Hey everyone, I haven't been very active on the forums lately - too much work and school. I put all new suspension and brakes into my 66, and I have slowly been preparing to drop a more powerful engine in. Now I am at the point that I need to make some decisions, so I am looking for some help.

First off, what engine should I choose? I can't decide if I want to have one built or if I should go for a crate engine. I am leaning towards a 347 that makes at least of 350hp/tq, but I would be happy with more. I found this one from T&L (http://www.tandlengines.com/ford_sb_347_a_2.html) which seems like the best deal to me so far at $4084. Cost is the biggest factor, as I am a college student and I don't want to spend beyond my limits.

Second, what else do I need to upgrade to handle that power? Suspension and brakes are good, and I know I will need a new radiator, starter, and exhaust. Will I need my c4 and stock rear end to be beefed up at all? I plan to have new gears in the back (3.73's probably). Should I think about the driveshaft, or anything else?

Lastly, are forged internals worth the extra cost ($600 in this case)? I might consider a small shot of nitrous or turbocharging when I am out of college and have a real job, and I think forged internals would be best for that. Also, what other of the upgrades or turnkey parts should I consider that are listed?

Thanks for your help.

 

I would go with a 331 stroker kit. The 331 stroker kit has a better rod ratio than the 347. If you are trying for 350 hp, this could be obtained with the 331 kit. With 350 hp being your "ball park" goal, you do not really need forged internals. Especially since you are on a strict budget. You could go with hypernuematic pistons, i beam rods, etc.... You will probably need to get a new torque converter to utilize the new found performance, I have heard that an 8 inch rear end can take 300 hp or so if you are not beating the hell out of your car. But to be safe I would bump up to an 8.8 inch from a mid 80's mustang. They are cheap as hell, and can handle a decent amount of power. Obviously you would have to cut down the housing to the correct width, in addition to other work, but the 8.8 is lighter than a 9 inch, cheaper, and can be built to handle just as much hp.

I have looked at the t&l website, and yes it looks like a good deal. If you are planning on turbocharging in the future you would have to replace the heads to lower the compression ratio on the 347 offered by t&l. As far as nitrous, my personal opinion is "bottles are for babies." Again, that is my personal opinion. If you did go with either the turbo or nitrous later, you would need forged internals. Possibly leave the engine as is right now, or throw on heads, cam, and headers. I am in college too and feel the budgetary squeeze.

Again, this is just my opinion.

 

Just build a 347. There's not enough of a difference in the r/s ratio between a 331 and 347 to matter. You can get basic forged i beam rods for cheap, and a cast crank would be fine, the stock block will fail before a cast crank will, and it's usually a lot of rpm that kills a crank, not a lot of power. Use good pistons, it will save a lot of trouble in the long run, they may cost more but will take abuse and weigh considerably less, and you don't have to worry about juice or boost. Then just give it good heads/intake and a custom hyd roller cam. Even on a budget there's no reason you couldn't build a 400/400 347.

 

I am wary to build the engine myself. First off, I have no experience, and I am not willing to make a costly mistake. Second, I will be living in an apartment for the next 9 months and will not be able to build it. Third, I can't seem to find a machinist or builder in the area that I would trust. Would it really be that much cheaper than the T&L crate?

Also, what about the rest of my drivetrain? Trans/diff?

 

your gonna have to get a new tranny I would think. A TKO most likely, Iam also looking towards a 347 for my 66 and from what I have read a T5 may grenade if you put it up to something that is pulling around 350 hp/torque. The hp isn't really the issue, its the torque that eats it up. You could get an aluminium drive-shaft to boot to. I have heard rumors about modern drivetrain beefing up trannys but i never looked into it. From what I have looked at a TKO-500 would probably be the best to get. The way I look at it, do it once and do it right because nobody wants to buy things twice

 

also if your planning on doing all this to your car the number one thing you must do first is stiffen up that chassis. Subframe connectors, Sway bars, monte carlo bar and more. Maybe even a roll cage. The last thing you want to do is twist your frame!

 

I too am in college and 20 years old. Trust me, go with the 347. I built my 347 last year, and started from the ground up, using all new parts minus the block. At the same time, I switched from auto to 5 speed, and 9" rear end, and have a total of about $16,000 in everything, with the motor, trans, and rear end.

Realize that crate motors are not complete, you still need carb, pullies, bracketry, water pump, flywheel, distributor, plug wires, etc. There is a lot more cost involved than just the money spent on the bare motor.

Also, with that you'll need lower gearing than the stock 2.80's. The stock 8" can hold up, just go with lower gears, and a posi unit. I ran my 347 for two years of pretty tough driving on my 3.55 8" and it held up fine.

Some on here have added that a T-5 cannot hold up either, yet I have a new cobra spec T-5 that holds up just fine. A TKO WILL NOT FIT without major tunnel modifications, trust me... I have done it.

If you keep the stock C-4, realize you will be needing a stall converter, and a shift kit would'nt hurt either.

Forged internals are not necessary when keeping the rpm's at a reasonable level with the stock block. If you're on a budget, save the money for what you really need.

Also, a properly built 347 will make 350 hp no problem, don't worry about that. Worry about all the added expense that goes along with putting that 347 in the car.

Take a look at my signature and click on the link to CARDOMAIN. Look at page 2 and you can see all that I have in my car for the 347.

 

I know the crate engine is not complete, and plan to buy all the other goodies.

Good to hear the stock rear will hold up to the power. I am planning on having a limited slip and 3.73's put in before the engine goes in.

As for the transmission, I would like to stay with the c4 for now. What stall converter would be appropriate for street driving? I dont want a 3000 or anything and have to lurch around town. Would 1500 or so work well? I was thinking about having the trans rebuilt with a shift kit. Any recommendations on one that will fit my application well?

I am not planning on spending anywhere near 16k, but I am hoping to have this done before next summer.

Thanks for the help everyone - keep it coming.

 

Okay i researched the crate engine vs doing it myself. I chose to do it myself and it turned out to be a mistake. I spent a lot more money.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FORD-...Q5fAccessories





Check out thins company. they are very reputable and the build a hell of engine. they come complete with carb, dizzy and ingnition box.

they also have a 347 that has better #'s that thins 331. they will also send you a dyno report if you request.

as far as the trans goes. a t5 will hold up if you are running street tires. if you put slicks on it it will be all over.

as far as your rear end goes the 8.8 is great. your stock rear end with gears and a locker will hold up but it costs more to build your 8 then it does to build a 8.8 or a 9inch.

I can get a 9" complete with any gear ratio and a trac lock for $1100 cash. that is the way for you to go.

 

I think i made an error above. this engine does not come with the carb and ignition but they have one that does for only a little more. they are great guys and ou should call them.