Crate Engine For 70 Fastback?

helicopter

New Member
Mar 20, 2009
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What a mess.

I restored a 70 Fastback. The car is show quality -- but not concourse. I used a Bay Area California machinist and I'm here to tell you that in the Bay Area machinists have been going out of business on a regular basis. The state of the profession is dire. Kids would rather learn how to play with software than learn the trade, but that's another story.

My motor is a 351C-4V; matching numbers to my M code FB. I used a Comp Cam 268H; brilled and studded the heads, installed roller rockers, and pretty much went high stage 1 throughout the motor. The car has a Tremec TKO 5 speed and Auborn 3.70 positraction rear. I should be happy.

The engine shakes, and it isn't a vacuum leak. At 3000 RPM there is another reseasonance vibration. I asked my machinist about how he balanced the motor. He states he subbed the balance to another machinist. THAT machinist has no record of having balanced the motor.

I want nothing to do with either of those slimeballs. But what to do? I called all over the area and there are only two machinists that seem competent and they have 3 month backlogs because of race season -- and they seem really expensive. So I'm checking crate motors.

Seems like the way to go. Bought from a reputable supplier, you get your motor without a disassembled car for some untold number of months waiting for a motor. You're under warranty, and the quality is likely to be more consistent. But where to buy and what motor?

My investigation:

e-Bay -- questionable. I found one supplier in Arizona, but after doing homework on his reputation I see the Better Business Bureau and Yelp have postings that indicate this guy has a customer service problem.

Summit/Jegs -- would be my first choice except there seems to be very thin information on their motors, and they appear to be north of $5000.

Otherwise, there are shops that advertise motors but information on them is hard to come by.

QUESTION #1: Who do you recommend?

QUESTION #2: The Cleveland motor is an installation nightmare in the 1970. From exhaust fitment to spark plug access, it is far less fun than my 302. If you wanted a quick car on pump gas what block would you pursue?

I seek the advice of this forum. These questions occupy my thought and I need your perspective!
 
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Ford long block crate motor ,you should have a Ford dealer near by that can get them .I did the 350hp Ford crate motor in a 48 ford sedan. It is a roller motor and you will need to change the oil pan ,timing cover,water pump because it is reverse flow , and get the proper balance fly wheel . You will need and Intake and dist.
 
there is a company called PAW that does good work. you can buy complete kits from them with options like balancing, choice of camshaft, etc. they have been around a long long time, and i think they sell on ebay now to increase their exposure.
 
Problem solved. This was a very complicated problem. The advice to not switch motors was good advice. I found a race engine builder and these guys were really good. They were the best in the Bay Area of California and even these guys could not pinpoint what the problem was -- but they fixed it -- through a combination of changes. They found a dead hole (30psi down in compression) adjusted the valves to bring it up to 180 with the others, recurved the distributor, changed the harmonic balancer, changed the wires, changed the carb tuning, and did something with the electrical system (leaving my horn and tach not working....) but the engine is a monster now. It pulls so hard now my mushy suspension and steering is giving me fright! I put a Tremec TKO 5 speed with a 3.70 posi in this car and it pulls so hard it's scary going into 4th because the car lacks rudder pedals and an elevator! So much for KYB shocks and all that other crap I put in there. Very sloppy suspension and steering. :nonono:

I'm about to change from a 600CFM carb to a Holley 750 CFM double pumper -- which with 4V heads on a 351C and a CompCam 292H camshaft should make the car pull even harder.

Then, I'll tackle the suspension and steering. :banana: Thanks for the suggestions, good people!
 
Problem solved. This was a very complicated problem. The advice to not switch motors was good advice. I found a race engine builder and these guys were really good. They were the best in the Bay Area of California and even these guys could not pinpoint what the problem was -- but they fixed it -- through a combination of changes. They found a dead hole (30psi down in compression) adjusted the valves to bring it up to 180 with the others, recurved the distributor, changed the harmonic balancer, changed the wires, changed the carb tuning, and did something with the electrical system (leaving my horn and tach not working....) but the engine is a monster now. It pulls so hard now my mushy suspension and steering is giving me fright! I put a Tremec TKO 5 speed with a 3.70 posi in this car and it pulls so hard it's scary going into 4th because the car lacks rudder pedals and an elevator! So much for KYB shocks and all that other crap I put in there. Very sloppy suspension and steering. :nonono:

I'm about to change from a 600CFM carb to a Holley 750 CFM double pumper -- which with 4V heads on a 351C and a CompCam 292H camshaft should make the car pull even harder.

Then, I'll tackle the suspension and steering. :banana: Thanks for the suggestions, good people!

BE AWARE THAT IF YOU FLOOR A 750 DOUBLE PUMPER FROM A STOP, IT MAY VERY WELL BOG.

IF YOU HAVE STOCK HEADS, YOU NEED A SPLIT PROFILE CAM.

INSTALLING A BIGGER CAM WILL RAISE THE ENTIRE RPM RANGE SO YOU MIGHT NEED TO INSTALL NUMERICALLY HIGHER GEARS LIKE 3.73 AND AROUND A 2600 RPM STALL CONVERTER IF YOU HAVE AN AUTO TRANS.

if your compression is less than around 9.5:1 you do not want to install the 292 cam.

you need at least an rpm type intake on there.

.
 
Helicopter, glad you got your issues fixed. Good mechanics and machine shops are hard to find these days anymore. I had a motor rebuilt only to have to do it over myself because of issues that the builder should have caught. As far as using a crate motor or another one instead of a numbers matching I think it's a good idea. You mentioned that it was not a concourse restoration so in my opinion it really doesn't matter if a replacement block is used. My thoughts here is if I blow a motor it's not the original one so no big loss, there is only one numbers matching one out there with the correct date codes etc. I too replaced a lot of the drive train but kept all the original pieces so that it could be concourse restored if I ever wanted too. Of course these are just my opinions and in the end it's your car and should do what makes you happy. Congrats on your resto, it sounds like you have a beast there.