351w rpm limit?

13786 Views 72 Replies 17 Participants Last post by 351windsail, 4 mo ago

Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · Oct 15, 2020 (Edited)

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)

21 - 40 of 73 Posts

cntinuum

· #21 · Oct 22, 2020

Goinbroke2 said:
Well, it got dropped off last night.

Of course you have seen these articles.

www.hotrod.com

Build A 505HP Ford 351 Windsor

We take a look at this 90s Ford 351 Windsor engine and it's rebuild, and show you how we did it and ended with 505hp so that you can at home.

www.hotrod.com

www.hotrod.com

Build a 595 HP 351 Windsor

We walk through how to build out a 595 HP 351 Windsor short-block with help from Trick Flow Specialties; building off the foundation of what we had already done

www.hotrod.com

Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · #22 · Oct 24, 2020

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

Discussion Starter · #23 · Oct 24, 2020

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

Discussion Starter · #24 · Oct 24, 2020

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.

408foureye

· #25 · Oct 24, 2020

Goinbroke2 said:
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...****!

That sucks. Sorry to hear that. You should be able to buy a bone stock 351w from a truck or van. They're really cheap and plentiful. You can make 300 easy with stock heads, springs and cam change.

cntinuum

· #26 · Oct 24, 2020

Build your 351 into a 408 or 427 and the stroke will be longer than the stroke in a stock 460 at 3.85. That should provide loads of torque. Load your car up with weight if you are going too fast. I had a '70 AMX with a built 390, 4sp, 3.91 rearend and that car just scared me to death.

Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · #27 · Oct 28, 2020

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...

Cougar5.O

· #28 · Oct 28, 2020

Goinbroke2 said:
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...

Sorry but 600 horsepower is the minimum.

408foureye

· #29 · Oct 28, 2020

Goinbroke2 said:
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...

A stock block 408W will easily get you 500/500 at the crank with small-ish heads and mindful cam selection, all at under a safe 6200 rpm limit, at a smaller format and less weight than a 460. Parts are more plentiful and somewhat cheaper too, plus a Windsor has better oiling than a stock 460. F4 351w blocks support stock style roller lifters and you can run a 302 base circle cam without linkbars. Yes, there is the drawback of that annoying cam bore cracking issue, but you can still get an older block with the one piece rear main that don't have this issue.

If you go with a dart shp windsor block, internal balance steel crank and decent rods/pistons you will have enough bottom end to comfortably support 1200 hp, plus you wouldn't have to worry about the stock block 2 bolt main cap walk either, limiting you to less than 7000 rpms.

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Mark O'Neal

· #30 · Oct 29, 2020

...aaand you can have 427ci with the same stroke and no extra expense.

Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · #31 · Oct 30, 2020

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!

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408foureye

· #32 · Oct 30, 2020

Goinbroke2 said:
500hp sure sounds simple with the cams, etc available today. We’ll see, but did I mention I’m a cheap bastard? Lol!

You are definitely smarter than most of us.

I have to admit I had more fun racing the basic stuff with bolt on mods than being worried about breaking something expensive and not having the money to fix it.

Reactions: 1

Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · #33 · Nov 5, 2020

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

Discussion Starter · #34 · Nov 26, 2020 (Edited)

Auto part Engine

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$&@&!!!!!!!

Auto part Engine

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Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · #35 · Nov 26, 2020

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

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Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · #36 · Nov 26, 2020

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....$&@&$!!!!

strokeme

· #37 · Nov 26, 2020

One of the dozen reasons I don't play with this 40 year old crap anymore. Its simply a massive amount of time flushed down the toilet. Time is the most precious commodity unless your 20 years old.

Reactions: 5

Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · #38 · Nov 26, 2020

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!

tjm73

· #39 · Nov 27, 2020

That engine was flat out abused in it's former life.

Reactions: 1

Goinbroke2

Discussion Starter · #40 · Dec 4, 2020

2

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.

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