Some Assembly Required
Ford Performance Parts is now offering the Shelby GT350Â block and heads
By Steve Turner
Photos courtesy of Ford Performance
Don’t have a Shelby GT350? That’s too bad, but you can build a 5.2-liter engine! If you’ve been dreaming of a big-bore build, Ford Performance Parts is starting to add the parts you need to create one to its repertoire. The first building blocks joining the Blue Oval performance division’s roster provide the foundation of your project.
That’s right; FPP recently added the production GT350 5.2-liter aluminum block and cylinder heads to its online catalog. Interestingly, the Voodoo block is labeled a 5.2-liter Coyote Aluminum Cylinder Block (PN M-6010-M52; $3,000). While the flat-plane crankshaft will not be available from Ford Performance Parts (nor will the Voodoo 5.2 be available as a crate engine), the 5.0-liter Coyote Mustang Boss 302 Forged Crankshaft (PN M-6303-M50B; $429) will bolt right in if you want to construct a big-bore, cross-plane powerplant.
FPP describes this block as a “Special high-performance casting of the Coyote block with improvements to support higher horsepower engine builds.†It is better suited for pumped up engine builds thanks to increased material around the water jacket under the cylinder bore and a cast-in bracket on the intake side of the bore at the deck surface. The latter is said to bolster the cylinder wall and improve gasket sealing.
Of course you will need those big, PTWA-lined bores to take full advantage of the bigger valves in the GT350 cylinder heads. Those CNC-ported aluminum beauties are available individually and labeled as Coyote GT350 Cylinder Head RH (PN M-6049-M52; $2,495) and Coyote GT350 Cylinder Head LH (PN M-6050-M52; $2,495).
These heads should be immensely popular upgrades for the Coyote crowd. They will bolt on to standard-bore blocks, but the valves will be somewhat shrouded, which will hurt flow from the CNC-ported intake ports, exhaust ports, and combustion chambers. (The big-bore block will unlock their full potential.) The heads come assembled save for the cams, rocker arms and lash adjusters. If you are using them on a cross-plane engine, they will require special cams to work with the different firing order.
It remains to be seen what else FPP has up its sleeve, but we expect more GT350 hardware to hit the digital pages of the Ford Performance Parts catalog in the near future, and we look forward to seeing how far enthusiasts can take the Coyote platform with these new pieces.
“Pay close attention to our releases at the PRI Show,†Ford Performance Drag Racing Parts and Competition Manager, Jesse Kershaw teased.
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