quick question??
 

I would like to know how much power a completely stock 5.0 short block can take from 87- 92. I've heard 400hp from some people and 500hp from others, but i would like to know what it actually is. Thanx alot ;)

actually probably more like 2500HP for about .0001 seconds!!!:D

According to an aquaintance at Ford Engine Lab, about 450rwhp is the limit. Not that you cannot exceed that, but its a matter of WHEN, not IF. The more you push the sooner. 400rwhp will live a great long time, as long as you stay out of the 6K+ revs all the time.
IMOHO.

thanx for the info drudis

is there anything that can be done to the block to help it out a little more, like ARP bolts or a stud girdle, how much will that do to the bottom end strength.

well if you are talking 500+ horse power I would strongly suggest going to something like the b50 (sportsman) block as it's a lot beefier. I have seen some b50's floating around that are pushing 800 hp or so at the tracks and these are run on a fairly regular basis.

If you are talking down around the 400 range then you are fairly safe with a stock block with a girdle. Is this going to be for street or strip duty?


fwiw the b50's can be had for around $800-900 new, so they don't kill your wallet like a R302 block would.




XR1stang

the motor is for street/strip use, and i want 400-420rwhp(anything around there will make me happy). the vehicle is not gonna be used for racing alot, just occasional, i just dont want to throw to much hp into it and blow the motor, so i figure if i can strengthen up the bottom end a little then i should be ok. thanx again for any info, its much appreciated;)

Before switching to the R302 block I have now, I had a stock block that I used for 3 years at about the 600 + HP level. I used an old spec racers trick and had the block cryogenecally(sp) frozen. Even having one N2O mishap, and losing a piston, there was not a mark on the block and I reused it again. That plus a main girdle, and ARP hardware kept me racing for 3 years seeing the track almost every weekend. Cost is about $1.25 per pound. For more information on this process go here:http://www.onecryo.com/motorsp.htm and look at some of the pro's in the NHRA that are using it.

Ron