horse power

   will a ford racing 514cu"  625 horse engine be too much for a 73 fast back

  I have a  frame up restoration project and i need all the input I can get. like where is the weak point on the frame,where is all the tourqe going to tweak something out of true.  I hed a 72 fstbk 25 years ago and I want to recapture my youth. I have a 73 fstbk now and dont want to restore it : I want to create a nitemare for mopar & chevy!!!

No problems with ~600 hp in my car yet.  No rust in the frame.  So far car seems happy with this hp..  Adding a cage can only help though and with the big crate motor, you will find yourself near the 11.49 1/4 times which will require the bars be present.   Good urethane bushings, and a good check of the frame (for rust and cracks) will go a long way, and here's the other thing.  If you never use real sticky tires, you'll never put much force on the frame.. 

Couple of options though, make sure to use the later engine mounts as I heard the 1972 (maybe 1973) mounts were different, and maybe box the rear lower control arms.  (if you're really ambitious, you can reinforcee the mounts for the rear upper control arms as well) and I have heard that once rusty, these cars have trouble where the front frame joins the side rails behind the front tires..

Jim  

FWIW, I ran ~460 hp (at the crank) with 28 spline axles (105.6 in the 1/4 at 4400 lbs) for several years, but I did it with a stock stall converter which really saved wear and tear on the axles by not letting it launch hard.  31 spline aftermarket axles are good insurance and are readily available (I'm using Mosers)

Jim

Sorry for taking so long guys I'm usually out on Drag sites & only pop in here once in awhile.

Yes Steve it's the Ford crate motor. I had a "B" series & ran that for several years (11 flat) but blew a rod at the end of 2004. So got a "D" series & it ran 3 tenths quicker with no other changes. I think the 625hp rating is low. I've owned this car since 1977 & been racing it since '85. Mostly at Milan, MI & now Grand Bend, Ontario but we always travel around too. Jim the car weighs 3450 plus 150 for me. Car is gutted but still has real glass & working power windows (great when it's hot out). The only light weight part is the hood which we got from that US Body place in Florida that was mentioned on another post. I run a 950 Holley HP vacum carb because I leave the line with a slow 2000rpm because my convertor is tight which gives me the high mph. Gears are 4:11. 29x11 slicks.