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February 19, 1998

This Water Box was supposed to be Part II of How To Make Your Mustang Hook, but with the introduction of the new 351W Sportsman shortblock we have been bombarded with the same question from dozens of people: "What do I need besides the shortblock?" The traction trilogy will continue shortly.

We have been doing 351W conversions for a fairly long time and are a big fan of the extra cubes and additional strength offered by a 351W over a 302 or 302 stroker. Be sure to check out several stories in the Water Box Archives to understand why we like them so much. But we have never sat down and listed all the miscellaneous parts you need for a complete conversion. Usually people think all you need is the oil pan kit, a lower intake and headers. While these are some of the major parts, there are dozens of lesser parts that are just as important.

We have tried to list every single necessary component we can think of. While some of you may have sticker shock after adding up all the individual parts, it's important to remember that many of these same costs are encountered when building a healthy 302 or 302 stroker. If you already have a lot of money invested in quality 302 parts, a 351W may not seem attractive. But for those that do not have to take a loss on expensive headers and a ported lower intake, a 351W conversion may make more sense than a 302 stroker considering the extremely affordable $1695 price of a Sportsman Shortblock and the fact that it is several times stronger than a stroked factory 302 block.

The parts list below makes the assumption that a pair of quality heads, roller rockers, roller lifters, adequate fuel injectors, at least a 65mm throttle body and upper intake are already owned. You'll also need to hold on to your stock water pump and timing cover. If your 302 is pretty much a virgin, you'll need to buy these major components, but you would have to have done the same for a 302 build up. No one ever said that horsepower was cheap. Smokey Yunick once asked a customer "How fast do you want to spend?"

In some cases, you may be able to substitute other parts than the ones we have listed that will raise or lower the total you come up with. Also note that some of the parts are not necessary depending on your combination. An 86 - 93 conversion uses almost all the same parts as a 94 - 95 conversion, so prices will be nearly identical. Also left out of the equation are motor mounts that lower the engine a bit, while not absolutely necessary, they help provide extra hood clearance. HPM "drop solid" mounts are a nice piece and drop the engine 3/4".

We've tried to be absolutely as thorough as possible in listing all these parts. But depending on particular combinations you may still need one or two things. It's impossible for us to foresee everything with so many possible combinations.

So now you know what you're in for if you decide to take the plunge and install an engine that has a better rod ratio than any 302 stroker and offers the strength of an A4 block.