My newly built 347 is going in this week and should be all ready to go real soon. I have read about some common negatives about these motors. Mine has all forged internals (Ford Racing forged 347 Short Block with TFS Heads and a Crane 542/563 lift, 224 @.050 cam) and a reasonable compression ratio of 10:1. I also bought an aluminum radiator and a 7 qt Canton Oil Pan and Windage tray. Are there any things I should watch out for, as this will be a street driver putting on about 3000 miles/year. I've been told about rod angles, oil issues, heat issues etc...anything else? How long can I reasonably expect the motor to last? All components are new and pretty high end, maybe not THE best...but definitely not a cheap build...

thanks!

 

How long it lasts depends on how you drive it, higher power/rpm means less life. And yeah, the rod angularity is steep, so it'll wear out faster than something like a 302, but at 3,000 miles a year worth of driving, it'll be years before that thing wears out. The only real problem you may have will be traction

 

... or blowing apart the rest of your drivetrain if its not built...

 

Depends on the pistons you wound up buying. Most of the newer ones no longer have the wrist pin through the oil rings. That's where the oil control problems were coming in. The skirts on the 347 piston are shorter, increasing the friction on the walls. So, you're not likely to see a 200k mile engine, but 100k with a synthetic oil and reasonable driving is likely. At 3k miles per year, you're likely to get bored with the engine before it wears out.

 

.....

 

Thanks for the feedback. Sounds like good news. Honestly, not sure what the pistons are because they came in the short block. All I know is they are forged. since my motor is not installed, I havn't seen the build sheet yet, and from what the machine shop told me, the details on the Ford Racing short block were not easy to come by. Didn't hurt that about 2 weeks after I bought it they discontinued it in anticipation of the new Boss version.

And, Yes, my tranny has been built. Nice new 6 roller planet, shift kit, bands, clutches, servo, etc etc....

Rear end and driveshaft....those are gonna have to wait til I break in the engine and tranny...so I'm still sittin on a stock 8 inch with 3.55s.....next winter project to install one of those Ebay 9 inch kits with the entire housing, diff, axles, brakes, 1350 yokes, and a new balanced driveshaft. I'm sick of spending money this year. If my wife really knew what the engine and tranny cost, plus the engine bay detailing and rust removal cost, she'd be unbelievably pissed!!!

 

8" are still pretty stout, chances are you'll break a 302 block before you break 8" axles or diff. That beings said, 9" are generally considered bulletproof, and easier to find parts for

 

My 408 raped my 8".

 

superdavid: Were you beating the hell out of it? also, what did you have for yokes/driveshaft etc? I'm sure you have more HP and TQ than my 347, how much do you have? I'm gonna be 425ish peak on both..