I may have located a great deal on a 351w, but it needs to be rebuilt. I've already got heads for it that I know are in good condition. Assuming the block is good, what's the cost breakdown for parts, machine work, etc. if I assemble it? How bad an idea is it to put it together myself?

I don't think it is a bad idea to rebuild yourself. You're detailed enough to get the job done, but it will take time. Sometimes it is just worth it to buy a crate engine and GO. They are quite affordable these days.



That being said, how about a Coyote?

I Did mine pretty much on my own with some help. Cost me about $950 getting the block machined, bored, crank and heads refreshed. I had Pistons but replaced one with a new one.. That price included pretty much everything to rebuild (engine kit) and assemble. It was fun and I can't wait to do it again actually. I recommend it. I was scared I was going to mess things up but I took my time and double checked as I went.

That engine is in my 76.

All depends on how wild you want to get. I have about 4500 into the 460 in my 79 and that doesn't include new fancy heads.

Anything less than 400 hp is useless so count on at least $5k to get there.

I'm contemplating a mild stroker. I've got a set of GT40 heads and don't want to go too much bigger than anything they'll support, at least in the short term. I might do a 393 or a 408, with a plan to upgrade heads down the road. Not really interested in getting enough HP that I start breaking drivetrain parts. I figure the GT40s will support at least a 393 since I'm looking for good bottom end torque rather than the kind of HP that need serious flow.

I would go 408 :)

Agreed.

A warmed over 351W would provide a good balance of reliability and power. Other than the carb, I'll been real happy with mine. It's nothing exotic, but balanced and blue printed with forged rotating parts makes for a smooth engine at higher rpm. The cam, heads and intake makes decent HP on 85 octane fuel.

With those heads you have a good rotating assembly(stock crank, stock rods, new pistons at 9-9.5:1) and a cam in the 220-225@.050 duration with a matching intake/carb/efi would make some nice power and be very reliable. At that compression it can be tuned to run on 85oct but would like 91 a lot better. You could probably even get away with just a stock H.O cam advanced 4*. Not like you need tons of power with the gearing you have.

Thanks guys, the advice and info is appreciated. I ended up passing on the setup I found, but am still in the market for a short block. Ideally, I'd like to find a good deal on something that I don't have to rebuild. I'm pretty happy with the power of the current 302, and only want to upgrade due to the added weight of the 37's and a desire to go a little faster driving up the hills on I-70. I'm a touch undergeared (4.56) for my upgraded tire size but want to keep the highway rpms down with the NP435. If I had to rebuild anyway and needed to put money into a rotating assembly, the stroker kit prices I've seen haven't been _that_ much higher over a rebuild kit.

How about a rebuilt short block? I've seen pricing from the parts stores in the $1300-$1500 dollar range, which would give me a new engine for about the same cost as tracking down a builder core and having the machine work done. It'd also save me a bunch of assembly time, but I'm not convinced that the quality of the rebuild is very high. Thoughts? I'd need to save for awhile, but could probably swing it some time this winter or next spring.

Are 351W's that hard to find?

Seen several that I would class as builders on CL for $500 and up.
$275 for a block?

Here's one on cl

Ford 351 Windsor

http://denver.craigslist.org/pts/5078700904.html

Oh and roller cam retrofits are easy to do. So dont just hold out for a factory one. If you come across a good deal thats non roller then do it. I went through this with my 460 in the 79. 2 things that took some time at the machine shop. I Had the heads retro-fitted for screw in studs with guide plates(must have on roller cam) and roller rockers. Next was the custom length pushrods.

Just pulled a 351w '95 roller short block for TFB from the PnP, $130 out the door. I pulled the plugs, pan and heads, every thing looked good. We'll do a ring gap check and a crankshaft end play measurement. If good we'll check the '96 GT heads and decide on a complete rebuild or a build up. Either way it'll be an upgrade from his 1968 351w with 10 psi oil pressure.