Comp Cams provided a custom...
Comp Cams provided a custom camshaft and a set of its Ultra Gold aluminum roller rocker arms for our Street Smart Windsor. The camshaft specs are certain to provide a smooth idle, while offering better valve lift figures than a stock cam for improved power output. We'll also be using Comp's replacement hydraulic-roller lifters.
As popular as the 5.0L pushrod engine is (we actually have to separate it from the new overhead-cam engine now), old school hot-rodders know that bigger cubes means bigger power. If a 302 is good, a 351 must be better, right? They're not wrong, and we intend to show just that with our Street Smart Windsor build.
Sure, your author takes his hits around the office from those who make fun of his need to have stock driveability, but then again, none of them drive as much (104 miles every day). After living with lopey cams, surging throttles, and bucking drivetrains, it's time to build a better mousetrap.
Last month, we set the goal for 350-400 flywheel horsepower with a stock idle, and we decided to use a budget 351 Windsor short-block from Latemodel Restoration as the foundation. The $999 Windsor wonder doesn't feature one trick or high-performance part, but it offers cubes, a good rod ratio that will ensure longevity, and the ability to go even larger in displacement if needed.
The foundation for our Windsor...
The foundation for our Windsor build is this $999 short-block from Latemodel Restoration Supply. There's nothing fancy about it, but it offers 359 cubic inches thanks to its 0.040-inch cylinder overbore and 3.5-inch stroke.
Right now you're probably thinking, what kind of Mustang enthusiast is satisfied with a mere 350 hp when there are 600-rwhp GT500s running around? Well, not all of us have $35,000 for a GT500 and another $6,000 for mods. And you'd be more than surprised at how fast a 3,100-pound car is on the street with 350 hp and as much torque. Just ask any Corvette Z06 owner. During the project Stolen Goods Cobra build, your author also realized that naturally aspirated street power is trouble free, and 350-400 hp in a Fox-body Mustang is more than enough to overpower the tires at any given moment. You can do this with a stock idle, saving yourself a few dollars, and gray hairs too.
Last month we talked about our options and possible choices for engine components aside from the aforementioned short-block from LRS. We went ahead with the RHS cylinder heads. RHS's Pro Action 200cc inline valve heads offer enough airflow to support our 359-cube motor. According to the markings on our pistons, our short-block has been bored 0.040-inch over on the cylinder bores. When combined with the 3.500-inch stroke, that equates to 358.93 ci.
We also went with Comp Cams' Ultra Gold aluminum roller rocker arms and the custom camshaft grind that we detailed. Duration checks in at 212/218 at 0.050-inch lift, with lift figures of 0.513 inch on both valves. Cut with a 114-degree lobe separation angle, this grind should give us the smooth idle we want, while maximizing the valve lift for our combination. After talking over the intake manifold choices and specifications with Comp Cams' Chris Mays, we went with the Trick Flow Specialties R-Series EFI manifold for the 5.8L engine. We also specified the 90mm throttle body opening so we could try larger throttle bodies down the road, but for now, we'll be using one of Trick Flow's 75mm units.
RHS provided us with a set...
RHS provided us with a set of its 200cc Pro Action aluminum cylinder heads. They feature 2.02 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves and seem to be a perfect fit for our mild Windsor combination. They are available with either 64cc or the 58cc chambers that we chose.
An area that we didn't cover in the first installment is the mass air meter and intake tract. For that, we turned to induction guru Rick Anderson at Anderson Ford Motorsport. We often consult with Mr. Anderson: His numerous years of experience in the Mustang hobby, and countless hours on the dyno and at the track, have taught him what works and what doesn't. To fulfill Street Smart Windsor's airflow needs, he recommended one of Anderson Ford Motorsport's Power Pipes; he also recommended Abaco Performance's DBX97b programmable mass air meter.
The DBX97b mass air meter measures-you guessed it-97mm, and features a bell-mouthed entry for maximum incoming airflow. All Abaco meters are digital-based, and can be programmed to meet your engine's airflow and fuel injector requirements. They also feature a patent-pending digital response filter that helps filter out "noise" in the airflow signal, which is said to improve driveability-there's that darn word again. The meter doesn't suffer ill effects from clocking the housing in a certain orientation, thanks to its multiple sensing elements. You can also move it from Mustang to Mustang just by switching the harness and the program inside the meter, which holds up to 10 different programs.
If you don't have a 5.0L to...
If you don't have a 5.0L to scavenge parts off of, fear not as Comp Cams offers hardware kits like this 35-1001 setup, which provides the lifter retainer or spider, the fasteners for it, and the dog-bone lifter guides for just $44. Comp also sent us its billet timing set (PN 7138).
If you're pulling parts from your 5.0L, here's what you can reuse: the timing cover can be swapped, and since the water pump bolts directly to it, you can just leave that on there when you pull it off the motor. Many people feel that upgrading the water pump is a good idea in any high-performance application, especially with a Windsor engine, but for our build, we think the stocker will work just fine. The timing pointer, alternator, and bracket all make the change without issue. The other side of the engine is where you run into problems.
With driveability being a driving factor in all of this, naturally we will want to keep our air conditioning and power steering intact. To accomplish this, the easiest thing to do is call your nearest Ford Racing Performance Parts dealer and order part number M-8511-B351, which will get you a pair of brackets that allow you to bolt your A/C compressor and power-steering pump to the taller Windsor block. If you're skipping the A/C and just want power steering, order part number M-8511-A351; If you're sticking a 351 in an SN-95, skip both of these and bolt the components directly on.
The Comp 7138 timing set comes...
The Comp 7138 timing set comes with a retainer plate bushing that you'll want to use. In order for it to fit properly, you'll need to countersink the bolt holes and use the supplied hardware to provide a flat surface for the bearing to ride on. We'll detail this step next month in our final installment.
We ordered our brackets from Holcomb Motorsports in Lumberton, North Carolina. Holcomb has long been known in the Mustang hobby as an engine swap specialist and offers everything you need to make it happen. You'll also need a different serpentine belt; we'll share our part number once we have everything mocked up. Note that belt length varies depending on pulley choice.
The harmonic balancer and flywheel can be shelved, as you'll need pieces that feature a 28-ounce balance weight, as opposed to the 5.0L's 50-ounce heft. We had one of FRPP's M-6316-C351 SFI balancers left over from a previous tech article and opted to use that, though for a budget build like this, a stock 351 balancer would work just fine. You'll have to check your crank pulley alignment, as you may need a spacer to keep everything on the same plane. FRPP has those as well. Whatever balancer you use, remember that your 5.0L crank pulley has four bolt holes. You can reuse it provided you get a balancer with four, rather than three holes.
The major components you'll...
The major components you'll need to make the 351W swap happen for your Fox-body include a flywheel and harmonic balancer like the ones pictured here from Ram Clutches and Ford Racing Performance Parts. These feature a 28-oz weight balance, which is different than the 5.0L's 50-oz weight. Other key components include a 5.8L-specific distributor like this one from Mallory, as well as the AC and power steering brackets from Ford Racing Performance Parts.
Most 5.0L cylinder heads will fit on a 351 Windsor, but you'll have to make sure the bolt holes are drilled out, as the 351 uses half-inch bolts/studs whereas the 5.0L uses 7/16-inch pieces. Yes, Ford put the little GT-40 heads on the 351 in the Cobra R and SVT Lightning, but there are so many better options out there now that it just doesn't make sense to do that unless budget weighs far more heavily than the ultimate performance goal. Remember you're dealing with a 351ci (359 in our case) engine that requires a lot more air than your stock or near-stock 302 engine, so most of you are going to want heads with an intake runner no less than 180-200 cc in size.
Since all of these cylinder heads fit 302s as well, the lower intake bolts are all the same and can be reused. The 5.0L headers can be reused if you have a custom midpipe fabricated, but companies like BBK Performance make it easy for you by offering shorty swap headers that bolt right up to your existing X- or H-pipe. Yes, you can get a long-tube header and midpipe assembly as well, but we went with the shorties for their ease of installation, maintenance, and the relatively mild power potential of our combination. Beyond that, your 5.0L bellhousing and clutch will bolt right up, but you'll need the aforementioned 28-ounce flywheel to connect the dots. These are readily available most anywhere, but we went to Summit Racing Equipment in Tallmadge, Ohio, for a Ram 157-tooth, billet-steel flywheel (PN RAM-1527).
Since the 351W's oil pump...
Since the 351W's oil pump is at the back of the engine and the pickup is at the helm (reverse of the 5.0L factory setup), you'll need a different pan and pickup. For street oriented applications, this kit from FRPP (M-6675-A58) is the hot ticket. Short of an oil pump, it has everything you need to fit the Windsor in your Fox, and provides adequate K-member clearance.
Summit Racing also provided us with a number of other items that you'll see throughout the build. With three warehouses scattered across our great country, you're just about guaranteed to get your high-performance goods within a day or two of ordering. Since one of the warehouses is based in Atlanta, we got one-day turnaround service to our Tampa, Florida, office.
For our relatively mild power...
For our relatively mild power expectations, we're going to be using 15/8-inch shorty-style exhaust headers, and we got ours from BBK Performance (PN 1511 for chrome, 15110 for ceramic). To help the 351 breathe a little better, we also ordered one of BBK's X-style midpipes with catalytic converters (PN 1662). Converters aren't nearly as restrictive as they used to be, and we think the car's stock mufflers will be more of a problem. We may have to address that next month.
With that said, Summit Racing provided us with the needed 5.8L EFI distributor-this one came from Mallory Ignition (PN MAA-7968704). Summit, MSD, Accel, and Mallory all offer the correct distributor for the fuel-injected 5.8L engine, and they use the factory, or provided, high-performance aftermarket TFI module that connects to the factory wiring harness. We are also using Mallory's high-performance spark plug wires (PN MAA-949M). The cheap way out of the distributor game is to find one from a '93-'95 SVT Lightning, or later-model 5.8L fuel-injected truck or van. You need to swap out the distributor gear for a steel one if you plan to use a hydraulic-roller camshaft with the Ford distributor. The factory stuff is very good, even with a bit of miles on it, but if you find yourself considering a new one, go for the flashy billet aftermarket stuff. It's great eye-candy at the car show and they work excellent as well.
From the folks at FRPP, we received the M-6675-A58 oil-pan swap kit, as you'll need the new pan to fit the Windsor engine in the Fox. The FRPP kit includes the 5-quart pan, the oil-pump pickup and mounting stud, as well as a new dipstick and sheath. While you're at it, order yourself an M-6605-A341 oil-pump shaft from FRPP, and a new standard-volume oil pump for a 351W from the local parts store.
RHS sent us a set of its trick...
RHS sent us a set of its trick new black crinkle-coat valve covers to bolt onto our Street Smart 351W. Experience has told us that valve covers of this physical style don't usually work on an EFI application without a significant upper intake spacer, which is something we don't want to run since we're trying to keep the profile low. We're not sure how they'll fit on the Windsor engine, but they look too good not to try. The Trick Flow Track Heat intake we'll be using looks like it'll give us a little more leeway, so we'll have that information in the next installment.
Motor mounts aren't so much of an issue as they are a preference. With the increase in deck height as well as overall height of the 351W, your new powerplant is bound to require an aftermarket cowl-induction hood to clear the intake manifold. There are ways to combat this, and one of them is to use drop motor mounts like those from Holcomb Motorsports (PN OT6000351D). Holcomb's mounts are a solid-steel design, so you are going to feel a bit more vibration in the car, but if you keep the stock rubber or urethane transmission mount, it will help. Our stock idle should help quell vibrations as well.
Keep in mind that oil pan clearance to the K-member and steering rack can be an issue, though it isn't when using the FRPP oil-pan swap kit. Another idea is to use an aftermarket tubular K-member. These can offer additional pan clearance, as well as lower mounting points for the mounts. We've seen a carbureted Windsor fit beneath a stock hood using both of these tricks, but haven't spotted an EFI setup that does. The motor mounts will help, though.
Not necessarily needed to...
Not necessarily needed to complete the Windsor/Fox swap, but certainly a good idea with any engine larger than 331 cubes, this Anderson Ford Motorsport Power Pipe and Abaco Performance 97mm mass air meter will offer more than enough airflow for our Windsor engine. All of Abaco's MAFs are programmable using the free software from the company, and sized appropriately, will probably be the last meter you'll ever need to buy.
Since we're using a production 351W roller block, your roller lifters and lifter spider in the valley can make the jump to Windsor speed, as the bolt holes are already in the block. If you don't have these parts to carry over, Comp Cams offers a hardware kit (PN 35-1001) that includes the spider and hardware. If you're using a non-roller block, Comp has you covered as it offers retrofit camshafts and tie-bar roller lifters to get the job done.
Fuel system changes are minimal. Stock 5.0L fuel rails can be used, but you'll need to cut the plastic crossover lines, and get some approved high-pressure fuel line and clamps (the clamps are special too) to allow the rails to sit properly on the wider 351 lower intake manifold. With more airflow comes a need for more fuel, however, so an in-tank fuel pump upgrade is a must, as well as 30-lb/hr or larger fuel injectors.
This very tired-looking 5.0L...
This very tired-looking 5.0L engine will soon make way for our Street Smart Windsor. It actually runs well, but has suffered the effects of sitting dormant in the humid south for several years. The car's interior was far too nice to cut up to make a race car out of, so we hope to restore the Pony here in the magazine down the road. For now, we're going to bump up the cube count under the hood and burn some dry-rotted rubber.
With all the details covered, you should be well on your way to shoehorning that Windsor between the frame rails of your Fox-body. Most swaps, including this one, can be a big undertaking-but hopefully we've made it a bit easier now that we've laid everything out for you. Check back next month as we drop this Street Smart Windsor into our latest Fox-body hulk and pound some Dynojet rollers for the details. And keep reading because we have a bunch more swaps in store.