My buddy has a 400M in his 54 ford and it pulls great. Its a pretty stock build with an Edelbrock performer and a 750 holley on top. I do remember the 400's having a couple of different timing pointer locations over the years so you have to make sure the balancer and pointer are correctly paired or put timing tape on the balancer to get your timing correct. BTW his car likes 10-12 degrees.
I run a 400m in my '53 F100 and would highly reccomend you take a second look at keeping yours Bob. Mine runs a performer manifold, 750 Edelbrock (set up on the 'mean' side) I can't recall what the cam is (hairy) and crower springs and retainers.. Stock heads have been tidied up ( nothing radical ) Cam timing has been adjusted also and I have a dirty ol pickup that will pull anything and is surprisingly ecconomical too . I had always believed these engines were a factory lemon but I've been real impressed at how easy they are to 'wake up' . Rod.
Well,mines running like a MO FO now!!!! I still want to dress it up a bit. I'm getting some of those valve covers that HAVI posted.
pleased to hear its running better! Cal Custom made some nice covers for Clevelands (interchangable) B.I.L runs a set on his rpu (pron not the best pic - sorry)
Congrats on chasin' out the gremlins... All the dress up sorta stuff should be the same as a Cleveland, so there's lots of options. I'd start hunting on EBay, they still make plenty of good items, but some of the stuff they quit makin' was pretty cool. <i>Edit: I forgot to mention also that the distributor is shared with the 385 motors, so again, you have quite a selection of those to chose from in the future. They use the same lifters as all the rest of the "modern" OHV Fords ('cept the FEs). You read alot about oiling mods and this and that, but unless you're really winding it out, you'll be OK. I had one C that was pretty much a stock 2V motor with a Weiand X-CELerator split plenum single plane, Bracket Master II cam, and a 650 Edelbrock and it was a really nice runnin' mill and could be shifted at 6k, with no oiling mods. Again, might be helpful if you wanna swap trannys, the 400 uses the same small block flexplate as the 289, 302, 351's, etc. Just make sure it has the right number of teeth, I think all 335 series engines used the 164 tooth flexplate vs. the earlier 157 tooth. I just have a thing for Clevelands, with the right combo you can build one that looks bone-ass stock that will SERIOUSLY haul some ass! Have fun and be ready for lots of confused looks .</i>
Good info in this thread. The Cleveland forum address is http://www.351cleveland.net. That is the Network54.com forum.
What about the point gap? My buddy told me to use a match book,but it wasn't much of an improvement. I plan on changing over to a Petronics Flame-thrower dist soon. Setting the dwell on Fords SUCKS!!!!!!
16 thou should put your right on the money. Seems to be a default for V8 number for a lot of years and motors.
!971 Ford 400 2bbl per 1971 Chiltons; Plugs type BF42, gap .034, point dwell 27 degrees,point gap .021,ignition timing degrees 68,cranking compression pressure 180, I recommend keeping the c6, I have blown a lot of servo pistons on c4's. Cam, .427 / .431, order 15426378, comp 9.5-1, hydraulic, oil pres 50 -70
You're absolutely right about the 400M. They pull like a team of Clydesdales. The only thing I have ever heard bad about them is cooling issues, you just can't keep one cool with a 6 cylinder radiator. Well that's life I guess. I guess there are other engines that are a little higher on my list but I sure wouldn't toss a 400M. That being said by a chebby guy.
Ford probably had a reason for not putting them on anything bigger than a 302, or @ least untill the 351W was choaked down to 302 level HP.
C4s were also installed behind the 351C-2V in intermediates and also behind the 351M (destroked 400) in 1975-later intermediates (Torino, Montego, Elite, Cougar, LTDII etc). The 351M to C4 bell housings are often used for 460s with beefed C4s. You can find them on Ebay. I can tell you that the C4 in an intermediate is a fine trans until you start adding power. In a 1973 Montego MX Fordor it was fine with duals but adding a 194/204 cam, Edepbrock Performer and a Holley 600 and the second gear would give out in a stocker C4. Tried it twice. I swapped in a Toploader. Fixed it!
Classic trucks did a build on a 400M a while back and it made crazy power gains without much more than an aluminum intake and a 4 barrel carb. Once you time them away from the smog specs they really wake up.
The Chilton book I have says 225 HP at 5500, 2bbl, Which is sad, this would have been a killer engine had it been intro'd a few years earlier. It was suffocated. You should be able to get 350 out of one of these with a mild cam intake , headers and a 650 700 carb, and have it reliable.
I have a pair of never installed chrome valve covers around here somewhere,was going to install them on a truck with a 351-M over 20 years ago but never happened.
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