Ford GT motor: $45K for 550hp seems overpriced

[DarkBuddha]

I was just checking out www.karkraft.com as I do occasionally and I found that they're selling new hand built Ford GT blown 5.4 modulars... you know, the one that makes 550 hp. What I can't believe is the price tag: $44,995 plus shipping, no computer or transaxle. That seems a bit pricey for 550hp, or am I just crazy?

Just thought folks might wanna take a look. http://www.karkraft.com/engines.htm

 

[Ares67Coupe]

~GAGS AND CHOKES ON FRESHLY POURED BEER~

Holy crap, I can get a super dooper custom awesome kick ass super motor built for $45,000. Dammit, I spilled my beer...

 

[reenmachine]

I still want one anyway.

 

[THX 138]

they're hand assembled and micropolished and things. The 5.7L DOHC 32V ZR1 engine use to be $30,000 in 1989 and that wasn't even supercharged. 375-405 hp NA.

 

[SadbutTrue]

well, not that its still not a relatively bad deal, but a dyno posted in the 05 mustang forum had a stock Ford GT hitting 565 rwhp... which means that 550 hp rating is about 100 under what it actually is (makes sense, if you consider an 03 cobra engine makes 425 or so hp... add .8 liters, a perfectly matched blower cam and exhaust, and then a twin screw blower...). But yeah, i could find better uses for my money...

 

[jerry S]

way over priced

I betcha a Shelby alum. block FE 427 with shelby alum heads, nice forged internals, and a blower could be built for half that price and with double the horsepower.

 

[Hack]

I betcha a Shelby alum. block FE 427 with shelby alum heads, nice forged internals, and a blower could be built for half that price and with double the horsepower.

Yes, but it wouldn't have the factory warranty and it probably wouldn't be nearly as reliable.

I think a big part of what you're paying for is the warranty. Still an awful lot of money.

 

[jerry S]

Yes, but it wouldn't have the factory warranty and it probably wouldn't be nearly as reliable.

I think a big part of what you're paying for is the warranty. Still an awful lot of money.

For the money you would save with the Shelby FE, you could pay to have it fixed and still have money in the back.

 

[GT2K]

And none of these fantasy builds would be the actual replacement for the factory GT engine if say you had to replace the factory engine in your GT

 

[Max Power]

45k is the start of an NHRA team!

 

[65fastback2+2]

well, not that its still not a relatively bad deal, but a dyno posted in the 05 mustang forum had a stock Ford GT hitting 565 rwhp... which means that 550 hp rating is about 100 under what it actually is (makes sense, if you consider an 03 cobra engine makes 425 or so hp... add .8 liters, a perfectly matched blower cam and exhaust, and then a twin screw blower...). But yeah, i could find better uses for my money...

565-550=100???? yesterday it was 15 i coulda swore

 

[reenmachine]

565-550=100???? yesterday it was 15 i coulda swore

No, in this case 565-550=100. Ford rates the GT at 550 HP at the crank, and this supposed dyno presumably shows 565 at the wheels. Factor back in the usual ~15% drivetrain losses, and you get 650 HP at the crank.

Therefore, 565-550=100!

 

[dodgestang]

565-550=100???? yesterday it was 15 i coulda swore

Motors are generally rated at the Flywheel. The dyno results were at the rear wheel meaning there was some about of parasidic loss. 565 RWHP assuming around a 15% parasidic loss would be 650-665 or so FLywheel HP 650-550 = 100

edit - beat to it

 

[1320stang]

I betcha a Shelby alum. block FE 427 with shelby alum heads, nice forged internals, and a blower could be built for half that price and with double the horsepower.

Nope. My buddy has a Shelby blocked 489 FE with a LA Enterprises billet crank, Dove high riser aluminum heads, Dove intake, T&D valvetrain, etc. in a '64 Falcon backed by a Lenco that weighs about 2500#. It's N/A and makes just south of 700HP and probably ran about $40k when built 5 years ago by Keith Craft. The car has run as fast as an 8.40 at around 165 mph.

A Procharged 400" SBF motor from Bennett will run you around $60k including the blower and make around 2000HP. Steve Petty has built a twin turbo'd SBF making around 2400HP and I think he'd sell you a copy for around $75k. These are injected motors and don't include the computer to run them either. The computer and a car built to handle all that power will run you around $100k ready to go, minus the motor/power adder. So rolling, ready to race car will be about $175k. You'll need spare trannies, heads, blower/turbos and center sections, so around another $25k, plus an enclosed trailer, dually and tools to work at the track will run about another $100k, so $300k will get you started in an Outlaw 10.5 car. Of course if you have a tendancy to crap your pants running mid 6's at over 200 mph on a slick that's about 12.5" wide, you might want to wear Depends as well.

 

[SadbutTrue]

565-550=100???? yesterday it was 15 i coulda swore

yo check out this math...

565 rwhp = 650 crank hp

650-550(rated) = 100


And you're not just paying for the power, or even the warranty. You're paying to be able to say you've got a freaking Ford GT engine in your car. And to a lot of people, thats worth a lot of money.

edit: I should read a thread before defending my claims lol.

 

[reenmachine]

edit: I should read a thread before defending my claims lol.

Yeah, we had ya covered!

 

[jerry S]

Nope. My buddy has a Shelby blocked 489 FE with a LA Enterprises billet crank, Dove high riser aluminum heads, Dove intake, T&D valvetrain, etc. in a '64 Falcon backed by a Lenco that weighs about 2500#. It's N/A and makes just south of 700HP and probably ran about $40k when built 5 years ago by Keith Craft. The car has run as fast as an 8.40 at around 165 mph.

A Procharged 400" SBF motor from Bennett will run you around $60k including the blower and make around 2000HP. Steve Petty has built a twin turbo'd SBF making around 2400HP and I think he'd sell you a copy for around $75k. These are injected motors and don't include the computer to run them either. The computer and a car built to handle all that power will run you around $100k ready to go, minus the motor/power adder. So rolling, ready to race car will be about $175k. You'll need spare trannies, heads, blower/turbos and center sections, so around another $25k, plus an enclosed trailer, dually and tools to work at the track will run about another $100k, so $300k will get you started in an Outlaw 10.5 car. Of course if you have a tendancy to crap your pants running mid 6's at over 200 mph on a slick that's about 12.5" wide, you might want to wear Depends as well.

Sir:

I stand corrected. I also stand before all stangers, like King Henry before Pope Gregory VII in Canossa, and seek forgiveness for brandishing my ignorance like a blunt instrument.

 

[blue66tang]

Im sure we could all home build a sbf with more power than 550 and still have enough money to buy a nice strong tranny and rear. But then again it would probobly rip our cars in half, but it would be fun.

 

[1320stang]

Sir:

I stand corrected. I also stand before all stangers, like King Henry before Pope Gregory VII in Canossa, and seek forgiveness for brandishing my ignorance like a blunt instrument.

Not that big of deal. Billy Glidden is making about 919 HP N/A on his best motor. Yes, that is with no spray, but built as a nitrous motor. I'm sure that's around $50k for one of his motors as well, but it may be cheaper, I've just heard about him telling people that ask him to build them a motor to show him $50k and then they'll talk. He's not trying to be an a$$, but to weed out the posers. Maybe closer to $40k, I think one of his Hot Street N/A motors runs $30k-35k.

 

[6Stang7]

I really want to see a Kenny Bell twin screw slapped on that motor. After seeing the 2.2L on a 4.6L go from -5psi to 20psi almost instantaneously, I'm in love with them.