McAfee wraps up the 598ci...
McAfee wraps up the 598ci T-Rex with the timing cover, water pump, and other items. To get the timing cover properly centered on the Eagle 4340 steel crank, a crank spacer, which is well lubricated with engine assembly lube, is used to get it spot on.
MCE Big-Block Build
Tech 598ci Big-Block Engine Build, Part 3
When Marvin McAfee of MCE Engines penciled out his 598ci T-Rex vision, his goal for this brute Ford big-block was between 800-900 horsepower, with a comparable amount of torque using a single four-barrel carburetor. To stand any chance of getting there, he needed Ford Racing Performance Parts' new M-6010-A460 race block with its thick wall construction, four-bolt mains, siamesed 4.600-inch bores, and steel main caps.
We went to JGM Performance...
We went to JGM Performance Engineering's dyno lab with confidence knowing MCE has chosen the best valvetrain components available. Comp Cams springs and retainers, and Jesel's shaft-mounted rocker arms need no introductions with racers. These components are world-class and virtually indestructible. We're about to put them to work.
McAfee would also need a cylinder head, camshaft, and induction package that would deliver the kind of power that he had in mind for an engine of this size. Of course, a lot has changed even in just three years, when it comes to heads and induction. Savvy engine builders are getting in excess of 1,000 hp from the A460 Ford block from a variety of new cylinder heads and induction systems that have come into the marketplace since this project was first hatched. We could look at all of them, however we were commited to Ford Racing's M-6049-C460 sportsman cylinder head.
The C460 356-T6 aluminum cylinder head is a high-port job designed for professional racing-it's not a street head. Valve angles are 7 1/2 degrees intake and 8 degrees exhaust, void of side angles. Chamber size is 65 cc's with the 2.450/1.900-inch suggested Manley Performance stainless or titanium steel valves. Port and chamber sizing and shape are based on the Ford Racing Yates cylinder head. Sold only as bare castings, the C460 heads retail for about $875 each.
Race-proven MSD ignition components,...
Race-proven MSD ignition components, including this billet distributor and 6AL box, light the 13:1-squeezed 110-octane mixture. This is not the proverbial "1,000 hp on pump gas" story so often told in car magazines seeking blazing cover headlines. This is about racing and the high octane it takes to get there without rattling the engine apart.
Just as with every cylinder head, custom porting can make them into really hot performers. Jon Kaase Racing Engines of Winder, Georgia, does a custom-ported Ford Racing C460 head that flows 500-plus-cfm on the intake at 0.800-inch lift, and 350-plus-cfm at 0.800-inch lift on the exhaust. Ready to bolt on with Pro Stock port work, a competition valve job, Manley Performance titanium steel valves, PSI valvesprings, and titanium retainers, these giant heads retail for $6,800. This is a little more than our budget for this build will allow, but it shows you the potential of these heads when a big-block Ford expert like Kaase gets a hold of them.
For our test, we'll show you what can be done with these heads basically right out of the Ford Racing box with precision valvetrain components from Jesel, Comp Cams, and Manley Performance.
Ignition blueprinting includes...
Ignition blueprinting includes proper secondary wire routing to prevent crossfire. Wires, where possible, are routed in parallel to keep them a suitable distance apart. You can have the best ignition wires and still run the risk of crossfire with high-energy ignition systems. MCE custom fits every ignition system used on its engines.
PowerHeads of Wildomar, California, cleaned these castings up with a port match for improved flow. However, no specialized port work was performed. Installed valvespring height is 1.900-inches. Seat pressure (valves closed) should be 228 pounds at 1.900-inches. Open pressure should be 702 pounds at 1.200-inches, with spring coil-bind at 1.090-inches. As assembled by PowerHeads, our C460 cylinder heads flowed 380 cfm at 0.700-inch lift on the intake side, and 225 cfm at the same lift on the exhaust. Low- and mid-lift numbers were also quite impressive.