331, 347, or 408?

408!!! That way you can be my ginnie pig!!! LOL!! Im am doing a 408 for sure!

You will not be able to reuse the intake.

A 408 uses a completely different block, rotating assembly, intake, distributor, and a couple other variants.

A 408 will easily out power a 331 or 347.

The cheaper route will be stroking your existing engine.

If you would like to know some of the differences between these engines and function, just click on the link in my signature.

Well, you can't use the lower intake, but you can use the upper. You'll need to pick up a 351 lower (link to Edelbrock lower). Professional Products sells a 351 lower (part numbers 54126 for the polished or 54127 for the satin) for their Typhoon intakes as well, so that would be a less expensive option than the Edelbrock lower, and would work just fine with the upper you already have.

a 408 with a 88mm turbo would be plain sick (just a thought)

I'd get a different intake....302 parts will make 302 power....just more torque

making the jump to a 351 based combo opens up a much higher power band, but it is not nearly as straightforward as sticking with a 302 based engine.

even a mild 408 combo like can spin the tires so easily that you will be nervous driving on wet streets ... at least i am ...

build an agressive 408 and you will probably have enough power to keep you happy for a while

cbarr300 said:

302 parts will make 302 power....

Click to expand...

Not true

Install your typical Trickflow 170cc heads, Track Heat intake, Stage 1 camshaft with supporting modifications on a 302 bottomend.

Let us say, you make 295 rwhp.

Now, take the same top-end, add 45 more cubic inches, and a camshaft that has valve timing indicative of the new crank/rod/piston positions and you could see a 70-80 rwhp gain.

So do 302 parts make 302 power? I would say a 375 rwhp vehicle is not a typical 302 powered car.

Same intake and heads, just a camshaft tailored to the different geometry of the added displacement.

Even take the same camshaft, and you will see a large gain throughout the powerband.

On another note, take these more drag-oriented 302s with high compression, vacuum pumps, race gas, that are hitting 400 rwhp. Install these same parts, but add 45 more cubic inches. Do you think it is still going to make 302 power?

I think you need to consider how much power you want to make before you choose which engine you want to build.

I am not real familiar with 351W stuff, but with 302 based engines you have to remember that the blocks will only hold so much power.

If you're looking to make big power out of a 347 odd are you'll need a aftermarket block to support that power. While you're likely going to be able to make the same kind of power from a 408 as the 347 without having to spend the extra money one a new block.

Also consider the what the extra power from the 347 and 408 are going to do to the rest of your car. Aftermarket transmissions, clutches and rear end parts will be need.

If you are planning over 500 hp, I would go to the 351 b-

Just me-
if you are staying under this-keep it simple and use what you have.

You don't have to just look at HP... I don't give a rip what my HP shows. I just want it to to scoot down the 1/4 mile and be drivable on the street. So I went 331.... and a blower is in the future thoughts.

good point 5 spd...maybe I should have said..."lesser flowing parts will make less power than greater flowing parts.

I'm sure that the larger engine would flow better with an intake meant to flow more air. I'd think that intake would be a restriction at upper rpms as compared to say...one of those chp spyder pieces, no?

I'm still fairly new at engines and the like....so maybe you can enlighten me?

Also, it's like you said...if you had a cam tailored for that intake and whichever heads he's using...it'd still put out a good bit more power....but more can always be had.

thanks for catching that

cbarr300 said:

good point 5 spd...maybe I should have said..."lesser flowing parts will make less power than greater flowing parts.

I'm sure that the larger engine would flow better with an intake meant to flow more air. I'd think that intake would be a restriction at upper rpms as compared to say...one of those chp spyder pieces, no?

I'm still fairly new at engines and the like....so maybe you can enlighten me?

Also, it's like you said...if you had a cam tailored for that intake and whichever heads he's using...it'd still put out a good bit more power....but more can always be had.

thanks for catching that

Click to expand...

Sounds like you got a good grasp of it

I do what I can...

you just have to catch the slip-ups sometimes lol

Yeah sometimes 302 parts can make good power with the right cam.

Yeah I mean look at our NMRA P/S engines: There only 310 inch, have a camshaft under .500 of lift, a dual plane carb intake, and a set of 180 cc heads and they only make 425 horse..................................................................to the tires!!!!

It all comes down to money in the end how fast you wanna go depends on how fast you want to spend!

Im in the same boat.

Im stuck between the three.

Ahh well.... This is not a flame to anyone here including P.R. cus I think hes an experienced dude but sheesh...I love these uys that come up to me and when I say I have a 414c.i. and tell me their cousins uncles bro runs a mitsubishi 4 cyl with more powe rthan my 408 like 1100HP or something ridiculous. Most people on these threads don't have that kind of money.. OR want to spend that kind of $$ to make a n.a. xxx (small c.i.) with 400+RWHP. So in my o' tht is way another topic..

NOT to mention most folks don't realize that it still won't have anywhere near the TQ of the 408, 410, whatever.., OR be street friendly...heck I didn't know what street friendly meant until recently..but they will find out after they spend all that money and are disappointed.

So anyone can shout out HP but does zZsKyZ want to spend 2-3 X the amount of money in a 302 or hell a 4 banger .or hell a LAWN mower to say is car is as powerful as a 408..probably not.

Apples to apples the c.i. always wins. hmm... he could build that new 358c.i. from nascar rated @850HP na....but he would probably want to only keep the car for 800 miles..cuz that's all the car is rated for b4 the engine is suceptible to BLOWING itself apart. It revvs out to 9500 RPM and has like ZERO power until 6k rpm. Not street fun.

I am not telling you experts anything you don't know..I just wanted to bring the dreamers back down to reality and make sure they know what is involved in making radical combos..and the disappointments.

Sorry! Back to our regularly sched program!!

p.s. A perfect example is that 4 cammer 5.0 engine. Who in their right mind is going to spend $15,000 + on an engine when you can get the SAME or BETTER power with $5k on a turbo 302 or n.a. 408 forged!! BTW I could be missing something here .. but I don't think so.

"High-tech horsepower and torque from Ford Racing.
These Ford Racing 5.0L Cammer modular crate engines are upgraded variants of the 4.6L DOHC 4-valve Mustang Cobra engines with numerous changes for improved power and durability. These engines are completely electronically managed. As part of the Cammer crate engine program, a stand-alone harness and engine management computer will be available separately. This will allow the engine to be used for many applications. With proper headers and low-restriction air intake and vehicle exhaust systems, these engines are capable of exceeding 400 bhp and have a very broad torque curve, peaking at over 365 ft.-lbs. These assemblies are basically a complete package of all the high performance, modular, DOHC, 4-valve components being offered in the Ford Racing Performance parts catalog. These parts are currently in use as the core for a number of widely varying race engine applications. Modular 4.6L and 5.0L DOHC 4-valve engines have been successfully used in drag racing, circle track, and road racing."

Yeah, power=money.

/thread.

I know a 408 can make 400hp eaiser than say a 331, but what fun is that?

Lets say, what would it take to make a 331/347 make 400-450wrhp. Streetable. Yes under 6krpms.

Now vs a 408, same hp.

Make sure to add price on everything.

And lets see the total money spent.

i'll go 331, with the price of gas going up every day I would not want to drive a 408 around every day.
331 afr 185 heads, holley intake and aaaaall the supporting hardware should be a fun streetable car and still keep your car in one piece .
most people don't realize that when you have a car with say more then 400rwhp, your going to have to spend a lot more $$$$ to be able to deal with that kind of power....
just my opinion