This Horse Has Horsepower

(Tommy)>> You're watching Powernation!

(Tommy)>> Today on Detroit Muscle it's all about horsepower and plenty of it. Can't ever have too much. [ Music ] [ engines revving ] [ Music ]

(Tommy)>> Hey guys, welcome to Detroit Muscle. We're gonna be all over the shop today. If you're into high performance engines we're gonna be pulling some wrenches on some. We're gonna be doing some paint work. Plus making preparations to grab some gears. So if you're into Detroit muscle you're gonna like what we've got in store for you. This piece of dinosaur burning, Prius eating, Detroit chunk of steel is a 410 cubic inch Windsor that makes north of 600 horse. We've been saving it for quite a while to have a good time with something, and that time is upon us. We're dropping this into that fox body Mustang. Here's the back story on it. This engine is a product of Engine Power's design. [ Music ] Building a Windsor motor from scratch and giving it some upgrades that are set to make our pony car sprint. [ Music ] Then they dyno'ed this bad boy and sent it off to us to use on a rainy day. We want to make sure that this looks the part whenever we slide it in the hole over there. So we're gonna add a little splash of color. Down here this old machinery gray isn't gonna cut it. So we're gonna revamp it a little bit. Now we're also wanting to add a few modern conveniences. One of them is some fuel injection. The guys down there dyno'ed it with a carburetor. So we're gonna remove this intake and spice things up a little bit. We're also gonna add a few more accessories. That way it looks downright spectacular. [ Music ]

(Peyton)>> Pat and Frankie added a big front sump pan that will have clearance issues in the fox body. So we ordered this pan from Summit Racing designed for this swap. This belt drive system will also be finding its way out the door to make room for one with some added features. Plus it'll be in the way of this killer paint job. POR supplied us with some white engine enamel that'll stand up to the rigors of heat cycling while giving us a frosty finish. [ spray gun hissing ]

(Peyton)>> I decided to go with white for Mustang to pay homage to one of the most infamous 5-0s ever. [ spray gun hissing ] [ Music ]

(Detroit)>> Well we're out of the paint booth and the sprucing up that Peyton did of this ole block has really done the trick. Now it's time for us to bolt on our modern upgrades.

(Peyton)>> So when the guys down in Engine Power originally built our small block they ran it carbureted. Well I want to switch to e-f-i. So I contacted the guys down at Edelbrock for a few suggestions. So David per y'all's recommendation we opted to go with the Pro-Flo-4 system. Can you tell us a little bit about it?

(David)>> The Pro-Flow-4 systems include all the hardware you need, the wiring harness, the e-c-u, the distributor. It's really a plug and play system that anybody with general mechanical aptitude can install themselves and get it up and running in an afternoon's work.

(Peyton)>> So what would be the benefit of running an e-f-i system like this over your standard carbureted setup?

(David)>> An e-f-i system just controls the fuel better in all atmospheric conditions, temperatures, different elevations. You're gonna have consistent state of tune, or consistent air/fuel mixture whereas a carburetor, a well tuned carburetor I should say, will do good in most conditions but there's always some compromises. But with an e-f-i system there's better control. It uses data it collects from its sensors to make sure the engine's always running at the proper air/fuel ratio. Not only does it run better, it's better for the engine.

(Peyton)>> So with the Pro-Flow-4 system supporting about 550 horsepower what do we need to do to get it over 600 horsepower that we're creating out of our motor?

(David)>> Well the 35 pound per hour injectors that come in this system are great for 550 and even a little bit more. They might even marginally support this 620-horsepower engine but it would probably max the injectors out. So to avoid that we recommended that we upgrade to these 60 pound per hour injectors. So with this same system just upgrading the injectors we could easily support 1,000 horsepower on gasoline.

(Peyton)>> Simple injector swap and being over 1,000 horsepower, I say let's get after it. [ Music ]

After the injectors are swapped we set the manifold in place, snake the harness, and dial in the timing marks. [ Music ]

(David)>> Alright Peyton, now that the crankshaft is at 12 degrees before top dead center on the compression stroke. We're going to drop the distributor in so that the rotor is pointing at the number one terminal in the cap. [ Music ] Set the cap on. See the number one printed directly on the cap, rotate it until it lines up. On a Ford number one points straight back. Then you can put the clamp on and tighten it and the distributor's installed. [ Music ]

(Peyton)>> Last couple of parts and we've got this baby whooped. [ Music ] Tightening up the valve covers, making sense of some plug wires, popping on air cleaner, and topping it off with that ivory hat. [ Music ] Up next, it's time to shine! This fox body gets an engine bay makeover to get rid of all that ugly.

(Peyton)>> Welcome back. We got that beautiful old Windsor finished up but I'd be a shame to put it in this dirty old engine bay. Be kinda like putting lipstick on a pig. So I got it pressure washed this morning. We're gonna throw out a few more of these old accessories and we'll get this painted. [ Music ]

Now that I've got the Mustang gutted, scuffed, and in the paint booth I'm ready to wipe it down, tape it off, and lay down some ice. [ Music ] Spending a little time on your prep work can make all the difference in the final finish and in the clean up. [ Music ] [ spray gun hissing ] [ Music ]

(Peyton)>> Now that we've got our engine bay sealed with an epoxy primer we're ready to lay down our first coat of our white base coat. [ Music ] [ spray gun hissing ] [ Music ] [ spray gun hissing ]

(Peyton)>> Now that I got the Mustang out of the paint booth there's just a few more dress-up items I want to add, like this inner fender liner that's really gonna take this engine bay to the next level. [ Music ] Every car's gonna be a little bit different. So a little sanding makes for a perfect fit. [ Music ] [ drill humming ] [ Music ] [ drill humming ]

(Peyton)>> So the reason I'm putting these plates in here is the Mustang is common for looking like it's been in a wild west gunfight. It's got holes everywhere in the engine bay. Another reason is with our new air cleaner style we'll no longer have a use for the factory intake hole. So we can get it covered up. [ Music ] These panels are also available in weld in steel but I opted for the coated aluminum for weight savings. Plus I like the sporty look of rivets. [ Music ]

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I made a couple of custom polished pieces to break up the white and add some flare. It's the little details that can really set a build apart. [ Music ]

(Tommy)>> Coming up next, if you're into spunky Mopars you're gonna like this one.

(Tommy)>> If you want to discuss Mopar performance we all know someone is gonna bring up a Hemi Road Runner and big block Challengers. B-and-E Body Plymouth and Dodges are fan favorites, and how can they not be with those pistol grip four speeds and big block power that'll shred a tire at the drop of a hat. Not all Mopar muscle rolled off the assembly line with large cubic inch power plants. There are several that had small blocks that would downright get rowdy. [ Music ] 1973 was the next to last year that the Plymouth Barracuda would be in production. Since 1970 sales numbers had began to decrease. The Plymouth Duster and Dodge Demon were cheaper and easier to insure for younger drivers. Plus they offered the same performance options as the Barracuda and the Challenger but at a lower cost.

(Peyton)>> If you went to a local Plymouth dealership in '73 more than likely you were given this brochure. The Cuda's image was now that of a sporty family car. A far cry from the aggressive Cuda adds of 1970.

(Tommy)>> That didn't matter. It was still a Cuda. Same mean lines, same interior, same tough look. The days of the big block 440, 440 six pack, and 426 Hemi had come and gone for the Barracuda. There were only two small blocks in '73, the 318 and the 340.

(Peyton)>> The 318 and 340 weren't powerhouses like the big blocks, but the 340 six pack already had some history from Trans Am racing. It spawned the AAR Cuda models back in 1970. With so little modification it was hard to make the standard 4-barrel 340 a street contender. [ Music ] You ask Lee Suttles about his '73 Cuda he'll tell you it's definitely a muscle car. It's not just mean, it's downright nasty! [ tires squealing ] [ engine revving ]

(Lee)>> I got into cars from my father. He's had various cars over the years. His first car was a Mopar, a '64 Fury. He's always had the bug, and I got the bug from him. We've always tried to keep some kind of old car around. This is what I've ended up with, my dream car. I'm attracted to the Cudas because of some of my friends growing up. I got to ride to high school in a '71 Cuda. I always had a Mopar fever.

(Tommy)>> A motorcycle dealer in Georgia had the car for sale, and after seeing it he knew it was the one. With just over 64,000 original miles and numbers matching it was a done deal. This Cuda came with a full Rallye package. red paint sporting dual black body side tape stripes, Rallye mirrors, quad round taillights, intimidating performance hood, Magnum 500 wheels, black interior with Rallye gauges, and a viscous front end letting you know that this fast fish meant business.

(Peyton)>> Under the hood a 340 four barrel with a 727 Torqueflite automatic transmission. This one has a little more than factory horsepower. Chrysler rated the 340 4-barrel at 240 horses, but you can hear this one yourself. It's past the 240 mark.

(Lee)>> I really tried to build it the way I thought somebody could build it back then. I put all '68 to '71 cam and pistons, and all the setup was something that somebody could have gotten in '73. Kinda felt like somebody would have hopped it up with a little bit older, faster parts.

(Peyton)>> He wanted the car to have a '70s hopped up look. So he added some beefy rear tires, adjusted the torsion bars to lower the front and raise the rear. You'd have to be blind to miss this thing coming down the street, almost blind. There's always gonna be some hazards when driving a classic on public roads. That doesn't bother Lee. He'd rather have his car on the street than sitting in a garage. [ Music ] If you're ever down south you might get to see this muscle car doing what it does best, tearing up the road. [ Music ] If you're into shifting gears, power shifting, and dumping the clutch then what we have to tell you next is right up your alley.

(Tommy)>> Manual transmission swaps are a popular subject matter. All the time people are using the T-56s, TKOs, and the TKXs. How can they not be cause they give you the ability to run through the gears in your old muscle car, and that sure can put a smile on your face. If you're looking to do one of these types of conversions you're gonna need a lot of components to do it, and having the right ones and all the stuff makes that transition go a lot smoother. That's why we use American Powertrain. If you're looking to do this type of conversion there's a couple of procedures that you need to keep in mind to make sure it goes according to plan. Indicating your bell housing is a crucial step. It doesn't matter if you're running a stamped steel, cast iron, or cast aluminum you really should do it because this helps to let you know that everything is centered up. Otherwise you could possibly be side loading your input shaft. What that causes is the misalignment. Next thing you know all this stuff is bound up and you know what that's gonna lead to. It won't shift right, it's making a noise, or it's gonna cause premature failure inside of here. We're gonna have to back up just a little bit and remove our pressure plate and disc. That way it'll help ensure that we get an accurate measurement whenever we put that dial indicator on there. That flywheel is nice and flat. This surface here is just gonna mess with us. [ Music ]

[ metal clanging ] [ Music ]

(Tommy)>> If your bell housing doesn't just fall into place up against the block it's a good idea to tighten each side back and forth. That'll help ensure that it sets down onto those dowels just right. If you tighten one side up too fast you're risking busting the bell housing. [ ratchet clicking ] [ Music ]

Before I drop that thing in there I'm gonna draw some crosshairs here on this bell housing. What that will do is give me four points I'm gonna measure from. That'll tell me a north, south, east, west kinda setup, whichever way I need to move that bell housing. [ Music ] To do this you're gonna need one of these dial indicators. This one's pretty snazzy cause it has those different fingers on it. Just want to make sure that that thing is relatively rigid. You don't want it flexing at all. Then we'll set this thing up here. [ Music ] Once you get it mounted you need to make sure that whenever you crank the motor over here in a second that as it rotates around it doesn't run into any kind of interference. Looks like we're in pretty good shape. I got my gauge in place and my dial set to zero. If this thing was set in perfect harmony what would happen is you would turn the crankshaft and it would read zero all the way around. We're not anticipating that. So the first thing we're gonna do is measure from west to east. I'm gonna rotate that crankshaft 180 degrees and we'll see where we're at. If you're just a one man band like I am today make you a mark here on the front side of your balancer and that'll give you your point of reference on this end. Then as you rotate it around you pretty much know where your other crosshairs are. That'll save you a few steps. [ Music ] With the needle here on the top we're gonna measure north and south. I'm gonna roll my dial back to zero and we'll see where we're at. It's crucial to know exactly how far off you are and what direction you need to make your adjustments. Here we're nine thousandths low and seven thousandths to the left. You'll need to use offset dowels in the block to properly move and adjust the bell to the correct location. There is an acceptable tolerance of five thousandths, but exactly centered would be optimal. [ Music ]

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(Tommy)>> We're back together. I'm putting this at zero and we're gonna see where we're at. Hopefully our adjustments have us on point. That's a good sign. We're basically at zero. [ ratchet clicking ] Negative one, that works! Luckily for us everything checked out. Now all we need to do is remove our bell housing, re-install those pieces, put the bell housing back on, and then we can measure for our hydraulics. Hope you guys enjoyed this little bench top tech piece.

(Peyton)>> It's about time you got done over there.

(Tommy)>> You know how it is. I was just looking busy, but man you've been busy. This looks a lot better.

(Peyton)>> Coming along quite nicely. I can't wait to get the motor in here.

(Tommy)>> You wore out yet?

(Peyton)>> Couldn't whoop my way out of a wet paper sack.

(Tommy)>> We're done for the day. We're gonna let Peyton go home and lick his wounds and I'm gonna go find something else to do.