2000 Kenne Bell Lincoln Navigator

If supercharged, fullsize Ford sport/utility vehicles are your bag, then you know we've been giving them lots of attention lately. This Kenne Bell-blown 2000 Lincoln Navigator is the third supercharged sport utility we've looked at since the beginning of the new year. In our Jan. 2000 issue, Kenne Bell's low-14-second Expedition was the focus in our Ford Truck section ("Expeditious Expedition," p. 66). The following month showcased Paxton's blown Four-Valve Navigator ("All Puffed Up," p. 76).

Taking a page from both these stories is the idea with this machine, as we're revisiting both another Navigator and Kenne Bell's well-known positive-displacement blower setup that was found on the 5.4L Two-Valve Expedition.

Whatever your preference is in terms of superchargers (positive-displacement or centrifugal) and vehicles (the Expedition or the Navigator), you can't go wrong with any of the three we've looked at so far. To briefly recap on the Kenne Bell arrangement, the positive-displacement, 2.2L screw-type blower makes boost down low at slower engine speeds. It works quite well on a heavy SUV, such as the Navigator, to get its bulky form moving off the line. As with the KB Expedition, the Navigator also has a similar cast of supporting characters, including a ram-air system that takes incoming air from behind the front grille. The other horsepower-helping mod is Kenne Bell's Big Boy exhaust system that uses a single 3-inch muffler, and adds about another 6 hp at the wheels to the bottom line. The remainder of the Kenne Bell hardware consists of tuning devices that help make the most of the supercharger. Most notable is the Kenne Bell Optimizer that works with the EEC V processor, the Boost-a-Spark ignition box, and a Boost-a-Pump fuel pump enhancer that raises electrical voltage to the fuel pump to increase fuel volume under boost.

As for the E4OD transmission, the only change was to add a Kenne Bell Quick Shift valve. Otherwise, Jim Bell claims the E4OD will handle up to 500 hp in stock trim.

Suspension, chassis, and visual mods are also part of the super-luxurious SUV. Sticking with a good thing, the Navigator has a similar list of bits as those found on the Expedition. Full Effect suspension pieces, including upper and lower front control arms and shocks, were added. The SUV was also dropped 3 inches using Full Effect's coil springs. The final visuals include a Stull billet grille and Colorado Custom Yuma wheels in an 18x9-inch size at each corner that were actually pulled right off the Expedition. While the wheels are the same size, the backspacing is different with 53/16 inches in front and 4 3/4 inches in back. The Bridgestone Dueler HTS tires are the same size at each corner in a P265/60R18.

So it looks good and wows the troops at the local five-star restaurant. But what about when the hammer drops as you square up the guy in a deep-breathing Cadillac Escalade next to you? He's left sitting in a pile of Caddy-wreath leaves as you easily freight-train the GM SUV in First and Second gears. Stay in it, and the result is solid 14-second performance on the 1,320. In fact, our big sister mag Motor Trend tested an all-wheel-drive Kenne Bell Navigator, and it went 0-60 in 6.3 seconds on the way to a 14.8-second pass at 91 mph. For comparison, a stock all-wheel-drive Navigator needs 8.5 seconds to reach 60 and 16.3 seconds to cover the quarter-mile at 83 mph. With these numbers in mind, it's easy to surmise that the lighter 2WD Navigator with less power needed to turn the front wheels would be a few tenths quicker still, using the quarter-mile measuring stick.

As was the case with the Expedition we looked at, we also have dyno numbers for the DOHC Navigator that was pullied to make only 6 psi of boost compared to the 8 psi the Expedition had. Interestingly, Jim Bell reports the Two-Valve Expedition and Four-Valve Navigator baselined with about the same power on Kenne Bell's Dynojet. Bell surmises that either the 260hp rating for the 5.4L Two-Valve Expedition is underrated or the 300hp rating the Navigator gets is overrated.

As our Jan. 2000 story reported, the Expedition made 335 hp and 444 lb-ft of torque on the Dynojet with 8 psi. With 6 psi, the Navigator made 306 hp and 387 lb-ft of torque (see chart). Impressive numbers on all levels, we'd say. But there's always something bigger and badder coming down the pike, and we'll have it in a future issue. Our look at Kenne Bell's supercharged 6.8L V-10 Excursion making 400 hp at the rear wheels is a sight you won't want to miss.