Engine Build

On September 7, physician Pat and I went to Freehold, cost New Jersey, viagra to Proformance Unlimited, to observe the completion of the engine build.  As a reminder, we decided to go with the Ford 302 small block, with the 347 stroker package, EFI, complete with the Tremec TKO600 transmission and a March competition pulley package.

During the previous week, the lower half of the engine was completed and the block painted silver, as per my request.  The block was bored and honed and the mains align honed.  They used a Eagle Cast Steel Stroker Crankshaft and Eagle I-Beam Connecting Rods.  Keith Black pistons, Clevite Rod and Main Bearings, hand filed Performance Rings,  a custom ground Hydraulic Roller High Performance Street Camshaft and a balanced rotating assembly.  So, essentially, the lower half of the engine was complete when we arrived.

When we got there we met with Steve, the shop manager, who we had initially met with when we were looking for an engine builder.  He introduced us to Doug, who is the owner of Proformance Unlimited and also the primary engine builder.  He was kind enough to let us observe the completion of the build as well as answer all the questions that we had – and there were plenty!

As with our initial impression of the shop, we were very pleased with the work Doug did and the passion he has for engines as well as the product he sells.  I don’t think we could have done better with our selection.  Proformance is a global supplier – they have a map of the locations they have shipped completed engines to, and it covers the four corners of the globe.  Quite an impressive business overall.Before Doug began the build, Steve walked us through the lower half work already completed.  This was beneficial since we had not seen that done.  Then, Doug got going.  He showed us the parts that he would be using – essentially all the parts needed are pre-supplied and stored on one shelf in the shop.

I will not go through the full build process, but suffice it to say, virtually everything I heard was new information to me.  I was very impressed with Doug’s knowledge as well as the care and precision he used to do his work.  In answer to my question, he confirmed that there are many ways to build a “347 stroker” engine.  He very clearly had his procedures, parts, and set-up requirements to get the quality engine he expected.  He took his time and was consistent in taking the steps needed to ensure that the engine would be what I wanted, and using his experience to take added steps to address known and common issues that can occur.  He was adamant that those would not happen.  Some of the parts that were used included roller lifters, performance aluminum cylinder heads, stainless steel intake and exhaust valves, high performance valve springs and retainers matched to the camshaft, 1.6 ratio aluminum roller rockers, Melling high volume oil pump, aluminum performance intake manifold, and Ford Motorsports Cobra Valve covers and Air Cleaner.

As with anything, once you see something done, especially by an expert, a lot of the mystery and complexity goes away.   That is not to say I could build an engine like Doug, but the basic processes are ones that anyone can do.   This was a great experience for Pat and I.

Since I was going with EFI, we looked at the Powerjection III EFI system they would be using.  Steve does most of the work with these, so he gave us a brief overview.

He said that they would actually first install an Edelbrock carburetor and start up and set up the engine with that.  Once it was running, they would remove the carb and install the EFI kit.  Since the EFI is self-learning, it would then be very easy to get it set up to run well since the engine would already be pretty close.  Once this is done, they do the final adjustments.

After just a few hours, the work was mostly completed, and we had an awesome looking engine.

Doug said they let the engine sit for a couple of days before they fire it up, so our day was pretty much done.  We had a fantastic time and this was both educational and eye-opening for me.  I am so glad we were able to be there for this!

The following week I got an email saying that the engine had been run and was ready for pick-up.  They also sent me the link of the running engine video.  See below and ENJOY!

All that remains is for the installation of the March pulley kit with the alternator, the Tremec transmission, and the Ford Racing clutch, throw out bearing and bellhousing.  My plan is to pick up the engine on September 20th.  In the meantime, you can see more pictures of the build in the Gallery.

EFI, Engine

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