How hard is it to build an engine? I've never built one before, only put together a lawn mower engine. I have the idea kicking around of one day building a 350ish hp 351 for my truck. Is it doable with manuals? I have a garage to keep it in and could build it when my 302 still works (not in a rush).

 

I would get a couple of books and go from there.
There are a few books on motorhaven about building small block fords.

 

Basically I guess i'm asking if it's a bad idea to try it on my own just using manuals...

 

Between the manuals and some tips from a machinest you can probably do it if your the type that never gives up and can pay attention to detail. I taught myself and my last race engine I talked my 14 year old daughter through it. I also do manual transmissions and set up rear ends now.

 

I built my first enging in my parents garage using a manual to learn by when I was 16 (200 straight six in a 67 mustang...). It ran fine. The only mistake I made was a not leaving enough of a gap on one of the piston rings. Once I fixed that (the ring broke fast enough; DOH) the thing ran like a top for years. It's not that hard, and if you pay attention to each step as Hired Gun suggests you will come out fine. jThere is nothing like the feeling of firing up that first one and knowing you did it all yourself!

If you don't feel comfortable tearing into the block for the first time out you could look into getting a short-block from a machine shop - you will still get the experience of setting up valve adjustments and bolting it all together...

 

MustangGT221

It is very do-able. Take your time, have patience, double check everything. Be determined to do it, and you'll be fine.

Gather as much information as possible about your particular engine. Knowledge is good. Get a couple of good Ford engine building manuals. And yes talk to a machinist. You will need to farm out a little of the work to a good machinist anyway.

It is a very rewarding experience.

Good luck.

 

I just realized I can't spell or type at 1:30 in the morning... sorry! Being on-call has it's down side...

 

I just saw a couple short blocks from summit racing. What's a short block come with, they didn't have any 5.8s. I think that might be a better idea for a first timer to get his feet wet with. What would I need to get for my short block? I need some strong internals in the motor to handle 300-350hp. Would my gas mileage be horrible with that kind of engine? I get about 12-15 city/hwy now. I've gotten as low as 9-10 when I don't drive like grandma.

 

A shortblock is the engine block with all the internals set up and assembled; Crank, cam, timing gear, pistons, rings, rods, bearings, and main seals. Sometimes they will include a gasket set.

A long block comes assembled with all of the above PLUS; Heads, pushrods, rocker arms, Lifters, valves, valve springs, retainers. They usually do NOT include the intake or valve covers. They may or may not include an oil pan, but usually they have the oil pump and pickup.

A short block is a good starting point for a first motor... going with a long block is not much more than pulling one motor and swapping in the other, you don't get much experience with internals. If you are the patient type get one of the rebuild kits that includes everything and put it all together yourself. PAW makes some pretty complete kits, but their online ordering system is the pits...

As far as gas milage and power output from a short block a lot of that depends on the heads/intake/exhaust/fuel system you decide to use. We need more info on what you want to do before anyone can give an accurate guess on that...

 

I was just playing around on Summit's site... here is a fun stroker kit to make a 347 out of a 302:

http://store.summitracing.com/partde...M%2DCSUM347KIT

You would need to pay close attention to the machine work the kit requires to be done to the block, so it may not be a good choice for a first motor, but that is about as close to a 351 as I could find on Summit's site. It's a shame they are so Chevy oriented, they have great service...

 

Well, their website just doesn't have everything they stock. I would like to use headers with cats and muffler for an exhaust (keep it legal). I would like to get 350ish for horsepower and 375ish for torque. If it's gonna kill me for gas, I can accept going lower. I'm going to have to get a new transmission to handle the power, so i'm going to get a ZF 5 speed (granny first and overdrive). It'll be a daily driver which has 35s, 6" lift, and 4.10s. I want something streetable. I've heard bad things about the 347 stroker kit, so I'd like to go 5.8L for the longer stroke (need the torque). I am getting fed up with my clost to stock 5.0, no low end power. I would love to get like 12-13mpg on average with that much power. Do I have to run 93 octane?

 

That depends on the heads that you put on, and how much compression you make. If you keep it under 9.5:1, you can run 87 with most Ford cylinder heads, but most aftermarket heads might let you run a little more and still be cool pumping the cheap stuff. If in doubt, I'd say go with the short blocks they have in Summit. I have the 302 production short block, and I love the power and dependability. Besides, it's very hard to get a machine shop to prep your block, buy a rebuild kit, and all the other associated parts for less than $1300, which is how much I bought mine for. I wanted to build my motor too, but after going back-to-back with prices, it was more economical to buy the Motorsport short block. They're basically factory-new engines (casting numbers say XXX) with beefed-up components, like a true roller timing set, hydraulic roller cam, and hypereutectic pistons. Some guys would rather die than drive something they didn't build, but if you build a motor out of a short block, you've accomplished just as much as anybody. It's still going to be a heck of a project, even if you find a long block that you like. Make sure you have plenty of room to work, and lots of very good tools. It wouldn't hurt to have some gearhead friends and several cases of cold beer. Make sure you call Jeg's too, and get their price. Sometimes if you tell them about your order, they'll hook you up on shipping charges just to make sure they get your business! I love Jeg's, because their tech support line is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. That sure is nice when it's 3 am and you need to know the torque spec for the rocker arm stud on a pair of Windsor Jr. heads. Make sure you stay in touch, there is much wisdom on these boards to be borrowed when it comes time to ordering parts! TK

 

Well, what kind of parts do you guys suggest to meet my goals if I get a 5.8 short block? My 5.0 only has 90k mi on it, so I can take my time building this, I have a garage to store it in.

 

AFR 185 heads on an FRPP short block. Crane Gold Race rockers (1.6 ratio, 1.7 is too hard on valve guides for a street driven engine) and make sure you use hardened pushrods. Trick Flow makes about the best pushrods anywhere. Go with all MSD ignition: 6A box, and a Pro-Billet distributor. Use a Comp Xtreme Roller cam and use the timing set that comes with the short block, otherwise use the Edelbrock roller. Full-length headers are a must, shorties are a waste of time, money and blood. Use ARP head studs and a Fel-Pro # 1011-2 gasket. I guarantee you will never blow a head gasket with these parts. Your factory oil pan and pump will be fine, just make sure to get a new pump, and check your pan for warpage. I'd go with the XR 266 for killer street performance, unless you have SD injection. Being a stone-age carb freak, I'd go with an Edelbrock performer RPM air-gap intake and a Demon 625 or Edebrock AVS 625 carb, but that is a little extreme for a '95 model pickup.

 

Yeah I wanna stick with EFI, it does have speed density though. I do have an MSD 6a, two of them actually lol.