My f150 has a 1991 351 Windsor (5.8L) in it and stock it turns about 230hp at the flywheel. It has done 240,000kms but was fully recondiditoned 30,000kms ago.

So basically i am on a quest for more power...

I have found 351W crate engines turning out 375hp Melbourne for about $9k
which would be a straight bolt up to my tranny.

Basically i dont know anything about modding car engines so would it be worth giving my existing engine to a perfermance shop to work on or better to buy a crate engine?

I was reading that other thread with the LS2 with 300kw for $5k or whatever, not that i would ever put a holden engine in a ford, but are there other engines that are more bang per buck that would be suitable?

cheers guys

 

well these guys are goint to ask you what do you want to do with the truck? towing or everyday driver. then they'll say start with the cam and exhaust to let it breathe a little better. some may say do some intake work then threre are others that will tell you to look into new heads if that's in your budget. gearing is also a good item to change. so let theses guys know more about you rig ie gears, tranny & exhaust. let them know what was done with the rebuild and you will get all the info you need to get that hp without spending that much money!! you'll see!

 

Your '91 truck uses the speed density EFI system which isn't capable of adjusting to a much more powerful motor so if you buy or build one that much better you will also have to spend some money on EFI and fuel system upgrades. I don't know if the Austrailian spec trucks are imported or built locally but the north american models of that vintage only produce about 190hp.. mainly because of a puny cam and restrictive exhaust. This is the reason these two items are often the first on the list of upgrades, it's also because the EFI system can handle more cam and better flowing exhaust as long as the cam maintains a healthy vacuum signal. And these two changes alone can improve engine output by as much as 80-100hp.. depending upon the cam of course. After that better heads and intakes will push air flow levels beyond what the fuel system and computer can handle so this is when it gets really expensive to make more power.

I don't know what $9k buys you down there but it would be a complete forged and balanced rotating assembly with top quality heads and maybe even a racing block. That is complete overkill for a truck motor IMO, unless you drag race it I guess, but for a street truck it's not necessary.. especially considering the stock 5.8 shortblock will easily handle 400+hp. And all it takes to get that kind of power with the stock shortblock is a heads, cam, intake combo and free flowing exhaust.

 

damn 9k hahahahaha and only 375hp?? for 9k if you built it yourself you could get much closer to 600hp and have it streetable

 

hey fire blue , currently in school right now for automotive and fordraceing development... but aside from that it seems like you have allot of wear on your engine as is .... you can buy a rebuild block with heads and all for about 2k if you want to go that route,
theres other things you can do.. you currently have a EFI system and a Eec-v computer.. so they are right there isn't much you can do.. but !! theres good news

you can add a cam /head /throttle body /better air intake , and gears should help, also doug thor headers with 6 inch flow master run you about 2k for everything ... then call up your local dyno shop and have them Flash you a chip that will adjust your A/F ratio and stuff...

again i am just letting you know theres not much you can do ... i currently am doing the same thing atm with my truck i have a 1994 / f-350 460 / as well i also i am doing to TOP end rebuild , but i only have 124k miles on it , and it sound like your block could be in poor condition, anyway its your choice what you want to do ....
good luck
jayson

 

Actually, Big Ol 460, he doesn't have much more miles then you do. He has 240,000 kilometers which is less then 150,000 miles and was reconditioned less then 25,000 miles ago.

I do agree with the price difference folks are stating. $9000 would buy a LOT of performance and serious over kill in a pickup truck.

A lot of the performance parts manufacturers have what they call configurators on their web sites where you can punch in what you have and what you are aiming for (speed, towing, mileage) and it will make you suggestions for what products you need to reach those goals.

Best of luck finding what you are looking for at a good value.

 

FireBlue,

Are you in NSW, Australia or FL, USA?

If Australia your A$9000 is US$8200

Is it VIC or NSW?

 

it will be cheaper to do a top end kit for 2000 $ which puts 400 hp out of a 351. add another 1000$ in extras like water pump eletric fan, and some other stuff and you are pushin out 465 hp for alot cheaper than a crate

 

As noted before from Conanski, factor in the cost of the electronics to control the beast. The factory SD system will choke on all the mods. Depending on the camshaft specs. you may get away with a custom tune, but I would budget for a MAF upgrade as well as a tuner.

 

WOW thanks so much for all your advice guys, really appreciate it. I have got bugger-all response on other forums...

how much would a MAF upgrade be?
Most of these parts will be alot cheaper in the USA, Is anyone willing to put me together a whole kits for me? im happy to pay a finders fee for time and effort.

I guess id be wanting a top end kit and pumps and fans and MAF upgrade and whatever else i need to get 400hp out of it. Maybe headers too, they are hard to find in OZ.

 

Im in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

 

Keep in mind that the crate motor is from a supplier in melbourne australia!
You guys could most likely buy the same thing for half the price in the states!
Us guys in australia sem to have to pay double the price here for the same thing!
One of the draw backs of our small market !!

 

Yeah when i seen Melbourne , iwas thinking Melbourne FL , thats just north of me , But i guess your a little south ...Maybee you should have the motor built here & have it shipped ??? ...Lew

 

What trans does the truck have? If it's a manual or C6 automatic you have several options to get mass air, but it you have the E4OD and want to keep it you'll be limited to using a truck mass air computer. As for engine parts that's easy, you could select a complete TFS or Edelbrock kit or mix and match some parts from several suppliers, you'll be looking at 180cc TFS, Eddy, or AFR heads, and something like the TFS-R or Victor 5.8 intake. Do you have any local suppliers for comparable parts in Austrailia?