fatdan460 said:

never had a 400, just a couple weak as all hell are you sure this is a v8 351miserables.

i'll never say the 400 is junk, but i will say i have never heard anyone who has swapped from a 400 to a 460 say they wish they still had their 400.

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Why would anyone admit it even if it were true?

fatdan460 said:

well, my bronc has a 351, and it isn't staying there. i already had the swap mounts laying around, and i couldn't pass up a $40 460. not trying to be cool, i just like big motors. plus fatdan460 sounds better than fatdan351

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I could think of something appropriate and fitting that would sound better

DNFXDLI said:

I could think of something appropriate and fitting that would sound better

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What would that be? FatDan no rear brakes????

dragogt said:

What would that be? FatDan no rear brakes????

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Aaron...that file has so many potential names that I wouldn't know where to begin...

Lamo...

Sorry Dan I had to....

who needs rear brakes? just a bunch of excess weight :flipoff:

The only place that will pay any money for a 351m-400 in my area is the local scrap yard, and it's by the pound. There is no way a similar built 400 would run with a 460. Just look at the size of the 460 piston. The 400 may keep up with a lot of mods & $ but as it's trying twice as hard and using more fuel to do so. A 460 has effortless power compared to the 400 huffing and puffing with all it's aftermarket expensive parts.

money_pit said:

The only place that will pay any money for a 351m-400 in my area is the local scrap yard, and it's by the pound. There is no way a similar built 400 would run with a 460. Just look at the size of the 460 piston. The 400 may keep up with a lot of mods & $ but as it's trying twice as hard and using more fuel to do so. A 460 has effortless power compared to the 400 huffing and puffing with all it's aftermarket expensive parts.

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i dissagree... im with Ben on this one... the 400 aint far behind in stock form...

take off all of the smogged equipment.. then the 400 aint a bad motor...

the 351M is a bastard child and one of the biggest mistakes Ford ever made on the other hand..

but a 400 with similar money put in it compared to a built up 460, it may not beat it, but itll hold its own. and too... its a lot cool to say you have a built 400 rather than 460...

nflfreak43 said:

i dissagree... im with Ben on this one... the 400 aint far behind in stock form...

take off all of the smogged equipment.. then the 400 aint a bad motor...

the 351M is a bastard child and one of the biggest mistakes Ford ever made on the other hand..

but a 400 with similar money put in it compared to a built up 460, it may not beat it, but itll hold its own. and too... its a lot cool to say you have a built 400 rather than 460...

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You do know a 351M is a destroked 400 right...

Only the crank is changed...

nflfreak43 said:

i dissagree... im with Ben on this one... the 400 aint far behind in stock form...

take off all of the smogged equipment.. then the 400 aint a bad motor...

the 351M is a bastard child and one of the biggest mistakes Ford ever made on the other hand..

but a 400 with similar money put in it compared to a built up 460, it may not beat it, but itll hold its own. and too... its a lot cool to say you have a built 400 rather than 460...

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I agree though I would scratch my head if someone put a 400 in one of our trucks.

money_pit said:

The only place that will pay any money for a 351m-400 in my area is the local scrap yard, and it's by the pound. .

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And that's good for guys like me who realize the potential the 400 has. I've bought 3 400's over the last year and paid $150 for one of them that dropped right in my Bronco. I have another I got for free that I'm using for parts and I got another for free that's a runner, but I have nothing to put it in. So 3 engines for $150...I can't even get a 460 core for less than $250 around here...much less a runner.

money_pit said:

There is no way a similar built 400 would run with a 460. Just look at the size of the 460 piston. .

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If they're putting similar power to the ground, how are they not running with each other?

money_pit said:

The 400 may keep up with a lot of mods & $ but as it's trying twice as hard and using more fuel to do so. A 460 has effortless power compared to the 400 huffing and puffing with all it's aftermarket expensive parts.

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And it's the perpetual misconceptions that make guys think it costs tons of money and you need a ton of mods to make the 400 competitive. The PO paid a shop 3 grand for the engine in Red, figure half of that was labor, so she has 342rwhp and 440ish rwtq for $1500 in parts, not bad IMO. The Bronco I just did a top end rebuild and it ran me $700, but that includes fluids, parts, head job...the whole 9. With the exception of headers, it's similar to other builds I have done and had...so I'm expecting 300hp and 400tq. Less than a grand in parts and a weekend in labor doesn't sound to bad to me either.

I'm also not sure where you get the idea that the 400 will be huffing and puffing, my 400's always do as good of a job as my 460's...and at a lower rpm, no less. And it's been my experience after owning roughly 23 dentsides and 30 Fords in general, that the 460 typically out drinks the 400. Not that it matters when building an engine or driving around a brick.

Keep in mind, the mighty 460 wasn't always smogged and didn't always have power ratings calculated the same way the 400's were. So the numbers are skewed in 460's favor.

Also keep in mind, there were years where the mighty 460 put even less power to the ground than the 400.


Guys seem to like to compare the unsmogged, max hp numbered, fresh 460 against a worn out smogged up 400 and aren't comparing apples to apples. But go ahead and compare one of those 208hp 460's against one of those 210hp 400's, match the mods part for part and dollar for dollar...and see where the numbers are at. Swap out Timing chains, cams, headers, carb/intake, etc...and I will guarantee you, you'll be surprised.




Don't get me wrong, I love the 460 as well, I just think there are a ton of misconceptions that cause guys to dismiss the 400 and miss out on the potential. Flat out, a 400 can be made competitive to a certain extent. Once you start talking more than simple bolt ons and stroker kits, the 460 is a far smarter choice for big power. This topic usually has an entire bias around it. The 400 guys don't wanna be dissed and the 460 guys don't understand the 400...I personally like both engines and just try to spread the truth.

Well said Ben..