Go BIGGER or go home! (454's or Fords older dumptruck engine?)

Parts for the big blocks are ASTRONOMICAL!!!

I would also be stroking a small block 351 or going chevy.

 

Just overall power and force. I'd like to go out on the strip one day, but maintain the ability to stay on the street as well. Car-nose-lift during take off would be nice

 

I have a 460 in my Mustang, very streetable and quick. Fits nice. The Maverick is a 302, stock Explorer 5.0 ... Runs ok, but it's purpose built for bracket racing, and does it's job very well. Big blocks do give up handling, braking, ect, due to the weight. I wouldn't want a streety Maverick with that heavy of an engine in it. If you think you need bigger, there's a late model Mustang around here that has a turbo 347 (302 based stroker) that went 5.07 @ 142mph in the 1/8 mile, that's pretty quick for a "little" motor. So, bigger is NOT always better!

 

SBF = Small Block Ford, so your 302.

 

I guess the biggest question is what is your budget going to allow?

If you put a chebby motor in like a LS1, 350, 454, 396 ect ect then you will have to look at new front suspension completely. You can start out with a Mustang II suspension, Rod & Custom makes a very good kit for our cars but it runs about $2500 - $3000. Then the cost of the engine, and transmission(and the rebuild on them too if they have been around the block a time or two), custom transmission mounts ect and then you will have to get a rear axle too hold up to the extra power.

Now if you stay with ford but go big block for the most part your costs will remain the same as if you tried to put a chebby engine in your car. You will still have to go mustang II suspension, rear axle, new transmission ect ect.
The other option(and easiest, and arguably the most cost effective) is to stay with the windsor block ford. You can go with a 331 stroker based on your 302, or you can jump up to a 351 windsor and stroke it out to a 427, only have to do light shock tower modifications just to make it easier to get the spark plugs out, and the C4 in your car can easily be built to handle the horsepower and torque. The rear axle is iffy but if you are racing then it is reccomended you change it.

Remember going big is awesome but you dont want too loose your home doing it..

The thing about going big is the big price tag that is always associated with it... and sad to say not that many people want to put more money just into their front suspension then they bought the whole car for... especially if they arent attached too the car and they can go out and buy a car that will fit a big block from the factory for less then half the cost of the suspension.

 

My suggestion: 393 stroker. It's still an SBF, big cubes, and not crazy money for what it is. Just a 351 Windsor, stroker crank and 302 pistons. I wouldn't say it's easy to install a Windsor, compared to a 302 for instance, but it's a cake walk compared to a big block.

Eh, that's mostly right. The mods are more about getting headers to fit. Plugs aren't really a problem once you lose the iron manifolds.

 

A 302 can make all the power/torque you would ever want now a days. Don't even need to stroke it!

 

thats all i got. and absolute insane 302 as a 306. was hoping that i'd be picking it up at the machine shop this week but i guess not as of yet...best of the best inners in it. only downfall would be my alum Rhs race heads(got bare and put together by a shop with my choice of parts)..but then they aint bad..plus not sure what cam i'm going to go with yet either, but 302 is the way to go for sure! BUT if it was to blow. stroked 351 would be a must.

 

I don't think I would knock the aluminum RHS heads I read an post by Joe Sherman on the ford muscel forum a while back. He said that for un ported heads the RHS heads were the best as cast head for the money. He said the the CNC AFR head will make 50 more hp on a 408 stoker but he could grind 50 hp into aset of RHS heads no problem.

 

If the 477 534 engine is the Dump truck engine that you are talking about? There are a lot better choises out there . What this engine is is truck version of the 430 lonclon engine. It was first used in the trucks ans cars in 1958, in cars it was built iin 383, 410 , 430 and the last car engine was 462.The truck engines were a tall deck version of the linclon In trucks the engine started at 401 , 441 , 477 and the largest was 534. these engines were huge slugish hard on gas and never knowen for grate power. In order to put one of these into a Maverick you would have to do major modification , if your going to go this far you would be better off to use a 460 ford engine! there are state of the art heads intakes and even after market blocks avalable for the 460 so you can make engines all the way up to 750 ci. they don't fit the maverick easy, but you were talking a truck engine .

 

Just that engine alone qualifies as a "whole lot of weight"

 

I have to second the 460 but add Boss 9 heads! If you're going big then do it with style!!!

 

NICE

 

Isn't it? I wish it was mine!

 

And mine!