Words and Photos: Richard Holdener

What can we say; we like junkyard motors, and so should you. Where else can you find complete, running motors so cheap? Think of them as bargain, basement crate motors. Of course, there are potential downsides to the boneyard, as you never know what you get, but buy the insurance and you can always return it for a new (old) one. Besides, these junkyard jewels are just the beginning. They offer an excellent starting point for any build-up, and heck, even if you grenade one in spectacular fashion, you are only out a couple hundred bucks. It is with this in mind that we set out (once again) to locate a suitable candidate to accept another round of upgrades, but this time we changed things up and decided to add boost from not one, but two turbos. The combination of bolt-on mods and boost represented serious changes to the Ford 351 Windsor we secured, but similar upgrades can be applied to just about any popular V8.

Wanting a Ford, we selected the 351 Windsor over the smaller 302 for two very important reasons. Despite being a tuned-for-torque, truck combination, the 351W offered a sizable displacement upgrade over the more popular 5.0L 302. With each additional cubic inch representing additional horsepower, there really is no replacement for displacement. In addition to the cubes, the 351W also offered substantial strength, as the Windsor block was decidedly stouter than the prone-to-split 5.0L blocks. Running elevated power levels, especially under boost, it’s not matter of IF, but a matter of WHEN the 5.0L block will break. This is compounded when you are talking about turbos, as (sized properly) they offer huge torque gains to go along with the extra peak power. It is this torque production that splits 5.0L blocks right down the middle, from the main webbing up to the cam bearings.

The Windsor blocks do not suffer from the same weakness, and will withstand considerably more power before concern for their integrity. Cementing the deal was the fact both the 5.0L and 5.8L were the same price at the LKQ Pick Your Part.

After selecting a suitable candidate (included a visual inspection and rotation), we hauled it back to home base at Westech Performance. Hardly a thing of beauty, the high-mileage 351W was as grungy and dirty as they come, sufficiently so that Westech’s Steve Brule insisted on a thorough clean up prior to extensive running. He did allow us to get our baseline runs in prior to removal from the dyno, and equipped with a Speedmaster dual-plane intake, Holley carb (replacing the factory EFI), and Hooker headers, the tuned-for-torque 351W produced 254 hp at 4,400 rpm and 352 lb-ft of torque at 3,300 rpm.

After our baseline, the Windsor was whisked away to L&R Automotive for disassembly and a fresh coat of paint. Wanting to establish a baseline in stock trim (before any rebuild), we simply disassembled, cleaned, and painted the short block, forgoing any machine work save for a quick ball hone. We even reused the stock rings, though (in anticipation of boost) we did add a touch more ring gap. If you are going to all the trouble of taking the motor apart and cleaning (especially at a machine shop like ours), always opt for the rebuild. We just wanted to show what can happen with the motor fresh from the yard.

Steve was much happier after we returned with the new and improved Windsor, though the emperor’s new clothes did nothing to improve the power. For that, we turned to some new components, including a set of AFR Renegade heads, a COMP Xtreme Energy cam, and TFS Induction system.

The AFR 205 heads offered not only impressive flow rates (331/235 cfm), but also a reduction in combustion chamber size to help increase the static compression slightly. The AFR heads also featured 2.08/1.60, stainless steel valves and a valve spring package with both sufficient rate and coil bind clearance for our sub-.600 lift, Xtreme Energy cam. The COMP grind offered a .555/.563 lift split, a 224/232-degree duration split, and 112-degree lsa. We reused the factory hydraulic roller lifters on our late-model Windsor block.

Feeding the AFR heads and COMP cam was a TFS R upper and lower intake, and Holley throttle body. Though the long-runner, Track Heat might be a better choice for our intended rpm range, the TFS R was what we had on hand. It was also necessary to replace the factory damper with a unit from Speedmaster, as the previous owner had seen fit to stick weld the slipping factory inner and outer rings of the damper in place.

Run with a Holley HP management system, the modifications to the Windsor increased the power output by over 150 hp, from 254 hp and 352 lb-ft of torque to 410 hp and 407 lb-ft of torque.

After adding 150 hp to our 351 Windsor, the very next thing on our mind was (of course) adding ANOTHER 150 hp. To do this, we needed some positive pressure. To add the necessary wind to our Windsor, we relied on a low-buck, twin turbo system from CX Racing, though we did make a few simple changes for dyno use. Rather than rely on the GT35-style, T3/T4 hybrid turbos supplied with the standard kit, we stepped up to a pair of 76-mm turbos (we already had on hand). We also replaced the air-to-air intercooler with an air-to-water unit, though at this power level, they work equally well. The final change was to add a pair of 45-mm Turbosmart Hypergate waste gates. Boost control is critical on any turbo system, so never skimp on waste gates!

After dialing in the combination, we ran the turbo Windsor on the waste gate springs (at 7.4 psi) and were rewarded not with an extra 150 hp, but an extra 221 hp, with peaks of 631 hp and 608 lb-ft of torque. After adding even more wind to the Windsor with our manual waste gate controller, the twin-turbo 351W produced 809 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque at 14.4 psi. By the time the dyno session was over, we had changed the power output of the Windsor by an amazing 555 hp and 459 lb-ft of torque. Winds of change indeed!

Any time you improve the power output of your test motor by over 150 hp, you know you’ve done something right. In stock trim, the fuel-injected, junkyard 351W produced peak numbers of 254 hp and 352 lb-ft of torque. Hardly a stellar performer, the 351W truck motor was designed first and foremost with torque production in mind. After replacing the heads, cam, and intake with units from AFR, COMP Cams, and TFS, the peak numbers jumped to 410 hp and 407 lb-ft of torque. Power production was up everywhere thanks to the Renegade heads, COMP Xtreme Energy cam and TFS-R upper and lower intake, but we were greedy and wanted even more.

After performing the normally aspirated upgrades, we decided it was time for some boost. The low-buck, twin turbo kit from CX Racing looked like the perfect opportunity to add some boost to our boneyard brawler. After replacing the standard T3-based turbos with a pair of 76-mms (this required a pair of T3-T4 adapters), and adding a pair of Turbo Smart 45-mm, HyperGate waste gates, the kit was ready for action. Run through an air-to-water intercooler (also from CX Racing), the twin turbo 351W produced 631 hp and 608 lb-ft of torque at a peak boost pressure of 7.4 psi. Even a little boost goes a long way on a modified 351W!

If a little boost is good, then more must be better, right? The great thing about turbo motors is the ability to easily crank up the boost. Of course, this must be done safely with the proper timing, air/fuel and octane, but we made sure everything was in order before turning the knob on the Turbo Smart controller. After dialing boost up to a maximum of 14.6 psi, the twin-turbo 351W produced 809 hp and 811 lb-ft of torque. We stopped here, thinking we were nearing the limit of the stock (high-mileage) internals, but there was considerably more power left in two 76-mm turbos.

Sources: Aeromotive, Aeromotiveinc.com; AFR, Airflowresearch.com; COMP Cams, compcams.com; CXRacing, CXRacing.com; Holley/Hooker, holley.com; Speedmaster, Speedmaster79.com; Trickflow Specialties, Trickflow.com; Turbosmart. Turbosmartusa.com