Father/Son Project: Build Ford Big or Small Block?

Well, if the engine is most likely going in a big car then I would say go big block. Don't get me wrong; those small blocks can fly in big ol' boats. I had a 302 in my '68 Galaxie 4door with a 2bbl carb and a Automatic tranny without second gear and that thing would HAUL BUTT! But it's soooooo much better now that it has a 390 (4bbl, Automatic) pushing those wheels.

If you do go big block then I would suggest the FE engine. Tons of torque even on purely stock engines with a pretty good amount of horsepower. That and you can get 390's or 352's pretty easily. Parts for them are common finds too despite what many other people say. Just do searches on eBay but there are several companies out there who produce FE stuff only.

Just my input on this and giving you some more options.
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Since you have no idea what you will be putting this in I'd have to vote for the smallblock.You can fit them into any ford car that came with a v-8(and even some that didn't)and there is all kinds of aftermarket parts available thanks to the 5.0 crowd.If 400 hp is your goal this isn't "easily" attainable but certainly is possible with the smallblock.Aftermarket heads will make this much easier to attain but add to the cost.(by smallblock I'm talking 289-302).Also the parts are smaller and lighter for a 10 year old to be able to lift.[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img][img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: frdnut on 10/26/02 10:16pm ]</font>

Well no disrespect, but don't smallblock around, no torque. Don't build something there's not a plethera of aftermarket stuff for. Don't be afraid of a big engine, they can be put anywhere with some fabrication.
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My head says small block, but my heart says BIG BLOCK. Fxjr just loves his FE wagon and it's making a great father/son project. The car is huge, so it's much safer than a mustang. Any rice bucket that hits him is gonna bounce right off...[img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] Anyway, torque is what moves the beast and a mild big block will make all you need and more without drivability issues.
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Build something he can afford to run and insure when he turns 17 or whatever the age is in U.S.

Pick something which parts will be readily available and cheap for years to come.

Having changed a c4 for an AOD in my v8 Ford Cortina here in England I would recommend going with an overdrive transmission from the off. AOD or T5.

If I was in America , would go for early fastback mustang if cheap enough. Here in England they are twice the price of coupes.

they are in NorAm too.. 3 times the price of coupes

If I had my choice of any engine as you do, I would pick the 460 cubic inch.

Like the good people have already said, it is hard to beat the torque of the big block.

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Ask for a Boss 429 or a 428 C\J. If the guy will give your son whatever he wants, either of those two would be the ones to go for. He would not have to "cheat for power" as he likes to say it.

Theres no replacement for displacement. Get a '385'series, stroker kit, and aluminum heads and worry bout fitin it in when you get the car. There are tons of Fox body Mustangs around with them so you know they will fit into anything. As far as "cheatin" with power adders its only cheating if the rules forbid it. There are a lot of mild mannered street cars that are real animals when you open the bottle. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img]