Ford’s New 7.3-L Gas V8 Can Be Tuned to 600 HP and Fit in a Fox-Body Mustang
That’s without any boost, mind you.
When rumors circulated claiming Ford's new 7.3-liter V8 could find its way into the Raptor pickup or Mustang, the concept seemed unrealistic. It has over twice the displacement of the Raptor's 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6, and the Mustang is a bonafide sports car not suited for a Super Duty truck engine. However, as it turns out, the new "Godzilla" power plant is actually quite versatile, not to mention capable of huge power. How does 600 ponies sound, all without the aid of forced induction?
YouTuber Revan Evan and ex-Ford Performance boss Brian Wolfe have been dissecting the 7.3-liter in a full-fledged video series, taking key measurements and dyno testing the big-boy V8 in both stock and modified form. In doing so, they've also stacked the new power plant against other Ford engines, albeit from different time periods, such as the modern 5.0-liter Coyote and 351 Windsor from years past. While this might seem like a strange comparison given the 7.3-liter's size and application, it's really not so far fetched.
A few weeks ago, Evan and Wolfe proved the 7.3-liter can be shoehorned into a Fox-Body Mustang without issue. What's more, in another breakdown, they show that it's a whole 4.5-inches narrower than a Coyote. This means the pushrod lump not only has the benefit of modern engine construction, but it's also compact enough to stick in project cars and trucks of all sorts.
Given Wolfe's experience with all things Ford, it was only a matter of time before he created an upgraded setup for the 7.3-liter. For the sake of dyno tuning, he fitted an upgraded head—complete with a totally reworked intake and higher lift cam—to see what type of power it could produce. This pushed the engine to nearly 600 horsepower at the crank, an improvement of over 200 horsepower from factory spec. That result is certainly impressive, especially when you consider this is a relatively low-revving unit without any boost whatsoever.
Does this mean we'll be seeing Godzilla-powered Mustangs tearing up drag strips left and right? Maybe not, considering it's still a new engine that's relatively hard to get ahold of without buying an entire Super Duty truck. Price is something else to consider as, at present, it's unclear how much a 7.3-liter crate engine would cost. Still, it's good to know just how tuneable these power plants are and, if we're lucky, we'll see a few high-powered examples hit the streets in due time.
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