Reply to "Engine Rebuild Required!"

•Low compression is the biggest robber of the engine's pep. Set the dynamic compression in the range of 7.6:1 to 8.0:1 (requires operation on 91 octane US/Canadian fuel). If the engine is already equipped with quench chamber heads that makes this easy to accomplish, but there are 4 schemes for accomplishing this, quench chamber heads aren’t necessarily required. This upgrade is invisible; it doesn't impact the car's value. The wise classic car buyer will value this upgrade.

•Replace a breaker point ignition with a breakerless ignition. A Ford Duraspark ignition is reliable and will be viewed more positively by those who prefer factory parts. Calibrate the distributor for 20° centrifugal advance all in by 2800 rpm, and set the initial advance at 16° to 18°. The vacuum advance should be connected directly to a ported vacuum source with no ignition controls intervening. A vacuum retard connection should be left open to atmosphere. With a small distributor cap this can also be an invisible upgrade, although I would recommend the larger cap.

•Install a 750 cfm carburetor equipped with annular booster venturis and calibrated for "street performance". If “stock appearance” is important, the aftermarket carburetor will not be seen when the OEM air cleaner sits on top. This type of carburetor shall require a dual plane intake manifold with a carburetor mounting pad for "square bore" carburetors. The Ford 1970/1971 production manifold will do the trick ... but requires opening up the 4 holes in the manifold to 1-3/4". The Blue Thunder manifold is worth about 20 additional horsepower, but the carburetor sits higher. The Blue Thunder manifold is reasonably “stock” appearing when painted Ford blue.

•You've already acquired a great set of steel tubing headers. Since the OEM exhaust is also made of steel tubing, this change is only visible to the critical eye. The GTS tail-pipe system (Hall Pantera) retains the factory look, and is 2-3/16" OD. It was factory installed on the European GTS Panteras.

•Advance any 1972 through 1974 Q-code (Cobra Jet) camshaft by 4°. The Q-code camshaft should be operated “straight-up”. If the LSA is 117° (like the factory camshaft) then the intake lobe centerline should be set at 117° ATDC. If the LSA is 115° (aftermarket replacements) then the intake lobe centerline should be set at 115° ATDC. M-code engines and Q-code engines were equipped with the same factory valve springs.

Those 5 upgrades will add pep to the engine. Horsepower should fall in the range of 370 bhp; the Blue Thunder intake manifold would add another 20 horsepower. The seat of the pants "pep" should be what you're looking for, not a specific number like 500 bhp. These minimalist changes will retain the factory drivability, preserve the car's value, and the added pep will increase the joy of driving the car.

Replacement valves and ARP connecting rod nuts resolve two of the engines most common failure modes. Insufficient lubrication of the connecting rod bearings remains an issue however. Installation of tappet bore bushings with 1/16” orifices is the most appropriate method for ameliorating the lubrication issues.

The accelerating, braking, and cornering abilities of the Pantera result in high G-Force maneuvers. All Panteras should therefore be equipped with a wet-sump racing oil pan designed to cope with high G-force situations. The pan should feature high oil capacity, baffles, hinged doors, a windage tray and a scraper (Kevko, Aviaid, Armando). The pan is only visible if a person is lying beneath the car. It is an upgrade which an informed Pantera buyer will appreciate.

With those upgrades the engine is peppier and a more durable engine, but it remains a 6000 rpm engine. With a few other upgrades the engine's limits can be safely raised for operation at 7000 rpm. Those upgrades include:

•Forged pistons with round skirts (such as Ross pistons).
•Connecting rods with doweled caps, 7/16" fasteners, and bushings for floating wrist pins. If you’re purchasing both rods and pistons it’s an opportunity to consider 351W rods. 351W rods are a bit longer than 351C rods (5.95” verses 5.78”) and therefore reduce thrust forces on the cylinder walls and prevent the wrist pin from being pulled out of the bore at BDC. They require custom ordered pistons with ~1.48" compression height. The reduced compression height means the piston shall "rock" less within the bore. All good stuff.
•A heavier fully bonded crankshaft damper.
•Dynamic balancing of the reciprocating assembly.
•Tappet bore bushings with 1/16" orifices.
•Single groove valves.
•Stiffer valve springs.
•Stiffer push rods.
•Stronger ARP rocker arm bolts.

In terms of engine mechanics (machinists) I used to recommend Kuntz and Company of Arkadelphia Arkansas, but I've been recently informed that the founder Jim Kuntz has retired. I don't know if those remaining are competent with the 351C, but it may be worth investigating. If the new operators had worked with Jim they should have learned something from him.

Tim Meyer (Tim Meyer Incorporated) of Fairmont Minnesota is my second recommendation (or perhaps my new "first recommendation"). Tim's a great machinist and honest. He wants to be the one-stop provider for 351C owners ... and he bends over backwards to facilitate that. He's not the dishonest operator some other folks are.

Read sticky #3 of this forum, and the other linked threads near the top of that thread. I've provided tons of information there. Sticky #3 is read around the world, currently has over 127,000 views.
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