When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Looking to build my vans 351w motor a bit as she is fully smogged down and still 81 original. runs great 88k miles, standard 2 barrel carb set up. Planning to swap to aluminum heads, remove all smog of course and swap to the 4 barrel intake and carb and an aluminum radiator set up. my question here is which heads would be best for the job? i dont plan on anything more than making my drive a bit more fun when i hit the skinny pedal. then knowing what heads would work best does anyone have experience with which headers would fit in an econoline application? ive read up a bit on shorty mustang headers working in a few cases. really any tips to building a 351w would be helpful here.
Yeah that motor is smothered beyond all good reason, in 1981 it was rated at something like 150hp. GT40 heads and a 351HO spec cam would be a healthy upgrade but there is lots more potential that could be tapped. Any shorty truck header wil fit a van, I know Mustang headers do not fit pickups well because the collector angle produces interference with tthe firewall and frame so I wouldn't be surprised if the same applies to the vans. There are too many cams to list but you don't have to go very big to get good results, you can have stock like idle quality and drivability with loads more power if you want. Are you set on building the motor you have? Acquiring a late model roller motor to build would allow you to continue driving until it's ready to swap in, and this makes a range of rollercams available which are easier to live with these days.
Yeah that motor is smothered beyond all good reason, in 1981 it was rated at something like 150hp. GT40 heads and a 351HO spec cam would be a healthy upgrade but there is lots more potential that could be tapped. Any shorty truck header wil fit a van, I know Mustang headers do not fit pickups well because the collector angle produces interference with tthe firewall and frame so I wouldn't be surprised if the same applies to the vans. There are too many cams to list but you don't have to go very big to get good results, you can have stock like idle quality and drivability with loads more power if you want. Are you set on building the motor you have? Acquiring a late model roller motor to build would allow you to continue driving until it's ready to swap in, and this makes a range of rollercams available which are easier to live with these days.
hey i know its an old one but winter is over and i'm back in the van daily. is there a good source for "ready to go" gt40 heads?
picked up some hooker long tubes that are made for the van/motor combo, a used Holley 600 and 351w intake (no branding on the intake).
I would love to source a roller motor as a donor for the build so I can keep driving but the extra $ of either building someone else's bare block from scratch or a crate short block doesn't work well with my wallet. If I could find a crate short block under 1000 that would be neat but not realistic. SO the plan is to build what i have while keeping it in the vehicle as much as possible.
Beware the market is flooded with Chinese aluminum head copies, and there has been a problem with cams for several years, tempering issue, causing the cams to wear down the lobes, even the well known name brand units were failing. So search around for a good cam grind and pray it doesn't fail. GT40 heads are getting scarce in the junk yards, that's all you need, and a good Edelbroch 4 barrel and 4 barrel intake, use a dual plane, unless you are wealthy enough to get an EFI kit, they like single plane intakes.
Beware the market is flooded with Chinese aluminum head copies, and there has been a problem with cams for several years, tempering issue, causing the cams to wear down the lobes, even the well known name brand units were failing. So search around for a good cam grind and pray it doesn't fail. GT40 heads are getting scarce in the junk yards, that's all you need, and a good Edelbroch 4 barrel and 4 barrel intake, use a dual plane, unless you are wealthy enough to get an EFI kit, they like single plane intakes.
Good to know! thanks man. i plan to hit my local speed shop for cam and head ordering so i have some sort of local "support".
Would you recommend any sort of EFI kit in particular? I'm not wealthy but I am willing to wait even longer to save enough to get the right parts and have better reliability but from what i've heard a lot of the EFI kits (carb replacement style) are quite finicky. that may not be the case but i dont know a lot people in real life that have tried it, dont have any friends or family into car/trucks/vans/motorcycles like me.
A Bronco owner did a YouTube video of FITec injection setup, looks like the Holley Sniper EFI, he was very happy with it on his 302, but you are looking at $1000+ for it, requires an in tank fuel pump, not included, need a return line to the tank, few carburetor vans have that. Look for the video, think it's a 1970 Ford Bronco, he did an update video to let everyone know after a year how well it functioned. Yeah a speed shop may be able to help, tjo many were caught in the cam failures as they built engines only to have them come back with cams that the lobes wore off.
QUOTE=nate4d;20420531]Good to know! thanks man. i plan to hit my local speed shop for cam and head ordering so i have some sort of local "support".
Would you recommend any sort of EFI kit in particular? I'm not wealthy but I am willing to wait even longer to save enough to get the right parts and have better reliability but from what i've heard a lot of the EFI kits (carb replacement style) are quite finicky. that may not be the case but i dont know a lot people in real life that have tried it, dont have any friends or family into car/trucks/vans/motorcycles like me.[/QUOTE]
A Bronco owner did a YouTube video of FITec injection setup, looks like the Holley Sniper EFI, he was very happy with it on his 302, but you are looking at $1000+ for it, requires an in tank fuel pump, not included, need a return line to the tank, few carburetor vans have that. Look for the video, think it's a 1970 Ford Bronco, he did an update video to let everyone know after a year how well it functioned. Yeah a speed shop may be able to help, tjo many were caught in the cam failures as they built engines only to have them come back with cams that the lobes wore off.
QUOTE=nate4d;20420531]Good to know! thanks man. i plan to hit my local speed shop for cam and head ordering so i have some sort of local "support".
Would you recommend any sort of EFI kit in particular? I'm not wealthy but I am willing to wait even longer to save enough to get the right parts and have better reliability but from what i've heard a lot of the EFI kits (carb replacement style) are quite finicky. that may not be the case but i dont know a lot people in real life that have tried it, dont have any friends or family into car/trucks/vans/motorcycles like me.
[/QUOTE]
yeah, cam wise i was considering an RV grind for some torque and helping move that heavy van. obviously head choice changes a bit there to make sure they can handle the cam.
anything brand wise to look for on cams, specifically for maybe heavier applications but a good long power range for the 3 speed c6?
This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level
Slideshow: The VelociRaptor Expedition gains a lift, upgraded suspension, Brembo brakes, and trail-ready equipment while retaining the stock 440-horsepower EcoBoost V6.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
