Ford adds 2.0-liter four to crate-engine lineup

Enthusiasts who think that the 2.0-liter engine from the 2012 Ford Focus would be a fine fit for their car projects will be able to buy one from Ford Racing's crate-engine program.

Ford is also adding a pair of pushrod V8s to the crate-engine lineup for 2012.

The 2.0-liter is the first in a family of crate engines based on Ford's global four-cylinder engine. Future engines in the lineup will be crate versions of EcoBoost production units.

The initial four-cylinder crate engine has independent variable valve timing for the intake and exhaust valves and direct fuel injection. The naturally aspirated unit will make an estimated 160 hp to 175 hp and 145 lb-ft to 155 lb-ft of torque, Ford says.

A suggested retail price has not yet been set. The engine goes on sale in the spring.

In the V8 crate-engine lineup, Ford is replacing its 347-cubic-inch stroked engine with a 363-cubic-inch version, dubbed the Z363.

The pushrod engine is based on the Boss 302 engine, but the cylinder bore is increased to 4.125 inches and it's fitted with Mahle pistons. The changes give the Z363 50 hp more (to 500 hp) and 50 lb-ft more of torque (to 390 lb-ft), Ford says. The 10:1 compression ratio lets the engine run on premium pump gasoline.

Ford's other new crate engine is the X427 pushrod V8, the street-use counterpart to the racing Z427 engine. Based on the Boss 351 engine, the X427 uses Ford Racing X-Heads and churns 520 lb-ft of torque.

The V8 crate lineup also includes aluminum versions of Ford's 5.0-liter engine with variable camshaft timing, in naturally aspirated and supercharged variants, and a "sealed" 5.0-liter V8 for racing use.

By Dale Jewett