Ford Vs Chevy

[mbaker76]

Looking for opinions on Ford vs, chevy. We have always run Chevy but had a local Ford guy offer to cut us a break on a Ford powerplant. I dont really know anything about the Fords so I have no idea what to expect. He was talking like a 364, what bore stroke is that and how would it compare to our 377 SBC.

He mentioned that it would be heavier, any other drawbacks.

Would their be better choices for a Ford motor?

[race81]

ford costs dang neer twice as much to build equally, we have a couple of guys around hear that run them and do real well, stock ford blocks wont take the same amount of hp a chevy will. i know one runs a 347 and is strong, but is keeping them together with ford svo blocks, others break in the main webbing and tear lots of stuff up. i wouldnt assemble one without a aftermarket block if you were say above 550 horse, but thats just my opinion. the only other bad thing ive run into is the unavailability of ford parts if needed really quick...

[race81]

from what ive heard from the imca late models, a spec ford motor will put out more horse than a chevy. not that it means anything, but in a limited and ruled class like that every advantage helps.

[LM14]

We have run Fords for almost 15 years. You have a lot of options depending on how hard you want to turn it. How big you want to go and what you want to spend.

My first statement is that it costs no more to build a Ford than a Chevy. Parts are fairly common anymore with the boom in 5.0 drag racing, Cup parts available and the aftermarket suppliers. Those parts really opened up the market with stroker cranks, piston kits, rods, etc.

IT DOES NOT COST TWICE AS MUCH TO BUILD A FORD MOTOR! That is simply not true.

We run Ford IMCA Spec motors in our LM. The Ford is slightly heavier if you use a 351 based block, lighter if you use a 302 based block. You can put 500HP through a 351W block easily from our experience. If you want to turn a 347 around 8500, get an aftermarket block. No Mexican, truck or any other rumored block will hold up. Go Dart. The 302 based stuff has to be turned a little harder but it saves a lot of weight. I still prefer the 9.2 deck or 9.5 deck blocks for the added inches (easily up to 426).

Truck rods are the best stock rods. All cranks are made out of the same stuff so nothing exotic to look for. Never hurt a stock crank or rods with good bolts in a stock car motor. Would work well in a mod.

Ford has a better valve angle (20* stock vs Chevy at 23*). N351 heads are 10* which is even better. There are a ton of head choices in steel or aluminum.

They run longer rods in the 351. Nearly 6" stock with room for up to 6.5" rods. Several companies make pistons for long rod motors.

MSD distributors are cheaper that Chevy, headers cost the same, bellhousings same, etc.

We buy Ford stuff for prices that would make the Bowtie people envious. If you really want to do this, send me a PM for some details.

SPark

[race81]

LM14, i started racing in 1996 at which time i priced out everything between ford and chevy. at that time matching component for component the ford was (almost) twice as high. used parts were non-existant, locally and at swap meets. trust me, ive worked for ford for twelve years now and would rather be running one. i looked in a supplier book and checked some pricing and alot of things have gotten closer in price, but the ford stuff 95% of the time is still higher. (not) dang neer twice as much as it was 12 years ago but still higher. were talking modifieds here....late model spec engines are close n price, 25-30 thousand for a top notch peice around here ford or chevy, but if you can buy one of those, moneys not a concern. i build my own engines, do what machine work i can myself, just to save a couple of dollars. now years later i have lots of chevy parts and would be un justifiable to switch unless i come into alot of money.lol. the only thing i found was cheaper was some top of the line heads, which really surprised me. maybe someday................

[LM14]

If you are spending 30,000 for an IMCA spec motor, give me a call. I have under $10,000 in mine. All name brand, all top quality.

Ford's don't cost any more to build. I have raced Chevy and Ford since '88. Ford exclusively since '94. I stand my ground. Never a Chevy again.

SPark

[race81]

spark, im not picking on ford, as a technician ive just learned that theyre all just a hunk of metal. and there is 30000 imca spec motors, it just depends on who puts them together. i could never spend half that in a seasons budget because my wife would kill me. i was just saying that prices in jegs, summit, speedway, and alot of others price ford parts higher thats all. i think its all a supplie and demand thing. i would like to hear from some of the big engine guys on this subject though, say compare a 7000 mod motor and a 15000 late model engine on what theyre prices are(just a ballpark figure)

[shocks]

there are two local cars with big cube ford engines, both with awesome parts, that were put together much cheaper than our 14 degree 406 or our SB2 352 chevy engines.

Like LM14 said, fords are no longer any higher to build than chevys are. The main cost in the mega bucks engines is the time, experience, and labor of the big dog engine builders.

example: callies magnum XL crankshaft for a SBC is $2500, for a SB Ford, $2580. Personally I'd find $30 out for $2580 to be irrelevant. AFR Heads $1500 bucks for either make. Dart block $2500 either way. Crower 94 series rods $1360 either way.

They come out about the same on parts. I think the main drawback on ford motors in the modified world is that most engine builders are so stuck on building the same SBC's over and over so that they don't have to learn anything new.

We're running a spec late model class this upcoming season, so we will be running SB Chevy engines, but when we move to open late models, it will have a ford engine program. If we build another modified it will be ford powered as well, since the series that we raced are not allowing 14 degree heads or SB2 heads next season. I think this is where the builders that put the time into learning the fords will come out ahead.

Just my opinions though

[shocks]

More on the original topic, LM14 is right on what I went by when we drag raced mustangs. Get an aftermarket block on the fords. Find a builder that knows where it can safely be lightened. The 347's are sweet engines if you like to turn a lot of rpms, and run deep gears.

396 is a major torque motor, that can have really strong low end power and still pull hard into some pretty serious rpms.

I would probably run a 347 with the lightest of everything, and run stupid low gears, much like we did with our SB2 352 chevy motor, but that's just what we prefer for our car/driver.

[race81]

ill agree with shocks on one thing the higher end parts are more closer in price. i myself as amod builder could not justify spending 2500 for a crank, specially if your running say an imca class. kind of hard to stay in a 5000 motor budget if you spend half of it on a crank. and unfortunatly the 50 or 100 more a ford part will cost for whatever part is relevent to my checkbook. but to each theyre own. ........jmo

[shocks]

if you go to a few stroker engine websites, you'll find that all price ranges of stroker ford rotating assemblies can be had for very similar pricing to the equivalent chevy stroker motor. You can get a good rotating stroker assembly for $1500 to $2000. It's not going to be what the USMTS guys are running by any means. But, for a IMCA sanctioned type of deal it would be perfectly fine.

I'm pretty prone to looking at all the high end stuff as we don't run any claimer motor or IMCA type shows. I probably should have thought more about that before posting. But at any rate, even on the lower budget stuff the fords price out right in line with their bowtied counterparts.

I'm by no means trying to be argumentative, just showing that there is always more than one road to take. I think seeing ford motors come into the modified world more forcefully would be a good thing. And, I think that it is something that we'll see more and more with time.