need help with 331 setup

smigle

New Member
Jun 14, 2003
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Reisterstown, Md
I have decided on a 331. i want to buy a shortblock where should i buy it from? What heads ,cam should i purchase? This is a daily driver and needs to pass the emissions test and be streetable. What kind of compression is safe to run. Is the cobra intake going to hold the setup back? this is a 95 cobra. thanks for any help
 
what are you goals with the car.
How much HP
N/A, nitrous, boost?

If you don't ever plan on a power adder I would build a stock block 10.5-10.8 compression motor with a set of trick flow or AFR 185 heads, and a custom emission legal cam with the suggested edelbrock intake for that application.

If you plan on boost it to 600 rwhp then scrap that because you will need a better block, better internals, low compression, etc etc.

You really need to figure out your long term goals with the car then ask your question about what parts to run. How fast you want to go always boils down to how much money you want to spend :D

As far as who you buy it from. well there are a couple different groups. some are low dollar motors, a lot are middle of the road like DSS, Keith Craft, CHP, and some are a bit more on the high end. DSS, Keith Kraft, or CHP will all be able to set you up with exactly what is needed to fullfill you goals. Personally I would give CHP a call.
 
When i do mine i will be using my Cobra intake, sending it to Fox Lake or something to be ported along with a new set of GT-40P heads. Havn't decided on a good kit yet, theres too many to choose from. What are your plans?
 
The car will stay naturally aspirated. I would like to see at least 320 rwhp. I wanted to keep my cobra intake. The car wont see much track use mainly street use. I have about $6000 to spend on the motor but would like to keep the cost to a minimum. How much do custom cams cost? I was thinking of just getting a comp cam xe 274 cam.
 
smigle said:
The car will stay naturally aspirated. I would like to see at least 320 rwhp. I wanted to keep my cobra intake. The car wont see much track use mainly street use. I have about $6000 to spend on the motor but would like to keep the cost to a minimum. How much do custom cams cost? I was thinking of just getting a comp cam xe 274 cam.

Then I would go with my original post.. Stock block 10.5:1 331 with AFR 185's, custom hydrolic roller cam $279-300 from FTI or Bennett Racing, and a set of long tube 1 3/4 headers. With a budget in mind I would go with something like the street fighter short block from CHP HERE. I may be wrong but if you order a cam from FTI http://www.flowtechinduction.com/ I think Ed will ship it to CHP and they will install it. IMO done right with the correct tune 320 is a given and I think it will be slightly higher with that compression depending on cam specs and supporting hardware.. As far as the cobra intake.. I'd ditch it.. In order to make it not be a restriction at that level you would have to put more money into it than it's worth.. Just sell it and pick up an Edelbrock RPM, Holley II, or what ever one matches the needs of you motor when you decide how you want to set it up.
 
You could probably achieve 320whp with the Cobra intake, but why keep it when for a few hundred dollars more(assuming you sold the Cobra intake) you could have a nice Trick Flow or Edelbrock intake that would make it much easier to gain more power? I purchased my rotating assembly seperately and had my original block machined for everything. If I had to do it again, I'd definitely go with a shortblock from DSS or CHP. The headaches involved in DIY stroking(no sexual innuendo intended) isn't worth it. As for custom cam, FTI seems to be working quite well for many people. The Comp cam you listed would be fine. You might consider going a little bigger, though. I got mine from Anderson Ford Motorsports. I was told it was "custom." After recieving it, I think I basically paid $200 more than an equal spec off-the-shelf cam. I passed emissions in AZ with my stock h-pipe with converters. You can see my combo in my signature. It will be dyno'd hopefully within the month. Also keep in mind you'll probably need an aftermarket chip or tuning device. $6000 is plenty for a stout combo. If I can answer your questions any better feel free to ask, it's not easy to do a whole stroker build-up successfully in one shot without a lot of research.
 
First off, why not a 347? For the same price you can have 15+ MORE horsepower for the same price. basically free hp :)

You can do so much MORE if you'd change out that cobra intake. I personally would recommend the TFS R intake, but your power goals are so low that you wouldnt need it, but its practically perfect. With that said, i'd suggest a holley intake then with a 75mm TB, 1 3/4" longtubes, 30lb injectors, 80mm pro m, a custom cam from Jay Allen www.camshaftinnovations.com , i'd use the afr 185 heads in your emissions legal case and typically with a 58cc head on most stroker kit flat tops, you'll be around 10.5-11:1 which is perfect.

Not for nothing, but why settle for a weak 320hp when for not much more, you can do close to 400?

Mike
 
I already swapped the computers for a A9L. Will i still need a chip? Would i need to upgrade the cooling system? I have a 180* thermostat and a fan controller that comes on 160*low and 180*. I was thinking 30lb injectors would be fine and a 255lph fuel pump.
 
smigle said:
I already swapped the computers for a A9L. Will i still need a chip? Would i need to upgrade the cooling system? I have a 180* thermostat and a fan controller that comes on 160*low and 180*. I was thinking 30lb injectors would be fine and a 255lph fuel pump.

To maximize your combination which i'm sure you would want to do with that much invested, yes you will want to get a custom chip burnt while your car is strapped to the dyno with a wideband. With the extra air flow your engine will be seeing and the much larger cam, it will be needed. Remember chips aren't just about improving peak numbers which you will do, more importantly it's about gains throughout the power curve not to mention drivablity issues. As far as cooling, IMO your fine. I cooled 461 rwhp with a 180 t-stat, stock radiator and Fan in my 95 with no issues what's so ever. I wouldn't change it unless you have to at that level.