Need some Ford help!
 

I've got a Wellcraft U-19 in the shop that has a 351 Ford engine. I need to come up with a performance improvement package for it. Does anyone have any knowledge on setting up small block Fords. Maybe point me to someone for advice.

Thanks,
Bob

Lots of good parts out there for Windsor Fords.
You'll need heads, an intake, and a cam.

Actually they installed the World Products Roush 200 heads and a small cam already. Problem is, it slowed down and he wants me to fix it to run like it should. Seems to me the heads are too big and the cam (217 deg) is too small. That's kind of what I'm trying to find out. How many RPM can a 351 turn reliably in a boat? It is an EFI engine. They installed a 70mm throttle body and replaced the ECU with a FAST. I tested the boat and did a data log. Everything seems in order except it is only burning 130 lb/hr of fuel, which means it's only making about 260-280 HP. They had a dyno run that showed 368 HP @ 4800 RPM, but at the same 130 lb/hr fuel. I don't see any way that is correct. So, I'm basically starting over. Looking for any help I can get.

Re: Need some Ford help!
 

I've got a 351 Windsor Ford in my boat. I went conservatively at the advise of my then mechanic. My boat's a 21' Seaswirl Cuddy (heavy). The manifold's an Edelbrock performer. The heads are Ford GT 40 aluminum (I was told I'd get more torque than with the World heads). I put in a Crane 214/220 hydraulic roller cam, with hydraulic roller lifters and rockers. The lift is only in the .490s since I didn't want to check the clearance. Exhaust is a Redline (from CP Performace) center-rise with molded in runners. I've got thru hull exhaust with baffles. The ignition is Jacobs. I picked up approximately 300 rpm and a lot more responsiveness through the range. Recently I swapped the Holley 4160 (600 cfm with an added second metering block). I put on a Barry Grant, Sea Demon 750 cfm with mechanical secondaries and electric choke. I picked up another 100 - 200 rpm and really crisp response throughout the range.

Re: Need some Ford help!
 

Oh yeah....with a light load I run 4,900 rpm now. I think it'd be ok into the mid 5,000s. Have you heard differently?

Re: Need some Ford help!
 

I would suggest you removing the Roush heads. The intake runner volume is to big for marine. Check the heads that were on it, if are the E-7 heads they will work great if they are ported. You will gain around 40 hp in the same rpm range. Check out my home page for more info http://hometown.aol.com/valakoracehe...raceheads.html

Re: Need some Ford help!
 

Pro Topline makes great SB Ford heads. Personaly, i'd ditch the
EFI and go with a carb setup.

Re: Need some Ford help!
 

Actually the U19 is a FourWinns not a wellcraft, it was a hull originally designed by Don Arnow yes its a tru donzi hull , donzi and FourWinns were owned by the same company for awhile.
As for the 5.8 ford , It was a OMC volvo penta joint venture product ,it came originally with cast iron gt40 heads , great heads with a little port work, they should go back on, but the real problem is the ford ECU ,and the fuel injection system, the automotive high performance EFI equipment it is not well suited for marine use and the cost of building horse power for a marine ford just isnt worth it! I took this same engine and got 500hp ( scraped the efi, blower and dual quads)it cost 5 times what a small block chevy would have cost and didnt run a well.If he wants real power build him a stroker small block chevy.
I have run low 90s in a U19 with a douprop volvo drive, the hull can handle it!

Re: Need some Ford help!
 

Thanks for the help. So, here's the delima. The original GT40 heads are gone. All he has is the Roush heads. Can I make them work if I increase the cam and spin the engine to about 5500 RPM? He has a FAST ECU so programming is not an issue. Will that EFI system flow adequate air? Should I switch to a 4 bbl style single plane EFI intake and throttle body?

Re: Need some Ford help!
 

scrap the efi ,change the cam,350 to 400 dependable hp

Re: Need some Ford help!
 

Any thoughts about my setup noted in my earlier post. Boat's heavy and I never gained much speed <5mph. I also note uneven fuel distribution. My #8 and #3 plugs are real rich and the right secondary and left primary idle mixture screws need to be no more than 1/4 turn out while the other two are about 1&1/2 turns out. I've got initial timing moved up to 20 degrees and the idle can't be taken below 8-900 rpm without surging.