This one more of an ordeal than the others. My regular builder freshened the shortblock. Light hone,(.005), was all that was needed. Upgraded the rod bolts to ARP 2000s. I then had to decide which direction to take engine in. Every version of this engine has seen an upgrade in parts and power. To that end I had Blair Patrick put together a top end/valve train pkg for me. Instructed shop to set up block for oiling through push rods with Blair’s help
New parts via Blair:
Set of his newer generation BBM B heads
TFS tunnel wedge intake
T&D paired rocker shaft assemblies.
Bullet Custom Solid Roller camshaft
Crower lifters
Manton push rods
Kept my Quick Fuel 715 cfm carbs Scott Perkins put together via Brent Lykins
Various MSD 8595 distributors
My regular shop assembled the long block with the new parts and broke it in/dynoed it. They got it to 686 hp/ 611 tq with my GZ vacuum pump. However, they started pulling it off the their Land & Sea unit before wringing it out as much as I would have liked. Their shop is crazy busy and they had a line of engines to run on their dyno.
I’m not a huge fan of their tuning process as they don’t usually use wide band data to tune but focus on BSFC numbers. I feel those numbers are useful but don’t tell enough of the engine’s state of tune.To their credit they discovered that one of the 8595s I brought in was giving it up on the top end. The second 8595 that I brought in was previously converted to locked out status also had problems. The module was giving up timing as it climbed. 36* @2K,33*@4k & 31*@6500. If I want timing pulled out I should get to decide when & how, not the module. I called Holley to speak with MSD tech about it. Their response was “ well, sometimes the modules act that way” !!!
So, I’m not one who gives up easily. The obvious answer was to graduate to a crank trigger set up. Ordered a set up from Innovators West, ( was already utilizing their #208 balancer). Before even bringing fresh engine home I sought out another shop that I had worked with years earlier to install the crank trigger and tune the engine on their SF-901.
Who does that? Brings an engine from shop to shop to ensure the best tune possible is realized?
The second shop uses BSFC, O2 wide band, plug reading and of course dyno numbers to find what is attainable. That sort of effort is what speaks to me.
The crank trigger set up posed its own challenges. The materials are high quality but my Fairlane is a street car. Still running a stock style wp, alternator & cooling fan. Plus a pulley off of crank for vac pump. For those of you who have not been through it, attention must be paid to location of the trigger wheel. It bolts to balancer of course but any accessory that runs off of crank is now going to be .300 forward of where it was. This leaves you with deciding how to accommodate the new spacing of pulleys. The wp itself could be spaced out, pulleys can be shimmed. We chose to take .300 off the crank spacer to try to keep the existing spacing the same. This necessitates creating a spacer sleeve over the crank end so the balancer can be secured properly. Fortunately for me the shop owner is has been in the engine building business for 30+ years and is also very creative.
The crank trigger allowed for rock steady timing. With it in place we were able to get to 700hp @6500. Peak torque 617 @ 5300. This was on 93 octane pump fuel. Knock sensor was very quiet. Peak hp achieved @ 33* total, which is of course right where Blair said it would be. It was just about as good with 32* but fell off with 34*
Over 600 lb ft from 4600-5900
The peak hp carries from 6500- 6900 Fell off @7K which was as far as we took it
Very happy with results.
FWIW, the second shop’s SF-901 is notoriously stingy. The thermostat for the cooling system is set to 175*
https://youtube.com/shorts/HQVykfSm93Y?si=hRqm9503o12Q2w_TDynoed at
P K Machine
Fitchburg,
Ma.
Engine Specs:
Ford 1971 service block, 4.250 bore, 4.250 stroke
Scat forged crank, standard/standard, internal balance
Scat H beam rods, ARP 2000 bolts
Mahle forged pistons 8.8cc reliefs, 11.1 static CR, Mahle ring pack 1/1/2, Cometic .027 MLS head gaskets
Durabond cam bearings
Melling HV -57 ARP distributor drive shaft Canton 7 qt system pan with windage tray
Bullet Custom Hydraulic Roller grind with solid lifters .600 lift
Cloyes 9 position double roller timing chain, Ford cover
BBM B heads, PAC springs
Manton push rods, .145 wall
Jay Brown custom cast pent roof valve covers with master cylinder relief and 482 logo.
Innovators West crank trigger, MSD locked out 8485 distributor
Edelbrock water pump
TFS tunnel wedge intake.
Quick Time 715 cfm 4160 carbs with 1” tall four hole spacers
2” dyno headers, 11” extension, open
