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"Let's go Brandon!"

Painting is very rewarding when things go well. When the paint demons appear, not so much. You just go at it again. What color is your car? Chuck

Looks great! I also like the cat. Chuck

+1 on Molnar forged crank and H beam rods, good quality at a fair price. That is what I used for the Boss 347 build. Chuck

Scat cast crank, Scat H beam rods, Mahle Power Pack pistons and rings, SFT cam, Ford 4V cc heads, 9.7:1 CR, 529 HP/496TQ at flywheel. Chuck

You will likely hear it under light acceleration at slow to moderate speeds. The problem is you likely won't hear it at WOT, and that is where the real damage occurs. If 91 or 93 octane gas is available where you live, use it. Chuck

Headers for me. I am one of those guys who thinks that way too much power is just right. Less restrictive, more mid-range torque, more upper RPM power. You must have then coated, preferably inside as well as outside, if you want them to last and reduce under hood temperatures. If a quality gasket is used, and a THIN coat of the RTV of your choice is applied to both sides, installed, and let cure completely (24 hours) they won't leak and they won't burn out. A split or toothed lock washer will keep the bolts retained. Chuck

You do not want a waterproof car cover.Moisture will get under the cover and be effectively trapped. This one is just a tick above your $200.00 limit. COVERCRAFTCustom Covercraft 3-Layer Moderate Climate Car Cover From $219 Ships Free 1 Review(s) | Write a Review Our best fitting custom car cover for protection or storage in moderate weather conditions & treated with extra UV Resistance. Color: Gray

"That is good news as I have not seen a good aftermarket intake that matches the intake ports on the 4v heads." Don't worry about exact port matching, it isn't the big deal that people have made it for the last 75 years. My Boss 347 has an intake with runners that are significantly smaller than the ports in the heads and it makes 526 HP/ 434 TQ, 10:1, Flat tappet cam. Nail down what the bore is going to be and then talk to Brent Lykins about cam and valve train components. He knows what he is doing and can sell you parts as cheap as Summit or cheaper. If you do use a flat tappet cam use lifters made by Morel no matter what name is on the box. And check for lifter rotation prior to starting the engine. I hope all goes well. Chuck

KC, I said the D0AE-L is NOT terrible. Use it if you want to do so. +.010 pistons are available from Auto Tech/Race Tech, just call them (others as well). The shop telling you that +.010 pistons are not available (just lazy people) coupled with them being Corvette specialist, is a bit of a red flag for me. There are much better cams than the A341 out there now. They all require stronger than stock springs. If the 670 worked well for you, use it again. You can change it out later if need be. Chuck

KC, I guess I missed what actually failed on the old engine. It doesn't matter now, but I'm just curious. Picking the right machine shop is the most important part of any build. Did they tell you how much bore wear/taper there was? Do they have a proper deck plate? Can they accurately measure/adjust deck height (critical in determining piston pin location)? Assuming they can do all of that and more, you can move on to parts selection. Unless the budget is very tight, I'd opt for forged pistons and float the pins. Be very careful about selecting a piston with an appropriate pin location (compression distance). Get this wrong and the piston will be too far down the bore at DTC, not enough compression. Or, pistons too far above the deck at TDC to be used/too much compression. I can recommend Mahle pistons and rings for an off the shelf piston. I can also recommend Auto Tech/Race Tech pistons if you need to tailor pin locations or want specific valve relief CCs, dish volumes, ring thickness, gas porting, etc. There are real advantages in using the newer ring technologies (thinner rings and better metallurgy) now available and proven. Randy Gillis at Auto Tech is easy to work with and very knowledgeable about 351C and all Ford engines. They will make most changes at no extra charge. Once you have enough information, use the Diamond Pistons compression calculator to figure out static and dynamic compressions. Dynamic compression is not a "Be all end all" number, but it is an indicator of resistance to detonation. I agree with Boilermaster, 7.9-8.1 dynamic is a good number for pump premium gas. Have the rods magna-fluxed and checked for Center to Center distance and roundness. At a minimum replace the rod bolt nuts with quality aftermarket nuts (known failure item). Make sure the flywheel and damper are good and the outer ring has not moved BEFORE everything is balanced. Have them measure and set bearing clearances. When the clearances are known then decide on wether or not a high volume oil pump is advisable. An adjustable timing set makes degreeing the cam a LOT easier. If you are not set up to degree the cam, have them do that. Given what you have said about the cam, both Comp and Lunati make an improved version of the B351 cam with hydraulic lifters. If you want something closer to optimum, Contact Brent at Lykins Motorsports in Kentucky. When the cam and lifter are in, rotate the engine and watch the lifters. If they don't rotate, there is a problem with cam taper or lifter radius. Getting valve train geometry right is important, it is easier with adjustable rocker arms. No matter what pushrod lengths are called for, a minimum wall thickness of .080 should be specified (you wouldn't believe how much thin wall pushrods flex). Do all you can to make sure the engine starts quickly, use break in oil, and follow break-in procedures, don't just let it idle at 2000 RPM for 20 minute, vary the rpm periodically. Assuming the stock valves have been replaced have them check the guide clearances and do a 3 or 5 angle valve job if needed. Use appropriate spring pressures and installed spring heights for the cam selected. The D0AE-L intake is not a terrible intake, a 1/2 or 1 inch spacer does help out above 5000RPM. The block should be magna-fluxed, lifter bores checked, and the cylinder bores should be sonic-tested before any machine work begins to make sure the block is usable. If the budget permits, an extra capacity oil pan is always a good idea. As for assembly, it depends on the tools, experience, and confidence you have. The plus side to the machine shop assembling the engine/ short block is if something is not right they can't blame it on you. It can be done with less effort, time, and expense using stock or less expensive parts. It all depends on what you want and what the budget will support. DO NOT buy a engine rebuild "kit" none of them contain high quality components for use in anything other than a grocery getter engine, if that. I hope all goes well with the new build and you are back on the road soon. Chuck

There are 429/460 valve cover spacers out there if you want to use the stock valve covers. Chuck

Thanks Matt! Chuck

I agree with Bentworker, it's good to have a few carb tuning parts on hand. Chuck Inbox (3,143) - charles.a.spaulding@gmail.com - Gmail.pdf

You bought the car in your signature picture for $1,500. If so, you got the deal of the century. Chuck

Someone posted a tire company that is an alternative to BFG and Cooper about two weeks ago. I wasted 20 minutes trying to find the post. Does anyone remember what the name of the tire company is? Thanks, Chuck Please disregard, I found it. From Austin Vert. Galaxy R1 by Vitour. Chuck

The 105-106 MPH does indicate power is not what it should be, ignore the ET. The question is why. What RPM were you shifting at? Did you lift at any point? Do you have CR numbers and detailed information on the cam specs? Chuck

"Actually, when I drive the car, it feels with power all the way to 6000+ rpm. It doesn't feel like laying down." You would feel that drastic of a drop off in power. I'd find another chassis dyno and make sure there is no tire slippage. I'd want another pass to confirm or refute the first dyno chart before starting to disassemble the engine. Trust but verify. Chuck

Beautiful Car! Chuck

Kevin, How you get so much done as quickly as you do, is amazing to me. Good job! Chuck

This is my fifth 71-73 Mustang so it seems the answer would be yes. A S550 chassis and drivetrain with a 1969 Boss 302 body on it would be acceptable as well. Chuck

I assume you are using 351C 4V heads. An extra 10-15 CFM of flow is not going to fix the problem. There is a fundamental problem somewhere else. Does the car lay down after 4500 RPM when you drive it (confirming dyno data)? I have no experience with aftermarket EFI but, I'd start by trying to determine if it is working properly and will support the power levels you should be seeing. I've seen dyno charts where the spring looses control of the intake valve and the numbers fall off a cliff. The basic cam specs you have published look pretty normal but they say nothing about the acceleration rates of the lobes. Controlling the large and heavy 2.19 valve at RPM can be a challenge. Do you have seat and over the nose spring pressures? If you want to talk to a pro I can recommend Brent Lykins, Lykins Motorsports or Mike Jones, Mike Jones Cams. I hope you get it figured out without too much drama. Chuck

What don't you like about the engine's performance? Was it a disappointing dyno number or a 1/4 mile MPH number? What doesn't the car do that you want it do? Thirty years ago I spent a lot of time, effort, and money chasing a tenth of a second in the 1/4 mile and I never got there. It was a 13.09 second Boss 302 street car and I wanted a 12.99 second time slip. I'm sorry if I sound like crazy uncle Bob, just trying to help. Chuck

You are not an idiot, trust me I know some who are. Exhaust leaks can be real foolers, guess how I know. I'm glad it is an easy and cheap fix. Chuck

" I have head studs so I would need a bit more clearance than if I had head bolts." The extra room you will need is the distance the studs protrude from the block. If you do manage to get them off, I'd go back with bolts. I got bitten by head studs in the late 70s. I've never used them on a street car since. I hope all goes well. Chuck