Which motor?

[sdc13]

Next year I plan on rebuilding my 95 top to bottom. My goal is a reliable 400 rwhp weekend car. I will be keeping my Novi 2000 from my current setup. I plan on keeping boost to 10#. My question is which motor to go with. I've narrowed it down to:

1: D.S.S. 306 pro bullet longblock w/afr heads and low comp forged pistons.

2: D.S.S. 331 w/same setup as above.

3: Ford racing 302 w/gt40x heads and cast pistons(less expensive option).

Any other suggestions are welcome. I also have not decided on cam/intake yet either. Let me know what you guys think.

 

[DarkProphet]

All should easily be able to get 400 rwhp i would think. The ford engine has a warrenty I think, but im not sure about the others. Im also not sure if that warrenty is voided if you use the supercharger.

 

[sdc13]

I was thinking the same thing re the warranty. Your sig. motor is the Ford racing crate engine right? I think the cast pistons will be ok w/ 9.0:1 comp and moderate boost levels. Do you think I should go with 36# or 42# inj's?

 

[rustang94]

I'd go with a d.s.s. 306 with a custom cam and a intake that will flow good with a blower. Are the ford racing 302s blue printed and balanced?

 

[dstanggt50]

Any of those combos w/the novi should give you over 400rwhp w/a tune easily. I would go for the 331, more cube's, I would rethink your block choice though, w/a novi 2000, and more cubes w/good heads and cam, I would think you're gonna push the limits of the stock block.

 

[89white50]

do yourself a favor, got with the 331. This way you get more torque for a barely noticeable price increase, and be able to do more in the long run.

Port the GT 40's to hell, get a descent blower cam, and buy some girdles. You will be pushing the limits of the block. a descent budget blwon 331 w/ blower should yeild around 550 flywheel horse with that kinda PSI. would be a VERY streetable. A DSS block should be able to handle it for a good amount of time with the girdles and all. just MHO

 

[sdc13]

Do 331's have oil control problems like some 347ci motors?

 

[nmcgrawj]

Do 331's have oil control problems like some 347ci motors?

Thats NOT an issue anymore with the 347. And no, the 331 doesnt have the problem. There are 347's that actually use a 331 piston

 

[SeventyMach1]

Thats NOT an issue anymore with the 347. And no, the 331 doesnt have the problem. There are 347's that actually use a 331 piston

amnit: I always get confused on this stuff.

A 347 can use a 331 piston? I thought the stroke was the same between the 2 ...... just the overbore (piston size) was different .....

 

[SeventyMach1]

N/M. I just did a search to refresh the memory, lol. Boy do I feel dumb.

Anyway ...... I'd go with at least a #2 setup.

 

[fawcett]

i have the frpp 340bhp 302 with gt40x heads and e-cam. i bought it three years a go and it didnt come with cast pistons. they are the hypertunic crap. i never planned on having the engine in my car for too long and i still dont. its nice as is, but when i get a bit more serious i will get a real 4bolt main race block with a serious pair of turbo's. you may not get 400rwhp with this engine your blower and only ten pounds of boost. im going to move this motor into my daily driver (whenever i get around to buying it). go with the 331, its your best bang for the buck. some people here will tell you to go with a 347 because you will have nothing to lose, but its not what i would suggest. i want to limit my engine to 331 just for peace of mind even with the race block. i feel like the less i try to max my engine out, the more i can beat on it without it breaking on me.
just my two cents,
-fawcett

 

[sdc13]

I think what I will end up going with is a DSS 306 with Edel perf. heads & Edel perf. rpm intake. I like the idea of the 306 since more material will be left in the block and there will be less cylinder wall load should I decide to up the boost. The more I thought about it the more I realized I need forged pistons with my application also. I'm going with Edelbrock heads and intake so I don't have to mix and match parts. I like the idea of a total package. The only thing I'm still not sure about is what cam....
My plan is to keep the car smog legal (I'm in Ca.) so I also plan on replacing the O/R pipe with a Bassani X-pipe w/cats. This build is about 6 months away so please keep the ideas coming.