PRI 2025: TKM’s Noonan-Built Billet Modular Block Is Rugged And Streetable 

The 2025 PRI Show is filled with new technology and ambitious projects, but one debut stood out for Ford Modular enthusiasts. TKM Performance showed off a billet, water-jacketed engine block designed for the 5.4- and 5.8-liter DOHC engine platforms that powered 2008-2014 Shelby GT500s. This piece of horsepower jewelry is a robust replacement option for Shelby owners in need of a fresh engine foundation.

“There are a lot of, a lot of these cars out there. They hold their value, and people didn’t have an option for a block,” John Boy, of TKM Performance, said. “Blocks are getting harder to find, so we partnered up with Noonan on this, and now you’ve got a water block that can be street-driven and still be able to hold basically any amount of power you want.”

Developed through a collaboration between Noonan Race Engineering and offered exclusively through TKM Performance, this beautiful block is based strictly on the vaunted Trinity 5.8-liter aluminum block, ensuring compatibility with the factory hardware, but allowing for more displacement and higher output than the factory unit can easily support.

“We got an exclusive deal here. This is a billet Trinity block. So it is a Modular motor 5.4/5.8 built by Noonan out of Spartanburg, South Carolina. We took them a ’13-’14 block and told them we wanted a billet version with minimum changes, so if you have a ’13-’14 Shelby GT 500, everything would come off that motor and be able to go on here with no problem,” John Boy explained. “…The only difference is the main cap is a little bit taller, so you’d have to run a modified windage tray, which is not that big of a deal.”

Noonan Race Engineering handled manufacturing duties, applying the company’s established billet-block expertise to Ford’s twin-cam 5.4/5.8 architecture. Known for producing components capable of surviving extreme cylinder pressure, Noonan engineered this block to deliver rigidity and stability where factory castings often reach their limits. The result is a fully machined billet structure that retains OE geometry while substantially expanding the usable performance window.

Separating this work of performance art from other billet blocks is its water-jacketed construction. Many billet race blocks are dry designs intended strictly for short-duration drag racing, but this approach supports a true cooling system. That capability opens the door for high-output street cars, endurance-oriented programs, and road-course builds. 

For Modular engine fans seeking billet strength without sacrificing cooling performance, the concept fills a significant gap. The initial production batch consists of 10 units, and TKM is offering them for $18,500 each.