Which Engine Should I build?

Any 400+ inch engine with boost will be a fuckin' nightmare in a little car like that.

Hell, a 500" N/A engine with 10:1 CR, good heads and roller cam will put you into the 550-600 HP range, whether you go Brand F, M, or C.

How 'bout stepping out of the "gotta' have a nailhead, hemi, or flathead" box for a minute?

What about a really nasty small block Ford? Or a MEL, 385, or FE big block?

Maybe you've owned some pretty wicked stuff before; maybe not. If not, I'll offer my experience. My pickup is by far the nastiest thing I've ever owned; it weighs a lot more than a deuce sedan, and has probably five-something horsepower (big chrysler). And I can't hardly touch the throttle driving around town. As far as truly fast street cars go, it isn't one. But, it's enough that I can't come close to using its potential just rolling around on the street.

If I were building that sedan for myself (and you did post up looking for opinions...), and wanting big power, I'd probably lean towards a 460 block, a set of Ford's SCJ aluminum heads, 4.5" crank, moderately priced H-beam rods, pistons configured to make approx. 10.0:1 CR, a tunnel ram, and a roller cam with duration about 270/275 degrees @ .050, probably ground on a fairly tight lobe center. Keep the lift reasonable, <.700". I would NOT want to go to a drag type lobe that would make more power at the expense of frequent spring and lifter replacement; "street" or "endurance" lobe profiles will live a lot longer with less work/money.

That's a combo that should run pretty hard; eclipsing 600 HP easily. Even with OOTB heads. Tons of mid range; the cam is big and will idle lumpy, but with the big stroke, you'll NEVER worry about low-speed power! The price tag can be cut down to a bit over half of what you're talking about spending on a blown Chev, and you will a) keep the car all Ford (if that matters), b) have enough power that if you can actually hook it up, you'll be able to beat up on a lot of cars, c) have enough power that you can pick on a number of cars with blowers on 'em, and d) look bitchin' with the tunnel ram and sound killer with the overlap.

And if that isn't enough for ya', you can always have someone good port the heads and/or plumb the intake for a fogger setup, for some more visual impact. Like you'd really ever need to spray it.

Just my .02

-Bill

 

I'm not voting but I do think for $30K you could get a respectable SOHC Hemi. Ford of course.

Movin/on

 

$30K for a blown hemi you're going to drive on the street? Dude. Tell you what, send me $30k, I'll send you a blown hemi that will tie that poor car in a knot. And build one of the hemi's sitting in my garage. I bet I'd even have some $ left over for gas.

But seriously, I think you need to evaluate your priorities. A Tudor weighs what, 2,000 pounds? Less than 2,500 pounds for sure. Carfarmer is right on with his post, even a NA big block or hemi will put down more than enough ponies to make that car a verifiable nightmare to drive on the street. 400 hp in that ride would be plenty scary, and easily achievable with a fairly moderate build on a BBC or Chrysler Hemi (or BBF!). Even a 331 Chrysler ( you know, the little one?) with 10:1 compression, a good cam, a little headwork (or later heads) and some good tuning should put down around 400 hp, and even more in the torque department. And cost less than half your estimate, even if you buy some of the cool kid stuff. A 354 or 392 would break the 400 hp mark set up like that easily.

Don't believe me? Here's an example - my G/F has a 390 FE in her non Hamb friendly '71 F100 4wd. The truck isn't the point, I'm getting there. Its a fairly mild build with an RV cam and a 600 cfm (yes, that's right, 600) edelbrock carb. We didn't build it, but I'm guessing the compression ratio is no more than 9:1, based on its affinity for 87 octane. I doubt it makes even 1 horse per cube, although I'm sure the torque numbers are plenty healthy. It happily, and quite easily, breaks loose the freaking 35x12.50" tires she runs, and that's in 2nd gear (granny 1st). It does it so well, in fact, that we've spent most of the week replacing her poor old single speed transfer case, which pretty much blew up into little pieces just thinking about it. And this is with 3.50 rear gears and 35" tall tires. Think 80 mph on the freeway at idle while driving a vehicle with less aerodynamics than a brick , not drag racing acceleration.

So, let me highlight. 4,500+ lb truck, 35" tires, 3.50 rear gears + mild 390 FE Ford = Stupid fast truck, burnouts, and busted heavy duty truck parts.

And with headers and glasspacks is not only scares little old ladies, it does it from a mile away. And you could probably build it for $5k. Maybe $6k if you wanted to set it up with one of those neat 3x2 intakes I keep seeing for the FE's. Or do what we did, which was buy a whole truck with a nice rebuilt engine for half that.

 

It all depends on how deep yur pockets are... Hemis are nice to have, but they ain't cheap.

 

paw engine kits 392 hemi is $200 more than the chev. only $200 for a comlpete package with 6/71 and everything for you to bolt it together. i am sure if you ever sold it the resale would be a lot better with those big fat heads.

 

Lots of stuff costs the same for any 8 cyl... line hone, crank turn, etc.

By that yardstick, you can build a SOHC 427 for not much more than an SBC.

Of course, that assumes that the core for that cammer won't cost slightly more.

One question about the idea of building a '92 vs. a mouse: how much are a good set of rockers for that early hemi? Serious question, because I've got a couple 331 engines, and a roller cam for one. And even the stock adjustable rockers seem to go for a few hun for used stuff. I'm cringing at what my valvetrain will cost. And that's trying to keep it on the 'down low'.

But, yeah, the resale value is more for a hemi. And if you just screw together one without a bunch of internal upgrades, it might even be made financially sensible.

-Bill

 

How about someone using a BB Ford for once?

Plenty of 429's & 460's out there for cheap... just sayin'
http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/sd.cgi?cat=pts&fil=429+engine&state=CA&submit=go
http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/sd.cgi?cat=pts&fil=460+engine&state=CA&submit=go

Other options... BB Buick, Olds, Pontiac... loads of torque... and not a Chevy or HEMI
http://www.jaxed.com/cgi-bin/sd.cgi?cat=pts&fil=455+engine&state=CA&submit=go

 

As mentioned above, there are plenty of different ways to get more than enough power to frighten yourself, especially if the motor is going into a 2500 lb car.

If you insist on a blower motor, the Chevy and the Hemi are likely to make about the same power; the Hemi is likely to cost substantially more. Further, drive train components that fit a Hemi are more expensive, as well.

It would seem that the primary difference is visual impact. Keep in mind that if you have a 6- or 8-71 sitting on top, it will be the center of attention. The motor under it will, of course, be important, but either engine will have a lot of "wow" factor.

How much do you want to spend for the privilege of saying, "Yeah, I've got a Hemi."?

 

I voted BBC, 'cause that leaves more hemi's available for me.

 

I vote for the Chrsyler Hemi if you can pull it off.