When Ford introduced the Coyote engine, they made sure it was capable of handling boost. As dedicated racers, we extensively tested Ford’s Coyote capabilities, and the performance marker quickly soared into the four-digit realm with forced induction. With modern ECUs and components, making power became more accessible, swiftly establishing the Coyote engine’s notoriety in various racing circles, as one of the most formidable late-model engines. 

However, aluminum tends to flex under extreme pressure. In a bid to minimize this flexing, Ford Performance developed an iron Coyote block, unveiling it to the world at the 2019 PRI Show. Codenamed the Werewolf, the block was slated for release in early 2020. Unfortunately, the pandemic struck, and the Iron Coyote found itself confined to the Dearborn facility, patiently awaiting its time to shine again. That time has arrived with the block being available for purchase through Ford Performance Parts. 

Iron Coyote: Purpose Built

The Iron Coyote represents more than just an innovative solution to keep the modern 5.0-liter block on the shelf. As Mike Goodwin, Product Manager of Engines And Drivetrain at Ford Performance Parts, explains, “This is our homage to all-out Coyote race builds, designed for big boost and substantial horsepower figures.”

“We transformed the 5.2-liter block into an iron block specifically tailored for high-horsepower boosted applications,” says Goodwin. This revelation shouldn’t be surprising, given that the original 5.2-liter powerplant, producing 760 horsepower from the factory, has long been the preferred choice for constructing a brute Coyote engine. The design elements of the Iron Coyote, including the coolant passages, head stud size, accessory mounts, and six-bolt main cap arrangement, are all derived from the architecture of the 5.2-liter engine. The engine also readily accepts any Gen-1, Gen-2, or Gen-3 Coyote cylinder heads or 5.2-liter Predator cylinder heads. 

Meat On the Bone

The Iron Coyote is far from a strung-out race engine with little room for bore increase. “The block comes finished with a 92mm bore from Ford Performance, but can go up to a 95mm max bore and 99mm max stroke,” Goodwin explains. “You can get over 5.6 liters of displacement.” 

We couldn’t be more proud of how this block turned out. -Mike Goodwin, Product Manager, Engines, and Drivetrain at Ford Performance

Understanding that racers often desire to customize their race builds, Ford intentionally designed this block with additional machining flexibility. “We recognize that a full race preparation involves removing casting flash and rounding the edges, but the Iron Coyote retains plenty of stock material to facilitate those modifications,” Goodwin explains.

The Building Block To Perfection

The block, assembled at the Advanced Manufacturing Center in Dearborn, Michigan, hasn’t encountered any specified horsepower limits. Nevertheless, achieving 1,700 horsepower should pose no challenge. If you’re keen on constructing a Coyote engine capable of reliably handling substantial power levels, then the Iron Coyote stands as the perfect foundation for such a build. You can anticipate investing around $5,300 to acquire the only available Iron-based Coyote block currently on the market.