Google comes up with 13726548. I was just hoping to confirm with the experts. Thank you.

 

That's what the Haynes manual says also.

 

Might not be the easiest location to to read it, but ford thoughtfully cast the firing order onto one of the runners of the intake manifold. Of course, many aftermarket intakes don't include this handy "cheat sheet".........

That looks correct, but i don't have a manual in front of me to verify.

 

Thanks for the help!

 

I was about to start working when I noticed something odd. The existing order appears to be 18456273. There are numbers written on the distributor but they don't appear to match either the current setup or what I believe the correct setup is.

I'm thinking I must be wrong about something. I found my Haynes book and looked this up. The cylinders are numbered front to back on the left side 1-4, then front to back on the right 5-8. The distributor spins CCW (It's an HEI but that shouldn't matter). Am I understanding that correctly?

I should also note that when I bought the truck I was told it was a 400 but according to the VIN it's a 5.8/351. According to Haynes that shouldn't matter either.

I have no idea what's going on here. The engine does run albeit a little roughly.

If anyone can help advise a course of action I would really appreciate it.

P.S. Is there an easy way to tell if it's a 351 or 400?

 

No easy way to tell if it's a 351M or 400 by looking at the engine. You would have to measure the stroke or take a look at the crank and pistons to determine if it's a 351M or 400.

However, does the truck still have the CATALYST sticker at the left hand side of the radiator support by the battery? If so, there should be a section at the top left corner that says:

Engine Family: 5.8 / 6.6
Engine Displacement 5.8 (351ci) OR Engine Displacement 6.6 (400ci)

That's not a guarantee that the engine you have is a 351M/400 since engines can be swapped in 30 years.

 

Thank you. Very true regarding the engine swap. That's why I was hoping for some physical difference.

Do you have any thoughts about the firing questions?

 

Give me a second to go find my factory engine manual....

My factory engine shop manual straight from Ford lists the firing order as: 13726548.


You're gonna have to visually look at the engine to make sure it's actually a 351M/400 and not a 460 which is a common swap.

Read this link below. It has some great info on how to visually identify a 351M/400.

http://grantorinosport.org/BubbaF250/parts/pics02.html

 

Thanks, Shaun

 

How many bolts hold the valve covers on your engine? 6 or 8?

 

I hate to say it, but I don't think you can tell the difference between a 351M and a 400 from the outside by casual observation. I say that because the published literature says you can tell by block casting numbers, but that's not correct. The block on the 400 I bought has a casting number that is said to be for the M, although the engine had never been apart and had a stock 400 crank and pistons. And Dad's 351M, which also had never been apart, has a block casting number that doesn't exist in the books.

But, you should be able to put a straw in through the spark plug hole and measure the travel as you slowly rotate the engine with a breaker bar and a 15/16" socket on the crank bolt. A 400 has 4" of travel, and an M has 3.5" of travel - enough that you should be able to tell the difference. But, I believe the truck probably came with a 400 since it is an F250.

 

Actually, this is partially true. You can figure out about four years worth of 335 series engines by the casting number. The 351M didn't come until 1975. So any 335 series engine that is visually not a 351C, and carries a casting number of D0-D4 is not going to be a 351M. It will be a 400.

In addition, any 351M-400 with a casting code of D0 to D5 and D8 will NOT be original to any F-Series pickup. So you know those engines will have come from a car, and have the dipstick in the engine block, and they will not have the reinforced main bearing webs that the truck and 1978+ car blocks have.


However, when it comes to blocks stamped D7TE (Truck) and blocks stamped D5AE and D8AE (Car), it is impossible to identify these blocks as being either a 351M or a 400 since the 351M uses the same block as the 400.

 

Interesting info, Shaun.

Here's Dad's 1981 351M block:




And here's the 400 block from a 70's truck:

 

Yep, both of those blocks are 1977-1982 351M/400 blocks meant for a truck application.

What's interesting about the motor in your dad's truck is that it looks to be a block from the Cleveland Foundry and not the Michigan Casting Center.

 

Sorry for the late reply guys. I had some other, unrelated engine trouble.

Great link! I didn't have a chance to examine everything in the photos but this is what I did find:

• Block Features (front): I have both.
• Web on Block Front: There is a web.
• Crossover Oil Gallery Port: That is there.

After removing a ton of grime I noticed that both "FIRING ORDER 13726548" and "WEILAND" are cast on the top of the block.

The sticker you mentioned in another post says: Engine Family: 5.8M/6.6 "E" EGR/AIP, Engine Displacement: 5.8L

8.

Excellent. I'm going to try that.



I rechecked the current firing order from the previous owner. I was incorrect. It is 13726548. The handwritten numbers on the distributor and wires are wrong and that must have confused me.

Thank you all again for all of your help.