In the last installment of our NASCAR Late Model Stock engine build, brothers Charlie and Robert Long of Charlie's Automotive completed filling out the Ford 351 Boss block with a Crower crank and rods along with a set of Wiseco pistons. And in case your dog ate the last issue of Circle Track before you got a chance to read it, we courted a little heresy with the build by using Chevrolet-spec LS rods and pistons. Charlie Long has found this works because he likes Wiseco's excellent LS piston forging with its boxed design, and the rods are the maximum 6.250 length and have shown excellent durabil-ity. This works, however, but does require a bit of machine work on the underside of the pistons because Chevrolets use an offset on the rods while Fords do not. This means when you bolt Chevy-spec rods to a Ford-style crankshaft, there may be contact between the small end of the rod and the side of the piston pin boss.
It's time to go racing!
This month, Charlie and Robert finish the motor and prepare to go racing. Next month, for the final installment, we'll be done turning wrenches and will take our Boss-based motor racing in a NASCAR Late Model Stock big money race. So check out the rest of this build and stay tuned to see if it all pays off.
