408 Cleveland, CHI 3V 225, hydraulic roller — what will it make?
within 1% of peak across that whole range
Engine dyno, as configured — flywheel horsepower. Standard test config: stock manifolds through 18" of pipe, air cleaner lid flipped, no accessories driven. Factory SAE net ratings are measured as‑installed and read 15–25% lower. Rev ceiling for this combination: 6600 rpm.
Stroker crank, modern aluminium heads, a big hydraulic cam. This is what a Cleveland build looks like in 2026 and it is a very different engine from the ones Ford sold.
Note the cam here is a hydraulic flat tappet despite the lift — Howards CL231721-10, 240/246 at .050 and .640" lift. Big lift, hydraulic lifters, and it needs the springs to match.
Change one part at a time in the tool and watch which ones actually move the number. On a build like this the heads and the cubic inches are doing most of the work.
The build
| Block | Ford Performance BOSS 351 — 9.2" deck (~$2,650) |
|---|---|
| Crank | Eagle forged 4340 — 4.00" stroke / 408 ci (~$900) |
| Rods | H-beam 4340 forged (Eagle/Scat/Molnar) — builders' guide ~900 HP |
| Pistons | Auto Tec 1000520 forged 4032 flat 2V — 408 · 1.185" CH · −3cc · ~$718 |
| Head gasket | OEM compressed (.040") — neutral |
| Cylinder heads | CHI 3V 225cc — the modern Cleveland head |
| Porting | As-cast / stock |
| Camshaft | Howards 240/246 — hyd flat (CL231721-10 · .640"/.649") |
| Valve springs | PAC-1243 dual |
| Rocker arms | Full roller 1.73 — needle bearing |
| Intake manifold | Edelbrock RPM Air-Gap |
| Carburetor | Holley 750 cfm — street/strip sweet spot |
| Exhaust | Long tube 1-3/4" — hot street |
| Ignition | MSD Pro Billet distributor + 6AL box — ~8,000 rpm |
| Fuel | Sunoco 260 GT Plus 104 — unleaded, 13% ethanol |
| Air cleaner | Stock air cleaner, LID FLIPPED — DYNO STANDARD |
These numbers assume a proper dyno tune — timing and jetting set on a dyno, not guessed at in a driveway. It is worth 23 hp on this combination, and it is the one line on this page you cannot buy: we build the parts list, you pick the tuner. Leave it untuned and the engine will run, it just will not read what it says up top.
Change these numbers yourself