[tb300]

I have recenty purchased a 351W out of an old van. The guy said it was a stock 351W, but when I tore it down, it has been bored .060 over and has a four-bolt main. My question is, is there a way to build this engine up into the 400+ hp range without replacing the pistions, rods, and crank? And would I be able to add a nitrous system later, again without replacing any of the rolling asembly? I am kind of on a budget, so anything will help. Thanks!

 

[Freshmeat]

You can order SpeedPro pistons and rings for pretty cheap (around $100). If your pistons are flat-top, I'd strongly recommend doing it, as the SpeedPro pistons will have notches for valve clearance.

Make sure the bottom end is in good shape. If you're going to run nitrous, I wouldn't keep the stock bottom, but it depends on how big of a shot you plan to run.

Most of your power will come from your heads/intake/carb/cam. More than 350hp, I'd recommend you invest in a main girdle- well worth the investment as insurance. If you're going to run a cam, I'd recommend you go ahead and do that before dropping the motor, since it's a LOT easier while it's out of the car. The rest can come as you get the money.

If you want my opinion, get all Edelbrock parts- heads, intake, cam, lifters, pushrods, and carb. Their Performance RPM Power Package is amazing- look into it at www.edelbrock.com and decide for yourself.

Any more questions?

 

[302xm]

4 bolt main 351w????
At .060 the block is at its limit and bores should be checked for thickness/wear before throwing any money at it. I would consider a better condition block
Yes you can use the stock pistons if want a motor that could blow up at any time.
Your plan and budget will cost you more in the long run.

 

[Freshmeat]

It obviously won't have stock pistons if it's .060 overbore...

I meant to say it in my last post, but forgot... I've not heard of too many 4-bolt 351Ws... are you SURE?

 

[302xm]

Stock pistons are usually cast be they std. .020 .030 .040 .060 oversize
which are fine for a stock rebuild. But with the price of hypertectic pistons
why would one bother using stock cast ones in the same sentence as NOS.
IF the engine is a 351 windsor its not stock with 4 bolt mains.

 

[tb300]

The engine was just overhauled a couple of thousand miles ago, so I believe the block is pretty solid. I haven't taken apart the rolling asemebly, so I don't really know if the pistons are stock, but I do know that 0.060 is printed on top of them. I'm also not sure if it has a 4-bolt main either (I was told it has one). This is my first build-up, and I'm just learning alot about ford V-8s. So I'm kind of weary of tearing into the internals. I'm looking for some bolt on power. So far, your sugestions have helped, but they are kind of out of my price range (the heads mostly). Is there a good set of heads that are cheap? Or any other good power combination? Thanks, again!

 

[302xm]

Where are you?
See if you can find some gt40p heads, the main issue with these heads is spark plug angle which can have clearance issues with some headers.With the right cam, carb, intake, headers, and compression ratio you should be able to make 400fwhp with these.

 

[tb300]

I'm in Indiana. I have seen these heads in some cataloge's and then there's always the good old internet.

 

[Freshmeat]

Dude- don't buy them new! They came on 1996+ Explorers. You can score them for $100, if you're lucky. You can also take some Mustang E7TE (1987-1995) heads, port them yourself (it's not that complicated), and have them machined down a little bit to boost the compression. Go junk yard digging and see what you can find.

 

[balinor]

The Edelbrock RPM cam is good as a door stop & not much else, the heads & manifold are good gear though.

 

[tb300]

If the RPM cam isn't that impressive, what cam is? What lift and duration numbers should I choose? (I still kind of confused on what they mean, also) Thanks for the info, soon I will hit the junkyards in the area and see what I can find!

 

[Freshmeat]

The Edelbrock RPM cam is fantastic if you run it with the RPM equipment- I've seen dyno charts to prove it. They design all their stuff to work together, so if you mix the RPM cam with other parts that don't flow enough or flow too much, it's all going to be out of whack.

I'd say check on CompCams and Crane Cams. If you're only looking for a little extra boost, though, I have a friend running Summit's brand cam/lifter kit in his 351W and he loves it.

 

[tb300]

I just got back from a swap meet where I bought a Edelbrock Preformer Intake. Now I am trying to decide on a carb. I think I'll stick with Edelbrock Preformer, but I'm confused on the size (cfm). I was thinking 600 or 750, but I heard 750 was too big and will waste gas. Will 600 breathe enough for the Preformer intake to achieve around 400+ hp?

 

[Freshmeat]

I have a friend running a Performer 600 on a 350hp Chevrolet 350 and he says it's more than enough, so I'd say you should be able to get what you need out of that one. Did you get the 1405 or the 1406? I think you'd be better off with the 1405- I hope that was your purchase.

 

[tb300]

I believe it's the EDL-2181, that's what's printed on the box and the bottom of the manifold. It's just the Performer, not Performer RPM. What are the 1405 or 1406?

 

[tb300]

Also, If I use a RPM cam with the regular Performer intake, will it work, or just mess stuff up? If yes, what can I do to improve the flow of the intake?

 

[Freshmeat]

I'd say just run the Performer cam- mixing and matching isn't a good idea (they design their parts to work together for a reason). There's not enough difference between the Performer and RPM cam to risk improper part matching, in my opinion. If you end up getting the Performer heads to match, you'll be rolling hardcore.

 

[tb300]

If I do decide to go with the RPM package, will I notice the difference in performance hp and tq, or should I just go with the regular performer package? I plan on making a quick weekend street/strip car. Will the idle to 5500 be enough? (I'm thinking not)

 

[Freshmeat]

Most automatic transmissions never even reach 6,000 RPM without modifications, so idle to 5,500 rpm is plenty. I think you'd do fine with the Performer package, but if you're always going to be asking yourself, "What if..." then you need to go with the RPM. In that case, go ahead with the RPM cam and upgrade the manifold and everything else as soon as you can. Somewhere on Edelbrock's site you can download an Adobe file that shows HP results with their full packages. Pretty impressive, if you ask me.

 

[302xm]

A 351w will make 400hp around the 6000rpm mark,the performer isn't your best choice . For a weekend street / strip car why would you need a manifold that works great at idle?
Heres an example
351w + .030
10.5:1 comp.
750 cfm demon carb
performer rpm dual plane manifold
stock gt40p's
comp cams extreme energy 282
1-5/8 headers
rpm Hp Torque
3000 - 206 - 352
3500 - 248 - 372
4000 - 295 - 387
4500 - 337 - 393
5000 - 373 - 392
5500 - 395 - 377
6000 - 399 - 349