Aluminum Block and Head?-Page 3: Grassroots Motorsports forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Nov. 22, 2011 10:45 a.m. MG_Bryan Reader

Canute wrote:

MG_Bryan wrote: http://www.dartheads.com/products/aluminum-ford-small-block-8.html

Anyone have an idea how much an iron 5.0 weighs? The spec sheet for the Dart block says ~85lbs. Only $6,500, prepped, BTW.

I actually weighed a bare Ford 302 iron block. I didn't have a really great way to do it, but I'd say the aluminum block saves something in the area of 100lbs. A dressed and wet 5.0L should be around 500lbs with iron heads or 460ish with aluminum heads. All very rough numbers based on recollection.
Nov. 22, 2011 11:08 a.m. Ranger50 Dork

MG_Bryan wrote:

Canute wrote:

MG_Bryan wrote: http://www.dartheads.com/products/aluminum-ford-small-block-8.html

Anyone have an idea how much an iron 5.0 weighs? The spec sheet for the Dart block says ~85lbs. Only $6,500, prepped, BTW.

I actually weighed a bare Ford 302 iron block. I didn't have a really great way to do it, but I'd say the aluminum block saves something in the area of 100lbs. A dressed and wet 5.0L should be around 500lbs with iron heads or 460ish with aluminum heads. All very rough numbers based on recollection.

My "thin wall" 5.0 roller block in the shed weighs every bit of 150 pounds, if not more, bare. There is no way of lifting it from the floor to a table with just your arms. But a fully dressed 5.0 weighs about 550#. Heads are 45# each bare. Crank is about 50#, maybe 60. Another 50# for rods and pistons. 5.0HO EFI intake is 40-45#. Then all the other junk hanging off and in the motor.

If you got the cash, you can easily get a sub-400# 302 based motor, that will/can make/tolerate 2500hp.
Nov. 22, 2011 11:31 a.m. MG_Bryan Reader

Ranger50 wrote:

MG_Bryan wrote:

Canute wrote:

MG_Bryan wrote: http://www.dartheads.com/products/aluminum-ford-small-block-8.html

Anyone have an idea how much an iron 5.0 weighs? The spec sheet for the Dart block says ~85lbs. Only $6,500, prepped, BTW.

I actually weighed a bare Ford 302 iron block. I didn't have a really great way to do it, but I'd say the aluminum block saves something in the area of 100lbs. A dressed and wet 5.0L should be around 500lbs with iron heads or 460ish with aluminum heads. All very rough numbers based on recollection.

My "thin wall" 5.0 roller block in the shed weighs every bit of 150 pounds, if not more, bare. There is no way of lifting it from the floor to a table with just your arms. But a fully dressed 5.0 weighs about 550#. Heads are 45# each bare. Crank is about 50#, maybe 60. Another 50# for rods and pistons. 5.0HO EFI intake is 40-45#. Then all the other junk hanging off and in the motor.

If you got the cash, you can easily get a sub-400# 302 based motor, that will/can make/tolerate 2500hp.

I had the block at 180-190 in my head, but it has been a few years since I've bothered with anything like a small block Ford. I seem to recall ~375lbs as about as light as you can go and still have all the necessary ancillaries for road use.
Nov. 22, 2011 11:45 a.m. Snrub New Reader

MG_Bryan wrote:

aussiesmg wrote:

and every rotary ever built....

Aren't the side housings cast iron? Why else would racing beat sell thousands of dollars of aluminum housings?

The 10A in the original Cosmo was aluminum, but other than it and racing versions, all have had iron side housings.

The majority of engines now seem to be all aluminum. I'd almost suggest flipping this tread around, which modern engines are not all aluminum. VW seems to be the lone holdout. The GT500 was iron until last year's model. Some trucks were cast iron until recently. Chrylser V8s are still iron blocks.
Nov. 28, 2011 12:47 a.m. Canute New Reader

I was just looking at the World Products web site. They make both iron and aluminum SBFs. Their iron block is listed at 200# and the aluminum block is 108# with sleeves. Sexy...