Some details on my 520 cu. in. FE engine

[767Jockey]

Some of you commented on my other thread and in comments sent to me asked about the details on my engine. Here are some of the specs on it:

BBM cast iron FE block
BBM cylinder heads, as cast except for hand bowl blend and very minor port tweaks by Blair
RPM forged crankshaft, dimensionally prepped by Blair
Crower forged connecting rods - 6.625” length
Custom CP forged pistons - final compression ratio is about 11.5:1
Custom Total Seal rings
4.345” bore, 4.375” stroke - 520 cu. in.
At 4.35” bore, the BBM cast iron block allows for more overbore capability for future rebuilds if needed.
Rotating assembly is internally balanced
Melling oil pump modified by Blair
Canton screen windage tray
Milodon road racing oil pan
Bullet Blair Patrick custom solid roller cam - .735” lift. Other specs proprietary to Blair.
Valve size and spring type and pressure - not sure about this
Crower Enduamax bushed solid roller lifters
T&D race paired shaft rocker system
Smith Bros. pushrods
Ford Holley BC/BD 710 CFM carbs, prepared by Blair
BBM Tunnel Wedge intake, unmodified except for milling for proper fitment.
Cometic head gaskets
Mr. Gasket and Fel Pro engine gaskets
Crane electronic distributor prepped by Blair
Timing only 32 deg. total - thanks to the BBM advanced chamber
NGK BKR6E spark plugs
Valvoline VR1 SAE30 oil

As for power specs, it makes a max 744 HP at 6500 RPM. Max torque is 667 at 5400 RPM.

A few details on the car are here: After 13 years, it's alive.

[MKS427]

Nice. Looks like you went all out.
With 11.5:1 compression, can you use pump gas? 91/93 octane, or do you need octane booster?
Mark

[767Jockey]

93 octane seems to work fine. The aluminum heads help, as well as the chamber in the BBM heads allowing for a lower ignition timing setting. Blair seems to be very comfortable with the compression ratio.

[Dwight]

Blair Patrick?

[Jerry Clayton]

Whats the meaning of "767 Jockey?"

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by Jerry Clayton

Whats the meaning of "767 Jockey?"

Uhhhh, maybe "airline pilot?"

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by Dwight

Blair Patrick?

Yes, Blair Patrick built the engine.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by Jerry Clayton

Whats the meaning of "767 Jockey?"

I used to fly Boeing 767's.

[patrickt]

Originally Posted by 767Jockey

I used to fly Boeing 767's.

I was sure you were going to reply with What's the meaning of "Jerry Clayton?"

[Dwight]

I know Blair. I've been to his shop a couple of time.

One of my buddy had him build a 428 for his 68 Mustang. It's not a 428 any more.
Hell of an engine builder!

[FUNFER2]

Man, what a dream engine. Solid roller cam - .735” lift and high compression, how's it on the street ?

I got spanked for wanting a mechanical cam & hi compression in mine. lol
That thing must sound nasty !

Since you're having troubles posting a video, can you put it on YouTube ?
Gotta hear that beast !

[olddog]

It is an awesome engine for sure. I respect it. So don't get me wrong, when I say it s not a practical choice to drive on the street in such a light car. Depending on what you want to do with the car, it will either be the perfect engine or too much to take on a leisurely drive and enjoy.

In any event, it definitely wins, hands down, on bragging rights. Be careful with it and enjoy.

I understand Pilots have skills and large balls, but be aware that the wheel base is much shorter than a 767. It is capable of swapping ends faster than any jet, so keep it pointed straight.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by olddog

It is an awesome engine for sure. I respect it. So don't get me wrong, when I say it s not a practical choice to drive on the street in such a light car. Depending on what you want to do with the car, it will either be the perfect engine or too much to take on a leisurely drive and enjoy.

In any event, it definitely wins, hands down, on bragging rights. Be careful with it and enjoy.

I understand Pilots have skills and large balls, but be aware that the wheel base is much shorter than a 767. It is capable of swapping ends faster than any jet, so keep it pointed straight.

Yup, I get all that. As far as pilot skills and balls go, the whole idea there is to have and use your skills in such a way that you never need to display how big your balls are!

As for the car/engine combo, once everything is dialed in, which it isn't yet, it'll be fine. That's the primary reason for the very large displacement. The engine has crazy power on tap, but by having 520 cu in of displacement the engine doesn't have to be on the razors edge to develop it. It's not a docile smooth idler, and it does need a few more RPM's than a stock engine around town, but it's certainly not difficult or unpleasant to drive. If over time it turns out to be less pleasant to drive than I had hoped, it's a Saturday's work to slide a more docile cam into it. Hell, that might even drop the power bellow 700 HP, which should still be enough. All joking aside, I think it'll be OK, and if not that's easily fixable.

I'm well aware of the 90" wheelbase swapping ends in a blink of an eye, so I'll get into the throttle slowly as I learn the car.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by FUNFER2

Man, what a dream engine. Solid roller cam - .735” lift and high compression, how's it on the street ?

I got spanked for wanting a mechanical cam & hi compression in mine. lol
That thing must sound nasty !

Since you're having troubles posting a video, can you put it on YouTube ?
Gotta hear that beast !

It's got a really raspy roar to it when you get into it. The cam sounds really big on paper (and it's certainly not small) but the 520" displacement swallows it up pretty well. It's definitely got a heck of a lope to it at idle, but in the small bit that I have driven it, it doesn't seem bad at all around the neighborhood streets. Today it was 102 degrees outside, and I drove it for about 15 minutes around the local streets in the neighborhood. The water temp never got above 85 degrees C, which I believe is about 185 F or so. Not too bad.

Blair and I discussed the pros and cons of solid vs. hydraulic rollers. In the end, with the strength of the premium parts in the bottom end, I knew that I would be tempted to spin this thing up to and perhaps a bit beyond where hydraulic rollers are happy. By going with the bushed Crower solid roller lifters, it helps ease the concern about possible durability issues with solid rollers on the street.

As for the video, I don't do YouTube or any of that stuff, so I guess that'll have to wait.

[767Jockey]

Originally Posted by Dwight

I know Blair. I've been to his shop a couple of time.

One of my buddy had him build a 428 for his 68 Mustang. It's not a 428 any more.
Hell of an engine builder!

I agree, Blair is one hell of an engine builder. To have the success that he's had in classes such as Super Stock, you really need to be on top of your game. I have tremendous respect for Blair and his abilities. The FE community is very fortunate to have Blair, and many other fine builders like Brent, Craft, Kuntz, and so any others.