Flat tappet vs. Roller 351

[DAVID GAGNARD]

Dan;

Don't know much about Canadian prices,but down here the prices you quoted are about what you could expect to pay......recently at a local salvage yard and the going rate for a complete running 351-W was $500.00 on up......I would take the short block and rebuild it and put a set of aluminum heads on it and a camshaft in the high 400 lift to very low 500 lift and you should easily have 350 to 400 very streetable/realiable hp.....

From the late 70's on Ford used a "commom" head for the 302 and 351 and they are not that good to start with,they were designed for the 302 and do breath that well especially on a 351.....

About 6 or 8 years ago I drove a very early FFR with a bone stock 302 GT motor (225 hp),the owner had only put a K & N air filter on it and the T-5 had NO first gear,had to start off in secound.....After driving around a little to get used to it we were turning around to head home and the owner told me to "get on it",not wanting to flog someone else's car,I told him I would shift thru the gears at 4500 rpms which I did,was very impressed with the car,probably could outrun 75% of the cars on the road there with a stock 225hp motor.......350 or more hp will get you a really fast car that will probably outrun 95% of the cars on the road.........

I'd scrap the FI stuff,put an Edelbrock dual plane intake and a 600/650 Holley and go.......A carb set-up to me is simpler to install and work on,but I can rebuild a Holley in my sleep,been working on them since high school.....

For a street car,build a street motor,you'll be happier and enjoy driving it more than an overkill/tempermental race motor......

Not to brag,but at a couple of "open track" events I've had other drivers come up to me and ask what I had "under the hood",when I told them,they could not believe it.......In Nashville this past year I passed another 65 Fastback with a 393 stroker putting out around 500hp and in two laps could not even see him in the rear view mirror,hp is not everything,getting it to the ground will make you faster than just smoking the tires.....

David