351 W Engine Wizards

[Break Down Bry]

Hello everyone,new guy here, looking for some advise. I want to rebuild my Windsor engine this winter.Here's what I have, 1974 sport, C4, 44 up front
9" in rear, 4;11 gears, spool gear in rear. 33" tires. Here's what I was thinking..
hot tank the block, stock bore,Clevite bearings,Comp Cam kit (w/ double roller,
matched springs,retainers, and roller lifters).Edelbrock RPM Air gap intake, I have Edelbrock 600 carb, ported heads,dumping into shorty headers ,that I also have on truck already. I forgot to add the cam specs are 287 duration and 513 lift, RPM range is 2,000-6,000. Also was thinking a Melling HV oil pump. Any thoughts?

 

[SHX669]

I've always heard the Air Gap is for high rpm horsepower - no experience with it - just what the racers i know say .
SHX

 

[bmc69]

That cam is for high RPM too.... you wanting mostly a real sporty street ride? What static compression ratio are you going for?..that cam selection will "want" 10:1 or better.

And you need to let the machine shop tell you if you can stay with a stock bore. If they say taper and ovality is too far out...you need to bore it.

I am one who likes HV oil pumps. There are those that don't and I won't argue that a mostly stock engine that won't see 6000 RPM very often, if ever, really needs one. But if you do go that route, make sure you use an ARP pump drive shaft and not the stock one.

 

[Desert Dweller]

I've always heard the Air Gap is for high rpm horsepower - no experience with it - just what the racers i know say .
SHX

Dual plane one would be OK, however, it will be very coldblooded.... (as the void under the carb will not let the carb warm up in colder climates)

 

[Crawdad]

With the gears you have and the cam you want it's gonna be screaming at 60. Sounds like a motor for an old mustang or Torino. Throw out decent fuel mileage too. But if you like a hi rpm motor you are on the right track!

 

[Apogee]

With the gears you have and the cam you want it's gonna be screaming at 60. Sounds like a motor for an old mustang or Torino. Throw out decent fuel mileage too. But if you like a hi rpm motor you are on the right track!

That's what I was thinking...great Mustang engine. What's the weight on your rig and what's the stall on the converter...that's also going to largely impact driveability. If the plan includes going through the heads, and not knowing what those are, you might consider aluminum heads if they're in the budget. Not only will you shed some unnecessary weight, but you can easily tolerate another point of compression typically which might make the type of cam you're thining about running a little happier.

 

[Break Down Bry]

Thanks for the input. As far as the manifold is concerned , its basic RPM range is 1,500-6,500. I wasn't really to concerned about highway speeds, It'll be just a street cruiser and used mostly at Silver Lake Sand Dunes

 

[StnePny]

Your better off with the " Performer " manifold and not the " PRM "

 

[rguest3]

The parts you have would match very well together. However, like others have said, you are building a higher RPM motor that might suit a performance street Mustang better than a Bronco.

May not be as street friendly as you might want, but would be pretty good for running the dunes though.

With your current combo you are gonna need a higher stall convertor for the C4 too. Contact TCI they will get you the correct one for the 351W.

Smaller Cam below 220 duration at .050 and the Performer Intake would be better suited for a Street Bronco. 600 cfm should be good as well.

Hope this helps

 

[Crude dude]

Crane makes some really snappy cams for small block Fords that are (like suggested before) streetable. I have an Ultradyne cam that is 276/286 .484 lift (221/230 @.050) and it sounds like a drag car when I start it up yet I can be passed up by a school bus (not really). I kick myself for putting that cam in because it sounds really good yet power is not so good. I have 4.10 gears and a Hughes 3,000 stall too.

 

[707Bronk]

The cam sounds a bit aggressive for rockcrawling and low RPM wheeling.

But if you are running mud bogs or sand racing, then it might work out well for you.

When I built mine 10 years ago the machinest told me 262 duration cam would be a happy medium for keeping a relatively smooth idle (not too lopey) yet fairly aggresive for low RPM wheeling.

 

[Broncobowsher]

Overall it sounds fairly good. There are some valid comments above. But what is your intended use? Not everyone is looking for the strongest low end grunt. Being able to wind the motor out a little is how some like it. 4.11 gears and 33's are a great combo. It will be turning a fair RPM on the highway but it is completely drivable. You can still make long highway trips if need be. It will work pretty good with the rest of the parts you picked so long as you are not aiming for off idle performance.

You stated roller lifters, do you mean roller rockers?
What compression ratio will you have?

As long as you have good bearing clearances a stock volume oil pump will have plenty of pressure. HV east power and can eat distributor gears.

 

[DirtDonk]

I think he mentioned liking to fly the dunes in his area. So higher power at higher rpms might not be as detrimental as it would be for most of us. Not as "street-friendly" as "dune-friendly" perhaps, but it'll be interesting.

Then again... With combo and your driving expectations, i would certainly be making sure your cooling system is updated to the max. It'll build some heat for sure in a hot climate and pulling long sand hills and a 351.

Could be lots of fun!

Paul