Fox body Mustangs offer a great all-around racing platform; lightweight, fairly agile and affordable.  The only problem is that the newest Fox you can get is a 1993, and most already have a ton of miles on them.  Not to fret though, companies like Dart Machinery are creating budget-friendly 302 engine combinations that will not only perform well, but last for tens of thousands of miles to come.

Such is the case with our Fox body project.  Although re-worked with a completely new suspension setup from Granatelli Motorsports, it was lacking on the power side with a high mileage 5-liter.  On our first engine build segment, we matched a 363 Dart SHP pre-assembled short block with a Dart top end kit.  In addition, we added a new Canton oil pan, Comp Cams valvetrain, and BBK induction.  Now that the long block is completed, it’s now time to get it into the car and get it dyno tested.

Prepping the Dart 363ci for Installation

To begin the installation of our 363, we first needed to yank out our tired 302. Though the mildly-modified 5.0 was a burly beast, it lacked in overall horsepower and torque. Disconnect, remove, yank, and pull was the order of the day when preparing to remove the 5-liter from its home. To be completely honest, the connection that we felt for this little ol’ 302 choked me up when we saw her strapped to the cherry picker and slowly raised from its foothold. Now don’t get us wrong, no tears were shed, just a feeling of guilt came over us and was soon extinguished once we looked over at my freshly built 363.

Once we removed the stock mule, we took the liberty of stripping some of the stock components from the 302. The tensioner, power steering pump, pulleys and MSD distributor would all be re-used and would bolt directly into their stock locations. Now that we had a clear engine bay to work with, it was important to clean up some of the clutter that we found.

The Kevlar/carbon SPEC Stage 2+ clutch was going to handle all the power we can throw at it and will be able to last for many miles to come.

SPEC Stage 2+ Clutch

Our T5 transmission was then lowered out of the car using our trusty tranny jack. Before we could slap this bad boy onto our 363, SPEC had something very special in store for us with a Stage 2+ clutch kit for our Project ’85. The Stage 2+ is a full face clutch that gives a stock-like pedal feel, while still being durable enough to be used in drag racing and autocross competition.  It features a multi-friction disc with carbon semi-metallic on one side and Kevlar on the other.  Additionally, it maintains the same driveability characteristics as a Stage 2, but with a 15-20% higher torque capacity.  The double sprung hub helps reduce chatter on engagement. Paired up like cheese and wine, SPEC’s Tuned Billet flywheel cuts the rotating weight in half, allowing the motor to rev faster and transmit more power to the rear wheels.

Spec Stage 2+ PN# SF483H

• High clamp pressure plate
• 635 lb/ft torque capacity
• Hybrid Kevlar and Carbon-Graphite Friction material
• High torque sprung hub and disc assembly
• Bearing and tool kit

Like a glove, all our Fox-friendly pieces on our new 363 fit perfectly back in place.

Moving on, we attached out flywheel and torqued down the bolts. Just before the clutch was installed, we made sure to coat the input shaft with some lithium grease and install new throwout and pilot bearings. As far as we could see, everything bolted up perfectly and we bolted the 363 to the stock T-5 transmission… that we know won’t last long! The last step was to get the transmission mounted to the engine and the 363 affixed to the cherry picker. Since this is a stock deck height motor, all of our factory accessories and brackets fit perfectly.

BBK Fuel Pump, Headers and Catted X-Pipe

BBK prides themselves in making premium Mustang parts and it shows with their 1-5/8ths headers. The headers are ceramic coated for heat and corrosion resistance and has been designed to fit into a Fox body with the utmost ease. There is no power comparison when using long tubes over shorties, especially on a larger engine like this.

Sean easily fits up the BBK headers onto the Dart Pro1 exhaust ports. These headers feature a 3-inch collector that will mount to BBK's catted X-pipe

BBK's catted X-pipe keeps SMOG hounds at bay while increasing performance at the same time. These 2.5-inch X-pipes are designed to directly fit to our BBK long tube headers and bridge the gap to our Flowmaster cat-back.

We then moved forward to install the BBK 1-5/8 inch long tube, ceramic coated headers and BBK Catted X-Pipe. To our surprise, the headers squeezed through the frame rails with relative ease.  BBK offers their full length header system with 1 5/8″ or 1 3/4″ CNC mandrel bent tubing and a 3-inch collector with a leak-free ball and socket (dome) style collector for unrestrictive airflow.  Included is a one piece 3/8-inch laser cut exhaust flange for added strength and durability. On a stock 5.0, BBK boasts a 15-20 RWHP increase over stock. Every set of headers to roll off the production line at BBK are pressure tested to ensure trouble-free performance.

BBK’s Mustang full length headers are recommended for built engines and high performance applications. They offer BBK’s distinctive quality that guarantees many years of top performance.

Mating up to our full length BBK headers is their direct replacement 2.5-inch catted X-pipe.  The short mid-length X-pipe is designed to bridge the gap between long tube headers and any conventional cat-back exhaust.   The X-pipe also features CNC mandrel bent aluminized tubing and BBK’s unique die stamped performance Xtracter center X section to ensure maximum flow and horsepower.

BBK 1-5/8″ Long Tube Headers PN# 15160

• Ceramic coated
• 1-5/8″ primaries with 3-inch collector
• CNC Mandrel bent tubing with laser cut flanges

BBK catted X-pipe PN# 1659

• Unique die stamped Xtracter center X section
• High flow catalytic converters
• Designed to be used with long tube headers
• OEM ball and socket style fitment

Since the stock fuel pump was going to have a hard time supplying the additional fuel we needed to our stroker, BBK once again hooked us up with a 255 LPH in-tank fuel pump. Since the fuel pump is designed like an OEM replacement, no modifications were required with the installation. With over 255 liters per hour, the BBK in tank pump will keep our 42 lb/hr injectors fed and provide plenty of fuel pressure for our stroker. It was a simple deal, drop the tank and install the pump in the stock location and repeat the process in reverse.

MSD Ignition

We already had a set of MSD wires and distributor on the old 302. Now we simply matched the ignition setup with a 6AL2 box and supporting coil.

Moving back to the engine bay, it was about time to get our ignition system wired and prepped for start up. MSD’s redesigned 6AL2 ignition box with coil was the obvious choice for our small block. The new design is more compact than the original 6A-series box, and features dial knobs to eliminate the need for pills. A simple turn of the knobs allows us to change the rev limiter and two step controls on the fly.  Now that our 6al2 Ignition box was mounted, we were able to mount the MSD supplied PN# 8227 ignition coil, that will ensure a high energy spark.

Utilizing the MSD distributor we already had, the MSD 6AL-2 and ignition coil was an easy add on. The green/violet wiring from the distributor hooks directly to the MSD's same color coded wiring. The coil connection is made with the orange and black wires with the included connector, while the simple power and ground powers the unit.

Fuel, Check.. Spark, Check… Tune?

Utilizing the stock MAF on our 363, was out of the question. Luckily SCT replaced our OEM MAF with a 90mm behemoth called the Big Air MAF. “With more air being passed into the intake manifold, horsepower is increased, but that’s not SCT’s claim to fame,” Tim Roi of SCT explained. “We are known for our factory OEM calibration, so with the Fox body being one of our many specialties it made sense to up the ante. With a 400-700 horsepower range motor such as this we can expand the range of the meter, preventing pegging and a lean situation.”

SCT's Big Air MAF works perfectly with their switch chip. The MAF has the ability to work with any size injectors.

Now when it comes to Fox bodies, the Achilles heel to the ECU and fuel management system is the lack of OBD-2 port. Novice gear-heads all know that tuning your ride involves a hand held tuning device and the port most often under your steering column. Now, if you don’t have an OBD-II equipped vehicle, how are you supposed to tune your vehicle to optimize air/fuel ratios?

SCT has our answer, the Eliminator Multi-Program switch chip. The chip itself is simply plugged into the back of your stock ECU and acts as a piggy back, relaying its message to your vehicle’s brain. You will need to load the tune onto the device, this can be done by any number of SCT’s certified technicians and a basic PC-based computer.  Though with any canned tunes on a highly modified vehicle, a bit of final tuning in person is recommended.

Once the contacts are cleaned on the side of the stock ECU, the switch chip will simply slide on and fit inside the stock ECU case.

SCT’s switch chip allows us to have multiple tunes loaded onto the chip for different driving scenarios.  Roi explained “The primary advantage of having a chip with multiple tunes is that it gives you the ability to switch between tunes at the turn of a dial. For example, a race-day tune could be on position one, street tune on position two, and a nitrous tune on position three.”  SCT was kind enough to send us a base tune to get our 363ci started, then from there we will look to an SCT authorized dealer to fine-tune our Mustang.

Right before we cranked the engine, we added the rest of our needed fluids. This included a bottle of Red Line engine break in oil that helps fight pre-mature camshaft wear by supplying additional ZDDP.

Now that our Fox body was complete with fuel, spark, and a way to harness all of that power together, we were ready to start her up for the first time. With a slight twist of the distributor, our 363 sprang to life and demanded to be heard. We took some time to set our timing and check for leaks. The Dart 363 was ready for business now that she was purring at a clean 900 RPM. The celebration was then followed by a crescendo of exhaust notes on our Dynojet dyno.

We saw a gain of 163 HP and 148 lb/ft of torque, plus we added an additional 1000 RPM of power band, over the stock 5.0. Now we have a brand new engine that will last for many miles while also being completely street friendly. Click the image above for a larger graph.

It was a hot summer day here in the desert when we first fired and dynoed our 363. With the fuel pump primed and a timing light wired up to set our ignition timing, we were amped to hear the motor fire for the first time. A couple cranks of the starter is all it took for the small block come to life. A quick inspection of the motor yielded no fluid leaks, so we ecstatically rolled the Mustang onto the dyno.

Despite the 100+ degree temperature in the powerTV garage, our little SBF pumped out 371 horsepower and 413 lb/ft to the rear tires. We were plesently pleased with the matched Comp cam that extended our power band 500 rpms while still making stump-pulling torque.  Around the street, the Mustang is a different beast.  We could almost close our eyes and imagine we were in a brand new 412 hp-equipped 2011 Mustang..,though the Coyote Mustang would be better seen in our rear view mirror thanks to our 800 pound weight advantage. So it goes without saying, that the Dart 363, top end kit, and supporting modifications is nothing short of a beast.

While there are many of you that still want to build your own engine combination, having a assembled short block from the pros at Dart really helps take out the guesswork.  Dart’s matched top end kit and Comp Cams Power Package comes with virtually everything you need to finish up the top of the engine in a matter of hours.  With the short block turned into a long block, it was easy to install the remaining factory components to the small block and get it installed in the Mustang’s engine bay. Converting our 203 hp 5-liter to a dependable  366 hp stroker in a mater of three days is definitely worth the long-term investment in our Mustang project.