New engine advice

[sea67n]

Without going into all the pros and cons of rebuild v new motor / crate motor, I have decided to get lets just say another motor to go into the 67 as part of the restoration

I have been eyeing off the eagle motors crate engines, some appear to be very basic, other basic with some better components etc etc

I know there are some very knowledgeable people on here, so what would you say

1) are the absolute musts in the new / rebuilt  engine components

2) is the experience with any of those Eagle motors?

3) also happy to be put in touch with anyone else you would recommend in the engine selling dept


Cheers


Sean

[shaunp]

If you are upgrading you must have a roller cam number one most important improvement you can make. I personally don't believe in crate motors, but they are economical I guess, but make sure you stick with a ford racing, Roush etc or seek out a good engine builder.

[yamahore]

Proformance Unlimited is another one if you want to consider getting from the U.S. I had them build me a 408windsor, so far has been a good experience.

[shaunp]

If you decide to go down the get one built path give Ian a call at Fataz competition engines in Brisbane.

https://www.facebook.com/fatazcompetitionengines

[68pony]

If you are upgrading you must have a roller cam number one most important improvement you can make. I personally don't believe in crate motors, but they are economical I guess, but make sure you stick with a ford racing, Roush etc or seek out a good engine builder.

I bought a ford racing engine and had problems from day one , bad valve guides and soft valve springs on there 427, 535hp crate engine , I ended up changing the cam , lifters ,valve guides and valve springs on a brand new motor, so even the big names can have problems , its all good now but what a shit fight.

[GLENN 70]

I dont trust ford racing engines ,sure the parts are new but they are built in different places but who knows who by .Herd some bad things about the build quality .

[shaunp]

I bought a ford racing engine and had problems from day one , bad valve guides and soft valve springs on there 427, 535hp crate engine , I ended up changing the cam , lifters ,valve guides and valve springs on a brand new motor, so even the big names can have problems , its all good now but what a shit fight.

Like I said I don't believe in them I think you are better off going to a good engine builder if you can't do them your self. But I think if you got known brand crate locally  you may have 1/2 a shot, 68pony I remember you got yours from the US, so I guess you are on your own if it ends in tears, no matter what brand.

[HEVEN67]

Hercules Engines.....Tell him what you want, he will build it and warrant it. EASY!
luvhev

[JT_1994]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but what would everyone's thoughts be on (re)building the engine yourself?

Eventually, I would like to get my hands on an either an older (preferably complete) engine and send it out to get cleaned up and machined, but then pick up all the parts and put it back together myself.. OR get a new block / short motor and have a basic package put together with the parts I'd need to build a decent motor..
(I think things like heads, intake, 4bbl carb, cam, dissy, etc. would be something I could probably piece together myself, but the basic rotating assembly (crank, con-rods, pistons, etc.) would be something I might need help getting sorted, with my limited experience.)

With a proper instruction manual, time, patience, and the right tools / parts it surely wouldn't be that difficult, it's not like it would be a massive build, just a fairly basic build, with a few go-fast bits... Or would it be better to fork out the dough for an all-new, complete crate motor?

[shaunp]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but what would everyone's thoughts be on (re)building the engine yourself?

Eventually, I would like to get my hands on an either an older (preferably complete) engine and send it out to get cleaned up and machined, but then pick up all the parts and put it back together myself.. OR get a new block / short motor and have a basic package put together with the parts I'd need to build a decent motor..
(I think things like heads, intake, 4bbl carb, cam, dissy, etc. would be something I could probably piece together myself, but the basic rotating assembly (crank, con-rods, pistons, etc.) would be something I might need help getting sorted, with my limited experience.)

With a proper instruction manual, time, patience, and the right tools / parts it surely wouldn't be that difficult, it's not like it would be a massive build, just a fairly basic build, with a few go-fast bits... Or would it be better to fork out the dough for an all-new, complete crate motor?

Look for a later roller cam 302, better engine most have little to no wear in them. Not that hard to do, I've been doing fro over 30 years, since I was about 15, no reason why you can't do it.

[ScottW]

Look for a later roller cam 302, better engine most have little to no wear in them.

From what year on were the falcon engines fitted with roller cams?  Was is AU on?

[GEOFF289]

EB model saw the restoration of the correct number of cylinders on the Falcon option list. These were roller cam motors. Continued until replaced with the modular motor in the BA.

[JT_1994]

Look for a later roller cam 302, better engine most have little to no wear in them. Not that hard to do, I've been doing fro over 30 years, since I was about 15, no reason why you can't do it.

What would those engines have been put into?
Would they cope alright with a 347 crank?

[Ash]

What would those engines have been put into?
Would they cope alright with a 347 crank?

EB model saw the restoration of the correct number of cylinders on the Falcon option list. These were roller cam motors. Continued until replaced with the modular motor in the BA.

 

[JT_1994]

EB model saw the restoration of the correct number of cylinders on the Falcon option list. These were roller cam motors. Continued until replaced with the modular motor in the BA.

I missed that!
So EB -> BA had roller cam 302 V8s? - How can those be ID'ed? (Aside from when it's sitting in an EB -> BA Falcon)

[GEOFF289]

Probably something the engine number or casting number can tell you with a bit of googling. If it happens to still have the EFI induction system attached its a roller. If it has the plug leads on it this will give you a clue as the firing order is different to an older 289/302 flat tappet motor, again google it.

They are generally known as 5.0's rather than 302's.

[GEOFF289]

PS, EB to AUii had roller 5.0's. BA did not, they had the 5.4 modular engines.

[Ash]

This is an EB1 XR8 5.0 that I removed last week. They pretty much look the same up until EL. AU went on to get twin coil packs over the previous dissy set-up. The AU got a different plastic cover over the top if it was a Tickford model. The rest had no cover.

If you want to use the EFI, this EB1 is probably the easiest as it is pre-Smartlock so no security to get around

[JT_1994]

Just for simplicity's sake I'd probably be looking at a carb setup, rather than EFI and I much prefer the look of old V8s, before they got the plastic covers, heat shrouds, and fancy (EFI) intakes...

[Ash]

I would do the same. These stock 5.0 EFI's don't exactly tear the backside out of your pants.

[shaunp]

They will take a stroker crank, as will most 289/302 blocks. The advantage of the roller block which start in the mid 80's(US) is they also have a one piece real seal, as well as the long lifter bores. They are 50OZ imbalance though if you leave the stock crank. Most 347 kits will 28OZ but that's fine as long as you use all the correct bits. They have mostly had coolant in them as well.

[JT_1994]

I would do the same. These stock 5.0 EFI's don't exactly tear the backside out of your pants.

Well I'd be looking at putting on a set of aftermarket, alloy heads, carb, intake, cam, possibly a stroker crank (347 just rolls off the tongue better than 302 ).. I've done a bit of research on that kind of thing already, and I'm a while off before I'll be able to make anything happen (unless it's a case of "free to good home", but I'm not holding my breath ), but I think I know roughly what I want to do....
I don't really want a stock motor, if I'm going to the trouble of sourcing / fitting a new engine it might as well be worthwhile! .. And while it may be cool to see modern drive-lines in old cars, just as an example of craftsmanship, it doesn't really fit with what I like..


Sorry, didn't mean to hijack the thread!
I was just curious to see people's thoughts on building the engine yourself vs. a brand new crate motor vs. sending the job to a pro-builder who knows what they're doing..
As I'm keen to see what I can do with it myself and I don't think it would be all that difficult, especially with proper instruction; but there are also a lot of expensive bits that can be broken if not properly put together!

[R_Beckhaus]

I have a 5.0L roller cam HO engine in mine, with hi-rise single plane manifold, Holley 600cfm vac sec carb,  electronic ignition and pacemakers, engine is otherwise stock and has a modest 220 rwhp.So should you go down that track, you can always get your  flywheel match balanced to suit the engine, as an alternative to changing to a 28 oz cam.

[shaunp]

I have a 5.0L roller cam HO engine in mine, with hi-rise single plane manifold, Holley 600cfm vac sec carb,  electronic ignition and pacemakers, engine is otherwise stock and has a modest 220 rwhp.So should you go down that track, you can always get your  flywheel match balanced to suit the engine, as an alternative to changing to a 28 oz cam.

A single plane manifold is really the wrong choice for a mild engine or even a quite strong street motor, a high rise dual plane like an RPM or RPM airgap is what you need on good street motor they are good to 6500rpm.

[D0ZX]

''A single plane manifold is really the wrong choice for a mild engine or even a quite strong street motor, a high rise dual plane like an RPM or RPM airgap is what you need on good street motor they are good to 6500rpm.'' Very true

I'll have a complete engine package for sale soon. This started as a brand new AU series III XR8 302 crate engine. It has been fitted with an Edelbrock Airgap intake, Comp Cams roller cam, MSD Pro-Billet distributor, MSD coil, 1850S polished Holley, Ford Racing alloy rocker covers, JBA shorty headers. All of these parts are brand new and the engine has never been fired up. It also has all of the accessories attached being PS pump, AC compressor, serpentine belt and pulleys. Also have the bell housing, new AU tremec 5 spd with new B&M shifter, new starter, and a balanced shortened aluminium tailshaft for a '70 Mustang.

I will be listing it on Ebay soon and will post it on the for sale section here in the coming weeks.

Chris