Speed-Demon

hello, i am getting ready to start my build here soon. but have a lot of questions as to what parts i should use and where to come by cheaper ones. The car will be a 1992 Lx Hatchback with a 4 cyl N/a. only has 37,000 miles, automatic. what i wanted to do was swap in a 351w. my goal in then end is an N/A daily driver for all year, and approximately 380-400 hp. So far i have learned that the key blocks to look for are the 1969-1974, and 1994+ due to durability. With the four cylinder being FI would it be difficult to swap in a carb motor? or would it be better to stick with FI?I am also not sure on what transmission to use, i like 5 speeds, but dont want to spend a lot of money for a TKO500/600. im not sure as to what transmission would hold up to what horsepower either. I also wondered if i would have to replace any of the suspension in the car when swapping to a heavier motor? I've also read that i would need to find a Lincoln Mark VIII radiator and a electric fan from a ford tarus. is this because the four cylinder radiator and fan would not accomidate the v8 due to space? Overall i am trying to avoid a complete motor breakdown and rebuild, seeing as ive never done one before, but if necessary i will and my dad will help me every step of the way. so what route would be best for a easy swap out, swap in and go?

My main goals are the following:

Reliability/Durability
Ability to be daily driven in all weather conditions(i live in ohio)
Preferably a 5 speed, but may settle for a C4
380-400HP

Any information would be greatly appreciated. Ive read some other builds here but still had these few questions that couldnt be answered.

wrenchturner75

ok first the efi from the 4 cyl wont even be close to what you need to run efi on a 351w, so you can scrap that idea. the suspension should be changed to at "least" a stock v8 stang even then the brakes are barely adequate. you can run a t-5 behind a 351 and itll hold up as long as your not launching with drag slicks at 5grand, i was running a 4cyl yes you read that right a 4cyl trans behind a built 306 then behind my 351 cleveland with zero issues, but i knew at the track id blow it apart so i sent it off to g-force for one of there upgrade kits, when i get it back it should handle anything this cleveland can throw at it. i used a lincoln radiator in my car because it was twice the thickness of a 5.0 rad and it cools beautifully with the taurus fan even today with the heat index at 100 degrees she went to 180 and stayed there! my car also started off as a 4cyl that i drove for a year till i had all the parts to convert it, i changed the entire suspension over to stock gt, and im very happy with the ride and handling, which is extremely important if your gonna drive it everyday like i do. to swap in the 351w youll need a swap pan, swap headers, and a 28oz imbalance flywheel or flexplate if its gonna be auto. and a new crossmember for the trans all these things are readily available, 400 hp out of a 351w is fairly easy, but its gotta breath! so here is where things get expensive. edelbrock has a nice complete top end kit for a 351w for about1800 bucks thatll get ya around 350-380 with a good carb and tune, hell a good set of heads alone can be 1500 bucks so the kit is worth it. the 351w bottom end is strong to say the least, just ditch the factory cast pistons for forged units and use arp hardware for the rods and mains and the bottom end is set, install the top end kit with a good 750vac secondary carb and good exhaust and youll have a nice fast ride. if its gonna be auto, run at least a 3000rpm stall converter and 4:10 gears and hang the hell on! good luck

wrenchturner75

a little side note, you may wanna get a beater car to drive in ugly weather cause even 300 hp is a handful in one of these cars just in the rain! driving it in snow is just plain crazy!

Speed-Demon

well this entie build will be street only, i rarely have time to make it to the track anymore. i was hoping i wouldnt have to mess with the suspension/brakes but i guess ill start going through the junkyards now. i didnt plan on running efi on the windsor, was just gonna stick to carb for simplicity. this car will deffinetly be a 5 speed. ill most likely find a t5. i didnt think the top end of the car would get this expensive, but if its gonna be durable and fast its worth it. im going to pick up my engine stand today, and hopefully have the 1969 351w bare block by saturday. just going to build it from the ground up over the next year. if its going to be that much of an issue with 380-400 hp i may back it down to 340-350. the plan for winter was to drop 200lbs of sand bags in the trunk(we do this in our ranger) and get an extra 2 steelies with decent snow tires. becuase i dont plan on going too fast in the snow. i was deffinetly going to get forged pistons and arp hardware for the top, i figure if im going to do this, do it right the first time. as for gears ill probably go with 3.73 or 3.55, i do a lot of highway driving. but all in all the info was greatly appreciated, i think ill start looking for the suspension and radiator/fan first, i already have a line on a t5 for $150(1200 miles). its from a good friend so i know its reliable. ill check back later to see if you guys throw out any other suggestions. thanks!

wrenchturner75

well you could run the factory 4cyl suspension, but the rear will puke with any abuse, the brakes are gonna be wayy less than adequate to stop this thing from any type of speed. the weight of the 351 will drop the front down at least a inch and a half due to the softer 4cyl coil springs and with any type of bump the nose of the car will bottom out. so as you can see yes you can run the 4cyl suspension and itll hold you over as you upgrade BUT! its not a good idea at all to do so. if your willing to lower your hp expectations, you could opt for a set of gt 40 heads and have the head bolt holes drilled out for the larger 351 head bolts, throw in a performer rpm cam and intake and youll have a solid 300hp torque monstr. that would be tons of fun to drive. remember there is nothing wrong with buying used parts, just have em checked out by a pro before bolting them on. good luck

toplessLx

what about computer wise? i mean i want to do this swap but i dont wanna have to go get a com. and new wiring harness and all that i was hopeing to just drop it in with apropriate suspension and all just run my thermostat gauge oil pressure all that and 12v supply to the coil. bad idea?

Speed-Demon

yeah i probably should have told a mod to close this thread. a few days after i changed the fuel filter a guy came buy and offered 500 more than what we paid for it so the car got sold. sorry guys