+ 1 for 351 . But add really good aluminum headsI like Mike's idea of going to a 351. I also like staying with a 302. They're just the simplest, cheapest, and quickest approach to getting your car back on the road and to having fun again.
You've got the arguments, but man the Dart path it's going to cost a LOT of time and money. The car is going to sit for quite a bit longer, too. You'll end up with a foundation you feel more confident about, but if you're like me, you'll also be more worried about the possibility of blowing it up. 302 blocks are a dime a dozen. My buddy blew up one with his turbo build and he literally paid the junkyard $50, got one with a marked up piston, smoothed it out, reinstalled everything, and drove it for years making 450+ rwhp until he sold it. My vote: save your money. Build the 302 or 351 with your current top end parts. Don't go down the snowballing path. 400-500 rwhp is still a ton of fun in a light fox. Put your money into nice brakes. You'll not be sorry. It's great not getting that wobbling pedal anymore. Then you can move on to things that make you appreciate your driving experience more: a bit of suspension, nice wheels and tires, working out the bugs, and get the car back on the road quickly.
It looks like you've decided, but I really think you'd enjoy the simple, fast, easy, and affordable approach more.
Either way, it's going to be fun to watch. Good luck, Steve!
https://www.summitracing.com/search...ner=SREPD3&N=4294914196+4294880170+4294884146DSS ?
You make a good point mike, but i am using the Blower... and thats the end of it. I dont care if it limits the build, its getting used. Now this same displacement blower made over 600hp in the GT500 so i dont think im that crazy... If the crank and rods come through for me i can buy new pistons and be at a dart 347 for under 3k with my top end... the Boost calculator i use says 8psi on the 347. using my custom cam i have now and my current top end....The stock crank is externally balanced, and cannot be converted w/o adding a buttload of Mallory metal. And I'm here to tell you if you spend a dime on a stock crank converting it over to internal balance, you really need to check yourself into the psyc ward.
I beam an h beam rods are both adequate to your power level goals, but the simple fact of the matter is an h beam rod is a stronger piece at the price they are being sold at.
Now when talking premium forgings.....Oliver's 1000.00 rods are I beam I believe..at least the ones in my 363 in the Orange car was.
I too think that spending any money on a great block w/o stuffing that engine to cubic inch capacity is a giant waste, especially considering that inside every f 150 in the junkyard out there there is 351 cubic inches just waiting to be taken advantage of.
Here's a point of consideration for you since money is tight: Cause 2200 isn't gonna do anything except buy a block.
You and Your sensible side both go out and build an engine with the engines max c.i. as the target displacement......we'll eliminate the common things like machine work unless required, I.e. Both blocks have to be bored etc.etc..
You build a 347 dart block foundation:
Total before machine work and common things like gaskets, oil pump, fluids: $3600.00 plus balancer, plus flywheel.
- Dart b-$1800.00
- 347 forged rotating assy - $1500.00-1800.00 (because the 1000.00 kits out there have hypereutectic pistons rated at 10+:1 compression, and you need much less obviously) the good thing is that the entire assy is complete, and balanced.
- You reuse your cam/lifters/chain ( * Note this is at your peril, because the cam and lifters have been exposed to your liquid sandpaper that has been floating around in your engine for the last two engine failures)
- Since you now have an internally balanced rotating assembly, you cannot reuse the harmonic balancer, or flywheel that you used to have.
- You reuse your top end so that you can reuse your blower. ( Which I gather you intend to do) The 40 extra cubic inches is now choked by stock heads, you have a roots blower of questionable age, and boost can only be changed with pulley and belt changes.
The Sensible side of you now goes out:
- You buy a JY 351- $350.00-500.00
- You use the Pistons you have currently
- You buy a cast steel Scat stroker crank to get the 351 to 393 c.i. -$ 320.00
- You buy a cast steel I beam 5.956 rod - $325.00
- You buy a good ( not great) 28 oz balancer -$100. ( not sfi approved, add another 100 for that)
- You scrounge and buy a great set of AFR/TFS heads- $1500.00
- Bearings ( the non-sensible version has them in it) -100.00
- You scrounge and buy a great 351 intake that will let you reuse your TB and rails $200.00
- You have to add -$300 to you machine bill for a balance job.
- You have to buy cam/lifters/pushrods for 351 to make it hydraulic roller. -$700-800.00
Boom ! 393 cubic inches that'll make 450 n/a all day long 4000.00 plus machine work, plus fluids. everything is new except Pistons.
Both of these combos are gonna tip the scales after machine work at 5 k probably. You really are hobbling yourself with this blower. If you put another stock 302 together, you will eventually be back here. If you are truly at 450 hp already, the extra stress the crank snout is having to deal with already means you are all over block capacity.
* if you want to hoard parts great! Buying stuff that costs 3-350.00 at a crack every month is a lot easier than buying a damn bare block that takes 6 months of saving just to get there. There are a whole bunch of 300.00 parts in that 351 build.
Find a running 351. Put it in the car that way,..drive the thing this year sans blower, and do it right the first time.
( Unless you want to have a nickname like I have)
Trust me. I am the poster child for doing things differently, and I get it. But if you keep walking the path you're on, you will be back here again. ( Hell, I may be back here again...I have blow by issues that are still fcking me.)
*Anddd edit...a 302xxx block hasn't been proven to be any damn better than any other 5.0. I have seen 5.0 blocks with the entire crank assembly blown out with the main girdle still bolted to the caps.
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