Shortblock for ~550 rwhp, 302 or 351 based?

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thanks for your thoughts guys. i have battled this same scenario in my head many times too, not overbuilding the car. this is why i wanted to cap it at 500-550 rwhp roughly.

i think i could have a strong block 331 that is still reliable with fairly low levels of boost. :shrug: i am just throwing in a tremec for now and going to take care of some other details i want to do. interior stuff, finish my gauges, details i dont want to overlook.

i keep an eye out daily for all of these things, so it's likely going to boil down to one of them for cheap i think.
 
i have a 1994 v6 3.8l mustang i just recived a t-bird supercoupe block and heads....NO BLOWER...i need to know will i be making stock horsepower(140) with the supercoupe block and heads..scince i dont have a blower or will the supercoupe block and heads give me a increses in HP..or should i keep my mustang block


JUST TO LEY YOU KNOW I WORK AT NIGHT SO THOES ARE KINDA MY PEAK HOURS KNO WHAT I MEAN
 
do you think anyone would pay any $$ for my shortblock? How would i even do this just yank it out and put it on a skid ?? I honestly have probably driven the car 800 miles since I put everything on it. It works perfect now, that why I dont dare touch it !!

The 408 N/A has always been my "idea" of a sweet power
 
Maybe. I don't know anything about your internals, etc... I think the best idea is to enjoy what you've got while you build your dream 408. While you're building it, you can advertise the engine, and see what other people are selling theirs for. The advantage in this is that you'd be able to demonstrate that it runs and drives on that shortblock. You planning on reusing your heads/cam/intake on the 408? If not, breaking it up still might be the best idea.
 
well i have probably 7-8 in it probably get 4,500 or am I dreaming it has no miles but i can not prove that you know...

well I will have to find some avenue

If you really get some crazy idea of doing a cobra conversion, i made this a while back on mod fords, so that i could just link all the pms i get so as to not write it over and over.

Parts list and how to's termi fox swap.
Since you already have a fuel system, that knocks off a chunk of change, for the total, i'd say it could be done in today's market for 8 grand without buying a fuel system and savvy shopping.
 
Why would he do that when he's already got a running boost-friendly engine. Not knocking the idea, but it seems awfully expensive for an essentially inferior engine. Cobra blocks are stout, but a Dart block with a forged rotating assembly is even more so.
 
Why would he do that when he's already got a running boost-friendly engine. Not knocking the idea, but it seems awfully expensive for an essentially inferior engine. Cobra blocks are stout, but a Dart block with a forged rotating assembly is even more so.
Not suggesting he do it.
He already has been pondering the idea, and i'd like him to know what he's getting into.
 
Why would he do that when he's already got a running boost-friendly engine. Not knocking the idea, but it seems awfully expensive for an essentially inferior engine. Cobra blocks are stout, but a Dart block with a forged rotating assembly is even more so.

I just dont like the idea of my setup anymore, been thinking of getting a KB setup?

the YSI is great for making power but im not drag racer Dont even want to be one anymore. I will do something Im sure ill sell off the YSI and go from there.
The dart block is heavy and expensive built for 1k hp. so why would I run 500 w/ a SC when i can build a N/A 408 using my top end VIC. JR's and 12.1 compression. I already have a huge fuel system and E85 is everywhere around here.

thanks for all the suggestions, didnt mean to steal the thread. but maybe you see that if your into mustangs, one combo will not making you happy for the rest of your life.

thats another reason why mustangs are like women
 
I have thought about the same but I am too deep into mine to change it.

Dart IE
Viper T56
Weldon fuel

Motor is built to handle a ton of power so if I removed the turbo set up it at best would be 440ish rwhp...


Ugh.
 
I just dont like the idea of my setup anymore, been thinking of getting a KB setup?
thats another reason why mustangs are like women

Forget the KB, it's not very good on a pushrod engine without the proper intercooling or flow capacity. Your present longblock will probably outflow a KB anyway, you will only get max a couple lbs of boost. Imagine getting a kb and only seeing 4lbs when you are used to 20? lol.
The pushrod version of the SC is nothing like the modular version.

And while we hijacked 281's post, may not all is lost, he's getting a little education on what can happen when you take things too far.

I used to be about the vanity of owning something powerful, ya bragging is cool, but having something fun you can drive anytime you want without worry is cooler.
 
2000xp8, its kinda funny you say ill see where taking it too far goes. i was talking to a friend of mine about this very exact statement yesterday. i did it with my quads, and thats why i dont have quads anymore.

my car needs to stay something that i can drive with relative confidence in reliability and fun. so going above "x" is going to start causing me to lose interest rapidly. i knew this ahead of time, kinda why the last several months and tons of cash went to; paint, rear end built, transmission, instead of just going after power.

i'm going to keep running my 302 stock bottom end. if it's fun and lasts at 440 right now, i'll just build another fresh 302 and save it for a rainy day. probably add a custom cam and freshen my heads. maybe get a little bit more efficiency out of it too. :shrug:

running 11s and getting 24+ mpg with driveability is not something to be unsatisfied with for me.. i gotta realize that :rolleyes:
 
Wow, this thread has me second guessing myself now! I knew I was going to be laid off again this winter so I bought an 87 gt this last fall to give me something to do this winter. So far I have bought all this to build a 418 stroker when I was just building something to just play around with: c-9 block, a set of c-3 yates heads with matching intake, eagle forged crank and rods, diamond 36 dish pistons, jesel roller rockers, Isky 714" roller cam and I'm not even close to being done. The engine is at the machine shop now. I'm wanting to go with a c-4 trans, but the way funds are looking, the T-5 is staying for awhile. It has an 8.8 with 4.10's. With pushing around 700 horse and the T-5 do you guys think it will still be streetable?