This Godzilla V-8-Swapped Fox Body Sounds Amazing

Americans have long loved shoving the biggest motor they can find into whatever car they happen to have lying around. The ever-growing list of factory-supported crate engine options has only made this easier in recent years, with a variety of engines on offer from Chevrolet, Ford and Dodge alike. The team over at Late Model Restoration went to Ford Performance to source a 7.3-liter Godzilla V-8 crate engine for its 1992 Ford Mustang LX build, which has been lovingly named Green Goblin. After completing the swap and installing a few parts on the big block, LMR finally stuck its Fox Body on the dyno for some instrumented testing.

The 7.3-liter Godzilla V-8 first arrived on the scene back in 2020 as a replacement for the Modular V-10 engine found in Ford’s Super Duty pickups. In truck trim, the motor is rated at 430 hp and 475 lb-ft of torque. While those are healthy figures, it didn’t take long for the aftermarket to get their hands on the V-8. It’s not uncommon to see modified examples of these motors push well into the four-digit horsepower range with forced induction and supporting mods these days. LMR’s build hasn’t gone quite that far yet, instead opting for some of the more basic mods an owner might do at home. These include items like long tube headers from Ultimate Headers, a custom H-pipe with high-flow cats, an upgraded Control Systems PCM, and a 93-octane tune. Other modifications include a custom steel driveshaft, a Coyote-based fuel system and 3.27 gears out back. The V-8 is mated to a 6R80 automatic transmission that was pulled out of a 2012 Ford F-150. This means that there is no true 1:1 gear for dyno testing, so keep that in mind when examining the results.

The team at LMR completed three dyno runs with the Green Goblin for comparison's sake. The first pass saw the car run with all of its hardware installed, which resulted in ratings of 409 hp and 477 lb-ft. While Godzilla only revs to about 6000 RPM in the process, it certainly has a more commanding bark than the 5.0-liter V-8 of the Fox Body days. The team then did a second pass with their air intake removed in order to test whether it is a limiting point for the engine. Without the intake setup attached, the V-8 returned ratings of 418 hp and 478 lb-ft. This isn't all that surprising, as a number of companies have started offering improved intake manifolds for the big block. The final pass saw the team remove the back half of the exhaust and run the Mustang with open headers. While the 416 hp and 479 lb-ft that the car provided without its exhaust looks great, a closer inspection of the power curve highlights a significant drop in torque down low without the exhaust. That said, all three ratings are fairly consistent with one another, particularly in representing just how much of a torque monster the Godzilla is.

The era of the big block Ford Mustang was rather short, only running from 1967 thru 1971. The Godzilla V-8 engine provides a great starting point for Mustang fans to rectify that gap in the market, particularly due to its relatively compact size. Whether or not LMR continues to throw power adders at the Green Goblin, we can’t wait to see what they plan to do with it.

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