Ford's 450HP 7.3L 'Godzilla' V8 | Inside Info & Spy Pics | Where's the Direct Injection?

Ford's 450HP 7.3L 'Godzilla' V8 | Inside Info & Spy Pics | Where's the Direct Injection?
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It's safe to say that there's some excitement around the release of Ford's New 7.3L Godzilla V8 Engine. Let's face it, no one really expected to see a brand new pushrod V8 engine design from Ford Motor Company in 2019. We here at SVTP did our best to bring you the insider info we uncovered during the 7.X's development, and now that it is here we can share with you some of the "behind-the-scenes" materials we were able to dig up and some HP numbers we keep hearing batted around.

Here are our previous articles on the 7.3L if you want to review the story's development:

So to not bury the lead, we've heard from several sources that the internal goal for the 7.3L Godzilla engine is 450HP. It may come in a little higher or lower, but that seems to be the figure Ford engineers were initially shooting for. No word yet on a torque figure, but my guess is somewhere around 500lbft. One thing is for certain, big power is going to be made on the low-end of the RPM range. For the current applications the 7.3L is slated for, stump-pulling grunt always on tap is a standing order.


Another good bit of information is that the lead on this engine program was Brian Wolfe. If that name sounds familiar it's probably because Wolfe is an avid drag racer, and was the Director of Ford Racing during its glory days. His name still carries a lot of weight with those who are working hard to unleash maximum performance from all things Blue Oval related. He was known to be extremely accessible, so much so that he happily took a phone call from me in 2004 to discuss the Terminator and SVTP. I was only about 21 then, but he took the time out of his day to talk cars with someone he had never met that just happened to get his number from a mutual friend. That's just the kind of guy he is. I can't disclose all the features of the 7.3 over which he personally bludgeoned the bean counters to make sure they stayed in the program, but in a future installment we'll cover them. You're going to see a lot of the knowledge and experience Wolfe gained from Pro-Stock Drag Racing transferred into the DNA of the 7.3L.


Speaking of DNA, we have healthy looking iron block, some ridiculously gorgeous aluminum heads, and a forged crank. I can see this engine becoming a more popular swap option than the 5.0 Coyote V8 in the next few years (if FPRP cranks out a control pack for it). You may be asking yourself, "What happened to SVTP's predictions of Direct Injection." All I can say is that the engine was developed with the addition of direct injection in mind. It could be that it's being held back for a future program or a mid-cycle power increase. With dual-fuel systems and 12:1 compression you're easily looking at a 500+ Horsepower engine. We'll get into that more bellow as we review some spy pics for which many Bothans died to bring us.


Ford, especially the performance side, listens to their customers. If you want to see this engine design in more than just trucks you really need to make your voice heard. If I can point them to a 50+ page thread of current Ford owners saying they want this engine in a Mustang there's a chance we can make that happen. I'll take mine with an aluminum block, a destroked crank, in Grabber Blue, with the name Boss 429 emblazoned on the side. What about you? For now, let's do a deep dive into the details and pics:

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Let's start off with this little crop of the head. As you can see here, the port for a Direct Fuel Injector has been machined above the intake port.


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Here's a little bigger view in which you can see the intake port, spring pockets, guides, and pushrod through-holes. Also take notice of the extensive ribbing cast in for extra strength and the pedestal mounts for the roller rockers.


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Here you can see the wide based mounting surface, spark plug holes with a generous number of threads, and the exhaust port.


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Speaking of ports, check out these intake ports.


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They are a wide-mouthed design that are undoubtedly capable of massive flow right out of the box.

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I mean just look at this port. Imagine what these will flow with a little port work from @Livernois Motorsports.

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Remember us saying the combustion chamber held massive valves and had a similar shape to a Dart Pro1 head? Well here it is. Notice the pocket cast into the top for a DI injector. It doesn't look like coolant flow or oil drain-back will be an issue either.


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It all adds up to a new Ford Engine that performance enthusiasts can really get excited about. I want to see Godzilla swaps in everything.
 
+100, but I’ll take it now!

**** I really want a boss 429 or hell how about a brand new legend, the boss 460

*snip*

From there

•475-500hp boss 351 for $40k-$50k with options (gt basically) (bullitt successor)

•550-600hp boss 429 for $50-60k (gt350/r successor)
*snip*

I know its dreaming, but this was almost exactly my thoughts! Give me a low-tech Cobra, Boss, Mach 1, whatever they want to call it, with a variant of this engine and a 10r. Keep it light and cheap and you'd have the new muscle/pony car KING. All the technology in the latest vehicles is amazing, but damn, give me a new terminator with no widgets already!
 
Woah, are these #'s fact checked? Wouldnt think a 4cam voodoo would be that light.

The voodoo mill is very light. It’s actually lighter than ferrarri’s 4.3 and 4.5L. Those mill are 425-430lbs iirc.

The voodoo mill is like 415-420lbs.

I don’t know what the 7.3 weighs. I’d imagine an aluminum one is 500lbs and an iron one being 600.
 
I think @jeffh81 said it’s 500lbs and can be punched out to 500ci but he was joking I thought.

If he was or whoever said it was serious/factual then wow

Edit* my memory was snopes verified.

View attachment 1550306

Can someone 100% confirm le claims? If le 7.3 is 500lbs and can punch/stroke out up to 500ci, then god has blessed us all.

Let me look. It was on another forum i think. Might have been the engineering video that mentioned it. May take me until tomorrow to find it. Im having truck issues right now with my junk so im busy
 
I’m seeing that ford says this 7.3 is 50lbs lighter than the 3v v10 which weighs 620lbs. That would be 570lbs give or take.

Let’s assume an aluminum casting could shed another 70-90lbs and we may be looking at a possible 500lbs or lighter big displacement v8.

I love that the bore is so big, yet the stroke isn’t insane. 107x101 4.22x3.98” is oversquare and translates well for different future applications. As that sits it supports over 6,000rpm redline in truck-guise.

It would not take much tweaking to achieve 7000rpm which is plenty for a boss 429. Trinity gt500’s hit 7k with 4.16” stroke for context here.

The stroke on 5.4’s is LONGER than the stroke on this engine. That is an excellent thing given this 7.3 is also a narrow design.
 
I’m seeing that ford says this 7.3 is 50lbs lighter than the 3v v10 which weighs 620lbs. That would be 570lbs give or take.

Let’s assume an aluminum casting could shed another 70-90lbs and we may be looking at a possible 500lbs or lighter big displacement v8.

I love that the bore is so big, yet the stroke isn’t insane. 107x101 4.22x3.98” is oversquare and translates well for different future applications. As that sits it supports over 6,000rpm redline in truck-guise.

It would not take much tweaking to achieve 7000rpm which is plenty for a boss 429. Trinity gt500’s hit 7k with 4.16” stroke for context here.

The stroke on 5.4’s is LONGER than the stroke on this engine. That is an excellent thing given this 7.3 is also a narrow design.

I've been hearing that it's a square setup.
 
It’s pretty close if I read the dimensions right, from press releases and reporting here on svtp I’m seeing 107mm bore x 101mm stroke, but I don’t know the actual rod ratio and piston dimension.
 
Do we know deck height?
This and the 6.2 are iron blocks. The coyotes and LS are aluminum. I really wanted to do a 6.2 build and we actually had an engine plan accepted to Engine Masters but that 6.2 was heavy and large for a Mustang.
A future aluminum block 7.3 would be awesome.
Still a canted valve headed aluminum 9.5 deck Windsor is still very relevant in pushrod racing.
-J
 
Like that's a revelation. The 7.3 longblock is obviously more narrow than a Coyote.

Agreed, but I recall some debate about whether it would fit or not. Or am I having a case of oldtimer's and thinking of the GT500 5.2 not fitting? TOO MUCH Ford excitement lately!
 
Agreed, but I recall some debate about whether it would fit or not. Or am I having a case of oldtimer's and thinking of the GT500 5.2 not fitting? TOO MUCH Ford excitement lately!

With the proper oil pan and intake a 7.3 should fit basically anywhere a Coyote will go. The biggest difference will be length.
 

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