Looking for an Engine Builder

Local company in Spokane will rebuild a motor for 1200-2500$ depending on how nutty you want to get. Turn around is like 2 weeks.

I am gonna bug Bob until he builds my motor My motor is already built, but I wanna ad some other things like bigger cam, maybe heads, port etc.

 

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stor...+2+3+13+1147708&searchTerm=ford+crate+engines

 

http://www.jegs.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/KeywordSearchCmd?storeId=10001&catalogId=10002&langId=-1&Ntk=all&Jnar=0&itemPerPage=90&Ne=1%2B2%2B3%2B13%2B1147708&searchTerm=blueprint+engines

 

I am looking for something very specific and crate motors cannot provide the components I am looking for. I am also looking for a one stop shop that basically will put together a complete motor for me including the fuel Injection and pulley set up. Most crate motors do not provide the cam, intake, oil pan, windage tray, etc, that I am looking for. The motor I am putting in this car will be dressed up and hate too spend money twice on items I am going to replace to get what I want. If you research crate motors and how they are assembled you might be leary of them. I know they have gotten better as of late but they still make me worry.

 

I'll check with my buddy, and see what engines they use at his Mustang shop, they come from the USA, complete with everything, and ready to run, fuel injection and all.

 

I don't know if Tom (Cruzin) is going with Fuel injection, but I'm planning to go naturally asperated.

I understand that at some point I am just going to have to visit some engine shops, do more research, and at some point pull the trigger and pick a setup.

 

There's nothing wrong with a crate motor as long as you realize that the only major difference between them and a custom motor is the parts spec'd for the build. Why do you think that many aftermarket head suppliers use crate motors as baselines for showcasing their various stages of parts upgrades?

Custom motors just give you more lattitude and freedom is all. In fact.. there are now companies catering to folks like you who want the best of both worlds with small run "custom spec" motors. All the basic/typical components are there(similar branded crank/rods/pistons as you'd likely be buying yourself anyways) and you just add options from there as you see fit.

In essence.. crate motors are simply "spec motors" designed with bulk purchased "not the cheapest.. but not the best either" parts to keep cost down and hard parts that are machined in larger batches to reduce machine setup costs. Sub-contracting/piece work is the norm for many aftermarket manufacturers. The same EXACT thing also happens with aftermarket heads. With that in mind.. custom motors are obviously more expensive when you take all those cost cutting variables out of the equation.

I myself would never use a "typical" crate motor because I have much higher standards than a "cookie cutter build". Not to mention I couldn't/wouldn't afford the level of blueprinting and detail that I'm used to these days(I weight match all my internal parts to the tenth of grams.. not "close enough cause you'll never notice the difference" like I've been told by lazy engine builders dozens of times). So, I end up doing all my own stuff. Plus, like some others.. I've been burned too many times(which is the main reason I started doing more and more of my own stuff through the years in the first place).

Considering your viewpoint on this particular case.. the level of satisfaction that comes from a completely customized build is also much higher too. And also in your case.. the personalized touch cannot be mimicked with a mainstream crate motor.

I'm not sure what your experience level of engineering and "engine building theory" background is.. but I will warn you that even tossing all the "best parts that money can buy" together into the mix is no guarantee that it will make considerably more power than a well developed(parts matched) crate motor. Well matched parts combo's almost always trump mismatched high dollar parts collages when it comes to actually putting the power to the pavement. I see it firsthand almost every year.

The biggies to watch out for are the final compression ratio(you'll want AT LEAST 10/1 with around 10.5/1 as optimum for pump fuel).. head choice(bigger is not always better) and ultimately the cam choice(again.. bigger is not always better and shorter duration/higher lift is much more tractable for street motors.. but quality springs are ESSENTIAL to longevity). In your case.. I'd opt for at least light porting work on the "off shelf" heads that you'll likely end up with here(for yet another nice "custom built" touch).. or go to the more expensive CNC versions and be happy.

Depending on how radical your dad likes to get.. custom cams are well worth their weight in gold. I have a few guys that will grind one up for your specific build if you don't mind the higher price tags associated with them. Ohterwise.. the Comp cams fast ramp rate Extreme Energy roller line-up will get you within 30 horses of a custom grind for about $300 less.

 

Try contacting Lou Rivera @ Lou's Cars, Littleton, CO.
12495 N Dumont Way, Littleton, CO 80125
(720) 344-4787 - louscars@wildblue.net

He has lot's of experience with Cobra's and Mustangs. Expert with carbs and fuel injection and dyno tunes.

Jack

 

Here ya go, 410 Hp $5500, free delivery, even comes with front sump oil pan...

May want to check these guys out to see what others are saying about the product, but if Summit is carrying a full line of their engines they must be OK...

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/hpe-hp80m/overview/


My opinion is something that weighs roughly 3K Lb, 400Hp is plenty for a street cruser...

 

I would look into what parts goes into something that cheap. I bet there is an abundence of foreign parts.

 

I've bought a couple crate short blocks over the years when I didn't have good parts on hand to build my own. I still disassembled them to check clearances, etc., and found things that needed "adjusted". Crate short block or engine, I would never just drop it in and run it without some disassembly and checking.

 

Maybe this will be a good start:

http://mmb.maverick.to/showthread.php?t=96614

Good price.

Rick

 

I completely agree. I also have heard of bolts not being properly torqued.

 

I like that he is honest and that he mentioned the issues Ford had with their motors during that period of time.

 

You are the one that preaches to purchase American made products so I would figure that you would be against buy subpar foreign parts to save a buck.

I do agree that 6K is not cheap but the same motor with quality internal parts would cost you 8-9K. Sometimes you get what you pay for, actually most of the time.

I do take offense to your comment about people with deep pockets. Just because building a one of a kind car for my father once in his life and mine and making it a priority for me does not make me rich by any means. I have used my savings, my year end bonuses, birthday money, Christmas money, and whatever else I can come up with to make this happen. The build has taken over 5 years to get to this point. I did what I could to make sure it was unique so no one else would have one like it. There are people that have some really nice builds on the site and you may perceive that they have money to create their creations but I have seen that most have a skill set to make it happen on their own budget.