I’m looking at replacing the 289 in my roadster with a 347 Ford stroker engine. In doing the research I’ve found a complete, carb to oil pan, engine from Ford Performance and another with just about identical specs from Blueprint engines. There is considerable difference in price (about $3,000). Is the Ford performance engine worth the premium price? Any input from owners of either of these engines will be greatly appreciated.
Got a buddy who's a parts counterman in a Ford dealership? Or if you haven't you might want to search the Ford part number for the complete long block online. Especially back where you are at some dealers may have some "racers" discounts on performance parts. The blueprint engine is either going to be built starting with a used block or built with new parts that were ordered in and then assembled by that shop. Far better than the quickly done assembly line rebuilder engines though.
I have the blueprint version. I have 6 years and a bunch of miles on it. 0 complaints. it sounds amazing and is a screamer. I liked it enough I put a blueprint in my t bucket and my carb/dyno guy was amazed at the hp it made and the cost. If you call directly to BP you get it a little cheaper than the online vendors. I had an issue with my bucket motor, i now have a direct cell # to one of the guys there. They handled it fast and easy. Id buy from them again
The one issue with the 347 is the rod ratio. The early versions had issues with poor ring life, some builders have worked that out. Make sure the rings are above the piston pin. The 331 (basically a SBF version of a 327) didn't have those issues.
IF the 289 is still in good shape you should probably get a nice 'penny' for it. Lotsa guys looking to restore old Fords with the "factory"-style 289. That money will make the cost of the 347 a little more palletable. Hard to beat the 'newer' 5.0 roller mow-derz for reliability and power. (I would build it myself IF I was you but...........) 6sally6
My question is, why not go with a 351? I know the decks are taller. That might cause fit issues in something tight like a late model car. If you have the room, I would go for the stroke.
‘Don’t need that much muscle. I’m an old guy…just want a little more git than the 289 has. I’d probably poop my pants with the output of a 408.
I'm with Steve A 347 has 1.090 compression height Not much room for a ring package So you get very thin rings or the oil ring in the piston pin hole. a 331 has a 1.165 compression height and keeps the the oil ring above the pin with a common 5.4 rod.
I'd agree with the 351 comment. Same cubic inches as the stroker, less $$$ to build if you don't get carried away with stroking that. If you have the room; it is a bit taller and wider but otherwise drops right in except for possible exhaust mods.
And Ford did toy with the idea of a 327 CI small block. I saw a item in Super Ford years ago where a guy got his hands on a developmental version. The weird thing with it was the rods; Ford 'rotated' the rod caps about 30 degrees from 'normal', that allowed them to fit it all in without notching the block like you have to do with the aftermarket strokers.
FRPP do a short block with a 4.125 bore and 4 bolt mains. But most importantly they have deeper cylinder walls for 3.5" stroke. These can go out to 374" In road racing situations [where power is applied a lot longer than in drag racing bursts] the FRPP block will last whereas the OEM 5.0 will split into 2 For a street engine use a 5.0 roller engine [stock dmensions] For hard racing use a FRPP block
The next shortblock I install in the Fairlane will be a Ford or Dart 362 which has the same rod stroke ratio as the 347. I no off several 347s that don't use oil, rev to 8000 rpm and one with a hair dryer that makes close to 1000 hp at the wheels without problems. I like the 351 also if you have the space and can handle the extra 70 lbs that comes with them. The 351 has a somewhat stronger block and larger mains.
What’s weird about a rotated rod cap? Every DT466 built for nearly forty years was built like that. Probably many more examples out there too.
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