Is it possible that my 10/77 F250 4x4 is a tall boy?

[Fellro]

Doesn't mean somone couldn't have swapped the body onto an older frame. However, from the OP's comments, I believe it is a simple misunderstanding of what a divorced case and a married case is.

The small shaft and knuckle is indeed a PTO.

 

[fatheroftwo]

yep, mine is not divorced.

I guess I wish it was a "high boy" but it still sits higher than my 2wd '73 F250 by a lot.

I have got to get it running, I want to drive it. It has been sitting for years.
I have an H.E.I. dist on order for it and will go from there.

Then I'll decide what to do engine wise. I understand the 400 is a POS from the get go. It may get a 390 or 428 swap.

thanks for all of the comments.

 

[DNFXDLI]

400 is not a POS at all....suffered from Ford trying to comply with EPA crap without building a new engine.

It will respond nicely to the regular mods....intake, carb, exhaust, cam etc.

Here is a link for some good reading:

http://www.tmeyerinc.com/category-s/1889.htm

 

[Fellro]

The 400 has its issues, but so does the FE. There have been some pretty powerful builds done on the 400.

If you insist on swapping it though, you will find it easier to go to a 460 over the FE, as the trans will bolt. Also, good luck finding a 428... 360 and 390 are more plentiful, but you will find just about as many people cuss the 360 as do the 351M/400...

 

[fatheroftwo]

360 is not an option.

my 73 has a 360 in it, I put a 4bbl on it and it runs well with only 70K miles on it, but for the fuel consumption, I could have a lot more hp. I thought of a 429/460 but the last 460 I had was in a 95 f250 crew cab 4x4 and it might have gotten 7 mpg. I do like big engines.

It all depends on the condition of the 400. I'd rather beef it up, but if the engine has to come out, we're doing a swap.

 

[DNFXDLI]

Did you read that article?

 

[fatheroftwo]

yes.

sounds like a lot of effort to block oil passages and such. I do like the 429/460 though. I had a 429 thunderjet in a '69 T'bird, it would really move that 4600 lb car. It was slightly built up, with 11/1 forged pistons and a mild cam.

 

[DNFXDLI]

Blocking that passage is easy.

My point is that you wind up with good sized engine.....long stroke....lots of torque and lightweight.

.030 over 400 is 408....you are getting close to a 429.

The 351M/400 get a bad rep from people not in the know...I'm not trying to talk you out of a 460 swap at all....just want you to have good info to make an informed decision.

 

[fatheroftwo]

I'd love to be able to keep the 400,

But I figure if I have to pull the engine, I might as well go whole hog.

I will do some shopping around for an engine to buy, but I have no tools or place to build my own engine. I really do appreciate all of the info, it makes it easier to make a good decision.

 

[Fellro]

There is some fairly simple to do things that will wake up the 400 though. To meet emissions, they retarded the timing a bit on the cam. If you advance it about 3 degrees, it helps a lot, along with a few other things that really aren't that bad to do.

 

[Big Jim F150]

Stick with the 351M / 400 engines , they're good engines and there is a whole slew of easy things that you can do for starters a good tune up, a K&N performance air filter, a new fuel filter. Those things I have done on my 78 f-150 Ranger Lariat, for it already had an Edelbeock intake manifold, Holley 4 barrel carburetor, GM style HEI distributor, and dual exhaust. The MSD ignitions are good. I'm also running 8MM ACCEL spark plug wires with Motorcraft spark plugs. So the 351M / 400 engines are NOT boat anchors but good power monsters without the weight and bulk of the 429 / 460 engines. Hopefully you find this helpful in your engine choice.

 

[DNFXDLI]

Whichever route you go, let us know!