This is a highly-modified Ford Godzilla crate engine built by the team at Proformance Unlimited in Florida. It’s capable of over 1,000 bhp with the right pulley combination, and thanks to the rock-solid Godzilla iron block it’s a surprisingly tough engine.
These Godzilla engines have been fitted to everything from hot rods and custom trucks to sleepers and restomods. Each is built by hand to order, and the team at Proformance likes to work with clients directly to tailor each engine to its specific use case.
Above Video: This clip shows the team at Proformance Unlimited running one of their Ford Godzilla crate engine builds on the dyno – it’s worth watching for the sound alone.
History Speedrun: The Ford Godzilla V8
The Ford Godzilla V8 is a modern big-block pushrod engine developed as part of Ford’s Super Duty truck program, later offered as a crate engine for performance and custom applications. Its story begins in the mid-2010s, when Ford engineers were looking to replace the long-running 6.8 liter Triton V10.
The Triton V10 had been reliable in heavy trucks, but it was thirsty, expensive to build, and increasingly out of step with emissions requirements were were becoming ever more strict. Ford’s solution was to return to a simpler architecture – a pushrod V8 that would be designed to prioritize torque, longterm durability, and the most compact packaging possible.
The result of all this was the 7.3 liter Godzilla, introduced in the 2020 Super Duty lineup.
Despite its gargantuan displacement, the Godzilla was designed to fit in the same footprint as Ford’s smaller modular V8s, thanks to a tight bore spacing and compact overall dimensions. The name “Godzilla” came internally from its sheer displacement size compared to Ford’s other engines, and the nickname stuck with enthusiasts.
From the outset, Ford Performance recognized the aftermarket potential and soon released the engine as a crate motor, offering builders the chance to use it in everything from restomod Mustangs to vintage F-Series trucks.
The Godzilla uses a cast-iron block with deep-skirt four-bolt main caps, a forged steel crankshaft, and aluminum cylinder heads with modern port designs. Fuel is delivered by a sequential multi-port system, and it has a variable-displacement oil pump.
These engines are each built by hand, starting with a cast iron 6-bolt main Godzilla block, a forged steel crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods, forged pistons, and a custom-ground hydraulic roller camshaft.
In production form, the 7.3 liter V8 makes 430 bhp at 5,500 rpm and 475 lb ft of torque at 4,000 rpm, tuned for the demands of truck use. As a crate engine, it’s sold complete with coil-on-plug ignition, a rear sump oil pan, and provisions for standalone control systems.
The engine’s aftermarket support has grown rapidly, with companies like Holley developing swap kits, standalone controllers, and intake solutions to address its tall factory intake manifold which is unsuitable for many cars with lower hood lines. Builders quickly discovered the engine’s potential, with naturally aspirated builds surpassing 700 bhp, and boosted (usually supercharged) applications pushing it well beyond 1,000 bhp.
The Godzilla crate engine has proven popular with hot-rodders, truck restorers, and even racing teams, thanks to its balance of affordability, toughness, and adaptability. It’s an unusual, and perhaps unexpected, return to pushrod design in an era dominated by overhead-cam engines, bringing the durability and torque of Ford’s classic big blocks into the modern age – a time when many thought they were gone for good.
The Supercharged 1,000 BHP Ford Godzilla Crate Engine Shown Here
The engine you see here is a highly-customized Ford Godzilla crate engine that features a range of modifications and improvements from the team at Proformance Unlimited based out of Melbourne, Florida. Proformance was founded by Doug Mascaritola in 2002, who had grown up in his family’s machine shop – working on engines since he was just 13 years old.
These engines are each built by hand, starting with a cast iron 6-bolt main Godzilla block, a forged steel crankshaft, H-beam connecting rods, forged pistons, and a custom-ground hydraulic roller camshaft. The rotating assembly is balanced, and it has ported Godzilla cylinder heads with upgraded valves and PAC beehive springs.
It’s topped with a 3.0 liter Whipple supercharger paired with a 132mm drive-by-wire throttle body and Holley fuel system. It’s all controlled by a Holley Terminator X-Max ECU with a full wiring harnesses, sensors, and calibration included.
These engines make 800+ bhp in stock form, but with the right pulley combination will produce well over 1,000 bhp.
The package is sold as a complete assembly with coil packs, injectors, water pump, alternator, and an 8-quart aluminum oil pan, offering buyers a comprehensive engine solution rather than a long-block alone.
Doug notes that these engines make 800+ bhp in stock form, but with the right pulley combination will produce well over 1,000 bhp. They’re now selling them on their website, and on eBay – you can visit the listing here if you’d like to read more or order one for yourself.
Images courtesy of Proformance Unlimited
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
