Boost-A-Pump

Kenne Bell supercharger kits generally include Boost-A-Pumps to satisfy the greater fuel delivery demands of supercharged vehicles.  Mine was no exception. The Boost-A-Pump is an ingenious little amplifier that bumps the fuel pump voltage to about 17.5 VDC. This enables the pump to deliver the required fuel to the engine using a shorter duty cycle, which increases its headroom and capacity.

In a New Edge Mustang, the BAP installs in the trunk, near the fuel pump driver module. I wasn't particularly thrilled with KB's directive to secure the unit to the inner fender with a couple of self-tapping screws, so I fabbed a pair of Z-brackets for it from some galvanized stock. You can see my installed unit in the photo below.

Another variation between my own BAP installation and the KB instructions was that I slit the interior factory wiring loom open and inserted the BAP control cable into it, rather than just stringing the cable alongside, as directed. The photo below shows my BAP control cable already installed in the factory loom and ready to be pulled through the main cable grommet in the car's firewall.

NOTE:  A few have complained of drivability issues that they attributed to the BAP's operation. However, the unit goes about its business unnoticed in the vast majority of installations. My own BAP performs its duties invisibly, and I've never experienced any of the surging or bucking of which some other BAP users have complained.

Terminator Fuel Injectors

Higher capacity fuel injectors are mandatory for making significant increases in an engine's power delivery. Since the stock injectors weren't capable of supporting the power level produced by the twin-screw compressor, my Kenne Bell supercharger kit included a set of Ford Racing #397-M-9593-M39 injectors. These are EV6 type injectors w/ USCAR connectors, as pictured below.

Each new injector is rated at 39 lbs/hr, compared to 23 lbs/hr for each of the Cobra's stock stock injectors. In addition to being capable of supporting higher power levels, the greater flow rate improves reliability by reducing injector duty cycles.

TECH TIP:  If you want 100% plug-and-play replacement injectors, look for EV-6 injectors with USCAR electrical connectors. EV-1 injectors won't work at all for this application, and if you make the mistake of buying injectors with Bosch connectors, you'll need adapters to plug them into the wiring harnesses.

KB F1050 Pump

When I ordered Taz's Kenne Bell supercharger kit, I also ordered KB's model F1050 fuel pump. Even though KB maintained at that time that the stock '01 Cobra pump would support more than 450 RWHP when combined with a BAP, I didn't like what I saw when I crunched the numbers for myself. By my calculations, the stock pump was going to fall short. Even if I was wrong and it didn't, it would be marginal, so I threw an F1050 into my shopping cart, metaphorically speaking, along with the supercharger kit.

This fuel pump replaces the OEM pump installed inside the fuel tank, so a couple of friends assisted me in dropping the tank and swapping pumps. Thanks to their help, the swap took no time at all. In fact, it went so fast that I completely forgot to snap a single photo of the changeover. Oh, well. For those of you who are curious about what an '01 Cobra fuel pump looks like, I've provided a photo below of a generic pump that looks much like both the OEM pump that I removed and the KB F1050 that replaced it.

TECH TIP:  A pint of water weighs about a pound. Gasoline has a lower specific gravity, so a pint of petrol weighs a little less, but not much, so be sure to run your fuel level down as low as possible before before dropping your fuel tank. This will make your pump swap much easier.

Although the F1050 fuel pump will not support the lofty power levels that some pumps can handle, this pump is capable of delivering a significantly higher volume than the stock pump, and this one enjoys the advantage of being a completely plug-and-play upgrade. KB rates the F1050 at 217 LPH without a Boost-A-Pump in the system to bump the drive voltage, and 317 LPH with one. In plain English, this pump/BAP combination will support over 500 RWHP, which is more power than I probably will ever try to make with Taz, considering the car's acceleration is already traction-limited on street tires, and I'm not an avid drag racer.

As it turns out, my estimate that the OEM fuel pump would come up short appears to have been correct. Many of the stock pumps couldn't safely support even 400 RWHP, much less 450. Most dyno charts of KB Cobras with stock pumps that I've seen look like they're running out of pump on the top end, even with a BAP.

NOTE:  The Kenne-Bell F1050 pump is no longer available, but there are a number of PWM-type pumps from Ford that can be substituted when performing a fuel pump upgrade. Among them are the Aviator and Ford GT Supercar pumps.

TECH TIP:  All '99 - '04 Cobras use PWM-controlled fuel pumps. This is the type of pump required for proper operation of the factory returnless fuel system architecture. Unless you're converting your fuel system to a return-style setup, be sure to use this type of pump when upgrading to a higher capacity unit. Otherwise, you'll suffer premature pump failure.