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1967 351w swap daily driver

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1967JMG

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
i have a 67 stang that has been my DD for the past 6 years. it has a heavily modded 6 in it right now and the rest of the drive train is all ready for a v8 (t5z tranny, v8 drive shaft, 9in rear with 373 gears), 5 lug all around... blah blah blah, i know all the peripherals about the springs, shocks, sway bar and all that.
All i want to know is what the best 351w set up would be for a DD.
I was thinking 351 (maybe bored .30 over), weiand stealth intake, holley 650 or 750 vac secondary carb, and retrofit comp cams roller cam or maybe a stock cam out of a 5.0 HO, MSD ignition. what would be a good set of aluminum heads? As i said this is my daily driver so I'm open to opinions but I'm not trying to build a race car here.
Thanks guys,
JMG
 
#2 ·
I'd say for aluminum heads on a DD a set of Trick Flow Twisted Wedge's. 69Fastback can tell you more about those than I can though. 650 would be fine with stock heads and cam, but if you go to the aluminum and run an aftermarket cam and intake as well you might as well step up to the 750 carb. As for the cam, if the block wasn't a roller block to begin with, then I don't think you can use a 5.0 HO cam (besides I think that cam is almost undersized for a 351 and wouldn't be much over a stock 351 cam [assuming it wasn't an engine out of a truck or sedan]).
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
the only reason for the aluminum head and aluminum water pump is just to lessen the weight up front. manual rack and pinion is in the plans for the future but i'll have to make do with the oe manual steering for the time being. i was looking at the Twisted Wedge heads, pro comp, and ford racing. Is there anythign that makes the twisted wedge better than those other brands? Ive only heard of people retrofitting the H.O. cam in the older blocks. not really sure what all that entails either. but comp cams sells a whole kit to retro fit their roller cam in the older block...
 
#4 ·
Stay away from Pro Comp heads. Seriously, they are junk. TWs are great heads, and are better for many reasons, but if you're not wanting to spend that much, there are some other options. Pro Comp should not be one of them. If you're wanting to save a little,and stick with cast iron heads, RHS makes a pretty good set. World Sr's are decent heads too, for the money on a budget build. Dart also makes an iron head, but I've never been around any of them. If you're already looking at heads in the TW price range, they are a great choice.


A 5.0 HO cam would be way small with a set of good flowing aftermarket heads. It would be gutless. There are a few options for a roller cam. When you buy a block, you can just buy a roller block, use the stock lifters, and run whatever cam you want to.

You can buy an older, non roller block, and put a set of link bar lifters in it, and run any roller cam you want. This is the most expensive option, because those are $600 + just for lifters.

You can buy the non roller block, and run a small base circle (retro-fit) cam. The lifter bores on a non roller block are shorter than a roller block, so the cam utilizes a small base circle lobe, to keep the lifters from raising out of the bore. This gives a more limited selection on lobe selection. The kits are pretty straight forward. The only thing extra you have to do, is machine the lifter valley, and tap the holes for the spider. I think a machine shop usually charges about $50. If it's an early '69 block, they have a 1 piece fuel pump eccentric, and you'll have to get a newer model 2 piece eccentric for the roller timing chain. The chances of you running into that are slim though.


The link bars are the best option if you're building a 600hp + engine, but it sounds to me like a roller block or a non roller, with a small base circle cam would work great for you, and be cheaper. Comp makes some pretty decent grinds on the small base circle cams, but if you buy a roller block, you'll have a lot more choices.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
well, im not building a race car... like i said i'm building a daily driver here. so would it really be that much more beneficial to go roller? the only reason i was considering it is because i've been reading alot on forums lately about peoples cam lobes going flat and them blaming it on the quality of oil these days and that roller cams are better suited for today's standards in motor oil and that sort of thing... are they really more reliable?
 
#6 ·
Well, for what it's worth, I had a Comp Cams flat tappet eat a lobe a year ago. I followed the break in instructions perfectly, and used their additive, along with Valvoline VR1, which claims to have sufficient ZZDP. They did warranty it, and I got the second one to work.

So IMO, it's worth it to go roller. It really doesn't cost that much more to do the retro fit, small base circle cam.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
still using the stock z bar, clutchfork, t.o. bearing and all that right now. but because its a 6 im pretty sure i'll have to switch to a cable or hydrolic set up once i start the swap. unless i can find a v8 one and make it work somehow.
i've read a lot of conflicting blogs about some people having clearance issues and other people not and some people saying the z bars are too weak if using a performance clutch and visa versa...
 
#11 ·
I used the Z bar with a Zoom, and a Centerforce DF and never had an issue. An issue you will have if you buy a roller block, is that the roller blocks do not have the boss in the side, to attach the pivot ball for the Z bar. They do make an adapter that attaches between the bell housing and block to make it work.
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
I will look into that as well then. Should I been concerned with the transmission? It's a T5z and I won't be beating on it much. I seriously doubt it'll ever see any real track time. I know 351's make gobbs of torque though and I am hoping to not encounter any unexpected and costly surprises down the road. I at least need this to get me through the rest of college. lol
 
Discussion starter · #13 ·
Also... witch TW heads would be the best to use? And with what pistons? I've read depending on what I use I could run into piston/valve clearance problems... I'm aiming for close to 9.7:1 compression here.
 
#14 ·
TWs actually give you better PtV clearance. I ran mine on a stock 351 bottom end, and a XE274H cam, and I can't remember the clearance when i checked it, but it was a lot. If you're going to have to buy new pistons, the best bet is to buy ones cut for TW heads though. Pretty much everyone makes them.

I wouldn't use shy less than a 185cc head on a 351.
 
#16 ·
I love Windsors, especially stroked ones, however wouldn't a roller-block based 331 be a better setup for a first V8 swap on a DD? Parts would be cheaper and easier to find as far as headers, alt and PS brackets, etc. Also the T5 wouldn't be as taxed in terms of torque. Just thought I'd throw that out there.

Like I said I love Windsors and I have one in my current '67 as well as my last '67 which had a 418 stroker. Those are/were both heavily modded cars though, so I didn't mind jumping through hoops to get everything to fit as nicely as I wanted. From what I learned though I'm not sure I would choose to convert another one into a daily-driver. They are awesome motors, just a bit much for a DD if built to their maximum, and for reals, why not build a motor unless it's maxed out right? ;) A well-built 331 would be more than enough and might actually get decent mileage due to the lesser cubes. Definitely don't want to sound too conservative or throw a monkey wrench in the build here but I thought it was worth mentioning. Whatever you choose I'm sure it will run great. I also am a big fan of AFR heads versus TFS for the street in terms of my readings, but I haven't run TFS heads in the past so I don't have the hands-on experience on them to knock them.
 
#17 ·
A good 331 cost the same as a good 418, In my book why spend the same for less.

I love the 418 motors. I get 14 mpg out of mine, while driving with a easy pedal.

I used the Procomp 235CC cnc ported heads on the last 418 I built. and it really made it come to life. It was the best 418 I have built yet. I power increases were very noticeable.

The heads only cost $995 complete.
 
#18 ·
If you were going to build an 8.2 deck, why waste time with a 331 when a 347 kit cost the same? I agree with MustangOne though. A 9.5 deck is just a better way to go IMO. You can get more of that usable torque everyone wants in a street car, and for the same money, but I didn't see anything about the PO wanting to build a stroker. An 8.2 deck stroker will cost more than a stock displacement 351.

AFRs are a good head, but the TWs have a much better cross section, and the rotated valve design unshrouds the intake valve, allowing it to perform better. A TW 185 flows like an AFR 205. TWs also come with better components (valves, springs, retainers, ect....) than the AFRS. Another bonus is that you can run the 2.02/1.60 valve on a stock bottom end, with a moderate size cam, unlike any of the inline heads. In all my experiences the TW is just a better head.
 
#20 ·
I stand corrected here... Now that I read the opening post on this I realize that you already want to go with a Windsor so I wont try and talk you out of it. I've just seen a lot of folks bite off more than they can chew doing a windsor when they don't need it.

A 351 is a good choice though if you really want it, and will give you plenty of growing room. It will also be a lot stronger than a 302. It would definitely suck if you went with a 302 now and then wanted to go Windsor later. ..Pain in the butt to convert again.

Just don't over-build it and break your trans. The T5Z will be your weakest link and I've seen built Windsors eat them for lunch.

I guess the question is what sort of horsepower are you wanting to make and what's your budget? One of the best low-budget street combo stock displacement windsors I've seen is one a friend of mine from Australia built...

He used a basically stock 351 bottom-end with flat-top pistons, Edelbrock E-street heads (900$ from Summit) and a Comp Thumpr standard flat-tappet cam (the larger one), a Performer RPM air gap intake, and a 670 Holley avenger carb. This setup was pretty cheap to build and made well over 400 horsepower and great torque, and it was very streetable.

My good friend has a similar setup in his Fairlane but with ported cast-iron heads, and it runs very well. I would say the E-street heads would be a good upgrade in his case actually, but the E-streets are a low-budget aluminum head none-the less. Better than a ProComp but not as good as an AFR or a Trick Flow. The question there is why would you need more for a daily-driver? I think they would work quite well on your application.

I hope this helps and good luck! :)
 
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