Ford Racing Z2363 Crate Engine Build

Habu135 · Dec 12, 2021

I'm researching a replacement engine for my tired stock block and have settled on Ford Racing's "Z2363" crate engine. I suspect a solid 440 rwhp from this combo and will be adding my existing Trick Flow "Streetburner" (idle-5,500 rpm) intake. I will almost certainly have the intake extrude honed for some additional flow. Has anyone had dealings or heard anything about this crate engine? I like that it comes already assembled, has a warranty and that I can reuse the stock accessories and retain the stock height hood. The car will be street driven 95% of the time.

363 CUBIC INCH 507 HP BOSS CRATE ENGINE-Z2 HEADS-FRONT SUMP PAN

363 CUBIC INCH 507 HP BOSS CRATE ENGINE-Z2 HEADS-FRONT SUMP PAN|Ford Performance Parts

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TOOLOW91 · Dec 12, 2021

I think you’ll love the 363 . You’re not going to have any issue there .

As far as the intake I think even ported it’s a little small for that combo but it will do what you need it to. I’m a fan of a systemax2 or a trick flow r for that setup . The r over the systemax because the systemax lower has small 1250 ports until you open it up. The r would be a bolt and go

OldManRiver · Dec 12, 2021

It sure is nice but........for that money you could do a COMPLETE 'Yoty swap,but If that's not your thing at least compare some options from FordStrokers.

Habu135 · Dec 12, 2021

OldManRiver said:
It sure is nice but........for that money you could do a COMPLETE 'Yoty swap,but If that's not your thing at least compare some options from FordStrokers.

That crate engine is approximately $10k. I don't believe I can do a complete Gen 2 or 3 Coyote swap for $10k.

Habu135 · Dec 12, 2021

TOOLOW91 said:
I think you’ll love the 363 . You’re not going to have any issue there .

As far as the intake I think even ported it’s a little small for that combo but it will do what you need it to. I’m a fan of a systemax2 or a trick flow r for that setup . The r over the systemax because the systemax lower has small 1250 ports until you open it up. The r would be a bolt and go

I agree. My concern is if I go with a Trick Flow Track Heat or Box R that it will be a dog under 3k rpm. And as it all be street driven I'll want good off idle driveability.

KRUISR · Dec 12, 2021

507 HP at 6500 rpm is not what I would call street engine (unless you are doing high speed races on the interstate). Based on some of the specs I could find on the combination, and plugging them into a dyno sim program (I came up with 502hp @ 6500, 461 lb ft @5000) I would bet off idle power is not much higher than stock.

I understand it is a sim program and they are not know to be perfectly accurate, but it is likely in the ballpark.

Same program, stock 5.0 specs

Take it for what you want.

Bullitt347 · Dec 12, 2021

459HP at 8k rpm on the crate 363...
That program is skewed to say the least. The valve springs on those heads will not go 8K.
Off idle power is going to be a lot better with the 363. That is the beauty of a 3.4" stroke over the 3" stroke.
The printouts shown show 80 lb/ft more torque at 2K rpm for the 363, which is basically off idle.

KRUISR · Dec 12, 2021

Bullitt347 said:
459HP at 8k rpm on the crate 363...
That program is skewed to say the least. The valve springs on those heads will not go 8K.

Yes the program doesn't know what you actually rev the engine to. It is a calculation that assumes you can rev every engine to 12k. If you think about it, the actual engine becomes limited by the parts in it. The program assumes it can rev higher without those limits. Valve springs limited to 6500 or 7000 or 8000 rpm do not change what the engine can produce from 2000-5000. So ignore the numbers higher than you will likely use.

Remember it is a simulation and obviously has errors.

Hey here is another option, change the valve springs to some that can handle 8k and 459 is probably close to what you get.

Habu135 · Dec 12, 2021

I appreciate any information you guys want to throw at me as it tends to generate discussion topics in areas I wouldn't have considered. The intake is an area I'm still trying to decide on. I realize I'll need 1 7/8" headers, although I'm still researching a good brand. I'll be able to swap most of my accessories over. Will go with an Anderson power pipe, but still researching what size (80, 85, or 90mm) throttle body.

96pushrod · Dec 12, 2021

Habu135 said:
I agree. My concern is if I go with a Trick Flow Track Heat or Box R that it will be a dog under 3k rpm. And as it all be street driven I'll want good off idle driveability.

The box r is definitely not a dog at low engine speeds, especially on a 363. I think you’d be surprised how good it is down low.

Habu135 · Dec 12, 2021

TOOLOW91 said:
I think you’ll love the 363 . You’re not going to have any issue there .

As far as the intake I think even ported it’s a little small for that combo but it will do what you need it to. I’m a fan of a systemax2 or a trick flow r for that setup . The r over the systemax because the systemax lower has small 1250 ports until you open it up. The r would be a bolt and goA

96pushrod said:
The box r is definitely not a dog at low engine speeds, especially on a 363. I think you’d be surprised how good it is down low.

Are you referring to the R -Series or the box style oval shaped R intake? I believe the larger intakes have a 90mm opening.

I'll also be going with a T-56. So no worries about blowing the trans and with a 2.97 first gear and 3.73 in the rear I'll be above 2,000 rpm very quickly.

96pushrod · Dec 12, 2021

Habu135 said:
Are you referring to the R -Series or the box style oval shaped R intake? I believe the larger intakes have a 90mm opening.

I'll also be going with a T-56. So no worries about blowing the trans and with a 2.97 first gear and 3.73 in the rear I'll be above 2,000 rpm very quickly.

The box r is probably out for you due to wanting to retain a stock hood. It’s a great intake, and I like running it, and my car sees street 99% of the time. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else mentioned.

The non-box r wouldn’t be my choice of intake if the box was out of the equation. I’d honestly rather have a ported Vic jr efi setup over the regular r intake, or a heavily worked systemax.

Off idle drivability will be good regardless, as long as it’s tuned properly. A 363 ci engine with the cam that engine comes will drive perfectly fine, especially with 3.73+ gears.

I’ve never understood people’s infatuation with really caring how much power something makes under 3000rpm anyways though. Like they’re going to stab the throttle at 2500rpm in 5th gear and expect to have a good time without downshifting.

Habu135 · Dec 12, 2021

96pushrod said:
The box r is probably out for you due to wanting to retain a stock hood. It’s a great intake, and I like running it, and my car sees street 99% of the time. I wouldn’t trade it for anything else mentioned.

The non-box r wouldn’t be my choice of intake if the box was out of the equation. I’d honestly rather have a ported Vic jr efi setup over the regular r intake, or a heavily worked systemax.

Off idle drivability will be good regardless, as long as it’s tuned properly. A 363 ci engine with the cam that engine comes will drive perfectly fine, especially with 3.73+ gears.

I’ve never understood people’s infatuation with really caring how much power something makes under 3000rpm anyways though. Like they’re going to stab the throttle at 2500rpm in 5th gear and expect to have a good time without

What about the Series R? Seems like a good compromise between the smaller Track Heat, the mid level Street Burner and high rpm running Box R style intake.

TOOLOW91 · Dec 12, 2021

Habu135 said:
Are you referring to the R -Series or the box style oval shaped R intake? I believe the larger intakes have a 90mm opening.

I'll also be going with a T-56. So no worries about blowing the trans and with a 2.97 first gear and 3.73 in the rear I'll be above 2,000 rpm very quickly.

R series. Not the box R

I have a 90 on my car and drive it everywhere and barely noticed a difference from the 70 mm in drivability. In fact it’s more responsive .

The track heat is a glorified street burner I wouldn’t waste money on it

Habu135 · Dec 12, 2021

Thanks. I'm beginning to develop a picture here of what parts I need to include a Denso 280-5103 starter. What sized throttle body would you recommend for this 363 + R-Series with the 90mm opening?

I believe the Ford Racing has tall valve covers. Will the R-Series clear the valve covers?

96pushrod · Dec 13, 2021

Habu135 said:
Thanks. I'm beginning to develop a picture here of what parts I need to include a Denso 280-5103 starter. What sized throttle body would you recommend for this 363 + R-Series with the 90mm opening?

I believe the Ford Racing has tall valve covers. Will the R-Series clear the valve covers?

Accufab 90mm. It’ll probably be the last tb you’ll buy.

You might have issues with things like the fpr hitting the intake, and maybe the throttle bracket hitting the valve covers. These are kind of things you just have to deal with and overcome with this stuff.

ThinBlue502 · Dec 14, 2021

Habu135 said:
That crate engine is approximately $10k. I don't believe I can do a complete Gen 2 or 3 Coyote swap for $10k.

Prices have come down on the actual motors. In all honesty, my calculations for a swap with full accessories is around $13K. I ran some rough numbers a few weeks ago. Just food for thought.

Habu135 · Dec 14, 2021

I suspect you're about right. I just did a quick search myself.

The advantage of a Coyote Gen 3 over the Z2363 is what a higher revving motor and a little more room to grow into mod/hp wise? I'm thinking 450-460 RWH is good for the streets on normal street tires and anything above that will need drag radials or more drag focused suspension. I want to keep the car N/A and am leaning toward the Z2363 engine for uniqueness. I'll be backing it up with a T-56.

Habu135 · Dec 14, 2021

Who makes good 1 7/8" long tubes? The only place I can find that looks well built is Kooks and I'll have to do the research to see if they fit the Z2363's heads.

Kooks Headers | Kooks Headers & Exhaust

Purchase your high-performance headers, performance headers, and exhaust headers from Kooks today.

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revhead347 · Dec 14, 2021

Habu135 said:
I suspect you're about right. I just did a quick search myself.

The advantage of a Coyote Gen 3 over the Z2363 is what a higher revving motor and a little more room to grow into mod/hp wise? I'm thinking 450-460 RWH is good for the streets on normal street tires and anything above that will need drag radials or more drag focused suspension. I want to keep the car N/A and am leaning toward the Z2363 engine for uniqueness. I'll be backing it up with a T-56.

I'm a huge fan of Coyote swap. The comparible cost completely over looks the value of your time though. A Coyote swap takes real time, where a crate motor is a drop in with a far lower time investment. Some people make cost suggestions without the understanding of how much free time different people have. Congrats on choosing a crate engine; I have lost many hours of my life coordinating with machine shops, and getting parts where they need to go. There is a lot to be said for swiping your card, and the complete engine shows up truck freight days later. I also have grown to like the Ford parts too. There are better heads out there, but nothing seems to fit and work as well as the parts that Ford makes.

I would consider swapping those valve covers for the Trick Flow valve covers. Unfortunately, Ford is still too focused on old hot rods with carbs, and doesn't offer a low profile valve cover. The Trick Flow ones are designed to work with a fuel injected engine, and will be without a doubt the best step towards getting more clearance for your stock hood. It was the best investment in clearance I ever made. You can also put a real filler neck on it.

I would also look at the BBK headers over the Kooks. I doubt there will be much performance difference between the 1 7/8" over the 1 3/4", and the BBKs fit so much better, and less than half the cost.

Kurt

Ford Racing Z2363 Crate Engine Build

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