no I'm not saying that at all, its just the stance you take in every thread involving a pushrod motor or anything that's not ford that matter. you repeatedly state your preference for the mod motors.
Yes, I generally prefer the smooth idle and seamless efficiency of a Modular mill, but my preference usually gravitates to the entire car said engine is wrapped in, not to the engine alone. Mod motor cars still utilizing the Fox4 chassis also come with some major updates in
suspension, brakes, chassis and interior design. The ones utilizing the S197 are light years ahead even further still. If they still sported an updated version of the 5.0L or 5.8L I’d still like them better than the original Fox. Subjections of the looks aside, it’s the entire car itself that bodes superiority, not necessarily the power plant in question.
In any case, I don't discount the thought of a good pushrod engine. If it were my money, and the goals stated initially were mine, I would have gone with a stroked 351, with aluminum heads to offset the weight difference between the two engines, then added an aftermarket K-member and A-arms to lighten the whole deal up front. He would easily be able to eclipse the 400rwhp mark without completely killing the bank (although he'd still be over his initial 10K goal with
suspension components and car cost included in the deal) or straining the engine.
Aside from hatred for bowtie parts in a Ford car, I wouldn't think he'd save any money at all going that route. He'd first and foremost need to buy and engine. Sure, there are deals to be had on used LS1's, but if we're throwing used parts into the mix, why not suggest a used 331, 347 or 351 based stroker as well? There are plenty of them in the classifieds? With the LS1, he's still responsible for the induction and ignition system as well as customizing an exhaust system to work as well. A custom K-member is going to be a necessity and he's still responsible for a transmission. And all this and we haven’t even started to modify the power output of the engine yet. I wouldn’t suggest a Modular engine either, since it’ll do nothing to keep the weight down in the front end and would be an absolute wiring nightmare for a novice. Not to mention pushing one into the 400rwhp range in N/A form isn’t going to be easy and it certainly wouldn’t be cheap! I’ve learned over the years that sticking as close to the original platform in question is always going to pose the least amount of expense or trouble should small issues arise. It’s the little odds and ends with these "custom" set ups that kills you, not necessarily the main components themselves.
http://forums.stangnet.com/783625-project-dedicated-service.html im at around 12k so far, but i also included those number with the dart 347 i have in the works
