I presently have a 1982 351w short block that I was planning to use in my scratch build gt40, but I have been told that the 351s have to much torque for an audi 016 (that I also have)and are to tall ,with a stock front-sump oil pan, to fit in a gt40. I have a line on a 1997 5.0 explorer engine, which I believe has the short water pump, and is a roller lifter block, that I would prefer over the flat tappet block. I have not seen the engine yet, but I believe these had coil packs and a position sensor ( I think is the name) in place of the distributor. Can anyone tell me if these blocks will accept an MSD or Mallory distributor if I use a carberated intake? The car is going to be a road driven car, so either engine will be mild (300hp 302 or 350hp 351). Any recomendations as to which engine would be best? Any comments appreciated!!
302 or 351
- Thread starter stevy_joe
- Start date
Terry Oxandale
Skinny Man
The torque limitations of the Audi box could be exceeded by either motor. The 351W is only about 1" taller block wise, but the wider span between the heads makes the intakes taller as well, so they add up quickly, but there are some pretty flat intakes for the 351W that negate the intake issues. The 351W is also about 50 lbs heavier (mostly in the crank, then block, then intake mass). I'm thinking a nice, high strung, 289 that will rev to the ceiling, make nice horsepower, but keep torque liveable for the Audi box would be ideal (but that's not one of your options). I was in a similar situation at one time with a V8 in front of the smaller Datsun differential. What the 289 lacked in torque, it made up for it in RPM (and thus HP), and everything held together until I put the stroked 351W in it.
Steve
Either the 351W or 5.0 will be a nice engine, especially for road use. Yes, the 351W is a very torquey engine, but that's what you want on a road car (or at least what I want). In reality, for a road-use-only vehicle, the maximum horsepower is somewhat irrelevant. As Terry pointed out, the 351W is heavier, but, again, in a road-only car that is somewhat irrelevant. In stoplight-to-stoplight "racing," you'll never come close to hitting maximum horsepower or get to a point where 50 lbs of extra weight will matter.
An advantage of a 1996 or newer Explorer engine is that it came from the factory with GT40 heads. I believe that is true for both the 5.0 and 351W, if not I'm sure somebody will correct me. The GT40 heads are a significant improvement over the "standard" heads found on other versions of the same block.
Another advantage of going with an EFI system (as on the 5.0 you are considering) for a road-only car is it is much "easier" to drive. Think back to when your everyday driver had a carburator. It didn't run great until it warmed up. With EFI, jump in, hit the key, and take off with no worries. Not a knock against carburators, just a fact a life.
For my money, I'd stick with the 351w since you already have it. That being said, if you already had the 5.0, I'd tell you to stick with it. It is probably a bit easier to find more aftermarket options for the 5.0 because of the Mustang crowd, but there are many options for the 351W, too, especially if you look where the "truck crowd" hangs out (we're all after the same thing...more power). All things being equal, I'd go for EFI on a road-only car, but if you already have the carburation setup, stick with that.
For what its worth...
Eric
Either the 351W or 5.0 will be a nice engine, especially for road use. Yes, the 351W is a very torquey engine, but that's what you want on a road car (or at least what I want). In reality, for a road-use-only vehicle, the maximum horsepower is somewhat irrelevant. As Terry pointed out, the 351W is heavier, but, again, in a road-only car that is somewhat irrelevant. In stoplight-to-stoplight "racing," you'll never come close to hitting maximum horsepower or get to a point where 50 lbs of extra weight will matter.
An advantage of a 1996 or newer Explorer engine is that it came from the factory with GT40 heads. I believe that is true for both the 5.0 and 351W, if not I'm sure somebody will correct me. The GT40 heads are a significant improvement over the "standard" heads found on other versions of the same block.
Another advantage of going with an EFI system (as on the 5.0 you are considering) for a road-only car is it is much "easier" to drive. Think back to when your everyday driver had a carburator. It didn't run great until it warmed up. With EFI, jump in, hit the key, and take off with no worries. Not a knock against carburators, just a fact a life.
For my money, I'd stick with the 351w since you already have it. That being said, if you already had the 5.0, I'd tell you to stick with it. It is probably a bit easier to find more aftermarket options for the 5.0 because of the Mustang crowd, but there are many options for the 351W, too, especially if you look where the "truck crowd" hangs out (we're all after the same thing...more power). All things being equal, I'd go for EFI on a road-only car, but if you already have the carburation setup, stick with that.
For what its worth...
Eric
The Explorer or Mountaineer has an engine code "P", it is EFI (EDIS) and uses the same intake as the Mustang GT but the heads are a bit different. It is also a distributor less ignition like the 4.6 modular engines. The plug angle has been changed for better performance. The bad news is that headers for GT40 heads will not work, they are too close to one or two of the plugs to get the boots on without burning them up. Be sure to get headers for the GT40p.
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