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351 Crate Engine Build-up - Power & Style-What A CombinationBolt-on Ponies with Edelbrock From the July, 2012 issue of Classic Trucks By Jim Rizzo
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Our 351 Ford engine was no
slouch... Our 351 Ford engine was no
slouch to begin with, but with the addition of some great looking Edelbrock components and some tuning expertise from the guys at Vrbancic Brothers Racing we gained quite a punch. Wes and I are always looking to check out the best the hot rod aftermarket has to
offer--a monumental task in a world chock-full of awesome offerings for anything
in the performance realm. This time around we set our sights on putting together a 351 Windsor crate
engine for one of our future project vehicles. Now, the engine assemblies from Ford Racing are pretty darned stout on their own but like any self respecting rodder, we guys can never leave well enough alone. That said, we talked to the pro’s over at Vrbancic Brothers Racing to give us a hand in adding some bolt-on horsepower to our already respectable crate engine. What the heck, you can never have enough horses! This particular SBF has been
tweaked a bit already, and with an
aftermarket cam, intake, and carb
upgrade it already had measured in at
a very respectable high of 281hp at
4,500rpm. To see if we could improve
on this, and to add to the engine’s eye
appeal, we hit the Edelbrock Website
and did a bit of shopping. Here’s all it took to gain an impressive 100-plus
horsepower from our Ford Racing 351 Windsor, not
too shabby for an affordable and quick upgrade, to
say the least. A pair of Edelbrock cylinder heads, an
Edelbrock aluminum intake, an Edelbrock carb (plus
some ARP head bolts and Totally Stainless fasteners)
and a few hours work was all it took. Good looks, affordability, and
bolt-on horsepower have always
been a hallmark of Edelbrock and
that’s why we chose to update our
latest CLASSIC TRUCKS project
engine with a few of their offerings—
specifi cally, a pair of PN 60259
Edelbrock Performer cylinder heads,
a PN 75814 intake manifold, and PN
18134 800cfm carb—a few relatively
easy bolt-on upgrades that’d likely add
some muscle as well as good looks
due to their highly polished fi nishes. And as we’d hoped, the
Edelbrock upgrade coupled with the
Vrbancic Bros. expertise netted us
even more power than we’d hoped
for. How’s a gain of nearly 100hp and
46 lb-ft of torque grab ya? A pleasant
surprise that left us extremely
pleased—and with a powerplant that’s
destined to add a lot of enjoyment
and reliability to this latest project
vehicle. That said, let’s take a look
at the installation and testing that
went on one afternoon at one of our
favorite dyno facilities. CT  The first step was a minor...  The first step was a minor teardown. The guys
stripped the Weiand intake, Holley carb, and stock
cylinder heads and prepped the gasket surfaces for
the new Edelbrock components.  While the SBF was be readied...  While the SBF was be readied for the new
components, George Vrbancic started un-boxing and
inspecting the shiny new Edelbrock items and making
sure all the needed gaskets and hardware were ready,
as well. These guys are real professionals and build
some of the highest horsepower race and street
engines you could imagine.  The Performer
cylinder heads...  The Performer
cylinder heads we
chose (PN 60259)
are designed with
highly effi cient ports
and state-of-the-art
combustion chamber
shapes, and offer
improved performance
throughout the rpm
range for great throttle
response and top-end
horsepower. The
quality features of
Edelbrock Performer
heads include threaded
inserts in rocker
studs and exhaust
boltholes for superior
strength and durability manganese-bronze valve guides, heavy-duty valve spring assemblies, and are port
matched for excellent flow—characteristics that are perfect for our SBF project.  The Edelbrock Performer
RPM...  The Edelbrock Performer
RPM heads we used are
designed for street high
performance use, and
are interchangeable with
original equipment smallblock
Ford cylinder heads
and offer “out-of-the-box”
bolt-on performance with
no additional porting
required (the PN 60259
heads we used have 60cc
chambers, 170cc intake port size, and one-piece, swirl-polished 2.02 intake and 1.60 exhaust valves). The
performance range for these heads is1,500-6,500rpm for great throttle response
as well as top-end horsepower. The intake and exhaust ports are CNC machine
“matched” and have been designed for maximum fl ow velocity especially when
matched with the Performer RPM intake manifold we chose. Keep in mind though,
these heads are designed to use 1/2” head bolts—289-302 engines use 7∕16” head
bolts, so for those you gotta use Edelbrock head bolt bushings with integral
washers PN 9680 and Edelbrock head bolt kit PN 8552 or stock or ARP 7∕16” head
bolts.  We also decided to use Edelbrock...  We also decided to use Edelbrock head gaskets cuz
they feature excellent sealing and conformability,
which is a real plus when it comes to sealing on new
engines. Another plus is they don’t require the engine
to be warmed up in order to seal, and release clean
with no sticking when and if the engine needs to be
disassembled. And of course, we followed the correct
torque sequence and specs.  Here’s a shot of our SBF with...  Here’s a shot of our SBF with its newly installed
heads. As an aside, we did stick with the cam that
was previously installed—a Lunati Voodoo camshaft
PN 61001 with a 0.483 intake lift and 0.499 exhaust
lift and 256/262 duration, a good streetable choice
for a responsive street rod engine of this sort.  The next step was to add a...  The next step was to add a good set of roller rockers
to our Edelbrock heads. We used a set of Lunati
PN 84160s. These rockers are stud-mount, CNC machined extruded aluminum alloy in 1.6 ratio and feature needle-bearing trunnions for reduced friction.  The guys at Vrbancic
Brothers...  The guys at Vrbancic
Brothers racing Engines are
pros and they made quick
work of the rocker/pushrod
installation and adjustment
and were confi dent that
they’d be a good match
with the heavy-duty valve
springs supplied as part of
the Edelbrock Performer
cylinder heads.  With the heads and valve
train...  With the heads and valve
train installed, the next
step was bolting on the
new Edelbrock intake.  As before, we used high-quality...  As before, we used high-quality Edelbrock gaskets.
Any gasket can create a seal, but a good gasket
can do it with less clamping force, and for a longer
period of time. Edelbrock’s gaskets are not only
manufactured from extremely high quality materials,
but they’re also designed specifically to fit their
intakes and cylinder heads, so there’s no chance that
the gaskets will interfere with the operation of either
component. These gaskets also work with most stock
cylinder heads and intakes, aluminum or cast-iron,
as well as other aftermarket components.  Next came the awesome looking...  Next came the awesome looking Edelbrock
Performer RPM air-gap intake. Their EnduraShine
process has a high-gloss shine that rivals chrome
plating in luster making the intake not only a great
performer (hence the name, I guess) but a great
looking one at that.  Dave made quick work of
the...  Dave made quick work of
the install, lowering the
manifold into place and
torqueing it up in a matter
of minutes. I should also
note that the Performer
RPM air-gap manifold
was designed for ’69
and later 351 Windsor’s
(with Edelbrock heads
or modified OEM heads)
that operate in the 1,500-
6,500rpm range—just what
we were looking for.  We (actually they, cuz as...  We (actually they, cuz as you can see, I didn’t do squat except take pictures) then
re-installed the Ford Racing water pump and March billet pulleys in anticipation of
loading the engine onto the dyno cart for testing.  Once on the cart and hooked,...  Once on the cart and hooked, plumbed, and wired for the dyno the guys unpacked
the ignition system we’ll be using. We chose one of our favorite systems; a
Pertronix Flame-Thrower billet distributor, a Flame-Thrower high-performance coil
assembly, and a set of Flame-Thrower plug wires.  Prior to the ignition install,
the...  Prior to the ignition install,
the guys filled the SBF
with oil and installed the
Edelbrock Thunder Series
800cfm carb. Like all
Edelbrock carburetors, the
Thunder Series carbs are
factory calibrated for out of-
the-box performance,
having been factory flowtested
and pre-set. And, as
you can see, we went with
the EnduraShine finish to
match the intake.  Next, the guys used a bit...  Next, the guys used a bit of elbow grease to prime
the engine ensuring the upper end was adequately
lubed before it was fired up (something we should
all remember to do before starting a fresh engine).  With the oiling system primed,...  With the oiling system primed, the new Pertronix electronic distributor was dropped into place and a couple
of final adjustments made.  The Pertronix Flame-Thrower...  The Pertronix Flame-Thrower distributor comes with a selection of advance limiters
allowing the maximum mechanical advance to be limited to 20, 16, or 12 degrees. The guys set this one for 12
degrees and used the lighter springs to bring the timing in sooner.  Ready, set, go. With all the...  Ready, set, go. With all the i’s dotted and t’s crossed
George fired this baby up, let it warm up a bit, and
proceeded to make a series of pulls. Man, not only
does this Ford look good, but it sounds awesome,
as well.  I hope that this dyno sheet...  I hope that this dyno sheet reproduces big enough to
read, but if not, the addition of the Edelbrock heads,
intake, and carb netted us a max of 371.4 hp and
393 lb-ft of torque at 5,000rpm! Well above what I’d
expected, and a huge gain over the engine’s prior
confi guration—proof that with a few select bolt-on’s
you can not only dress your small-block to kill but
add a huge dose of horsepower as well. That’s a
homerun in our eyes for sure!
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