i read an article in engine masters that said a 351w CAN be bored and stroked SAFELY up to 454ci!!!!!! that is insane. my goal for my mustang is to do a s351 saleen conversion when my 5.0 craps out( prolly never) but bore and stroke the 351 to the popular 427. make it all look stock, but w a different blower pulley. possibly a low 10 "streetable" car!! i love a 351w one of fords best engines!
If you want to drive a lagre stock block streetable stroker motor on a simi basics I wouldn't do the 408-454 Why? Well there is a lot of side load on the block because of the longer rods and shorter pistons. If this is a street project and you would like to have a strong but run free engine here is what I would do. The windsor has the same main bearing caps as the 351C 400M and so on. This is a good thing for being stronger then it's smaller 302 brother. The bottem end of the motor is where most people put back in factory fasteners... Now, how can I say this, WRONG, WRONG, WRONG! OK we now understand that with any motor that will require RPM's greater then 5000 you must build it like you only want to do this once and not have a failure at the track. USE ARP FASTENER!! I work for a company call Barnes Group, but my business card still say Bowman Distribution. I sell fastener for a living, up to a grade 12, I don't sell ARP but I wouldn't use anything else in the bottem of my motor. Rods, well I love H-beam rods but this maybe a little more then needed for some street motors. A good I-beam rod with ARP rod bolts should work here. Block a good seasoned block should do ok, if you can get the program 4 bolt main caps and have the motor machine this would be the best way to go, if not gridle is also strong. ARP BOLTS HERE! Pistons and crank, if this were my motor I would go with the 393 combo. The aftermarket parts for a 302 piston are everywhere and a good 4340 stroker crank will not only be easier on your wallet but a lot less side pressure on the block. (stock rod length, little longer crank stroke and a little shorter piston, 302 vs 351) Heads and cam. Well here is, what can you afford, for the street, most of us OVER cam, WAIT I'm guility! Your heads have to be able to get all that air out, why put 850 holley on if once you get the fuel and air in you can't get rid of it? It's all about flow. Heads are the key here, how much do you want to spend? If you can and know how to, port your own heads, if not buy a nice set of aftermarket bolt on's, it's what you fell will be the best for what you plan to do with the car. Headers. This one is a PAIN, now I'm sure after all the years we Mav/Comet Bros and Sis have been doing this someone (other then me) has found a BOLT in SET... RIGHT! The only set that I've found that work after 2 FULL days of mods are the Hooker 6208 but these are used for race because of the 1 3/4 tubes. I'm sure that Headman or someone beside Summit has headers. The rest of the motor is up to you. Good luck on any of your builds and as always just my .02 Bossmav P.S. Hold your motor together tight and if it won't flow you won't go. Speed cost! How fast do you want to go?
351 whoa thats a lotta info. thanks for it all though, i'll keep it in mind. i want to get as close to 10 seconds as i can. i still want to be able to drive the car on the street if at all possible. also, this project wont be able to REALLY kick off for a few more years until i finish pharmacy school. i could do small bolt on projects for now, but when i continue the project in a few years, cost wont really be a problem.
If you want a 10 second car that can be driven on the street you are going to have to go with a blower, Turbo, or nitrous. Even if you build a 408 with enough HP to run under 11 seconds in a Maverick it is going to be a lousy street car. It will be cold blooded, get 6 - 8 MPG and idle too high to stay in gear through a school zone. With a compressor added to the engine will allow a bit more versatility. Nitrous will require a very strong bottom end - even more so than with the turbo or blower. You can minimize the abuse with a throttled nitrous system but this is not the way to build a successful 10 second car with a 351W. If you gut the Maverick - lightening it where ever you can - you will have a better chance at that 10 second time.
No, I see no reason to add $1000 repair bill every 60000 miles to a car that is otherwise a low maintenance vehicle. I would recomend a 64-66 Mustang with your 351W in it. At 2300 pounds from the factory with a coupe you have 1000 pounds less to start with and you can lighten it from there. You could do the same thing with a 1965 to 67 Falcon but it is a tighter fit. The weights are close and the steps to prepare the cars are the same that are necessary for a Maverick. If you simply MUST use the Maverick then I would say build a blown 351W. You can get 600 HP at about 6000 RPM with a well designed engine / blower match. That would easily get you into the 10 second area and probably closer to the 9 second range if you can get it to hook up.
UPDATE: well, the C4 transmission has been rebuilt to brand new specs, & got a shiny new torque converter.We are currently looking for the 9'' rear end, a set of manifolds for the exhaust (for the time being. I plan on getting a decent set of headers after the 351w is at least mobile) , and a radiator that will fit. any suggestions on radiators? anyone know a good place to find the good rear end?
If you're going drag racing with a built 351W, I would hope the tranny was built to better than new specs, cause you're going to need it. What stall convertor did you get? Ford 9 " that fit a Maverick are few and hard to find. 57 ford wagon and Ranchero are bolt in's. Most others have to be narrowed and have new axles built. Or you can go aftermarket with Currie, Strange, Moser or another.
351 Hi, I looking at a dyno slip for a stroked 302 - It reads 437 BPH at 6250. Remember to buy aluminum aftermarket heads. This engine will pull tree stumps. 3000 RPM stall C4. This is a street rod. Drop in, drive away. Will drag a 4.30 narrowed Ford 9". This figures to come in below $30 grand. I hope. And, that is only the price to start it up the first time. I have the car and am acquiring the parts. Will it ever hook up? I really, really hope so. I will start working on it when it gets cool. Do not even consider Competition Eliminator unless you are willing to drop $50K bare minimum right off the top, plus tow vehicle, trailer, etc. Annual maintenance cost - only God knows, and I say that with no disrespect - mucho denaro. By the way, the car you start with must be straight and solid, almost no bottom rust unless you get replacement Torino floor pans which can be worked to fit. Enjoy the welding, and remember they are offshore parts and have less metal than your original stock floor pans, and absolutely no collision frame work. For $2395 and up, you can buy kits to convert your Maverick's front suspension to the Mustang II - no right and left space problems that way. Unless you are willing to fork up massive amounts of money to go extremely quick and very fast with the 351, I would definitely look at the 302. Keep us up to date on you project. Best of luck and go quick. Make your dreams come true. David
