1976 ford 351w to roller conversion & gt40p heads fitment

[CamaroMan]

Hi - sorry to dig up something thats all over the net - but im lookin at collecting parts to upgrade the block to roller sometime. firstly what are my options to convert to roller on this block?

I dont want to use a small base circle cam and want to save $$ -

Option 1:
Lifters from a 5.0 + drilled/tapped spider holes + shorter pushrods?

Options 2:
Linked lifters (from what engines) and what other mods - push rods?

Every now and then there are used parts on ebay for a good price - im looking to get some of these for a low buck conversion. Im not keen to drop 400 bucks just for lifters so looking for a cheaper alternative -

Also - will gt40p heads fit on my motor / manifolds without interference? I could also use shorty plugs.. I just want to know if the 40p heads will be ok with manifolds and wires -

thanks!

Pic of the motor:

 

[Bondo]

Hi - sorry to dig up something thats all over the net - but im lookin at collecting parts to upgrade the block to roller sometime. firstly what are my options to convert to roller on this block?

Ayuh,.... I see yer post slidin' down page 1, 'n nobody else has taken a stab at this, so I will,....

Yer wastin' yer time, 'n money,....
Save yer money to pour into the fuel tank, 'n go Boatin', Enjoy what ya got,....

I don't do Fords, as they've been outa the marine biz for decades, 'n Merc dropped 'em 'bout the time yer's was brand new,...
Chevy is King, 'n their parts are waayyy Cheaper,...

If ya do everything ya listed, at best, ya might see 1, maybe 2 mph improvement,... Tops,....

As I said, save yer money, 'n someday dump the barge ya got, 'n buy the 1 ya want, with Chevy power,......

 

[Scott Danforth]

What is the intention of going roller on your 41 year old motor? You cant put more than an extra 30-50 hp or so to your drive without changing the drive. As bondo said, go boating

On another note, the plastic fuel filter shown in the pic is illegal on a boat. That is a fire hazzard.

If you simply want more power, pull the motor, swap the junk smog era pistons for something a bit higher in compression. Your existing heads just need a bit of port work. A different RV/marine cam (flat tappet) is all thats needed.

No need to spend money on GT40p heads with the existing short block. That would be wasting money.

If you want to save money on boating, get a different hobby

 

[CamaroMan]

thanks for the input (re filter) - found a marine approved brand new prestolite which I bought, replaced starter with a marine one, and the alt is marine approved - ill change the filter too. the air filter is the arrester metal type..

Found milky oil today for what its worth ive read alot of ppl get really good results with a gt40p change, with a cam etc - many folks have run 300+ on the alpha 1's for a long time.. just not mashing it etc..

Anyway - Now have to deal with the water issue first... risers / manifolds looked ok.. might pull intake 2moro and see if i can find a leaking spot.

I have no issue dropping the $ in for a cam and heads, all in ill be around 500 which is nothing, plus id be sitting on about the same amount if I wanted to sell it all - anyway, ill update if anything moves on, for now I need to figure out the water before anything.