I doubt they will last as long. I've read threads where the mod motors were having problems a 50K. I will admit they are powerful (I drove a 5.4L), but i don't think they will outlast the predecesors.


Read this:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_FE_engine

They clearly state how the 427SOCH was impractical for street use. And wouldn't NASCAR would ALLOW Ford to use their cammer engine even though Ford sold enough to homogolate it. Ah yes...,... NASCAR and their never ending loyalty to GM.

 

Wow, 50K for mod motors???? Dude, they've been in Police and Taxi service for nearly 15 years with 200K being reported frequently. Thank God Ford finally figured out how to oil mains first........instead of scrambling to offer a band aid like on FE's and 335/385 motors.


Read you link 3-4 times...........no "CLEARLY" mention of not being a good street motor. I would imagine with dual quads it would be a tempermental motha' but that was the consensus with the street hemi vs the wedge also.......regardless, it certainly wasn't because of "tight tolerances".


As much as I love 'em the SOHC was a terrible idea for a modern Top Fuel motor that is torn down and rebuilt between rounds........

Here's one to ponder; at 650 HP for a lumpy dual quad tempermental beast that probably needed a triple digit octane fuel to even run, the real HP numbers for today would be around 520HP.

That's close to a current LS6....is less than a 330 cube Ford GT motor and easily obtainable with a 281 cube Cobra motor with less than $1500 in upgrades.


Great history, incredible for the day and a long time after...... but the old dinosaurs can't hold a candle to todays stuff.

 

DOHCmarauder, so true that the old dinosaurs can't hold a candle to todays stuff.

Just good old nostalgia in old vehicles and shows.

Of course there was one exception when the Ford GT40 set a track record at Leguna Seca in 1966 or 67, just to be broken by Rahal in an Indy car in the early 80's.

Of course, a driver has alot to do with that also.

 

I hope it's the one in my Super-Duty.....

I think the 351C series, 428 Cobra Jet and 429 Cobra Jet.
The Boss series engines were great for the race track though the Boss 351 worked the best on the street out of the three.
A Boss 351 in a Cobra would have been amazing!

 

Anyone here read an article how someone took 2 Boss 302 heads, cut them both in half, furnace brazed them and put them on a 4.9L engine?

It put out some impressive ponies and torque.

This was awhile ago.

 

No, but I remember the story of someone taking the Chevy (bad word?) 283 and splitting it lengthwise to make a 4 cyl racing engine.

 

DOHC,

Read under the 428 subheading where it states: The Ford 427 was a great race and performance engine, but it was simply impractical to manufacture economically for street use; it required tighter tolerances during manufacture than Ford's regular engine plants could deliver. In addition, it was not really suited to driving all the accessories, like air conditioning, required for a regular production series powerplant.

Thta's a clear indication that it was not recommended for the street because of the engines tolerances. You can't build a race motor with tight tolerences and expect it to be durable enough to cruise in stop and go traffic with the A/C on. That's all I meant by the fact that they were an impractical engine for the street. It just comes down to the design of the engine. That's why Ford developed the 428 FE (which I would love to have in my truck)

Like said I don't dislike the current mod motors, I just read where someone was having problems with a 4.2V6 at 50K. But you would know more than I about them, because you probably own one.

Here is my list of requirements for The Best Engine:

Durability
Longevity
Usablepower band
Low maintence
Easy to work on
Fairly Cheap to fix

The only engines I really see meeting these requirements is the 300L6 and the FE's.
And yes it is true that today's engines (motor actually refers to windings that are tightly wrapped to produce power via electricity) are far superior than those of yesteryear. Though they do have a disadvantage of being more complex, which increases repair costs and the chance that something (usually a sensor) will foul up.

 

Sorry, didn't read under 428...........they don't mean "tolerances" per se. They mean setting up two timing chains(ONE SIX FOOTER) and a "complex set of idler gears" (tensioners) for mass production. And of course the fact that all accessory brackets would need to be redisigned for a low volume motor. Please believe me when I tell you a race engine will not have tighter tolerances than a street motor. They will be the same if not a tad loose, depending on what you're building it for.
The fact that these motors run MAX RPM's from the get go dictates the slight increase in main and rod bearing clearances.......at least the high end of the spectrum. In other words if the mains are supposed to be .002-.003 you would run 'em @ .003 if you planned to race this season!!!

If you tried to run a main bearing @ .0015.....even on a low revving street motor, you're asking for disaster!!


Respectfully disagree on your 'motor" comment;

http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionar...otor&x=13&y=17



BTW, the 4.2 V6 is still the old push rod motor that was based on the 3.8 which is based on the 5.0...........they seem to be OK but had a bad run of head gaskets for a few years..........THE 4.2 V6 IS NOT A MODular MOTOR!!!

 

I apologize for my ignorance. I assumed that the 4.2l was because it is offered w/ the MOD's. Like I said you would know more than I about them. As far as the M"motor comment, that's what I have always been told. I also see your point about the tolerences.

 

I've heard that race motor are set up with looser tolerances also. But that's talking about assembling a cold motor. When you spin a motor up to 8000-9000 rpm, it's going to make a tremendous amount of heat. Heat makes things grow. So at operating rpm and temperatures, the race motor with looser cold tolerances will probably have the same clearances as a street motor set up to tighter specs.

 

nother vote for the I6. Even chebbie boys have to say it's a good motor. It'll out pull just about anything close to it in displacement. It's in my truck, and hasn't given me a lick of trouble even though it probably has about 326000 miles on it. And maurader, if me and 77300I6 wanted some better numbers, cliffy's would be happy to ablige.

 

You bet. I own an FE powered galaxie, and an I-6 powered truck. Love 'em both. But what I really love is the 5.4 in my expie. If I could afford it, I would find a way to put one in both my pickup and my galaxie. The mod motors are light years ahead of the engines they replaced.

 

Dude, we all learn something new everyday........especially @ FTE.

 

Couldn't have 'splained it better myself.

 

It is a great, durable motor. I really appreciate your statement, "It'll out pull just about anything close to it in 'displacement.'"

The only problem I have with SOME I-6 owners is that they think it'll outpull every big block and diesel out there.........It's good for what it is....300 Cubes