Twin-Turbo 7.3L Godzilla V8 Gets First Fire Up, Dyno Check

A drag beast in the making.

By: Angel Sergeev

Feb 14, 2023 at 3:58am ET

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Putting a more powerful engine into an older car isn’t something new. We’ve seen plenty of vintage models with modern-day mills producing way over the original output of the car. In this case, however, there’s at least some similarity between the stock engine of this Fox Body Mustang and the new engine it is getting – both were produced by Ford and both were V8s.

This new video from the Cleetus McFarland channel on YouTube introduces us to a white Fox Body Mustang with a monstrous 7.3-liter Godzilla engine. It is not a stock unit, however, as it has been fitted with two turbochargers and several other hardware improvements. Will it finally fire up for the first time? Let’s find out.

After a few checks, the engine is ready to be awakened and it turns out this is a relatively easy job. After only two attempts, it starts running happily in the high revs – and even sounds great, “like an LS with a little bit of Ford,” as the mechanics describe it. Once it warms up with no leaks and gets stable at idle, it is ready to be dynoed.

After a few more preparations, the white Mustang hits the dyno and during the first attempt, the driver doesn’t push it to the limits. In the second run, however, all the potential is unleashed and the measured output raises to around 600 horsepower (447 kilowatts) on pump gas. In the final attempt, the engine hits its limiter at around 6,800 rpm pumping out 731 hp (537 kW) and 576 pound-feet (781 Newton-meters) of torque.

The team behind the project – known on YouTube as McFlurry – is to get the car completely ready for the 2023 Sick Week, which started two days ago. This is the event, which gathers 350 of America’s quickest street cars to descend on sunny Florida for five days of drag-and-drive competition. Will the Fox Body Mustang make it to the competition? Our fingers are crossed.

Source: Cleetus McFarland on YouTube