By the way, TFS also makes an EFI intake for Ford vehicles, including the 351W, but they have shorter runners and make more top-end power than low-end torque, but with a modified engine they will still produce more low-end than the stock manifold.

Out of curiousity, does Eaton make a blower for this vintage or only for the newer modular motors?

 

Check out #####.com. The centrifugals are cheaper, but the Kenne Bell is the blower you want. I'd only recommend the others if you were drag racing but the KB is perfect for a truck. You can look at their website too, lots of FAQs, Kennebell.net.



Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

Must be blocked, Super chargers online.com w/o the spaces.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

Well you have gotten a lot of good advise ... and you have two ways to go, depending on how much or how little you want to spend.

However, there is one thing that you need to be aware of, if you are not already ... the service and support that comes from the Kenne Bell factory is less than stellar. In fact, from the research that I have done ... it sounds like it sucks ... big time!!! Getting in touch with them on the phone for tech support is near impossible. You can buy direct from them, but remember what kind of support you will get ... especially if you are installing it yourself. You may want to purchase from a dealer that installs them.

Now ... having said that, let me also say that I have currently started to build up a 351W for my 86 short box ... it is going to be supercharged and EFI ... and it IS going to have a Kenne Bell sitting on top of it. Why?? Because I also think it really is the best supercharger for most older Ford truck applications (or daily driven Mustangs for that matter) ... producing full boost down in the low rpm band ... where you want it for daily driven truck. I would recommend buying from someone who will help you with the tech support though. I have heard good things about Kennedy's Dyno Tune but have no experience with them.

If you want you can do your build up now, heads, intake, slightly hotter cam, etc and add the Kenne Bell SC later ... but again, how much do you want to spend in total. Either way, if you change heads and cam, get a custom chip burned to realize the full potential of your buildup.

Be aware ... it is true that if you go to an aftermarket intake manifold like Edelbrock or TFS ... the Kenne Bell will not fit on top of the new lower intake mainifold ... unless you upgrade to a GT-40 upper & lower intake manifold from Ford Motorsport (or Cobra upper off of a Mustang and a GT-40 lower). This intake system will allow you to do an EFI buildup right now (no SC) and then progress to the Kenne Bell SC later on. Although it is not meant to build a lot of torque with the short runner design, the GT-40 intake will certainly allow the air to move if/when you decide to move up to the Kenne Bell SC. However, this also has it's drawbacks ... as the GT-40 intake and Kenne Bell supercharger is designed to fit on an 86 - 93 Mustang (not an F-150 truck or Bronco). So if you went this route you will have to switch over to a Mustang throttle body, EGR spacer plate, and air intake system. This is not that big a deal ... but it may be more trouble than it is worth to you ... no more stock air cleaner in the stock air cleaner location, etc etc.

Personally, I am going to build my engine in phases ... and since I am changing from a 302 to a 351W (I already have a carburated 351W), I am going to have to install a complete EFI intake system that will be compatable with the Kenne Bell SC ... so ...

For phase 1 ... I am going with the GT-40 lower intake, 8psi - 18 psi Kenne Bell Blowzilla SC for the 5.0L Mustang with GT-40 intake, 75mm throttle body and EGR plate, custom hydraulic roller cam that still tries to meet emmisions requirements (easier to do on an 86 Ford truck as emissions are not as stringent). I'll try to use the existing computer from my 302 speed density system ... although I know this is going to be a pain and will take some serious tuning. I'll run the Kenne Bell at about 6 - 8 psi of boost ... initially.

For Phase 2 ... we swap in a 408 stroker kit, AFR 185 heads with Stage 2 porting, Lightning MAF conversion kit and computer, Kenne Bell flip chip set to "daily driver" (2 different tunes on the same chip) 42 lb injectors, low compression pistons (about 8.5/1), water injection kit, and up the boost to about 10 or 11 psi for daily driven 92 octane fuel (actually whatever it will take without premature detonation, but 10 - 11 has been done before with the water injection system I am going to use). The stroker kit will give me all the low end torque I am ever going to need for daily driving.

And when we really feel the need for speed ... we add a tank of 104 octane race gas ... change the pulleys for 15 - 16 psi of boost (probably all I'll get on this stroker application) ... set the Kenne Bell flip chip to "KILL" ... and then we go hunting ...

Good luck with whatever you decide. Just be prepared for little or no tech support from Kenne Bell if you go this route. You will get more help out of them if you need something fixed or replaced ... but probably not much out of them during your install ... and/or and required trouble shooting. A good reason to pay a little extra and buy from someone who will give you some tech support during the install.

FYI

Here are quoted Performance Stats for a Kenne Bell on your stock 351W.

Ford 351 (5.8L) HP (Peak) Torque (Peak) Gain
Stock 200 310 110
Kenne Bell 278 434 161

 

The supercharger site I gave you is pretty knowledgable if you have any questions. I've e-mailed them and KB and they both replied with good answers. I don't think they are HORRIBLE but they arn't great. I don't think thats a reason not to buy their product however. I'm still trying to get one under my hood but I have a crappy transmission.


Primary rig is Green Thunder:
95' F-150 XLT 4x4, 302, 5 spd, MSD 6A, Flowmaster Exhaust, Sunroof, Clear corners w/ Diamond headlights, CD player with 2 10" subs and some 32" BFG Muds .

Check out my Gallery for a look-see.


Justin - One Happy FTE Member

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 10-Dec-02 AT 05:37 PM (EST)]I agree ... it is not a good enough reason for people to not buy their product (at least not directly from them) ... but if you go into it with low expectations, you are likely to be more prepared and will end up with a good experience ... vs the other way around.

The website you mentioned does have a wealth of informtation on it ... and I think it even has a link to another very useful one for anyone considering a KB (although I can't remember how I found it??).

http://www.kenne-bell.com/links.asp

If you are considering a KB, it would be worth your while to spend some time in the "forum" on this site. Most of the people that use the forum either own ... or have owned KBs and share a lot of their experiences (good and bad). It is basically where I drew my own conclusions about the kind of support level that I should expect from Kenne Bell ... that and the fact that when I did email them ... they replyed ... but did not answer any of my questions ... and my questions were regarding the purchase of one of their kits!!

I am still going to be putting a KB on my truck too, but I don't have high expectations going in ... and I hope I can get all the support that I need from the place I purchase the kit, and the forum I mentioned above ... just in case the support level from Kenne Bell really does suck (I am still hoping that they are better than I think ... but I am keeping low expectations).

 

what have you descided? build or super charger or both?

 

>what have you descided? build or super charger or both?


I think that I will go the supercharger route, I think that it would be best for my application. I don't think that I need to do both cause I use my Bronco mostly in town and I think that would be a waste of horsepower. The only problem I have now is trying to decide if I want to paint it first or supercharge it. This summer I think that I will paint it, then the summer after I think I will do the engine work.... but you never know, I might need that horsepower sooner :P