Not only does there seem to be a bit of magic or voodoo involved in the build of this engine, you can see the difference between this engine and others, even the one that is present in the Mustang GT, is as special as it can get. To create a flat plane V8 that allows the engine to achieve higher speeds and greater yowl to become an engine that you truly want to have under the hood, which makes the GT350 one of the most special cars on the planet.
Starting with the 5.2-liter V8 this car is boosted to 526 horsepower at 7500 rpm and 429 lb.-ft. of torque at 4750 rpm an engine that is simply amazing. With that in mind, here are some of the secrets that make this Mustang engine awesome:
Prep Work – The first part of altering this engine is to remove the parts that are not needed. This means taking out the five cross-bolted main caps from the block that were manufactured at the same time as the block. This is followed by fitting the bearings and lowering the crank into place to ensure a good fit and the right turning of the flat plane crankshaft.
Main Work – Engines are basically all built in the same fashion and the next step for this engine is to fit the rod-piston assemblies in place, which isn’t exactly special to this engine. The next part is special though, which is to put on the preassembled cylinder heads that are loaded with the valves needed and specially built for this engine. Once this is done the camshafts are installed and then the timing chain is strung before the valve covers are put in place. Now that the engine is basically done, it’s time to review and make necessary adjustments to the build.
Testing Phase – After all parts are on the engine, the engine is measured to ensure the crankshaft end play is within tolerances and the engine is spin tested to make sure it works perfectly. The crank is spun on a dyno which is made to pump the lubricants needed throughout the engine in order to make sure this engine is perfect and will perform as desired. That desire being the hard driving of an amazingly powerful sports car which will be where this engine makes its home.
Final Part – Now comes the coolest part of this engine build for any builder; their signature is added to the stamp on the engine. Can you imagine how cool it would be to have high performance cars on the road with your name stamped onto the engine plate, this is certainly one way that these builders can be more than just a little proud of the work they do and the product they put on the road.
Once all this is done, this beautiful power plant is added to a brand new Mustang Shelby GT350 to give it the power it needs to be the awesome high speed, high performance race car we want. Hand building and perfection testing of these engines certainly make for a much better overall marriage of the engine to the car itself to carry on the Shelby name with pride.
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