my77stang

+1 on that balancer, and distributor.

are you going with a manual trans? i cant give much advice about which flywheel to use - im a "build the crap outta a C4 automatic" type of guy

S351R13

The 428 stock only made about 400 to 420 at the flywheel from the factory. At the wheels the 68 1/2 I owned only put 370 and it only had 34K on it. Bone stock 4 speed. That equates to just over 400 at the flywheel. The only Ford motor made in the 60's that from the factory would push 600 on the dyno at the flywheel was the 427 SOHC. Most people on here don't even know what that is.
The price I gave for the flywheel is used. New ones have gone through the roof because metal has gotten so expensive. Don't buy one of the CAT flywheels or anything from them. Junk.
The balancer and spacer from Northern are the same ones that show up on ebay all the time.
As for valve float it has nothing to do with the weight of the lifter. Roller cams generally use valve springs with more spring pressure. There is a reason you can't use roller lifters with a flat tappet cam...
With a hyd flat tappet cam you will experience valve float at around 6200 rpm. With a hyd roller about 6800 is the max.You can go with the anti pump up hyd flat tappet lifters that are supposed to helpbut, I tried them in my 71 Mach 1 and they actually hurt the car. It ran slower at the track with them.
You don't have to go with a custom grind camshaft to make decent power. Trick flow makes some decent ones. The stage 2 and 3 are good cams. The 3 I ran in a 410w for a few years and loved it. Its is a good streetable camshaft with a 5 speed.
If you go with a C4 it is tougher to make it a true street combo (daily driven). Its can be done but, it just depends on picking the right combo.
You should ask the same question over on the corral.

my77stang

well, maybe we werent building circle track motors (which won plenty of races) that hummed along @ 7000 using hyd flat tappet cams

MotoSix

Stock T5.

( we will see how long it will last as a DD if I baby it )

S351R13

None of the motors I discussed were ever circle track motors. 428's mostly NHRA as well as the SOHC (illegal for Nascar). Do a little more research before giving people advice. Circle track ie. Nascar use Solid flat tappet camshaft. Some short tracks ie.. (local saturday night dirt and round tracks) run hydralic but they modify the lifters so they won't float as easily. Not a great idea for a street motor.
How many 400 plus inch windsors have you built and dyno'd? Just curious.

MotoSix

No need for the typical internet pissing matches.

Honestly, for my application almost anything will work just great and everyone's opinion is very welcome. I could take a bone stock 351 and drop it in there and it would better than the current 302, so look at this thread as a fun exercise to come up with the most value for the $ instead of the most horsepower for the most $.

So, ideas and links to specific products are the most helpful. Thanks guys!

my77stang

S351, everything we built for the local tracks were small block chevys due to the cost and abundance of parts, yes we ran hyd cams due to class restrictions but no we did not modify lifters. the name of the game is getting stiff springs, and ramp rates on the cam that wont destroy the lifters with those high pressures.

bottom line, if a person were to build a 408 and use a stock 5.0 roller cam, stock E7 heads, and stock intake and exhaust it would be choked but it would still be alot more powerful than a 302 and alot more fun - anything extra to let 'er breathe better is a bonus. going with a *mild* hyd. flat tappet cam, and some upgraded aftermarket heads (of pretty much any brand) is going to be a very very nice increase in power.

S351R13

If you put stock heads and stock cam you will not see a HP increase. To increase power you need more air and more fuel. Cubic inches don't mean anything if you can't feed it. Bottom line is stock heads and cam=stock power. Yes, it may make a little more torque but, it won't be worth the trouble you go to. I have a 408 sitting in my streetcar right now that is a budget motor. I have $3800 in it. TFS heads (mild port work), roller block, cast crank, H-beam rods, custom cam, Victor intake, and hooker headers. Very streetable (pimp gas and driven daily) and still put 512 rwhp on motor. The only new parts in the motor are the crank, rods, and pistons. Its all in the combo. I have ran this combo for 9 years now.
As for any aftermarket head...yes, it will be an improvement but, if you buy new you get what you pay for. The Procomps are junk. There is a verygood chance you willhave to remove them more than once for issues. The valve train in junk and the machine work is China grade. Best bet is to buy a set of proven heads when you are on a budget so you don't have to be the on who pays to find out if they are junk.

my77stang

if you go back and look at page 1 you'll see that i completely agree that the procomps are garbage, and you'll also see by the castings that the patriot heads are not proforms.

@ 900 bucks assembled they are a great buy

S351R13

Here is a great deal on heads and intake for a 351w if anyone here is looking http://www.streetcarforums.com/showthread.php?t=99261