Boyd's Mustang: Engine

Transforming a 1960s-vintage engine into a modern smooth-revving powerplant has gotten easier in recent years with innovations such as roller lifter retrofits, racing dampers, aluminum cylinder heads and lightweight pistons.

But parts alone don't do the job. Somebody's hands have to touch every piece for them to work together.

Local race engine builder Herbie Whitley align-honed the block and bored it .060-inch over to correct damage done by a couple of broken piston rings. He also balanced the rotating assembly using the original crankshaft and rods, Keith Black lightweight pistons and a Summit Racing damper.

Parts then went to Larry Council. The son and youngest brother of mechanics, Larry's first mechanical job was welding a radio antennae onto his pedal car at around age 10. He's owned his own garage since the 1960s. He's built so many of these the only times he used a torque wrench were to secure the heads and main bearings.

Some of the parts I used in this engine are ported and polished World Windsor Jr. Lite cylinder heads, Comp Pro Magnum roller rockers, a Crane roller lifter retrofit kit and hydraulic roller camshaft, an MSD 6AL ignition box and MSD distributor, Edelbrock Performer RPM intake, Edelbrock 500-cfm carburetor, Carter fuel pump, Hooker Super Comp ceramic-coated headers, a Summit turbo exhaust system and Emerald torque converter with a 2,400-rpm stall speed.

The pistons and cylinder heads combine for a 9.4:1 compression ratio. The car runs on 87-octane unleaded regular.

Here are some photos of various stages of the engine rebuild. Click on the thumbnails for full-size images: