Customer Reviews

Ford Performance

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you own an FE block engine (390-428 cid), this book is useful. I have found it difficult to find anything on my '65 model 390 and it tells you everything you want to know. The techniques and part #s might be outdated (as one guy says), but the history of the FE and all other "modern" pushrod blue ovals is not. I thought it was worth the 15 bones I paid.

When this book was first issued back in 1979, the information was contemporary and useful. Unfortunatley for this book, the world of Ford performance has changed drastically in the last twenty years. I have the original print of this book and was looking forward to this update. Boy was I disappointed. The cover says, "Includes all Modern Ford Performance Engines." I guess this means anything built after the flathead. The engine building techniques are old, the technology is old, even the part numbers are old. No information on the vast array of the new aftermarket aluminum heads and manifolds, fuel injection, ignition systems, etc. or anything on the new Modular engines is offered. If you want a nostalgic look at what it used to be like or general information on older hot rod Ford engines, this book may be for you. If you have the first printing of this book or are trying to build a cutting-edge modern Ford engine, forget it.

If you are building one of the above engines for the first time this is a must have book that teaches you the basic tricks you need. Another reviewer unfairly blamed the book for not covering the new 4.6L engines. It only says on the cover exactly what engines are covered, duh! So, ignore his comments and buy Too Tall Ganahl's book with confidence. The only thing I would have liked to have seen are a casting number list, otherwise an outstanding book.

I read the book, many times. One must remember all things start in some type of begining, as this book does. No matter if you are working on a 1954 Ford or a late model 5.0 all things in the bottom end are the pretty much the same. For those that worry about aluminum heads, well, why are GT-40's from Ford cast iron?
I have been racing since 1967 and I find the book informative to say the least. Besides I do not need aluminum heads when I get better performance from cast iron and do not have to worry about an aluminum head blowing out in a water jacket with it skimpy .053 thick division.
Want to build a Ford buy the book! or listen to some and dump a bunch of bucks and end up getting the book anyway.

This is a great book on building high performance Ford V8 engines, covering the Windsor, Cleveland, "FE" big block series and "385" series big blocks.

There is a lot of information here that you won't find elsewhere.

Excellent job, Mr. Ganahl!

Pat's book takes us through the "modern" pushrod V8s of small and big block Ford engines. It starts with a discussion of the Windsor small blocks from 289-351W with mentions of the 260, though this section focuses on the "6-bolt" bellhousing SBFs.

It moves on to a detailed discussion of the FE and all of the cool, neat pieces that were prevalent before most of us were born or at least long before we were of driving age. It is worth the asking price alone to drool over the photos of the tunnel port FE heads and dual quad intake manifolds of the mid 60s and "Thunderbolt" 427s of the era.

The book moves gracefully to the killer Cleveland, the small block that dominated Pro Stock in the 70s. This engine with its massive ports owned the SBC and forever cast the world's attention to the Cleveland name as being synonymous with high performance. Even today, companies like Edelbrock are producing new aluminum castings of Cleveland-style cylinder heads for hot rodders because of the vitality the canted valve small block delivers.

The next section moves into the 385 big block series. These, with the Windsors, continue to prove to be the most popular "rebuilder" engines for performance applications.

Pat's book includes a portion of each engine family section devoted to a pictorial build-up of a common member of the family. The Windsor has a potent 302, the FE has a nifty 427, the Cleveland has a Pantera owner's 351C and the 385-series has a 460 destined for a boat. Each engine build-up is displayed in a series of sequential photos that highlight areas of special interest or needing special attention.

The shortcomings of this book is that, like these engines, they are rather outdated. Many of the part numbers are unobtainable except through esoteric sources and the occasional find on eBay. This does not detract from the content of the book, but does date it somewhat. I feel that it gives an accounting of the historical relevance of these engines in the years when they were being produced, but also carries forward the fact that they are still amazing sources of "Total Performance" in a period where cars are front-wheel driven and a 3.0L V6 is a "big" engine.

The book has enough photos of real, historical significance to make any Ford lover enjoy coughing up the bread to purchase it, but of much more importance is, IMO, the tables researched by Pat that include production tolerances, engine building specifications and the racing/high performance clearances, torque tables and blueprint specifications found within its pages. Simple things like firing orders, rod lengths, valve diameters and stem lengths are found for your engine family in one convenient source.

My copy of this book is well worn. I've owned it for years and regularly access it. The only other book that I have that is this close at hand is a dictionary. In frankness, I'd rate it 3 stars for being dated, 4 stars for its overall content, presentation and useful information and I'd rate it a full five stars for any Ford engine lover out there who loves the feel of a pushrod V8 torquing the axles off of a full bodied Ford car, truck or other vehicle.

A revision of this book would do well to include information on currently available stroker crankshafts and other relevant parts combinations, but this one is a keeper all by itself.

Take Care.

Rob!

I realize this book is a classic and is the #1 recommended book for those looking to build a ford engine. It does provide descriptions of the components of the original motors and upgrades used over the years, as well as a quick pictorial of engine assembly. However, it is missing the key ingredient of what parts go together to give a specific result. For example, there is no discussion of matching heads, with intakes, camshafts, etc. Maybe this is beyond the subject of this book, or these are just the trade secrets of engine builders, but this is what I was looking for being a beginner in assembling my own engine. Given the content if this book, it seems oriented more to novices to Ford engines, so it is a shame it does not include more of this info. However, if you want information on the period correctness of your Ford engine, this is a good resource.

Book is a great reference for those who want to learn more about Ford performance engines.