So, inflation's a b@#$^, but car part inflation's even worse!

[FastDriver]

What's up with engine prices, lately? I'm so glad I bought a Dart Iron Eagle back in the day... Wow. I saw this today and cannot get over how much they're asking for. What in the world is going on?

I bought a 302 c.i. 8.2" deck SBF "Iron Eagle" block back in the day for my 331 Turbo car back in 2006 for $2,400:

According to a CPI inflation calculator, it should cost ~ $3,700, now.

But in actuality, I just happened across Dart's website, today:

There's even a "Pro" version of the Iron Eagle that costs more. I didn't know there was a realistic HP limit on the Iron Eagle blocks. I guess the top-fuel fox-body guys need something that can contain nuclear fusion in the cylinders. I also notice that these are "Gen 2". Wonder what improvements they've made, but regardless, I can't imagine that justifies the 50%+ cost of these blocks, now, even after adjustment for inflation.

I've thought about building a spare motor to have on a stand ready to go for if/when my turbo cars need an engine work. Would be nice to keep 'em on the road. Looks like I'm gonna have to do it with a stock block. I'm not paying this much for a bare block.

 

[TOOLOW91]

I paid around the same for my shp in 2014 so crazy

 

[Noobz347]

When I bought my Dart Sportsman, it was $1300 for the bare, unmachined block. It was the same price as a World Class T5 at the time. It's why I said, "How could I not?".

 

[bird_dog0347]

It's stuff like this that makes the Coyote swap seem more reasonably priced.

 

[caliber92]

Wow the price doubled!

 

[Mustang5L5]

It's stuff like this that makes the Coyote swap seem more reasonably priced.

Yup. I'd love to get a 347 bottom end for my combo, but at these price points I might as well sell off my windsor parts and just go coyote.

 

[FastDriver]

I still wouldn't go Coyote in a fox, even if the financial calculus favored them. So, I admit my bias. That said, is there anything wrong with the M-6010-BOSS 302 blocks? They're only $3k. I guess the competition would be against the $3.7k Dart SHP, or better yet, the $3,400 World Products Man o' War.

The other route would be to find a used aftermarket block on the marketplace. Here are the blocks I remember that can handle significant power. Of them, I believe the Dart Iron Eagle is the best of the best, but if you're open to anything, I'd imagine you can find a pretty good deal on one. Gonna try to go in order of superiority, based on my gut. Open to feedback...

Do we already have a thread that does a run down on all the aftermarket blocks with specs, how to identify, and Pros/Cons? Might be useful, at some point.

2k+ HP category:
- Dart Iron Eagle (4-bolt mains on all 5)
- World Products Man o' War (my understanding is neck-and-neck with Dart IE)

1k+ HP category:
- Dart Sportsman (4-bolt mains on middle 3. No problems making 12-1500 hp)
- SHP (Dart rated at 600hp. WTF? Still put here, because plenty of data out there with people making a LOT more. I thought near same as Sportsman)
- New Ford M-6010-BOSS Block (Short piston skirts may have trouble at 3.4"+ stroke, but apparently better cooling than R302. 1/2" 4-bolt middle-3 mains)
- SVO R302 (Siamese blocks, like the Darts & WP blocks. 7/16" 4-bolt middle-3 mains)
- A4 (non-siamese - limited bore size... Do the research beyond 4.060)

Sub 1k category:
- Original Boss (much thicker main webbing & 4-bolt mains. Rare, expensive, & unless restoring a Boss 302, fuhgettaboutit!)
- 60's 302 (2-bolt, thicker main webbing, 28 oz... right?)
- Mexican 302s (thicker main webbing, maybe not as much as the 60s)
- Stock/FRPP Sportsman blocks (50oz, generally accepted longevity at 500rwhp and 6,500 RPM or less)

 

[Bullitt347]

For me to duplicate my build would easily cost 2.5 times as much as when it was originally built in 2014.
The long block cost $25K at that time.
The Billet Specialties 15X10 double bead lock wheels cost $750 each in 2014. Today they are $1,900 each.
And on and on.

 

[FastDriver]

I still have my old build excel budget tracker from 2006. I would have been too embarrassed back then to post, as it was very expensive to a 1LT making like $45k/yr. Fortunately, I wasn't spending anything from '07-'08 because I was in Iraq. Might have to break it out, now. I can tell you this, I wanted to go with CP pistons in Grover's 363, last year. In '06, I paid $990 for 10 (see invoice above), but they wanted too much for me, this time. Ended up with Ross. Still think I paid close to $2k... maybe it was $1700 or something. I can't remember what CP wanted. I'm thinking it was close to $4k.

 

[dragstart]

You remember this when the Leader of this Country tells you " things are just fine".....

That's a huge part of the problem. Things are better than "just fine". Inflation is a byproduct of too much prosperity. Greed plays a part also, but prosperity has to come first. Sellers will charge what the market will bear. If you can't afford a Dart block there are options. Get a better job, or run a stock block.

 

[Trogdor]

For $6k I could LS swap mine and run 10s!

 

[Noobz347]

I am about to drop kick this entire thread into the nether world.

That's all I'm going to say about it before it disappears.

I have an off-topic section to house this stuff if you want to go down this road. This section is about Mustangs.

One might discover [other] forums exist on this site if their accounts mature enough to see them while others avoid those sections of the forum in order to [not] have these discussions in a car forum.

 

[Noobz347]

And yes... That last one is [my] run-on sentence, if you don't like it you can make your own.

 

[FastDriver]

Well, it was supposed to be about engine blocks or perhaps other car part prices. lol. Drop kick away, though. There's nothing particularly useful, here.

 

[Noobz347]

It started out good enough tho... I was just talking with a certain Mustang forum owner about some parts he needed to get rid of. You should see some of those parts coming to the classifieds sections soon.

The trouble there is that shipping has gone sky too. I mean... You discover a nearly new FMS aluminum driveshaft lying around and pretty much stuck with [local pickup] if it's made out of the kinds of materials you [want] in your parts. lol

 

[Noobz347]

Well, it was supposed to be about engine blocks or perhaps other car part prices. lol. Drop kick away, though. There's nothing particularly useful, here.

...and in other news:

If you want to carry-on with this discussion, I believe that you are one of the few that can move this thread to wherever you want.

 

[FastDriver]

My ex-mod pension plan has some nice benefits! Let's see where it goes. IF it stays political, I'll move it to off-topic.

 

[dragstart]

I am about to drop kick this entire thread into the nether world.

That's all I'm going to say about it before it disappears.

I have an off-topic section to house this stuff if you want to go down this road. This section is about Mustangs.

One might discover [other] forums exist on this site if their accounts mature enough to see them while others avoid those sections of the forum in order to [not] have these discussions in a car forum.

Sorry. I will own my responsibility for allowing myself to get sideways on this one. But the original post was not just about 'compare one block to another to see which one may work better in a Mustang'. It lent itself to a different discussion than just that. Over and out.

 

[Noobz347]

happens

 

[FastDriver]

No worries. I went there with ya. Let's just steer back to car parts. All is good. Will flex my ex-mod muscles for the first time in probably years, and clean up the political posts, including my own.