most HP?
#1
11-08-2001, 07:08 PM
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#2
11-24-2001, 12:34 AM
#3
11-26-2001, 10:58 AM
most HP?
>Ok, I own a '75 Ford Elite with the famous 400 engine. Love
>that car. I was wondering who around here has gotten the
>most HP for their buck, and what they did. Just a broke
>college guy lookin to take on some of my buddies w/big
>blocks.
>Thanks.
If you are talking real cheap, I would put in dual exhaust with free flowing mufflers, plust an open K&N filter. This should get you up over 200 HP. If you find a decent exhaust guy this could be done for perhaps $250. The challenge here would be the catalytic converter - to go dual exhaust you will need a second one, unless you whack the cat. You may need to rejet the carb.
Presuming that the engine is working fine, does not need an overhaul, but you want even more power: For another $800 or less depending on where you get the parts, get an Edelbrock Performer 400 intake, a 600 or 750 CFM Edelbrock or Holley carburetor, and a set of headers. Expect HP to go to perhaps 250 (maybe more depending on headers and tuning). Use a 750 CFM carb if you plan to eventually take it further, otherwise a 600 will do.
If you still have cash, the next steps would be reworking the heads with larger valves and some massaging, raising the compression to 10:1, and adding a performance cam kit with straight up timing chain. At this point you are talking overhaul with machining, new oil pump, bearings, etc, etc. Expect another $1500 or more on top of the previous improvements. HP should jump to 400+.
The hot ticket would be to use Aussie heads with the stock flat top pistons. They have the small ports, big valves, and the quench chambers which will bump compression to just over 10:1. It should run just fine on 92+ octane pump gas. These heads will cost you perhaps $250-400 and then would need to be rebuilt. Or buy them rebuilt for $900. If your bottom end is solid, this may save you the expense of a full overhaul.
Have at it!
>that car. I was wondering who around here has gotten the
>most HP for their buck, and what they did. Just a broke
>college guy lookin to take on some of my buddies w/big
>blocks.
>Thanks.
If you are talking real cheap, I would put in dual exhaust with free flowing mufflers, plust an open K&N filter. This should get you up over 200 HP. If you find a decent exhaust guy this could be done for perhaps $250. The challenge here would be the catalytic converter - to go dual exhaust you will need a second one, unless you whack the cat. You may need to rejet the carb.
Presuming that the engine is working fine, does not need an overhaul, but you want even more power: For another $800 or less depending on where you get the parts, get an Edelbrock Performer 400 intake, a 600 or 750 CFM Edelbrock or Holley carburetor, and a set of headers. Expect HP to go to perhaps 250 (maybe more depending on headers and tuning). Use a 750 CFM carb if you plan to eventually take it further, otherwise a 600 will do.
If you still have cash, the next steps would be reworking the heads with larger valves and some massaging, raising the compression to 10:1, and adding a performance cam kit with straight up timing chain. At this point you are talking overhaul with machining, new oil pump, bearings, etc, etc. Expect another $1500 or more on top of the previous improvements. HP should jump to 400+.
The hot ticket would be to use Aussie heads with the stock flat top pistons. They have the small ports, big valves, and the quench chambers which will bump compression to just over 10:1. It should run just fine on 92+ octane pump gas. These heads will cost you perhaps $250-400 and then would need to be rebuilt. Or buy them rebuilt for $900. If your bottom end is solid, this may save you the expense of a full overhaul.
Have at it!
#4
11-26-2001, 04:55 PM
most HP?
[updated:LAST EDITED ON 26-Nov-01 AT 06:08 PM (EST)]TrackStar,
How serious are you about taking on your buddies with big blocks, and how serious are they about their big blocks?
Starting in 1975, base ignition timing for M-blocks (351M/400) was severely retarded to allow them to run on low-octane unleaded fuel. If you've got access to some decent premium unleaded fuel, you can bump the base timing up to 10-16 degrees BTDC (depending on where it starts pinging). You can also disable the EGR valve and enrich the main jets in the stock 2V carb to get more power from the stock engine. Assuming everything else on the engine is in decent tune and not worn out, and assuming your OEM exhaust is functioning properly, you should be able to get hp up to 165-170 from these changes alone (stock rating for a 1975 400 was only 158hp).
For a little more money and effort, you could change the cam for something like the Comp 255DEH or Edelbrock #2172 (along with lifters, push rods, and valve springs), swap out the stock carb and intake for an aftermarket manifold and 4V carb, and get a performance exhaust system. All this could give you 200-220hp.
I think it's unrealistic to expect 200hp from just an air filter and an exhaust system. Unless you do something with the cam, any clean air filter will not be a restriction on a stock 400, and the best exhaust system on a stock 400 will only give you about 10hp, and that's very optimistic.
Unfortunately, a dual-cat system isn't legal under current interpretations of the Clean Air Act of 1990, so you could switch over to a 2.5" or 3" high-flow cat, if you need emissions legality.
Good luck.
How serious are you about taking on your buddies with big blocks, and how serious are they about their big blocks?
Starting in 1975, base ignition timing for M-blocks (351M/400) was severely retarded to allow them to run on low-octane unleaded fuel. If you've got access to some decent premium unleaded fuel, you can bump the base timing up to 10-16 degrees BTDC (depending on where it starts pinging). You can also disable the EGR valve and enrich the main jets in the stock 2V carb to get more power from the stock engine. Assuming everything else on the engine is in decent tune and not worn out, and assuming your OEM exhaust is functioning properly, you should be able to get hp up to 165-170 from these changes alone (stock rating for a 1975 400 was only 158hp).
For a little more money and effort, you could change the cam for something like the Comp 255DEH or Edelbrock #2172 (along with lifters, push rods, and valve springs), swap out the stock carb and intake for an aftermarket manifold and 4V carb, and get a performance exhaust system. All this could give you 200-220hp.
I think it's unrealistic to expect 200hp from just an air filter and an exhaust system. Unless you do something with the cam, any clean air filter will not be a restriction on a stock 400, and the best exhaust system on a stock 400 will only give you about 10hp, and that's very optimistic.
Unfortunately, a dual-cat system isn't legal under current interpretations of the Clean Air Act of 1990, so you could switch over to a 2.5" or 3" high-flow cat, if you need emissions legality.
Good luck.
#6
11-26-2001, 09:19 PM
Mountain Pass
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most HP?
Another possibilty is 351C 2v heads. The only difference is better exhaust ports.
Besides the article in the tech pages here, you may laso want to check out http://www.angelfire.com/ar/dw42/
This is the home page of Dave Williams, he has lots of good tech info. Good ratio Facts:Opinon ratio...
Besides the article in the tech pages here, you may laso want to check out http://www.angelfire.com/ar/dw42/
This is the home page of Dave Williams, he has lots of good tech info. Good ratio Facts:Opinon ratio...
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