World Products has iron heads and, as we said, they offers the engines as complete crate engine packages with matched heads and carb-it's up to you, then, to swap out the obvious "new" parts, such as the valve covers, oil pan, etc. A large, production-style air cleaner would help conceal the intake manifold and big carburetor, too-and if you're really going to nail the old-school look, you'll weather the intake or sacrifice a few ponies and drop on an older, more restrictive swap meet iron intake. Sure, you'll lose some power, but these engines have plenty of ponies to spare.
The possibilities are endless and that's the point here. Whether you prefer the shiny newness that comes with a crate engine or want the power of it, but hidden in a more traditional-looking package, enthusiasts who want to keep a Ford in their Ford have much to choose from with the new Man O' War lineup.
Choose Your Weapon: A Guide To World Products' Crate Engine HeirarchyEven World Products' own head honcho, Bill Mitchell, admits the range of crate engines offered by the company can be a little confusing to the uninitiated.
In a nutshell, there are five classes of crate engines-Daily Driver, Cruiser, World Class, Hardcore, and Limited Edition-and there are several displacement and horsepower/torque choices within the classes.
What separates the classes is the type of equipment used. For example, you can order a World Class 427ci Ford engine and Hardcore 427 engine, but the World Class engine has a hydraulic roller cam and 870-cfm carb, while the Hardcore class receives a solid-lifter cam and a 1,050-cfm Dominator-type carburetor. There's a horsepower gain of 25 with the Hardcore version.
The differences may seem subtle, but there's a logical progression through the various classes, with enough overlap between displacements and aluminum head and block options to cover a spectrum of prices from about $6,995 to approximately $16,995.
Regardless of class, however, Mitchell insists every engine is designed and tuned for pump gas and street driving. All engines have forged reciprocating parts and every assembly is tuned and dyno-tested prior to shipping. They're warranted, too.
Here's A Look At How To Separate The Cruisers From The Hardcores:Daily Driver Series: Generally the lowest-price, entry-level engines that are characterized by stock-type displacement, hydraulic camshaft, approximately 9:1 compression, dual-plane intake, and a 750-cfm carb. They usually are rated at 1 hp per cubic inch, i.e. 302 hp for a Daily Driver 302-inch Ford engine, or a 454 hp for 454-cube big-block Chevy. These engines start at $6,995.
Cruiser Series: Larger in displacement and with more horsepower than Daily Driver engines, the Cruiser engines have hydraulic cams, dual-plane intake, 750-cfm carbs, iron heads, and around 9:1 compression. A 415-inch/435-horse small-block Chevy starts at $7,495, and a 427-inch/450-horse 427 small-block Ford lists for $8,495.
World Class Series: We're talking serious power now, with displacements equal to, or larger than, the Cruiser engines. Iron and aluminum heads are available and compression generally jumps to about 9.5:1.The intake manifold changes to a single-plane design. Some examples include a 427-cube/495-horse small-block Chevy, a 540-inch/580-horsepower big-block Chevy and a 375-inch/455-horse small-block Ford. Prices with this engine range from $7,995 to $10,195-and tack on $2,000 more for an aluminum block.
Hardcore Series: Big displacement, big carburetor, big everything. The Hardcore series engines come with solid-lifter cams, iron or aluminum heads, a single-plane intake, and a 4500-series Dominator-type carburetor. Hardcore engines include a 427ci small-block Chevy worth 550 horses, a 572-inch, 675-horse big-block Chevy, and a 525hp/427-cube small-block Ford. Prices range from $9,295 to $11,495, plus a couple grand more for an alloy block.
Limited Edition Series: Kings of the crate engine hill, the Limited Edition series engines come one way: aluminum heads, solid roller camshaft, high-rise single-plane intake, 1,050-cfm Dominator-style carb, and 10.5:1 compression. The 454ci small-block Chevy is rated at 600 hp ($10,995); the monstrous 632-inch big-block Chevy is worth at least 800 hp ($16,995), and the 460-inch small-block Ford is rated at 575 hp ($10,995).