While the big force-fed bent-eights making four-digit power capture most of the internet’s attention today, out in the real world, there is still a strong appreciation for high-rpm aspirated combos. This 363ci Windsor built by BK Race Engines is an A-grade example, having been put together to replace a GM mill in an iconic Ford.

First published in the October 2025 issue of Street Machine

“The customer bought a Cobra, but it had a 600hp hydraulic-roller LS in it,” says BK’s Bill Kaglatzis. “The LS was okay, but it was low-revving and didn’t suit the character of a revvy little sports car. This is a combo we’ve done before, but with carburettors. This time we did the trumpets, because it’s going into a Cobra and it needed to have that high-rpm sports car vibe.”

Starting with an 8.2in-deck-height Dart block, Bill and the BK crew added a Callies Magnum crank and Callies Ultra rods, with custom Diamond pistons running 12:1 comp, making it perfect for 98 pump fuel. BAM bronze-bushed lifters and a Bullet solid-roller cam with around 700thou lift were added to the mix, locking in a high-quality foundation for the donk.

The heads are Trick Flow Twisted Wedge 11R castings, with the CNC-ported aluminium units left box-fresh thanks to their deep-breathing capabilities. They’ve been paired with Jesel Pro Series rockers to keep the valvetrain rock-solid, even when nudging NASCAR revs.

“We opted for small cubes, and this has all the bells and whistles to rev to 8000rpm and beyond,” Bill says. “The cam we put in it now is pretty nasty. We wanted it to make some noise at idle, so it has some real muscle-car noise and feel to it.”

While the chop at idle is old-school, the brains running the show is anything but. The distributor has been replaced by an ICE Ignition cam sync, and the saucy SBF now runs coil-on-plug ignition. The crank snout is hidden behind an Innovators West balancer, which also houses the crank trigger that the FuelTech FT550 ECU reads off.

“We added a Jones pulley system to drive the alternator and water pump and give it a real circuit racing look,” Bill says. “The engine is going into a black Cobra with charcoal stripes, so it has been colour-coded to suit the car. We even added the ‘Power by Ford’ rocker covers for an old-school look.”

All up, the little-inch Windsor screamed out 650hp at 7000rpm and 545lb-ft at 4800rpm, which will definitely make that little AC sports car fly. “It doesn’t fall off too hard, even past 7000rpm,” says Bill. “It’s still making 643hp at 8000rpm.”

While Bill says that making the bottom end able to handle big revs is easily achieved with quality components, the top end’s where the art is when it comes to withstanding in excess of 8000rpm. “You need your valvetrain components perfectly matched, so we sourced all the parts through RaceMax Direct, apart from the intake manifold,” he says.

We’re sure the customer is going to love hearing his screaming SBF at 8000rpm through those iconic Shelby sidepipes while he carves corners. Ken Miles would certainly be proud.

WINDSOR CASTLE

THE crowning glory of this Windsor is a set of individual throttlebodies, based off a McGee manifold. The trumpets were made by OC Billet to replace pressed-steel units, and the engine drinks 98 pump fuel through port-mounted injectors.