While things have been heating up in the shop with multiple builds happening at once, we decided to revisit our Blue Oval pushrod friend, affectionately named Bosszilla. Despite its intimidating name, we realized we just wanted to build a proper hot rod engine, one with street manners, a strong powerband, and a sound that echoes the glory days of Fox Body Mustangs roaming the streets.

As most pushrod lovers, like ourselves, know, the best naturally aspirated bang-for-the-buck upgrade is a camshaft. So, digging back to our roots, we thought it would be best to look into a street/strip camshaft for our next upgrade. Since we’re partnered with our friends at Late Model Engines on this project, it only made sense that we turned to their trusted camshaft partner, Cam Motion, too.

It’s hard to believe this same engine spent the first 40,000 miles of its life as a test mule at Ford. Once it was in our hands, we gave it a fresh rebuild using factory OEM components. From there, we added some performance upgrades straight from the factory, starting with a low-profile intake manifold featuring a straight runner design.

Bosszilla: The 7.3-Liter That Could

Before even making a camshaft decision for Bosszilla, we opted to rebuild the test mule engine using all factory components to see what this hotshot could deliver with a fresh start. Once on the dyno, we saw some expected restriction from the infamous “banana neck” intake, but no worries, we already had plans to revise that.

Phase One of the fresh engine build produced 512.1 horsepower at 5,300 rpm and 596.6 lb-ft of torque at 4,000 rpm. Not only did this outperform its crate engine counterpart by a solid margin, but it also gave us a strong baseline before diving into some crafty new components.

With the engine baseline complete, we started thinking like most Godzilla lovers, looking for upgrades that will not only support our powerband goals but also fit under the hood of an upcoming project. For that, we turned to Ford Performance and its Low Profile Intake, a perfect match for our 445-cubic-inch hombre.

Bosszilla has been putting down strong numbers since the baseline. The rebuilt engine made 516 horsepower with the addition of the intake manifold. It’s already well past the Ford crate engine specs we’re used to seeing.

While the lower height worked out exactly as planned, the powerband gains were particularly interesting. Peak torque jumped to 604.4 lb-ft at just 3,900 rpm, and horsepower climbed to 516.2 horsepower at 5,700 rpm. Although the peak numbers show a modest bump, the real win came from the improved power delivery below 4,500 rpm and above 4,750 rpm. The midrange held steady with no loss in horsepower, setting the stage for a richer, more responsive driving experience when the time comes, which is something we were definitely pleased with.

Lobed Up And Ready To Party

With our baseline and initial dyno testing completed, it was time to set our sights on some upgrades to see what kind of power we could make right out of the box. Our first stop was the classic “cam only” upgrade.

Since the 7.3-liter Godzilla engine is still relatively new compared to its 14-year-old sibling, the Coyote, and decades younger than the 302ci pushrod Windsor, we decided to get some expert advice on which camshaft would best suit our goals.

While we sometimes aim to build the rowdiest, tire-smoking torque monster with a sound aggressive enough to give listeners a two-block warning, this time the focus was different. We were after drivability, with an emphasis on low-speed and midrange torque, rather than what the kids might call a “hog’s butt” camshaft.

It’s a thing of beauty! This Cam Motion camshaft looks great, even if we hope we won’t be seeing it again anytime soon. Still, we’re excited about the gains it promises.

For that, we reached out to Cam Motion’s tech hotline and tapped its expertise to dial in the perfect setup.

The first to answer the phone was Robert “Bobby” Biancaniello. He patiently listened to our end goals and, to be frank, our endless ranting, as we tried to extract as much knowledge as possible before placing an order. During the conversation, we also learned that Biancaniello has a few stout drag cars in his stable, which means his expertise is hands-on, not just pulled from a catalog.

Once our inquisition wrapped up and the rambling stopped, Biancaniello set us up with cam number FORD-312602-138626, featuring a grind of XA224-356-234-356-12+2.

According to Biancaniello, the camshaft he selected for us will deliver plenty of low-speed and mid-range torque while also offering a solid bump in horsepower up top, something we can’t argue with. However, we did have concerns with Bosszilla still running stock pistons, but Biancaniello assured us that this camshaft will provide ample piston-to-valve clearance.

As for our quest for sound, Biancaniello mentioned it will provide a noticeable lopey idle while still maintaining plenty of idle vacuum. So much for HOA complaints and a lack of drivability, though we’ll leave being the king of stalling out at the Sonic Drive-In to some other fool, this round.

A Cam Card Worth a Thousand Words

Once we got our cam card for Bosszilla in hand, we sent the engine back to Late Model Engines for Vinny to install the camshaft and get it ready for yet another session on the dyno. While the picture below tells you everything you need to know about the camshaft, here’s a breakdown for those who prefer words over visuals.

If you ever need a complete breakdown of a camshaft, look no further than the cam card. This cam card gave us more details than most people would know what to do with, but with an engine builder like Late Model Engines on our side, we were all set.

Our camshaft features a lobe separation angle of 112 degrees with a built-in two-degree advance for optimized timing. On the intake side, the cam has a centerline of 110 degrees and a tappet lift of .356 inch. Paired with a factory 1.8:1 rocker arm ratio, this translates to a valve lift of approximately .640 inch. The intake valve opens at 2.7 degrees before top dead center (BTDC) at 0.050-inch lift and closes at 41.3 degrees after bottom dead center (ABDC), resulting in an intake duration of 224 degrees at .050-inch lift.

On the exhaust side, the centerline is set at 114 degrees with the same tappet lift of .356 inch and gross valve lift of  .641 inch. The exhaust valve opens at 51.5 degrees before bottom dead center (BBDC) and closes at 2.4 degrees after top dead center (ATDC), giving a duration of 234 degrees at .050-inch lift. The overlap is a modest 5.2 degrees, which helps maintain a stable idle and excellent drivability.

This camshaft uses the factory hydraulic roller lifters, helping reduce maintenance and ensure smooth operation under both street and strip conditions. The balance of lift, duration, and timing makes this camshaft an ideal choice for Bosszilla. While all this sounds technical and Biancaniello made some serious claims, it was time to head to the proving grounds, also known as the engine dyno.

The Bosszilla Proving Grounds

With the engine strapped to the dyno once again, it was time to see what kind of power the beast could make with nothing more than a Cam Motion camshaft, a Ford Performance intake manifold, and a few prayers from our Ford-friendly editorial staff. Bosszilla did not disappoint.

After the pull was complete and we immediately sent the results to the printer for our paper trophy, the numbers from Bosszilla came back strong: 660.7 horsepower at just under 6,000 rpm and 649.9 lb-ft of torque at 4,600 rpm. Needless to say, we were amped. Our last dyno session ended at 516.2 horsepower and 604.4 lb-ft, so the camshaft netted 144.5 horsepower and 45.5 lb-ft of torque while spinning only a few hundred more RPM. The gains from the camshaft upgrade alone were incredible, especially for a cam that would be considered mild or conservative by most standards. 

Reflection Time

Now, before this turns into a proverbial pissing match over camshaft choices, keep in mind that our grind was aimed squarely at the low-speed to mid-range powerband. With a stock 7.3-liter gas engine, our focus was on drivability and keeping things level-headed.

“This is one of the first development projects we’ve done on the Godzilla. So, I was somewhat surprised with the results,” says LME’s owner, Bryan Neelen. “That’s a significant gain from just a cam. A cam is a pretty killer upgrade for any Godzilla.”

Will it stay that way? Of course not. We have more upgrades planned to make this engine far more “wild.” But for now, we’re extremely happy with the results from just a few well-chosen parts and even happier that we achieved it all with one camshaft instead of four. Sorry, Coyote brethren. We’re happy for you, but we’re also proud to be part of the cam-in-block crowd for this round.

If you’re enjoying this Godzilla build, stick around, we’ve got a few more installments coming your way. Plus, the more readers we get, the more we’re allowed to keep doing cool engine builds. Otherwise, the bosses might lock us in the dyno room and make us “put the lotion on the skin.” So please, hang out with us. We promise it’ll be worth it.