I have a 91 Mustang gt with the on3performance turbo kit, and a month ago blew the crankshaft in half and broke off a couple chunks of the block so im looking to swap to a 351 base motor. I found a local builder who sells a 408w shortblock for 3300$. Includes all the machinework on the block like bore and clearancing for the stroker. Heres the parts:

OHIO 4340 Forged 4.00" crankshaft(Internally Balanced)

SCAT 4340 6.200" H-Beam connecting rods w/ARP Hardware

WISECO Custom 2618 Forged Pistons, With Twisted Wedge Valve Reliefs and GFX Rings

Fel-Pro Rear Main Seal

ARP Main Studs

Clevite "H" Bearings

Durabond Camshaft Bearings

ARP2000 Rod Bolts

I know i will have to do some modifying to the headers to fit and work with the turbo kit, but im not concerned with that. My questions are what would be a good recommended camshaft? I want a nice thumpy sounding cam but not at the risk of losing performance. And do many people have problems with 351 blocks at around 700-800 Horsepower? Ive read all around people saying they can take a hell of a beating as long as you use good arp bolts. im looking to build a 700ish horsepower turbo motor. If anyone out there has a 408 turbo build feel free to add some input. As far as internals, i dont see any problems with the internals holding the power as they are relatively high quality parts.
Thanks for any help.

 

If you want your engine to live a long time with boost, start with something like a Dart block. You simply cannot discount the benefit of having 4-bolt mains. With a 4-inch stroke, you end up with 427 cid. Even with boost, there is no replacement for displacement.

As far as a rotating assembly goes, make it easy on yourself and get one from FordStrokers.com. Try not to go higher than 9.5:1 on your static compression ratio, otherwise, boosting the motor won't be as efficient money-wise (why spend all that money on a Turbo, only to be able to use no more than 5 pounds of boost?). To calculate your static compression, you need to know what heads (I recommend AFR 220's with your choice of combustion chamber size) and head gaskets (compressed thickness) you'll be using. There is an online calculator available that lets you play with numbers.

As far as ARP goes, yes, yes, and yes. Also use ARP head bolts. Heads up - using ARP fasteners get's expensive fast, but they are WELL worth the cost.

I built a 427 Windsor last year, and put in a TrickFlow stage 3 cam and am using 1.7 rockers. The choppy idle is *amazing*.

Are you planning on running gas or E85? Carb or fuel injection? Personally, I think a carb is the way to go, but hey, I'm freakin old...