more power for a 400

[rickpilgrim]

My good freind Scott brought his 77 F 250 4x4 by my shop (looks bad due to patchwork colored body panel replacement) looking for more power. She's a 4x4, c-6 divorced T-case truck with 4.10's.
I'm thinking a weiand dual plane intake, a holley 600 carb, headman headers with 2 1/2 dual exhaust w/H-pipe and a mild cam with 204 at .050 intake, 214at .050 exhaust 484/510 lift and port match both intake and exhaust.
He's looking for more highway towing power, and the ability to go more than 70 mph top speed. In all fairness his 2bbl carb leaked and had choke issues, had 2" dual exhaust with sharp 90 degree bends in it. Also the vac adv was unhooked and centrifical about locked up so that will be replaced.
Anyway, will these changes give him the extra 60 to 80 hp he wishes or am I headed in the wrong direction?

 

[UNRULEE]

60 to 80?
















































More like 100+ according to what I've read and done to my '79 F250's 400.

Make sure you replace the timing set with a "straight up" one and properly set up the distributor for the new improvements.

 

[DNFXDLI]

 

[rickpilgrim]

Talked to Scott today and told him to get me a reman distributor, as his was shot. I'm wondering how good the rings are, as today we pulled the carb, found puddle of fuel there, and another puddle on the pan under the intake. After more looking I found a crack in the intake floor! On top of this the EGR was stuck open due to carbon, If it was anything but a Ford it wouldn't have run!
Cam is ground 4 degrees advanced so it can go straight up, as he tows with this thing ign timing curve will be close to stock.
I wouldn't doubt the 100 hp thing, as just getting these 2 things fixed plus a good carb will make a huge difference!

 

[rickpilgrim]

Today we pulled the 400 out for a crank kit and oil pump. Scott called and asked if doing the cam would help w/oil psi. When I asked why, he mentioned that about a yr after we put the 400 in he had low,low oil psi when warm at idle. Pulled it out and dropped the pan, all the rod caps are numbered but none in the right order. Pulled the heads, all bolts were coated with silver anti sieze but bores look ok with very minor ridge showing.
So much for the low milage 400 that I helped find for him.

 

[DNFXDLI]

Those kind of surprises suck!

 

[UNRULEE]

Today we pulled the 400 out for a crank kit and oil pump. Scott called and asked if doing the cam would help w/oil psi. When I asked why, he mentioned that about a yr after we put the 400 in he had low,low oil psi when warm at idle. Pulled it out and dropped the pan, all the rod caps are numbered but none in the right order. Pulled the heads, all bolts were coated with silver anti sieze but bores look ok with very minor ridge showing.
So much for the low milage 400 that I helped find for him.

Ouch!!! Someone put a motor together that shouldn't have.

Why number the rod caps if your just going to put them wherever??? It must have been apart and back together before the last idiot was in there.

Never heard of using antisieze on headbolts. I usually plan on leaving them be once they're torqued up.

 

[1985 Ford F-150]

Sure it was antisieze and not liquid teflon?

 

[rickpilgrim]

Got the straight story from the lady he got the car engine from today. She's almost 80, and 3 yrs ago her husband (Diesel HD truck bodyman, retired) took the car apart to "freshen" the engine. While he had it apart for rings and bearings he had a stroke, and his son(papermill maintainence man) put it back together with poor vison and wheelchair bound dad supervising. In the end the local shop got it running for them. Her husband then died and Scott bought the car for 200 bucks 3 months later from the son. The shop that got it going for them was in the local newspaper this spring, shut down for "defrauding" their customers.
Should have talked to her first, I guess but then again before you mod a motor for more power fresh rings, bearings and oil pump are a good idea as Scott will probably hammer it more with the newfound power. And yes, that is anti sieze from the bottom of the threads all the way to the head of the bolt, both on the head bolts and main bearing bolts, even the oil pump and rods had it. At least the machine shop I use only charges $64.00 for resizing 8 rods so I can put them back in where they belong!