how much power?

NIN

New Member
Dec 4, 2002
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moorhead MN
How much power can a stock block handle? I plan to have to slap on a intercooled procharger. I already have heads and intake so I don't think that I could put alot of boost in there.
 
You'd be safe with 8-10 lbs of boost on a stock block, maybe more. I've got a stock block and I'm running 8 lbs from a Kenne Bell and haven't had any problems other than a blown head gasket, which was ready to go anyway. If you've put new heads on it, that shouldn't be a problem. You should expect to see somewhere in the neighborhood of 400 rwhp.
 
of course you can always make more RWHP with an equal strain by going with a turbo.

becaus ethe turbo is not creating any parasitic drag to run the blower belt. It also doesnt put the sideways stress on the crank like a centrifugul blower does.

Its usually the crank taht shatters in half, of course the blocks can always split down the middle in the lifter valley. but alot of times this is in the case of the balancer getting thrown.
 
My friend Chris has a turbo 91 LX ( HP 60MM turbo) Heads, cam, Intake, exc exc... He just pulled 501 RWHP 567 RWTQ w/ an 8.5 A/F Ratio :shock: . Theres still alot of power in there. This was at 11 PSI and on a block w/ almost 100,000 on it. Its all in how the tune of the car is. You can ruin your motor w/ 300 HP if its not tuned right. The stock block will support 500 RWHP but its just a matter of how long and how hard the car is driven. If its a weekend warrior summer car only w/ a good tune then your prob set for along time. If its an every day track car or driven hard on a daily basis and your using that 500 HP often then the block is on a time limit.
 
I think the main question is NOT so much what the "block" can handle, but moreso how much can all the stock internals take.

As you go up the power ladder, you are more likely to blow something inside BEFORE the block itself goes. I think Eades' crank went at 430 something at the wheels. (bad balancer).

No doubt with everything tuned and working properly, you should not have to worry at all if youre under low-mid 400's, assuming that it only reaches that max power on occasion, NOT constantly.

RC
 
i agree it all in how much you drive the car and how you drive it . my car is a summer, weekend car and has lived up to 455 at the rear wheels for 2 summers , but a friend of mine already split his block at that power level but he runs his car almost every weekend, and is now making 500 at the wheels on another stock block.and another good thing is you will have an intercooler which will help fight off detination thats what hurts motors especially head gaskets :bang:
 
RC- I don't agree. Typically, the weak link is the block. The block is more prone to failure than the crank and rods. The pistons are probably right there with the block but if the tune is on they "should" be OK. I have a firm belief that it is pointless to put a forged crank and rods into a stock block... I mean why spend all that money and have the block which is the anchor point for all the rotating assembly let go. Snoozer is right in that the turbo will put less strain on the block since it doesn't have a belt pulling on the crank like a blower.

A cracked block is the main reason I decided NOT to turbo my '95 and bought a '91GT to do it to. I just don't have the money for a dart based shortblock buildup.
 
First to break is the block, right in the lifter valley.
Do a little research on mexican blocks and compare.
Check it out at www.turbomustangs.com
Block splits ususally around 450-500 hp, not on the bottom, from the top down, so girdle's and main caps will only help so much, maybe to that 500+ mark. Ya really have to have some tricks up your sleeve to get up to 600. But then again, 600 rocks!!!
 
I wouldn't need much of a turbo since I only have a stock block to attach it to. You make so much more power with a turbo isn't even funny. Should have seen that when i heard about sc drag on the engine. An SC would be easier but it is too much strain on the engine.
 
Sorta funny... I have only heard of cracked blocks. Everybody says oh you can't have that much hp on a stock block.

I have seen a couple cranks that snapped though, usually caused by a balancer going bad, caused by a blower usually.

I think the key is to keep the rpms down. You can almost throw anything you want at a stock block as long as you keep the rpms under like 6000 rpms, not including nitrous though.

I have been playing with the thought of methenal injection kit and it would prove my point... But what a bad way it would be to find out Im wrong..