How Much Can a Lopo Take?

[ironstealth]

[QUOTE=jayh;532726]stock 351 blocks will handle around 750 FLYwheel hp then the mexican blocks; those will take aorund 650 FLYwheel

then 75-79 blocks are the next strongest

80-85 are the weakest
the extra weight on mexi blocks is not there there for added strength.they are heavier because ford updated it cleveland plant to produce thinwall castings for 1980,the cuautitlan plant continued molding "middleweights". As a result a 125lb 302 block made in mexico in 1985 weighed 6 to 8 pounds more than a cleveland counterpart. I wouldn't pay a premium that some people ask for these. IMHO 6-8 pounds isnt going to stop a block from splitting and dumping out a couple of grand worth of parts. properly tuned and professionally built i dont see why a 450-500 horse 5.0 cant last a good while.

[merc91]

the weak point being the cast pistons in the lopo could handle what, around 350HP with the 5500 after-market shift points? Theirs a chance I might nail 300 in the summer but I'm thinking thats fine.

After that, saving up for an $8000 crate built for 5 or 6 hundred hp from the dart block up with top stuff would be the way to go. Pay it once and pound on it as much as you want.