Dyno Results
Before installing the engine, the owner trucked it to Dyno Motive for testing. Here are the results using the dyno’s Hooker Super Comp headers and the Ford dual-quad intake with a pair of 600-cfm Demon carburetors.
| RPM | TQ | HP |
| 3,000 | 519.9 | 297.5 |
| 3,100 | 521.9 | 308.1 |
| 3,200 | 522.1 | 318.8 |
| 3,300 | 523.9 | 329.2 |
| 3,400 | 522.9 | 377.9 |
| 3,500 | 521.3 | 347.4 |
| 3,600 | 519.6 | 356.1 |
| 3,700 | 518.1 | 364.9 |
| 3,800 | 518.9 | 375.0 |
| 3,900 | 520.0 | 386.1 |
| 4,000 | 521.8 | 397.4 |
| 4,100 | 528.8 | 412.8 |
| 4,200 | 536.8 | 429.3 |
| 4,300 | 541.4 | 443.2 |
| 4,400 | 540.4 | 452.7 |
| 4,500 | 538.7 | 461.6 |
| 4,600 | 535.8 | 469.3 |
| 4,700 | 529.8 | 474.1 |
| 4,800 | 524.1 | 479.0 |
| 4,900 | 515.1 | 480.6 |
| 5,000 | 504.9 | 480.6 |
| 5,100 | 494.3 | 480.0 |
| 5,200 | 487.2 | 482.3 |
| 5,300 | 478.1 | 482.5 |
| 5,400 | 466.1 | 479.2 |
| 5,500 | 453.8 | 475.2 |
The 482hp level is almost one per cubic inch—this is a good start. Once the engine is broken in and the carburetion fine-tuned, we’re confident that 500 hp is easily within reach. How must it feel to have over 500 lb-ft of torque at just 3,000 rpm in such a light car? (Absolutely incredible! —Ed.)
This Canton winged-sump oil...
This Canton winged-sump oil pan is a good choice once the fit in the chassis has been ensured. The increased capacity and cooling wings will both contribute to a lower oil temperature. The pan was a good deal at $279.
We did a lot of looking over...
We did a lot of looking over the shoulder while the Ford Performance Solutions technician checked and doubled-checked everything. Here, the rod journals are being measured for correct diameter (2.200 inches). The main journals checked out OK as well at 2.749 inches.
With the crank at rest in...
With the crank at rest in the saddle, the main caps were set in position. To retain the caps, an ARP Main Stud Kit was installed. The nuts for the heavier vertical studs are tightened down to a final value of 95 lb-ft while the smaller cross-bolts go to 42 lb-ft.
The bore diameter of the iron...
The bore diameter of the iron sleeves also checked out in spec at 4.310 inches, while the piston diameter checked out at 4.305 inches for a piston-to-wall clearance of 0.005 inch. Next, a piston or special tool designed for the purpose is used to ensure that the ring is perfectly horizontal in the bore. The ring can then be checked for the proper endgap as seen here.
This piston ring checked out...
This piston ring checked out a little tight, so this special ring grinding tool is used to widen the ring gap precisely without chipping the ends. While the top and middle piston rings should be checked for endgap, the lower oil ring isn’t measured or adjusted in the same way as the compression rings.
When the piston is loaded...
When the piston is loaded with rings, it goes into a ring compressor. This compressor uses a bore tapered from top to bottom to drive the rings toward their seat. The soft rubber end of a mallet is used to persuade the piston into the bore. Care is taken on the other side of the block to make sure the connecting rod doesn’t damage either the bore surface or the crank journal on its way into the crankcase.
On the bottom end, the rod...
On the bottom end, the rod caps are installed one by one. The capscrews are a beefy 3?8-inch diameter and have 12-point heads. They are tightened to the prescribed 65 lb-ft torque value.
To prevent wipeouts at start-up,...
To prevent wipeouts at start-up, careful preparation of the camshaft pays off, even with a roller cam. Here, every journal and lobe gets a coating of engine assembly lube. Next, the camshaft is carefully installed into the block and the cam retainer is installed.
As you can see, the crank...
As you can see, the crank gear in this timing set is slotted to accept the crank key in many different positions. For this engine, the cam was installed neither advanced nor retarded, but straight up.
It’s a lot easier to degree...
It’s a lot easier to degree the camshaft now rather than wait until the engine is in the car. The procedure was run through twice and the camshaft checked out fine.
Here, the timing cover goes...
Here, the timing cover goes into place after careful positioning of the gasket. The black sleeve shown has a keyway and slips over the crank snout. Since the engine is internally balanced, there is no outside balance weight here. Factory engines were externally balanced and called for a sleeve with the correct balance weight cast in.
The oil pump drive rod is...
The oil pump drive rod is held in exactly the right position while the new oil pump is lowered over the drive rod and into place. The pump gasket is already in place on the block, and the oil pump fasteners have been treated with thread locker.