If you mess around with performance cars, sooner or later you may find yourself in need of a new, or simply better, engine. At that point you'll be faced with a variety of choices, but most will boil down to one primary decision: build or buy.
Building an engine is a time-honored practice among hot rodders, and perhaps the ultimate way to get to know your engine inside and out, but it's also a bit intimidating if you've never been down that road before. Even if you let the machine shop handle all of the decisions on how to recondition your core parts, and you take the machinist's advice on what to purchase, there are still dozens of details to deal with during the assembly.
So how about this: Eliminate the tricky part of building the bottom end while maintaining your right to pick the sexy top-end components by purchasing a crate short-block and dressing out the rest yourself. You'll be able to take credit for its power and still adhere to your budget. Going the short-block route also gives you the option of starting conservatively with entry-level heads, cam, and associated hardware, and then upgrading later when your finances allow it.
We've taken this concept to the next level by assembling some theoretical engine combinations. The costs have been tallied, and in some cases we've even included power predictions based on past experience. Most of these combinations are based on readily available short-blocks, but there are a few other variations thrown in as well, all with an eye toward maintaining a budget. Check it out, then get out the catalogs and start building.
FordFor decades, the undisputed king of the small-block V-8 was, of course, Chevy. But the strength of the 5.0L Mustang in the mid-'80s spawned an incredibly strong aftermarket following, boosting the potential of the Windsor Ford and driving down the average cost of improving one. While it's still tough to beat the Chevy's price leadership, the performance coming from small-block Fords on dragstrips around the country is phenomenal. Sadly, Ford ceased production of 5.0L-powered Mustangs after the '95 model year, but the engine soldiered on in the Explorer until recently. Despite being an SUV engine, the Explorer version is actually based on an H.O. short-block fitted with Cobra-style cylinder heads and induction. The only major difference in hardware was the Explorer's torque-oriented camshaft. Ford still offers a production 5.0/302 short-block, and turning it into a street/strip winner can be as easy as a swipe of the Visa away. Our combination is aimed at a carbureted host vehicle, but fitting it with factory-style fuel injection wouldn't be a problem.
This package begins with the same basic short-block used for late 5.0 Mustangs-a factory roller-cam-type block filled with hypereutectic pistons, stock forged rods, and a cast crank. Although those ingredients don't sound like much, the strength of the factory 5.0-even in hypereutectic form-is proven. This short-block even includes a factory roller cam and stock-type timing set, although it's a very mild Explorer grind. We could have ordered up a hotter Ford Racing roller cam for $165, but we'd still need the roller lifters ($119) and the hardware to secure them. Although those prices are quite reasonable for roller equipment, we opted instead to fit the short-block with a conventional flat-tappet hydraulic setup. We've topped our package with GT-40P (Explorer) heads, which could be considered the Ford counterpart to GM's Vortec heads-fast-burn/high-velocity castings that were intended for clean-burning torque production but also serve to make solid horsepower when combined with the right parts. The low cost of the short-block combined with the relatively inexpensive bolt-on items make this an excellent value.