Engine Blocks help, knowledge,info.
05-23-2009, 09:50 PM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: AB, Canada
Posts: 49
Engine Blocks help, knowledge,info.
ok i have a 09 gt. yadda yadda. i want to build up a block.
my questions are.
What modular blocks can we use our heads on?
i'm possibly considering building/assembly myself. just weighing pricing. but in order to do so need to know what blocks.
im considering earlier romeo 4.6 2v blocks, as well as 5.4 3v or 2v blocks
i kno the 2v blocks share the same bellhousing pattern as the 3v's but
Do the 5.4's have the same bolt pattern as well?
my questions are.
What modular blocks can we use our heads on?
i'm possibly considering building/assembly myself. just weighing pricing. but in order to do so need to know what blocks.
im considering earlier romeo 4.6 2v blocks, as well as 5.4 3v or 2v blocks
i kno the 2v blocks share the same bellhousing pattern as the 3v's but
Do the 5.4's have the same bolt pattern as well?
05-23-2009, 10:33 PM
#2
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: AB, Canada
Posts: 49
found the answer to my questions. thanks to http://www.karkraft.com/new_page_12.htm
Blocks:
the 4.6 aluminum blocks manufactured from 1993-1998 and some 1999's were manufactured in Italy by Teksid. these were a very expensive block for Ford to have made and are probably one of the most durable blocks produced for the 4.6. these blocks are very desirable among racers. these blocks can be used for any 4.6 engine build with any of the 2valve, 3valve or 4valve heads including Cobra R heads.
the strongest Teksid block produced of that vintage was the front wheel drive block in the 4.6 Lincoln Continental due it's added ribbing in the sides for it's East/West fitment in the FWD Continental. motor mounts become difficult with that block but the added strength makes up for it! Also, a starter pocket has to be fabricated to use these blocks since they have no starter pocket, similar to the Ford GT 5.4 aluminum block.
Most of the 4.6 aluminum and cast iron blocks can all be interchanged for whatever application is needed. special attention needs to be given to Windsor iron blocks which have a big "W" cast in the block. while some say it's a stronger block, some problems can occur when installing the timing cover. it's possible not all bolts will line up on the Windsor blocks. (usually not a huge problem)
The newer aluminum blocks can be used in an earlier applications by simply drilling out and re-tapping the knock sensor holes in the valley from 5/16" out to 3/8". basically a newer 2003 block can be used in a 1996 Cobra since the early Teksid blocks are harder to find. in fact, Ford discontinued the service short block for the 1996-98 Cobras due to the expense of the Teksid Italian block. the 1999/01 Cobra short block can be used as a replacement by drilling out the knock sensor holes as described above.
5.4 Ford GT aluminum blocks are one of the strongest alloy blocks ever produced by Ford. the production block is set up for dry sump oiling and has no starter pocket provision since the starter is located in the transaxle. However, these blocks can be machined to be used as a standard wet sump application and the starter pocket can also be used for a standard starter.
5.4 S/C SVT 2007/08 iron blocks are the same as a standard 2002 and up F150 and Navigator block except for one thing which is the water pocket from the front of the engine over to the oil/water adaptor on the driver's side of the block is not machined thru. the 2007/08 S/C SVT engine uses a front outlet water pump which means water does not circulate to the side of the block.
Crankshafts:
while the early 1993-98 Mark Vlll engines look very similar to the 1996/98 Cobra and the Intake manifolds can be interchanged, the main difference between the 2 engines is the crankshaft. The Mark Vlll uses a cast iron 6 bolt fly wheel version crankshaft while the Cobra uses a machined steel 8 bolt flywheel high performance crank.
Also, the newer 2003/04 Marauder, Aviator and Mach1 automatic transmission engines also use a cast iron crankshaft except for the manual transmission Mach1's which use a Cobra crank. The 2003/04 S/C Cobra also use a steel high performance crankshaft. All 4.6 rod journals and mains maintain the same diameters.
Flywheels and Harmonic Balancers
While there are differences in applications from engine to engine, all balancers and flywheels are balanced to "ZERO" on all modular engines. rotating balance on these engines is all done internally.
Valve Covers
We're not even going to begin to talk about 2valve plastic valve covers. 11 bolt, 13 bolt, RH oil fill, LH oil fill. We're not going there!
However, we will talk about 2007/08 SVT 5.4 S/C engine valve covers. A 4V valve cover is a 4V valve cover right? WRONG! The 2007/08 5.4 SVT engine began with a fitment problem in the 2005/08 Mustang chassis. The partial fix was reduce the size of the valve cover hump for the front cam gears to clear the shock towers. The result was smaller cam gears and smaller humps in the valve covers which means the 07/08 SVT valve covers cannot be installed on a production Cobra or 4valve engine with the standard front cam gears. Trust us, it immediately creates your own milling machine inside the valve covers on the cam gears!
3valve valve covers- is it even possible to manufacture an uglier valve cover????? a beautiful Mustang GT or F150 and this is the valve covers you get?
come on Henry! you can do better than that!
Speaking of the 3V valve covers, in 2008, the Mustang GT and we believe the F-series valve covers now use a revised attachment system by reducing the number of valve cover bolts to attach them to the heads. the heads retain the same amount of threaded holes for the valve covers but the new covers skip every other hole for attachment. the 2005 thru 2008 valve covers will interchange with each other regardless of the vintage of cylinder head.
5.0 valve covers- the 1994/95 Mustang Cobra used a unique set of tin valve covers. the one noticeable thing is that these came with "COBRA" lettering on the valve covers. the second thing is that they are very heavy compared to stock 5.0 GT valve covers. the reason is a double layer of metal with a sound deadening epoxy between the layers to quiet down the rattling of the roller rockers which are production stock on a 5.0 Cobra. NOTE: while 94/95 Cobras use these valve covers, the very rare 1995 Cobra R uses the same valve covers but are modified to clear the intake inlet since these cars have a 5.8 engine instead of a 5.0.
Want to use an original pair of pretty blue 2005/06 Ford GT valve covers on your DOHC engine? yes, they will fit and bolt up but make sure you have another way to add oil to your engine! the Ford GT uses a dry sump oiling system with an oil reservoir tank which is where the oil gets added. these valve covers have no oil fill provision or oil cap!
Blocks:
the 4.6 aluminum blocks manufactured from 1993-1998 and some 1999's were manufactured in Italy by Teksid. these were a very expensive block for Ford to have made and are probably one of the most durable blocks produced for the 4.6. these blocks are very desirable among racers. these blocks can be used for any 4.6 engine build with any of the 2valve, 3valve or 4valve heads including Cobra R heads.
the strongest Teksid block produced of that vintage was the front wheel drive block in the 4.6 Lincoln Continental due it's added ribbing in the sides for it's East/West fitment in the FWD Continental. motor mounts become difficult with that block but the added strength makes up for it! Also, a starter pocket has to be fabricated to use these blocks since they have no starter pocket, similar to the Ford GT 5.4 aluminum block.
Most of the 4.6 aluminum and cast iron blocks can all be interchanged for whatever application is needed. special attention needs to be given to Windsor iron blocks which have a big "W" cast in the block. while some say it's a stronger block, some problems can occur when installing the timing cover. it's possible not all bolts will line up on the Windsor blocks. (usually not a huge problem)
The newer aluminum blocks can be used in an earlier applications by simply drilling out and re-tapping the knock sensor holes in the valley from 5/16" out to 3/8". basically a newer 2003 block can be used in a 1996 Cobra since the early Teksid blocks are harder to find. in fact, Ford discontinued the service short block for the 1996-98 Cobras due to the expense of the Teksid Italian block. the 1999/01 Cobra short block can be used as a replacement by drilling out the knock sensor holes as described above.
5.4 Ford GT aluminum blocks are one of the strongest alloy blocks ever produced by Ford. the production block is set up for dry sump oiling and has no starter pocket provision since the starter is located in the transaxle. However, these blocks can be machined to be used as a standard wet sump application and the starter pocket can also be used for a standard starter.
5.4 S/C SVT 2007/08 iron blocks are the same as a standard 2002 and up F150 and Navigator block except for one thing which is the water pocket from the front of the engine over to the oil/water adaptor on the driver's side of the block is not machined thru. the 2007/08 S/C SVT engine uses a front outlet water pump which means water does not circulate to the side of the block.
Crankshafts:
while the early 1993-98 Mark Vlll engines look very similar to the 1996/98 Cobra and the Intake manifolds can be interchanged, the main difference between the 2 engines is the crankshaft. The Mark Vlll uses a cast iron 6 bolt fly wheel version crankshaft while the Cobra uses a machined steel 8 bolt flywheel high performance crank.
Also, the newer 2003/04 Marauder, Aviator and Mach1 automatic transmission engines also use a cast iron crankshaft except for the manual transmission Mach1's which use a Cobra crank. The 2003/04 S/C Cobra also use a steel high performance crankshaft. All 4.6 rod journals and mains maintain the same diameters.
Flywheels and Harmonic Balancers
While there are differences in applications from engine to engine, all balancers and flywheels are balanced to "ZERO" on all modular engines. rotating balance on these engines is all done internally.
Valve Covers
We're not even going to begin to talk about 2valve plastic valve covers. 11 bolt, 13 bolt, RH oil fill, LH oil fill. We're not going there!
However, we will talk about 2007/08 SVT 5.4 S/C engine valve covers. A 4V valve cover is a 4V valve cover right? WRONG! The 2007/08 5.4 SVT engine began with a fitment problem in the 2005/08 Mustang chassis. The partial fix was reduce the size of the valve cover hump for the front cam gears to clear the shock towers. The result was smaller cam gears and smaller humps in the valve covers which means the 07/08 SVT valve covers cannot be installed on a production Cobra or 4valve engine with the standard front cam gears. Trust us, it immediately creates your own milling machine inside the valve covers on the cam gears!
3valve valve covers- is it even possible to manufacture an uglier valve cover????? a beautiful Mustang GT or F150 and this is the valve covers you get?
come on Henry! you can do better than that!
Speaking of the 3V valve covers, in 2008, the Mustang GT and we believe the F-series valve covers now use a revised attachment system by reducing the number of valve cover bolts to attach them to the heads. the heads retain the same amount of threaded holes for the valve covers but the new covers skip every other hole for attachment. the 2005 thru 2008 valve covers will interchange with each other regardless of the vintage of cylinder head.
5.0 valve covers- the 1994/95 Mustang Cobra used a unique set of tin valve covers. the one noticeable thing is that these came with "COBRA" lettering on the valve covers. the second thing is that they are very heavy compared to stock 5.0 GT valve covers. the reason is a double layer of metal with a sound deadening epoxy between the layers to quiet down the rattling of the roller rockers which are production stock on a 5.0 Cobra. NOTE: while 94/95 Cobras use these valve covers, the very rare 1995 Cobra R uses the same valve covers but are modified to clear the intake inlet since these cars have a 5.8 engine instead of a 5.0.
Want to use an original pair of pretty blue 2005/06 Ford GT valve covers on your DOHC engine? yes, they will fit and bolt up but make sure you have another way to add oil to your engine! the Ford GT uses a dry sump oiling system with an oil reservoir tank which is where the oil gets added. these valve covers have no oil fill provision or oil cap!
05-25-2009, 11:10 AM
#3
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Redding, CA
Posts: 4,552
The cheapest block I know of for our cars is an unmachined 03-04 Cobra block. Mined cost $370, plus machine costs.
The stock block in our cars is very strong, some say stronger than the previous Cobra blocks, I don't know. If you are going to assemble yourslef, make sure the machine shop does a good job. Get quality bearings and gaskets. Properly built these motors can with hold 1000 hp, not that you'll get that out of a 4.6.
Good luck
The stock block in our cars is very strong, some say stronger than the previous Cobra blocks, I don't know. If you are going to assemble yourslef, make sure the machine shop does a good job. Get quality bearings and gaskets. Properly built these motors can with hold 1000 hp, not that you'll get that out of a 4.6.
Good luck
05-25-2009, 02:06 PM
#4
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Nov 2007
Location:
Posts: 1,699
The romeo does the job and is the cheapest.
I'll tell you a little secret though...
deep down, I'd bet the vast majority of guys with built motors wish they would have done the boss block if they could do it over so just do it right the first time IMO.
320+ cubic inches and stout to boot - THE choice for a 4.6 IMO.
If you go with a 2V or 4V - forget it - you will have to change EVERYTHING and will cost a bundle.
I'll tell you a little secret though...
deep down, I'd bet the vast majority of guys with built motors wish they would have done the boss block if they could do it over so just do it right the first time IMO.
320+ cubic inches and stout to boot - THE choice for a 4.6 IMO.
If you go with a 2V or 4V - forget it - you will have to change EVERYTHING and will cost a bundle.
05-27-2009, 11:11 PM
#7
Thread Starter
Join Date: Oct 2008
Location: AB, Canada
Posts: 49
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post
