i want to do a 408 this winter for my '95, and i'm trying to put together a list of how much stuff is going to cost, so i dont get halfway through it and run out of money. how much is machine work going to run me (approximately) to prep a 351W roller block to get it ready for a 408 kit? i'm going to do everything myself that i can, but i obviously need to have it cleaned and machined first.

 

Expect to pay in the ballpark of 600-800

 

ok, thats not too bad. how come i see people saying that it takes like 6-10 grand to make a good 408? I see myself spending 3-4 at the most...am i missing something? does anybody have a price list from a buildup that they did?

 

Block: $1800 FRRP
Rotating Assmbly: $1300 Eagle
Machine Work: $750 Local shop
Heads: $2875 Stage III Victor Jr's
CamShaft: $325 Custom Lunati
Headers: $750 Kooks
Intake: Decided on Fuel Injection for this one. Reichard Racing Breadbox Upper for a TFS R Lower (not purchased yet but approx $800)


You can see I have a bit of money wrapped up in it without the intake and blower yet. It is all a matter of how fast and how much you are willing to spend.

 

The thing is, there are lots of different options for a 408 build. You can spend a lot or you can spend a lot less. Here's what I did and spent for my 408.

Stroker kit from Ford Performance Solutions consisted of:
- 4340 forged steel non twist crank;
- 4340 6.25" I-beam connecting rods (which are lighter than H-beams);
- 2618 custom forged pistons from Ross;
- Speedpro Hellfire rings;
- Clevite 77-H series bearings.
This kit cost $2500.

Additional parts:
- Manley raceflow valves $206.
- Cloyes true roller chain $90
- Complete engine gasket set approx. $200

Machine work:
- redoing the heads with seats, guides, machined for screw-in studs;
- block machining included boring, line-honing, decking and squaring of the block.
All maching cost $1100

Balancing:
- the kit was SUPPOSED to come balanced; however, it wasn't. Essentially, I paid for balancing twice. The second time here was $375.

Total bill: $4471.

All assembly work was done by my husband. The block required very little clearancing.

This is probably about middle of the road for the price of a 408. It could have been cheaper had we gone with a cast steel crank and off-the-shelf pistons.

 

thanks for the info! yeah, i'll be building it on a budget, so i want to go as cheap as possible while still being reliable (i know, cheap, fast, reliable, pick two). its a 100% daily driver though, so rediculous power isnt necessary, i just want something that can attempt to keep up with my buddy's camero with a 510 big block in it [:'(]. it looks like i can probably have it in the car and running for around $4k...of course, the fuel system will probably need upgrading, and the stock computer probably wont work well (i want to get a tweecer anyway). and then there's the whole ignition system...lol maybe i'm getting in over my head here.

 

i did the same research and found that 1000 is pretty much the norm for machine work...

i am going to do it a different way i am going to get it in the car first and running first. see how much that actually cost me then go from there. you got the right idea though. only thing that sucks is if you think it will cost you 4k it will be 6k. just the way these projects work.

 

lol yeah i hear that. yeah i'll probably do the same thing, just get it running in the car and then upgrade heads, intake, etc as i get the extra money.

 

LOL @ fosters manley valves


*shudders and quietly walks away*

 

Valves are cheaper than buying aftermarket heads right now and the AFR's are the next thing on my list. But thanks for pointing it out!