When I started my 68 GT 350 for the first time this spring I had a knock in the motor. Knock went away as it warmed up with me trying to figure out where the knock was coming from. It's been diagnosed with at least three cracked piston skirts. So it's time to do something if I want to drive it. Sadly, all the engine builders I have contacted locally are booked. One told me it would be winter before he had time to get to it. Don't like that but can live with it to get my car back on the street. Doing some research on options. This is what I am thinking.
If I have to rebuild it I might as well add some HP and Torque. Be nice to have 300+ torque. Set it up for a street, low end torque motor as a weekend driver & show car.
1) My engine is a 68 Mexican block so it is NOT the original motor but what came with it when I got it in 1982 from the original owner. The prior owner told me the motor had be rebuilt. Don't know if it has been bored before. This motor is pretty much stock except for the cam, lifters, & springs. It has the infamous Ford Motorsport C90Z-6250-C hydraulic hipo cam and lifters that I bought from Ford about 1970. Love that lope of this cam and want to end up with that idle no matter what I do.
2) It's pretty hard not to consider getting a crate motor and just swapping. The 347 stroker with 400 HP and Torque Looks pretty nice. Be like having a different car. But I am concerned about buying a motor regardless of the warranty from someone 1,000+ miles from me here in MN. If I have problems I have to ship it back to the builder? Any one have experience with crate motors. I looked at what Ford offers. The Ford crate Boss 302 340HP ($7500) looks pretty good but I am not confident those heads would work with my Cobra intake and Tri-Y headers. This is another concern is finding a crate motor that drops in and allows me to use my existing parts like headers, intake and toploader. On Summit Racing's page I read about the Blue Print 347. $4600?? with a roller cam and aluminum heads. Almost too cheap. Wonder what the internals are? Built using Chinese parts was what one other builder said to me who wanted $8800 for a comparable engine. Jasper has some nice pricing and have a local shop to me in St Paul. But they don't do custom builds, off the shelf only. This whole crate motor deal is confusing for sure. Cheap is not necessarily better in this case. A local builder quoted me $9000 for a 1995 HO block 347 full of name brand parts like Edlebrock Performer heads (retails for about $1800 for the pair) & Ford E303 roller cam and lifters. forged pistons etc. All top end stuff. How can Blue print do it for half that price?
3) Then I have to deal with what to do with my existing 302. Inclined to see about just rebuilding it, adding forged pistons, new crank, aluminum heads. Is this cam too old tech to take advantage of the aluminum heads? Or the Shelby Cobra aluminum intake? Should I go with a roller cam set up in this old block and what does it take to install that?
If I go with a crate motor or roller cam I am going to have some parts I don't need.
You guys that have already done this please give me your thoughts and what you did. We all eventually end up here. I'd like to hear what you have done, how successful it was and are you happy with the results?
If I have to rebuild it I might as well add some HP and Torque. Be nice to have 300+ torque. Set it up for a street, low end torque motor as a weekend driver & show car.
1) My engine is a 68 Mexican block so it is NOT the original motor but what came with it when I got it in 1982 from the original owner. The prior owner told me the motor had be rebuilt. Don't know if it has been bored before. This motor is pretty much stock except for the cam, lifters, & springs. It has the infamous Ford Motorsport C90Z-6250-C hydraulic hipo cam and lifters that I bought from Ford about 1970. Love that lope of this cam and want to end up with that idle no matter what I do.
2) It's pretty hard not to consider getting a crate motor and just swapping. The 347 stroker with 400 HP and Torque Looks pretty nice. Be like having a different car. But I am concerned about buying a motor regardless of the warranty from someone 1,000+ miles from me here in MN. If I have problems I have to ship it back to the builder? Any one have experience with crate motors. I looked at what Ford offers. The Ford crate Boss 302 340HP ($7500) looks pretty good but I am not confident those heads would work with my Cobra intake and Tri-Y headers. This is another concern is finding a crate motor that drops in and allows me to use my existing parts like headers, intake and toploader. On Summit Racing's page I read about the Blue Print 347. $4600?? with a roller cam and aluminum heads. Almost too cheap. Wonder what the internals are? Built using Chinese parts was what one other builder said to me who wanted $8800 for a comparable engine. Jasper has some nice pricing and have a local shop to me in St Paul. But they don't do custom builds, off the shelf only. This whole crate motor deal is confusing for sure. Cheap is not necessarily better in this case. A local builder quoted me $9000 for a 1995 HO block 347 full of name brand parts like Edlebrock Performer heads (retails for about $1800 for the pair) & Ford E303 roller cam and lifters. forged pistons etc. All top end stuff. How can Blue print do it for half that price?
3) Then I have to deal with what to do with my existing 302. Inclined to see about just rebuilding it, adding forged pistons, new crank, aluminum heads. Is this cam too old tech to take advantage of the aluminum heads? Or the Shelby Cobra aluminum intake? Should I go with a roller cam set up in this old block and what does it take to install that?
If I go with a crate motor or roller cam I am going to have some parts I don't need.
You guys that have already done this please give me your thoughts and what you did. We all eventually end up here. I'd like to hear what you have done, how successful it was and are you happy with the results?