The new rev-happy 5.2-liter V-8 in the Mustang Shelby GT350 is one of the most compelling reasons to visit a Ford dealership in 2016. Code-named Voodoo and sharing its basic architecture with the Mustang GT’s 435-hp, 5.0-liter Coyote engine, this new powerplant is an altogether wilder animal, producing 526 horsepower at 7500 rpm and 429 lb-ft of torque at 4750. Fittingly, Ford’s Voodoo V-8 assembly begins with the car’s most-hyped part, the flat-plane crank, which helps allow for the higher engine speeds—and a wicked yowl—that set the GT350 apart from lesser 'stangs.
First up is the removal of the five cross-bolted main caps from the block. The main cap arrives with the block, as both components are manufactured at the same time.
Next the bearings are fitted, followed by builders lowering the crank into place. Have we mentioned that it’s a flat-plane crankshaft? Good.
The rod-piston assemblies are inserted through the top. There really isn't a special trick to this.
And the preassembled cylinder heads are mounted. Before arriving at this point, the heads are loaded with valves.
After the cylinder heads go on, the camshafts are installed. Here we get an excellent view before the valve covers are fitted.
After the camshafts go in, the timing chains are strung on.
Here, the build team measures crankshaft end-play. This is a longitudinal measurement of the engine's tolerances.
Finished engines are spin-tested. This is where the crank is spun on a dyno to pump lube throughout.
Fresh off their spin tests, the finished engines are stamped with the builders’ signatures.
Ezra Dyer is a Car and Driver senior editor and columnist. He's now based in North Carolina but still remembers how to turn right. He owns a 2009 GEM e4 and once drove 206 mph. Those facts are mutually exclusive.
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