Engine choices

[patrickt]

Lippy, don't tell your engine builder how to build the engine; don't tell your surgeon how to perform your surgery; don't tell your lawyer how to try your case; don't tell your plumber how to sweat your pipe.... Tell your engine builder the basic use that your engine will be seeing, and be honest about your desired goals. On the street, you're not going to notice a difference between 425 and 575 horsepower -- because you can't really use either and both will break your street tires loose in a heartbeat, scare you, and literally petrify your passenger. Any of the FE builders that you read about on this forum can build you a 500HP 428FE in their sleep -- and the engine will last longer than you will. It's easy for them. What they want to hear is whether or not you expect to hear the clackety-clack of solid lifters, do you want a lumpety-lump idle that sounds like a couple of Harleys, do you like to adjust your carb every so often, are you going to do any real work on this engine or do you want it to be like your wife's Camry? Don't tell them what pulleys to put on, but instead tell them that, since you'll be on the street mostly, overheating is something you really want to avoid. Don't tell them you want, say, a Blue Thunder intake, but say you'd like to see different intakes because you'd like one that, to your eye, is kind of like what they looked like "back in the day." You could read Jay's comparison of intakes over on the FE forum, but in the end, make your decision on what looks nice to you -- because all of them will blow your socks off. If you want a Turkey Pan, tell them that. If you take someone like Blykins, for instance, he's going to say "getting you the horsepower and torque is the easiest part, making you happy about the intangibles is the hardest part... now let's talk."