TCU needs to send messages back to the ECU.

The most critical is a signal to retard the timing during upshifts. This is commonly known as torque management and all modern transmissions implement this strategy, both for smooth shifting as well as transmission longevity. It can also be extremely helpful to retard the ignition during shifts to keep the tires from spinning during hard upshifts. With a very powerful engine, it can actually be pretty dangerous to upset the car during a full throttle upshift. This feature is now working between the TCU and the Holley ECU.

Another feature that goes along with torque management is throttle blipping on downshifts. This feature isn't strictly necessary, but it too will be available, although somewhat limited, because Holley...


The TCU will also send the following information: Gear, transmission temperature, speed, converter slip, and clutch slip. All of this information will be available to be displayed on any of the Holley digital dashes, not including the 3.5" handheld.




If there are any questions, please ask.


Andrew

Progress is being made. Scored some Mast Motorsports CNC ported heads for the Godzilla.

https://j.hmjimg.com/2024/05/05/CV2-003.jpg


https://j.hmjimg.com/2024/05/05/CV2-005.jpg


https://j.hmjimg.com/2024/05/05/CV2-004.jpg

Still exploring various options for the cam. If anyone has some recommendations, I am open to suggestions.

Andrew

Looking great Andrew!

Also, welcome to Texas. I hope you and your family will enjoy it. (I am also secretly excited that I can bring you cars to get tuned instead of remote whenever you may be ready for that LOL)

Excited to see the new setup and see what all you learn from the 8 speed swap.

In regards to cam stuff, I know Brian Tooley did quite a bit of cam work with the Godzilla last year. May reach out to them and see what they found out for a custom grind.

I am excited to be in Texas. We should be all moved in about 6 weeks.

BTR only has their Truck Norris Godzilla cam at the moment. They did tell me that more were designed, but nothing has been tested and apparently cam cores are hard to get.

I am kind of leaning towards the MAST HO Godzilla cam. All of the MAST cams have the VVT locked out, which is what I would prefer.

Andrew

I'm betting the MAST HO Godzilla cam was based/tested around those heads you acquired. That would def be a decent choice.

After going back and forth and exploring as many cam options that I could find, I decided to go with a cam from Mast. It is their Godzilla 7.3 HO cam and the full specs can be found here:

https://www.mastmotorsports.com/coll...lla-cam-100264

https://j.hmjimg.com/2024/05/08/CV2-006.png

The torque and power are represented in red in the graphs above. It really seemed like the "goldielox" cam. It loses a little torque below 3000RPM, but above that point it makes more torque everywhere, including the stock cam. It doesn't make quite the peak HP numbers that the bigger, Godzilla 7.3 GT cam (green lines), but it is darn close, without giving up significant torque down low.

These numbers were generated with the CNC ported heads that I have and a stock intake manifold.

Comments and suggestions are always welcome.

Andrew

Looks like a great choice!
Those poor rear tires. Lol

Seriously, this car is going to rip with this engine. Dear lord that torque curve.

Honestly, I will be disappointed if it doesn't run as good as it did with the LS supercharger combination.

Andrew

Don't hate me...I guess Ford engineers decided to use readily available parts for the Godzilla engines. The lifters are exactly the same as LS lifters, so I decided to upgrade them to a high quality part.



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Given that the current LS3 in the Cougar probably had a lifter failure, I did not want to take a chance.



Andrew

There is nothing like a slow moving project, but progress is being made.



Today I received a critical part of the swap, which is a front sump oil pan from Crowbar Customs.



https://www.crowbarcustoms.com/produ...-and-oil-pump/



https://j.hmjimg.com/2025/01/03/CV2-011.jpg




https://j.hmjimg.com/2025/01/03/CV2-012.jpg




https://j.hmjimg.com/2025/01/03/CV2-013.jpg




https://j.hmjimg.com/2025/01/03/CV2-014.jpg


I am pleased with the overall quality and the finish. This pan will require a remote mounted filter and it is designed to be used with the Holley front cover and oil pump arrangement.



Andrew