The Ford Modular community received some of the best news of the show at the TKM Performance booth. A collaboration with Noonan Race Engineering has produced a new billet Modular block that completely changes the landscape for the 5.4- and 5.8-liter engines. Noonan is legendary for their solid billet race blocks used in Top Alcohol and Pro Mod, but this project focused on something different: a water-jacketed design capable of surviving long street drives. It effectively combines race-winning strength with the cooling capacity needed for a daily driver, something that has been missing from the high-end Modular market.
The engineering team based the design strictly on the factory 5.8-liter Trinity block found in the 2013–2014 GT500. This ensures that all OEM components, from the oil pan to the timing cover and cylinder heads, bolt right up without custom fabrication. However, the material strength is in a different league entirely. Billet construction eliminates the bore distortion and cracking issues that plague stock castings at high power levels. John Boy of TKM noted that the only functional modification required is a spacer for the windage tray due to the robust, taller main caps. This added material in the main webbing is exactly what you need to keep the crankshaft happy at high-RPM.
Building a four-digit horsepower Modular engine used to mean rolling the dice on a seasoned factory block or dealing with the severe cooling limitations of a dry race block. This billet Modular block eliminates that compromise. It is designed for the enthusiast who wants to drive to the track, run a number that scares people, and drive home with the A/C blasting.
With an initial run of just 10 units priced at $18,500, these are destined for the most serious builds in the country. It preserves the legacy of the Shelby GT500 while opening the door for power numbers that were previously too risky to attempt. John Boy referred to it as “horsepower jewelry,” and looking at the machining quality, it is hard to argue with that description. It is a robust replacement for a platform that deserves to be kept on the road.
