With the recent updates to the Ford Super Duty truck lineup, one of the most exciting additions was the brand new 7.3-liter “Godzilla” V8. With 430 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque on tap, two questions immediately sprang into the minds of Ford enthusiasts the world over. First, can it crank out much more power than that, and will you be able to get it in a new Mustang, or at the very least as a crate engine? Ford Performance answered the second question by adding a crate engine to the parts catalog. Now, thanks to the “Megazilla”, it seems they’re working on the power bit as well.
As the largest displacement V8 engine Ford currently builds, you’d expect engineers in a similar direction to Mopar, and develop more powerful variants as time goes on. After all, beyond the 717 horsepower, 6.2-liter Hellcrate V8, you can buy a 1,000 horsepower ‘Hellephant’ 7.0-liter — both of which come with superchargers bolted on top. Tuners rejoice, then, as Ford Performance’s Mike Goodwin announces that the Blue Oval is indeed working on a more powerful ‘Megazilla’ engine in the video below.
Will it have forced induction?
For performance nuts out there, the Megazilla is welcome news. That said, details are scarce at the moment as its a “secret” project. Will the old-school pushrod V8 see forced induction to push huge power and torque figures? The engine does use a cast iron block (with aluminum cylinder heads and composite manifold). From what we’ve seen so far from tuners, there’s definitely room to push since the engine uses a versatile design. Ford Performance offers a control pack, so it’s possible to put the 445 cubic inch V8 in pretty much whatever you wanted.
At first, this engine will remain available with a 10-speed automatic transmission. However, Ford Performance is looking into making the crate motor mate up to a manual, as well.
700 horsepower is well within the realm of possibility, as folks like 5 Star Tuning have shown. Even when the Megazilla does hit the scene, you can bet tuners will push it even further to its limits. That will definitely be fun to see — what sort of project would you put this engine in? Let us know in the comments!