big block vs small block?

[cazsper]

If I was looking for (EFI) big block power (500+ rwhp), and you were starting from scratch, would you go with a built big block or a small block with a power adder?

 

[auron73mach1]

Big block naturally aspirated because I like the K.I.S.S. method I get headaches playing "find the air leak" on a buddies twin turbo 300zx and would you want to run nos all the time to always have that 500 on tap? I bought a built big block from a member here for less then $2,500 and it puts up real near to that 500 you are seeking. plus 500 is a lot of power if you have ever driven something with that? It's insane going from 40 to 120 on just a little over the length of a freeway on ramp in a 560 hp awd '12 Porsche 911 turbo s that I took the opportunity to drive. that feeling of the car accelerating forward so fast that you are pinned in your seat brought nothing but smiles to my face. Good luck in your quest you will enjoy it

 

[cazsper]

Well I had a Vortech supercharged 383w in my '95 GT. With A 2.95" pulley (10 lbs of boost), it made 560rwhp and still passed the emissions test in California. I loved the powe, it idled very well, and had great street manners even in the rain and cold weather.. I've never had a big block and an interested. I'm just not sure what direction to go..

 

[wwhite72]

One way to see if you want a big block is to take your car, remove the spare and everyhing in the trunk, get down to a quarter tank of gas, then strap eight 50lb bags of sand to your hood and then do a full throttle quarter mile in the rain and then try to make a 90 degree turn at the end.

 

[Finmach]

Either way you'll be happy but only difference that really marks something is that the bbf is cheaper to built and it's gotta whole bunch of room for growth. Like going 800 hp with stock '80ies 2-bolt block which seems to be dirt cheap at your neck of the woods.

One way to see if you want a big block is to take your car, remove the spare and everyhing in the trunk, get down to a quarter tank of gas, then strap eight 50lb bags of sand to your hood and then do a full throttle quarter mile in the rain and then try to make a 90 degree turn at the end.

Geez, but you guys there in the US start to sound like European 4 banger guys telling how good Volkswagen 2.0 liter is. ::huh:::

 

[mdan575]

I have to side with the SBF. In recent years with proliferation of good stroker kits they have proved to be solid performers power adder or not. Also keep in mind the kind of car we drive. If you plan on going in a straight line then the big block to me is a good choice. Cheap and easy power. But the moment you say I want to turn now you made a front rear weight bias issue worse. An aluminum head stroked 351 properly built is a beast of a motor that has a very reasonable weight with alot of power.

Biggest question is what do you want to do with the car? Think of it as building a package and selecting components to achieve a goal. Generally speaking the car you build for drag racing is not going to have the same components as a road racer or even a fun DD.

For the record I am building an Aluminum Head 331 Roller Motor for my 71 that I expect to come in around 400hp NA at the wheels. Budget looks like it will be coming in at about 4-4.5k using very few components from the original 302 that came with my Mustang.

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

You want to build a Chevy? Ford never made a big block They made a 385 series, an FE series, a MEL series, a Y block, a Windsor. a flathead, a 335 series-but Ford never made a small block or big block V-8

and if you call a Cleveland a "Midblock" in front of me I'll probably slap you

 

[sm3570]

You want to build a Chevy? Ford never made a big block They made a 385 series, an FE series, a MEL series, a Y block, a Windsor. a flathead, a 335 series-but Ford never made a small block or big block V-8

and if you call a Cleveland a "Midblock" in front of me I'll probably slap you

"Thank the Lord for the big block Ford!"

 

[mdan575]

You want to build a Chevy? Ford never made a big block They made a 385 series, an FE series, a MEL series, a Y block, a Windsor. a flathead, a 335 series-but Ford never made a small block or big block V-8

and if you call a Cleveland a "Midblock" in front of me I'll probably slap you

If you want to be one those guys. Most every one else doesn't care who coined it. But the 351c was definitely a small block ford by block size measurements...........lollerz

 

[Jeff73Mach1]

I'm just being difficult about the "big block" part , but I will lose it if someone calls a Cleveland a big block or a mid block .

And it's not about wanting to be one of those guys-those guys aren't that way by choice, but by genetic predisposition LOL

A mild 429/460 is a great motor and easy to build lots of power and relatively cheap to do so compared to a Cleveland or Windsor engine

Car weight goes up some, but it isn't as much as some people thing- about 200 pounds IIRC and with aluminum heads you can shave a lot of that off too.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

You want to build a Chevy? Ford never made a big block They made a 385 series, an FE series, a MEL series, a Y block, a Windsor. a flathead, a 335 series-but Ford never made a small block or big block V-8

and if you call a Cleveland a "Midblock" in front of me I'll probably slap you

I hate to disagree - okay, not really. Everyone will agree that the 460 is a big block motor that can make monster power. Also, most agree that the Windsor motors and the 351C all are what is referred to as a small block motor.

 

[cazsper]

I agree that a big block certainly has a ton of potential. I even considered a 520 stroker with alum heads. The thing is that I'm looking for a daily driver. I want something that can get out of its own way, stop when I want it to, and handle highway 17 when I'm driving to the beach. I know I can get good power with a NA Cleveland or windsor but I miss the power I had before. And I really miss the ease of EFI when it's cold or when I'm up in high altitude.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Add an aftermarket EFT to your small block ford. A 408W or 408Cleveland with good heads and an aftermarket EFI system will give you close to 500 hp at the flywheel, and there is potential for more, at the expense of streetability. With the small block, you can get a really nice daily driver that has "reasonable" fuel economy and will push you back in the seat when you want it to.

 

[cazsper]

Have you, it know anyone who has gone with aftermarket EFI? I was thinking of going with the 5.0L style but love the look of the EFI carb intakes..

 

[mdan575]

I agree that a big block certainly has a ton of potential. I even considered a 520 stroker with alum heads. The thing is that I'm looking for a daily driver. I want something that can get out of its own way, stop when I want it to, and handle highway 17 when I'm driving to the beach. I know I can get good power with a NA Cleveland or windsor but I miss the power I had before. And I really miss the ease of EFI when it's cold or when I'm up in high altitude.

IMO that sounds like begging for a stroked out late model 351w with efi converted to mass air. Last years they used them in the Ford trucks or vans I think is where you can find a donor. I know guys making awesome power from the mid 90's Ford Lightnings. Only problem is switching to efi brings about the cost of tuning the motor. Factory or after market is a reasonable learning curve to make it run and perform good when making gobs of power. Which can get expensive when making decent power.

As far as Ford factory EFI big block I thought it was limited to the 460 and was used as a power house for the larger ford trucks IE F250/350. Not well know for gas mileage(8-10mpg) or race track performance. Good for stump pulling fun though.

 

[hyena429]

You want to build a Chevy? Ford never made a big block They made a 385 series, an FE series, a MEL series, a Y block, a Windsor. a flathead, a 335 series-but Ford never made a small block or big block V-8

and if you call a Cleveland a "Midblock" in front of me I'll probably slap you

I hate to disagree - okay, not really. Everyone will agree that the 460 is a big block motor that can make monster power. Also, most agree that the Windsor motors and the 351C all are what is referred to as a small block motor.

Ford did make small blocks and big blocks and had to stick to regulations to be able to race them...Btw...If we wanna get technical about what people call things...Calling a 351 a "Windsor" is wrong....Calling a 351 "Modified" is wrong too...Ford if you noticed only used FE, MEL, Y, and such to describe motors...351 was orginaly only called a W...and same with 351M...Nicknames caught on quick with them...And i dont consider a 351 a mid block..But i do consider a 351 M and 400 M a true mid block...It is too small to be a big block..and way to over built to be a small block..I'll stand by that one.

 

[73MustangCoupe]

Have you, it know anyone who has gone with aftermarket EFI? I was thinking of going with the 5.0L style but love the look of the EFI carb intakes..

I built a 408W for my F150 resto-mod. I went with the FAST EZ-EFI. It's not running right now, as the truck is off being painted. Final assembly will begin as soon as it comes back, and I should have it running by April 1 next spring.

Grasshopper went with a 5.0L with OEM style EFI on his Mach 1. Very slick, but did require some fabrication. The FAST EZ-EFI system, MSD Atomic EFI, etc, should work just fine without need for metalworking fab skills.

 

[Tubo]

I hate to disagree - okay, not really. Everyone will agree that the 460 is a big block motor that can make monster power. Also, most agree that the Windsor motors and the 351C all are what is referred to as a small block motor.

Ford did make small blocks and big blocks and had to stick to regulations to be able to race them...Btw...If we wanna get technical about what people call things...Calling a 351 a "Windsor" is wrong....Calling a 351 "Modified" is wrong too...Ford if you noticed only used FE, MEL, Y, and such to describe motors...351 was orginaly only called a W...and same with 351M...Nicknames caught on quick with them...And i dont consider a 351 a mid block..But i do consider a 351 M and 400 M a true mid block...It is too small to be a big block..and way to over built to be a small block..I'll stand by that one.

It just makes me want to cry!!

The term has been mis-used and mis-applied by so many folks for so long, everyone now thinks it's propper.

So much so, both above statements are dead Wrong!!

Cos, technically speaking, they ain't motors they're freakin ENGINES

An engine takes potential energy(like gasoline), and produces useful energy. The ability to do work

A motor converts one type of energy(fer insstance electricity) to useful energy. The ability to do work.

 

[mdan575]

I hate to disagree - okay, not really. Everyone will agree that the 460 is a big block motor that can make monster power. Also, most agree that the Windsor motors and the 351C all are what is referred to as a small block motor.

Ford did make small blocks and big blocks and had to stick to regulations to be able to race them...Btw...If we wanna get technical about what people call things...Calling a 351 a "Windsor" is wrong....Calling a 351 "Modified" is wrong too...Ford if you noticed only used FE, MEL, Y, and such to describe motors...351 was orginaly only called a W...and same with 351M...Nicknames caught on quick with them...And i dont consider a 351 a mid block..But i do consider a 351 M and 400 M a true mid block...It is too small to be a big block..and way to over built to be a small block..I'll stand by that one.

It just makes me want to cry!!

The term has been mis-used and mis-applied by so many folks for so long, everyone now thinks it's propper.

So much so, both above statements are dead Wrong!!

Cos, technically speaking, they ain't motors they're freakin ENGINES

An engine takes potential energy(like gasoline), and produces useful energy. The ability to do work

A motor converts one type of energy(fer insstance electricity) to useful energy. The ability to do work.

So you want to be one of those guys also. Continue on the lil OCD trip and everyone else will continue to not care about the difference between a motor and an engine. lollerz