[Goinbroke2]

First post here, just getting into 351w’s.
So, my bracket car (83 mustang gt) got laid up after blowing the 3rd engine in 4 years, having my first kid and buying a new house. It’s only been 22 years! I’ve raced everything from escorts to f150’s to 8.90 roadsters over the years. Just retired in July and the kids are gone, I’m getting the gt back out. Have a 460/c6 combo I was going to put in but decided to stick to sportsman for the first year or two.(13.5-20 et) I am NOT running another 8000rpm small block...ever! Want a 5500rpm big block ....but, in the meantime am looking at a 351w/p heads I have as well as a .512/[email protected] cam I have.
So, junkyard 351 with 750dp I have and 1 3/4 long tubes with aforementioned heads/ cam. Guessing 300 hp, that puts me at 110mph and with my 4.86’s, about 6400.
Wild guess, but would the stock bottom end hold that? I’m guessing no but would like a second opinion. It has a 9” out of a 76 bronco and I have a set of 3.50 gears too.
I’m thinking that cam won’t wind the 351 up(still making power) past 6000 so maybe go 3.50’s anyway. How’s that for a first post? Lol!


What rpm will a stock Windsor handle.(repeatedly)

 

[Goinbroke2]

So, I have a 88 efi 351 being dropped off on Monday evening, I guess that settles it, the 460 is officially waiting. Thanks for the replies.

 

[Goinbroke2]

Yeah, this will be a stock 351 with a 4bbl and headers, I’m switching to 3.55 gears. This will be a “for now” engine. I’ll drop in the 460 after a season or two unless this really impresses me. Then I might pull it apart and build it for power. My cut offs are 13.5 and then 11.5 so I need 275-300hp and then 4-450hp. I saw used aluminum Windsor heads locally for $1300 just to give you an idea how isolated I am, lol. So 460 with minimal work will give me 400hp and only turn 5500.

 

[Goinbroke2]

Mark, I have a roller cam that I can’t identify, found it out back. It’s .579/.589 or whatever so that would be a [email protected] cam, but that would make too much power(and at too high rpm) I only need 275-300hp max, my concern with rpm was the fact I’m running 4.86’s. Certainly get out of the hole, but would be floating along the back 1/8th Reving but not pulling. Since I’ve decided to switch to 3.50(or 3.55 if I stick the 8.8 back in) this will be low rpm torque engine. If the stock cam noses over around 4600 I’ll probably shift at 45-5000. So, stock cam/heads with 4bbl and headers. 250hp at 4600 will make a good 13.5 et engine. Edit: just checked, 250hp at 3000lbs is 13.3 at 101mph. Run at the top of the class and always be chaser. Now reality and computer programs are different so I’m guessing 13.5-13.7 at 100 or so.

 

[Goinbroke2]

Tjm, that’s how it started, then I went bigger, better, faster and ended up with 1.94/1.5 chev valves in the d8 heads fully done( before aftermarket heads) stupid big cam and f28 2x4 intake with a pair of 625 comp series carbs. I was running low, low 12’s when local bbc chevelles were the running the same. I was running 7500-8000 with 289 rods and arp bolts and spewing valvetrain once a year because I was young and dumb. The go faster mindset took over from the “you’re just bracket racing, be smart”. After popping the hood and seeing the damper pointing at the ground for the last time, I swore I would never run a 302 again. 351 was not the plan either but 4500-5000, it better last! Lol.

 

[Goinbroke2]

Well, it got dropped off last night. Started pulling crap off... Ford makes me wonder sometimes. Pull the upper intake, got 5 bolts out...wtf is this? I have the right torx socket but I can’t get a socket down between the tubes? Since I dint need any of it, mister pry bar was employed. Good thing I am going carb, but what Kind of socket do you use to do it properly? One exh stud broke off too but it’s sticking an inch or two out of the head, I’ll go at that tomorrow.

Yippee, my first Windsor! Lol.

 

[Goinbroke2]

Thanks for the link to the articles. 390hp with the P heads is really cool, now I’m concerned about putting them on and making too much even with the stock cam. I’ll have to see what 390hp will do with 3000#. That would put me in “pro” class though I’m sure.

 

[Goinbroke2]

Oh, and I’m pissed because the engine was NOT a runner as it was called. There was tar in it, not oil, the oil pan is rusted out and leaking after sitting on the floor over night. It is so rusty I broke 3 exh stds off and one bellhousing bolt! Valve covers are rusted almost through as well. Alt is seized, pulled the tranny off and there was a nest in the bellhousing. Just...****!

 

[Goinbroke2]

Just checked, 390hp in 3000# is 11.5 dead on! So a year or so at 250 and then build it to 390. Damn, when do I get to stick the 460 in??? Lol.

 

[Goinbroke2]

Lol, no, just need 250-260hp to run in my class of brackets for the next year or two. After that it’s probably going to be 460...but....450-500hp wouldn’t be too hard I suppose with a 351...

 

[Goinbroke2]

Holy smokes guys, can tell you’re in the US! In Canada (down east) that much go would be crazy $$$!
When I was younger I hemorrhaged $ to go faster/quicker/beat everyone...then after parking the mustang due to wife, kids, I ran street class and found out I enjoy drag racing irrespective of the et. I have as much fun winning a round in the kids focus! (Well almost lol) but I’m a cheap bastard and when I pay $50 entry, run all weekend and win $350, for less than 1/4 tank of gas? That is fun! I’ve paid the same amount, won the same amount, spent the weekend adj valves, cooling between rounds, changing tires for slicks and back and burning 7/8’s of a tank of av gas!
Sportsman is all fun and since I’ve been racing forever it’s kind of unethical to hammer new racers, that’s why I’m only going to do it for a year or two. Course saying that I’ll be lucky to go two rounds consecutively probably! Lol!

Just a mild, cheap “getting it back on the track” engine.

I wouldn’t even want a 800-1000hp engine due to it being in electronics class and the maintenance $$ required.

500hp sure sounds simple with the cams, etc available today. We’ll see, but did I mention I’m a cheap bastard? Lol!

 

[Goinbroke2]

So, main and rod Bearings, oil pump, intake gasket and timing chain.
Locally, $320 plus tax. (Canadian)
Rock auto out of the US, $148 (Canadian) including shipping, taxes, customs and excise and the exchange rate.

Add on top of that, the local Napa dealer said bearings and oil pump are not available anymore. They could get them in but it would take 6-8 weeks. The local carquest said they could get them from Toronto, 4-6 weeks.

And that your honour is why I don’t buy locally even though I try to!

 

[Goinbroke2]

So, parts came in and started tearing down the engine. Holy crap what a piece of junk!!!
Not only 3 exh bolts broke off in the heads and a bellhousing bolt broke off in the block, I can’t undo any of the timing cover bolts, I can feel them twisting off so I stopped before they broke. Pulled the pan...tar, as in thick gooey tar. Pulled off the covers, see the picture for the tar there, all of the rocker oiling holes plugged.
Tried to pull the dist, seized in the block. Broke the dist housing and had to drill the base out to relieve pressure to get it out.
Holy f$&@&!!!!!!!

 

[Goinbroke2]

And the dist.(not sure why the double picture...)

 

[Goinbroke2]

I dumped in about 10L of furnace oil and drove the pump with the drill while turning the engine over with a ratchet. Went from tar bubbling out the pushrods to light oil and cleaned the goop out of the valve train. Still have to pull rockers and pushrods to clean but this was the first step. Also furnace oil/paint brush cleaned the lower end while the engine was upside down. Pulled a couple caps and no real scoring (somehow!) so I’m going to get the top end washed and pull the springs and replace them. Probably fire it up And run a couple oil/ filters to clean out any other crap and furnace oil and then maybe throw the bearings/ pump in it. At this point I’m so disgusted with this engine I might just run it as is.

This was supposed to be so simple, get a stock, running 351 and drop it in....$&@&$!!!!

 

[Goinbroke2]

Well that’s a good point....not what I wanted to hear, but point taken. Lol!
of course the alternative is not race or buy something new and neither are an option for me.
It was fun running the kids 2010 focus, gas up for the weekend and race, no tire pressure checks, no charging between rounds or fueling up.... sportsman has less experienced drivers...

Stop it!

LOL!

 

[Goinbroke2]

Well, the ****show continues.....
I was thinking about the price Motorsport’s intake adapters and was thinking, that’s quite a gap, how do they do it.
So I decided to pull the intake and set a 302 intake in its place. It would also give me a chance to see how bad the valley is gummed up.

 

[Goinbroke2]

Yeah, worse than I thought.
The outer four Intake bolts all broke off. Here’s the intake pic.

 

[Goinbroke2]

 

[Goinbroke2]

So more cleaning and bolt extraction in my future. Doing a lot of other work so this is really sitting days at a time before I look and curse at it.