2015 Shelby GT350 Mustang

BenK wrote:
Les, I'm a boy racer/gear head/wrench since the mid 60's

Was a 'Ford' kid then...now a GM guy, but am not blindly brand loyal to
much of anything.

Answer to your question based on my experience locally: GM Small blocks
are more numerous, hop up parts abound and the key: cost less because
of the higher usage...which becomes circler, 'cuz it then fuels
the volume commodity pricing

All that might change with the new gen of gear heads and available
ICE's. Most of the stuff is in tuners than parts

Lessmore wrote:
Being a bit of a car guy, though I have to ask one question. Why...at pretty well...all of the hot rod and vintage modified car shows that I have gone to over the years....is the overwhelming choice of modified engines...invariably a Chevy. Either the perennial Hot Rodder's favourite...the small block Chevy V8, the big block Chevy V8 (Rat motor) or the modern Chevy V8...the LS.

Why do most of the hot rodded Ford's from the Model T, to the Model B to the '32 , the '33...the beautiful late '30's and very early '40's Fords,,,mostly seem to have a hopped up Chevy V8 under the hood.

You see a few Ford 302 OHV's, some 351 Cleveland and Windsor, rarely an FE or a 385 series...the 429/460.

Can't recall last time I saw the modular OHC, 4.6, 5.4, etc.

These hot rodders must know something ?

You're right Ben...to a certain extent. It is a cyclical thing to a point. More users, more demand for hi-po parts, more volume, less cost.

I could be wrong, but I do believe the Ford small block V8....the 289-302 ...has available hi-po parts at prices not too much more expensive than the ubiquitous CSB V8.

Ford has tried to change things around for a few decades now. They have their crate engines, their performance parts catalog... and their performance push, dates back to the 1960's. Remember the Total Performance program.

In the '30's to the early '50's Ford owned the performance, hop up market, when they had the flathead V8. When the SB Chevy V8 came out in '55...it's high revving ability and design which responded well to tuning and performance parts started the domination...which still exists today.

The Ford Y8 block (272,292, 312) of the '50's, never cut it as a performance engine and the Ford FE block (332, 352, 390, 410, 428, 427) ...same deal...with the exception of the pretty well race only..side oiler 427 FE.

In fact some believe the 221-260-289-302 OHV, introduced I think in the early '60's, is really Ford's version of the CSB. Same deal with big blocks. The 429-460 - 385 series V8's...intro'd in around 1969...which have some similarities to the previously released Chevy rat.

The current Chev LS series, seems to continue that performance tradition over Ford. Largely, I think, because it's a simple OHV engine that seems to easily match the more complicated OHC Ford designs, when it comes to developing power. Easier to work on (OHV, less parts)and available in factory stock power ratings that do well in street rods and is available, reasonably priced in salvage yards. The GM LS engines in rods, a lot of times are stock, without much in the way of add ons. In a light street rod...they really move.

My observation is that the he modern rodder's engine of choice....seems to be the modern Chevy LS.

Both the newer Ford Coyote OHC V8 and the 3.5 Turbo V6...have been around long enough to show up in salvage yards...but you just don't see many newer rods with those engines.


Why, I admit I don't know ? As you know there are a lot of rodders that want their Ford rods, to use Ford engines...and there are Ford rod- Ford engined cars...just not a lot of them

Why there aren't more Ford modular V8...4.6, 5.4...or the Ford Coyote V8...or the Turbo V6 in Ford rods...I don't know.

BTW, I think the Ford Coyote DOHC V8, is one honey of an engine.