been gathering parts for my 351w build and was planning on a 10.5 CR with flat tops but recently found a good deal on a used set of TRW forged units with dish tops, which puts the CR around 9.4 or better (depending on heads). i plan on running around town in this car but it's going to see some track time and might be my new bracket car. so here's the good and bad: flat tops= higher compression, but i wont run nitrous with these dish tops= lower compression, but have capability of nitrous and/or boost engine specs: std 4.000" bore 3.500" stroke factory crank cnc steel i-beam rods thinking about the x303 cam with .542 lift 286* duration still shopping around on the heads but looking for the 195cc head, 1.94/1.60 valves but chamber is going to be around the 60cc range intake is in the lines of a performer rpm or maybe an air-gap so all in all, any have any opinions as to piston recommendations? any input is always greatly appreciated
why couldnt you use nitrous with the higher compression? you just have to use a higher octane fuel or pull a little more timeing out. i dont think that cam is the best choice for severaly reasons. first its a cam that was designed to work with fords factory fuel injection, so it leaves so potential on the table that can be had with a carb. second that cam seems a little big on the lift for use with those heads and intakes that your indicateing. 10 years ago i built a 351 for friends mustang. i used a lighting short block that svo was selling back then. then used performer rpm heads and intake. i put the ford f303 cam in it (not know what i know now). that motor was a monster. it was easly 425 hp, pulled up to 6000rpm with out a problem. one of the problems with the 351 is the large main beaing size results in high rpm oiling problems. the surface speed on the large journal can result in some problems when you start spinning the motor up. hope this is some good info that helps.
There's nothing wrong with an X cam and a carb. I'm running the Z with carbs and I've run the B303 too, plus the F4TE roller. None leave anything on the table with a carb. In fact the F4TE works better than anything I've tried with a carb for a street cam. The B & Z are close behind it.
just didnt run nitrous with that much compression. not to mention if i go flat top then ill prolly buy hyper pistons vs forged. not to mention with the runners of the heads, i didnt wanna get much above this type of cam that's kinda what i was thinking but ive been wrong before. i have a couple friends that run the FRPP cams with carbs and turn high 11's all day. not to mention, some of these parts are not se in stone. im just starting from the bottom and working my way up. thanks for the input guys
Mean Maverick, Make a list of all the performance that you want: Speed, gear ratio, RPM, power, torque, tire size, weight of the car, power adders, and use - then you can make a more informed decision on what the engine internals should be. You know that you will be driving on the street, will there be highway driving too? What RPM will you (and your engine) be willing to tolerate cruising at 60-70 MPH? At the track you will want to go through the traps at your peak power RPM so tires and gearing has to meet the criteria to make that happen in conjunction with your cam. Try to keep in mind that you are combining several systems into complete system to make your goal work.
Looks like a nice setup. Just curious why you didnt stroke it? With the cost of everything your not looking at very much more money to stroke it into a 408.
thanks Paul. this car wont see much highway driving, well, nothing over 60 mph anyways. im going to be running a 3.50 gear and probably a 26" tire, all behind a C4. wanted to see what i could do with a stock bore 351 first, and wanted to keep the 4.000" bore for strength since the F4TE blocks are a "lighter" casting. if everything goes well down the road, i may go to an SVO block and run a 408 or 427. who knows what will happen between now and then
F4TE Blocks are strong enough to support 700 +/- Hp reliably. (My 408 will use one) The Large journal (big bearing) condition of the windsor is not a problem below 7000 rpm. While there are better options out there than the X-303 cam, if you already have one I think it would run Ok (my 308 has one in it )
392c.i. stock bore forged flat tops from a h.o. mustang motor 11:1 compression 3.85 stroke crank http://www.summitracing.com/parts/SCA-9351W10/ brad
i have heard about this setup before but im iffy about everything working together. have u run this yourself? or have any more informaiton on it???
im not saying that ford letter cams are bad for carbs. i run the f cam in my 302 it runs stong. i ran that cam because i had it laying around. a carb can run a more agressive cam than the letter cams. if you have the cam allready then by all means use it, just make sure you get matching valve springs on what ever heads you choose for what ever cam you use.
There's really no point in running a more agressive cam in a street motor with a carb. The EFI grinds offer more than just performance with a carb, cleaner idle& emissions, smoother powerband, better throttle response. No reason not to use one with a carb. I'm running the F4TE cam with 1.7 rockers in the 5.0 in my 89 Ranger with a 4 speed. If I didn't tell you it had a carb, you'd never guess it. Powerband is from idle all the way to 6000. Starts & idles with no choke down to 25*F
