Hey guys,
I am looking to build a 351w pushing around 400hp and 400lbs for my 88 f250 lariat.I have never built an engine so i don't know the ins and outs. It will be a daily that needs to be able to pull a 1500 mile non stop road trip no problem from time to time. I am trying to figure out what combo of internals i need to achieve such as cheaply as possible. I am also considering long blocks.
If it helps at all I am looking to install an edelbrock efi system. I am also not a fan of boring but i can accept up to .03.

 

You have a tall order there. 300HP is very easy to do with basic heads, cam and long tube headers even with the crappy factory EFI intake. To go beyond that requires a lot more money. How deep is your wallet?

400HP on all motor requires much better heads, intake, cam, custom tune, your MAF conversion and fuel supply upgrades.

A beefed up transmission is next on the list. What transmission is in the truck now?

 

you'll need a 400+ cube bottom end for that kind of power/torque naturally aspirated....along with what rla said above; aftermarket heads, carefully selected mid range cam, a good intake manifold, and long tubes. OR....keep it stock cube, get some decent heads, and supercharge it.


im not a fan of overbores either, I cant stand when people list their performance mods and include that in their "specs" as if boring .030 over is a performance thing...its not. yea, every .030 over gives you about 5 cubic inches on a 351w, but it gets the overbore because that's what it needed due to cylinder wear/distortion in order to true them up...


it needs to be referenced without a doubt, for measurement and "rebuildability" purposes but its not a performance mod in and of itself.

 

The tranny is a c6 but will be changed to an e4od or the german 5 speed. The current engine has over 200k and will probably need to be bored, plus my dad is doing the work since I'm stationed in Okinawa, and he also does not want to bore a block. I have been looking at short blocks. Do yall think the stock crank and pistons will hold up to 12+ hours of interstate at a time? Here are the parts I have been looking at putting on it
edelbrock performer-plus cam
edelbrock performer intake for 351w not the 5.8l
edelbrock estreet efi
This set up according to edelbrock is good for the idle to 5500rpm range. The efi is rated up to 600hp, so it will do what I want no prob. I'm still looking for heads. This truck was the family pick-up, so I have come to accept its my money pit. I would like to keep the engine under 6k but doubt that will happen. The receipts will not be added up for a long time I recon.

 

Here is the block im lookin at.
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hpe-sp09

 

Like I said, you'll need to stroke or charge it to achieve that hp/tq relationship. That's a non roller 351 block, a roller block will help you squeeze more power out of it.

The efi 600 hp capability means nothing as far as reaching your goal. You are going to need aftermarket heads, strong mid range cam, and a stroker assembly. I'd look at stroker short blocks if you aren't building the engine yourself

 

There's a known step function in costs moving from 300+ horsepower to over 400. The step function steepens as you go up the horsepower curve.

You're very likely looking at $3500 - $4500 once you target the 400 + hp zone. Return on your money at resale: 30-40% ("Race" items don't command high resale prices)

If you're looking for a "puller" I'd consider a Cummins 12v conversion -- $1250 to $1750 more than the gas above (engine, conversion kit, tanks, diesel radiator, adaptor plate for transmission) . Return on your money at resale: 70-80%

 

Thanks for the help. I am looking at 427 stroker kits and short blocks at the moment. I can compromise with horsepower, its the torque I'm after mostly, but i would prefer both. Resale isn't an option on this truck.

 

The 408 is the best balance in a small block. Great low end torque and strong mid-range power. It's square bore/stroke relationship makes it very versatile. Good heads and a camshaft of around 220/228 @ 50 would be a great combo with a Stealth or RPM intake and a 4150 Holley. Call TCI or Art Carr and let them match your torque converter to the camshaft and gear/weight. A slightly more conservative cam in the .210-.218 range would make more bottom if this truck is to have big tires and the manual trans.

http://www.coasthigh.com/Ford-351-Wi...its-s/1306.htm

 

Bigger is better is my motto, cars included. For the street of course, or even road racing.

I know you already know, pny, that large cube allows more cam to be run while maintaining street manners. I've built many a stroker and have never been displeased by going bigger, running more cam, and enjoying massive torque production. The tradeoff of torque for horsepower isn't really evident until you're seeking 6500+ rpm in most instances, the 427 included. For most people, that's sorta like a "who cares if I can't rev past 6500"...but there are those that want/can tolerate the hp generation through twisting high rpm.

427 gets my vote, any bigger is likely to cost much more anyway.

 

How does the 427 last compared to the 408 over time? I like to have the power when I get a wild hair every once and a while, but prefer to keep the rpm at 4k or under otherwise.

 

I want torque more than anything. 400hp would be nice but at the end of the day its still a truck.

 

Thanks for the help so far by the way. For the longest time I thought a nice stroker would be 12k plus. It never occurred to me I was looking at dam race engines basically.