331 build suggestions

remember that almost all ( i say almost because you need to double check this) are balanced to 28oz not the stock 50oz.. so when you are looking at clutches and flywheels keep that in mind and for you harmonic balancer as well..

as for the cam go custom they are inexpensive and you can get it designed to suit your exact build and needs..
TFS 170s are awesome but dont have any room to grow why limit yourself? maybe you will want more out of the motor later on this is why i personally went with AFR 185s with a spring upgrade (custom came huge lift)..
use high quality parts the stuff you cheap out on will be the parts that break and don't rush it take your time use good seals and gaskets..
the bbks are awesome headers i run them and love they way they sound with the cat delete! and if you havent already purchased that motor check out
fordstrokers.com wood builds amazing motors his prices are excellent and their customer service is the best! only purchase shortblocks or even longblocks from reputable dealers.. and if you assembling it yourself check and re check evvvvverything ! good luck if you have any other q's i would be glad to offer some advice because i just finished building my 331! check my sig!

Thanks Mikey, talking to my engine builder I think I need to go with the afr 185s because of the 58cc chamber to keep my compression up. All the reading ive been doing ppl swear by the comp xe282 but for $25 more I can get one from Ed Curtis whose name is highly recommended. Im hoping my machine shop can balance my flywheel, im not sure about the harmonic balancer is it able to be balanced to 28oz? Btw what king of numbers and times are you putting down? it looks like our combo will be very similar

+1 with what smurf said
for the balancer you can get a nice one from summit
and american muscle sells a Ford racing 28oz flywheel for a great price its the one that I use in my car dont forget the flywheel bolt and dowel pin kit as this is commonly overlooked. while you have all out be sure to replace your throwout bearing and pilot bearing with ford racing as well.. for your cam i would say to definitely go custom! it will be built for your motor and the type of driving you plan on doing

ohh and just a quick sidenote I had an issue with my harmonic balancer pulley lining up with the rest (its kinda common with some stroker builds) but easily fixable so if you get a chance to mock up the front accessories (water pump and balancer would probably be easiest ) and see if they line up..if not you will need a spacer they are only like 30.00 and bolt right on

and for my #'s im still not too sure hopefully by late summer ill be getting a tune and dyno session i just wanted to wait until i put my new rear end together

I got my block tore down last night so its off to the machine shop today! Thanks for the tips Mikey, its those small things like you mentioned that stress me out. Im hoping with the afr 185s and a custom cam with 30# injs and a good tune ill be putting down 375ish to ground? That's my hopes and dreams anyways.

93stallion said:

I got my block tore down last night so its off to the machine shop today! Thanks for the tips Mikey, its those small things like you mentioned that stress me out. Im hoping with the afr 185s and a custom cam with 30# injs and a good tune ill be putting down 375ish to ground? That's my hopes and dreams anyways.

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Np! and don't worry about the small issues like that everyone runs into them no matter how many motors you have built and its hard to say where your final HP and torque #'s will end up but most 331's that i have seen usually end up between 350-450 at the wheels (450 is obviously super rare but as been achieved ) so IMO and realistically if its well built and has a decent custom cam 350 to the wheels should be well within that motors reach but again HP #'s are always different because so much comes into play the most important part will be how much you enjoy it all once its done !! good luck with the build if you have any more q's id be happy to try and help!

both of those heads are great it really just depends on what you plan on doing with the car .. is it a daily driver? are you going to hit the track with it? and also your cam choice (there are plenty of other things to consider but these tend to point you in the right direction without getting to complicated) but IMO for street N/A 331's the 185's are perfect they are "big" heads but the runners aren't too big. sure the 195s are bigger and can move "more" air but how fast is it going to move more air? but that also isn't necessarily a bad thing because for someone hitting the track you would want to stretch out your power curve and push some of the power towards the top end (you need to spin higher RPMS to get air moving through those bigger heads) but to keep it simply my opinion for street is 185's they are good to go right out of the box and they still have plenty of room to grow you and if you are heaving a custom cam ground ask them what they would recommend for that specific cam.. and if you want to do some quick research just look up H/C/I (heads cam intake ) setups to learn about how much they effect each other

Ill probably drive it to work a couple times a week (70 mi. round trip). if the 195s need high rpm ill stick with the 185s, I want to make the bottom end last as long as possible while im beating on it lol. id like to peak at 6k, that's where the custom cam will come in handy hopefully. of course ill hit the track a couple times a year but I don't wanna have to spin it to 6500 rpms, im sure it could handle it but it worries me.

Tominator said:

My 347 w/TFS 170s, Comp Cam Stage 1 cam put out 575RWHP on the dyno...T-Trim of course.

Too small?:heha:

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of course not i just didnt want to over complicate it you would want smaller heads for a boosted car to get that air moving quicker ive seen guys run 165's on NA 331's and guys with 306's run 195s and make huge power but they are pros and or have some serious knowledge behind there build but for the standard fun NA 331 build 185's seem to be the best all around head like i said i just didn't want to over complicate it for him

Mikey6119 said:

of course not i just didnt want to over complicate it you would want smaller heads for a boosted car to get that air moving quicker ive seen guys run 165's on NA 331's and guys with 306's run 195s and make huge power but they are pros and or have some serious knowledge behind there build but for the standard fun NA 331 build 185's seem to be the best all around head like i said i just didn't want to over complicate it for him

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All correct of course. Set a goal and budget. [It will cost you 1/2 again what that budget is.] And plan your parts based on that goal.