Auto Racing: road race engine for, ford crate engine, baer brakes

Question
Steve,  i am doing HPDE events on road race coursed in the mideast part of the country.  I have gutted a 91 mustang lx and upgraded to kenny brown suspension, baer brakes, roll cage, Moser 8.8"rear end Torsen t2r diff, Still the T5 tranny.  We were running ford crate engine 340hp w/8lb boost from Vortech sc, proprietary cam, producing 400rwhp.  The #1 main journal was worn down to copper after 100 miles in sections of the bearings 180 degrees apart.  We threw in a 351 Windsor stroked to a 408 to get in a few events last year.  I want a reliable race engine 302 bored out to produce about 358ci, low compression to run on pump gas that can run race fuel at the track but be a little streetable, normally aspirated and produce about 450 rwhp.  I want to be able to load up the car and go and not have to worry about the engine blowing or having to rebuild every year.  Drag motors are not for us I believe.  Cornett race engines in Somerset Ky quoted me about $19,000 for such an engine, dry sump, that should be bullitt proof with tons of torque around 500 rwhp.  They specialize in dirt track motors but are close to Louisville, Ky should a problem occur. The 302 we blew had more hp than the bottom half of the engine could handle.  A much better block is necessary i'm sure.  Can I find an engine bulder or used engine or something under $19,000?  I want to do 8 to 10 events per year with the car.  We may get into NASA racing but not immediately.  We struggled getting the new suspension working with all the hp we had.  I know the T5 tranny is a weak point and we have to get 315's on the rear wheels and 285's on the fronts to handle the hp.  However I don't think I want to keep on with the borrowed Windsor because of the 13:1 compression ratio and stock block. titanium lifters and so on.  It is heavier and if I blow it I will have wasted a lot of $.  Any suggestions.  Chris Wagner  502-639-3945 cwagner@insightbb.com

Answer
Chris-

  Well...how much you spend will depend largely on what how many bells and whistles you want/need.  $19,000 is a huge investment, but for that much the engine should be bulletproof WELL beyond 500hp.  The one issue you'll face if you want a 302 block produceing 358cid is that you can't use a production block.  You'll need to use a race block liike Ford's R302 or the newer Dart blocks.  I think you could produce just as much power (especially with a blower) with a 347 in a slightly cheaper block like Ford's B50 block that's still rated to around 600hp.  Dry sump stuff is almost "exotic" territory for most racers, but can be a big benefit for road race cars.  That's one thing you'll really need to decide if you need it or not.  Otherwise, a strong block and quality forged internals should really be all you need (besides a good, cam, heads, etc. of course).  There's a lot of companies who could provide you with a good streetable race motor for a decent price.  Places like Coast High Performance, DSS Engines, Kenny Duttweiller, etc could all do it (although Duttweiller's stuff is pretty expensive but superb quality).  I'd go that route and use the left over cash to convert the T5 over to a T56.  It'd give you a lot more power handling capability along with better ratios and a 6th gear.  Easily one of the best road racing capable street trannys out there.  Hope this helps.

Steve