Hoss Bronco Build - 1972 Modern Wheeler

[Yeller]

As much as I like HP too mine are all tuned for 87. I tend to spend a lot of time off the beaten path and often only 87 is what is available.

 

[nvrstuk]

I’m surprised the 91 octane wasn’t good enough up in the mountains. The elevation supposedly makes a difference.

I think I’ll just always carry some octane booster for an emergency, but then again maybe I just follow Brian’s advice, go with the 87 octane tune, and live worry-free. I have some time to make this decision because the controller will be one of the last things I buy.

Add a little more boost with the 87 tune... How much more aggressive will the 93 tune gain you in HP over the 87 tune?

 

[nvrstuk]

I built my last 418 stroker for 87 because you never know what kind of fuel you might get in Canada and the boonies where we always used to end up fishing.

I am going to add some boost in a can tomorrow and see if that helps again. Otherwise I need to learn how to record a drive for the Term X and figure out how to pull some timing. I reallllllly want a tune I can set and forget and NOT have to worry but I don't have one now.... yet.

 

[hossbronco]

Add a little more boost with the 87 tune... How much more aggressive will the 93 tune gain you in HP over the 87 tune?

I haven’t asked yet. I was saving that for later. I can’t see it adding more than 15 hp, so probably not worth the pain and $$$.

 

[Yeller]

I love seeing the level of HP you fella’s are chasing. My JY brain just won’t allow me to spend the dollars for the HP I really want

 

[ntsqd]

If you're going to pile the miles on, then long term the 87 tune will give you a small 'rebate' over a higher octane tune. Of course the truck will be slower because your wallet weighs more with the few more dollars in it.

 

[nvrstuk]

The Bronco will be slower from the weight of the added "Boost" cans rolling around the back!

I added boost (update: boost as in Octance Boost) a few times last summer & what a royal pita.

Need to measure it out in a CLEAN measuring cup, try not to get any of the poison on your skin, put the now wet measuring cup back somewhere where it will add 5 drops of sticky dust & dirt attractant wet spot (every time you use it) to your storage area or zip lock bag... plus the good stuff adds $8-12 bucks every fill up-which for me can be every week.

Guess you all know how I feel... just giving you a heads up on hassle for a DD.

 

[ntsqd]

I'd be taking some static CR out of it before I'd go thru that PITA. I told the guy who built my 408 that it had to run on pump fuel, preferably 87. And that I might be flogging it pretty hard on occasion while running on 87.

 

[nvrstuk]

Until good old Ford Performance build an engine with the wrong pistons in the wrong sized holes, I was fine w/92 octane.

After the heads got shaved and the block got redecked and the new cam is tighter on overlap, (which the guys behind me will appreciate now) because they could smell unburnt gases hundreds of yards behind... anyway, it all added up and I rattle now at 1700-2400 rpm under load.

 

[hossbronco]

The reason I can’t find 4032 pistons is because everyone who builds the Godzilla either wants to do it as cheaply as possible and keeps it as a truck engine or squeezes every last bit of horsepower out of it for the dragstrip. The same goes for the high octane tunes.

There aren’t too many Godzilla customers like me who are willing to spend the time and money for a long-lasting, quality build that you can beat the piss out of, but still keep the mild street manners for extensive road mileage. For example, the Mahle rep I spoke with said I was the first Godzilla customer to request 4032 pistons. He also said I was the first customer with a dry sump who wasn’t willing to install 2618 pistons, but he acknowledged that 4032 was better for my application.

 

[ntsqd]

Until good old Ford Performance build an engine with the wrong pistons in the wrong sized holes, I was fine w/92 octane.

After the heads got shaved and the block got redecked and the new cam is tighter on overlap, (which the guys behind me will appreciate now) because they could smell sunburnt gases hundreds of yards behind... anyway, it all added up and I rattle now at 1700-2400 rpm under load.

Dish the pistons?

 

[nvrstuk]

TS- If I had to pull it apart I'd pull the heads and stuff in some TF 225's w/appropriate CC to lower the compression into the low 9.0's for extra air... course then I'd have to pull the pistons and file the rings again and, and, and... lol (Update/edit: if my block wasn't at Ford Performance for months I would have done that before the custom Mahle pistons were made and then I would have probably got my heads in for a check and then I would have known if I would need to dish the pistons more... can't take much out of them because of the height of the pins... everything is a "little bit" tight on this thing. Anyway, if Dart had any blocks laying around w/o a 1 yr wait (back then) I would have had another Dart block stroker build in my Bronco and none of these problems... )


hossbronco- I agree with your thinking, course my .02 is worth exactly that... .02! lol

 

[hossbronco]

A few weeks ago I installed the new cam, VCT limiter, and Johnson lifters. I was a little concerned with the lifters because it looks the the link bars on the four outer lifters (or at least some of them), have an interference with the block wall, or at least come extremely close. It looks like I’ll have to try to grind it down and vacuum the shavings up so they don’t drop onto my new cam. I’m note sure how thick the wall is, so hopefully I don’t grind off too much.

I tried flipping the lifters around to see if they fit better that way, but that made them worse. I’m a little surprised because Brian Wolfe, who has built a ton of these, told me he’s never had this issue. I’m still scratching my head on that one.

 

[nvrstuk]

That is tight! What a bummer.

Did Brian see these pics? Correct lifter I'm assuming & I wonder if there are differences between the different earblocks, that would cause this issue? What year is your block compared to all the ones that he is built?

Keep us posted, this is really crazy.

 

[hossbronco]

I’m not sure if he’s seen the pictures, but I spoke with him on the phone and he said it sounds like I need to grind it down, so he wasn’t shocked by it. He’s built all years and oversaw Ford’s development of the engine. This block is from 2022.

I used the 2126LSR lifters, which are made for an LS but are a common upgrade for the Godzilla. The engine comes stock with plastic trays, but the link bars are an upgrade as well.

 

[nvrstuk]

Plastic... like belt driven oil pumps splashed in oil all day...

I wrenched at a GM dealership when Chevy was trying plastic teeth on timing chain sets. That worked out well...