i want to build my 78 f150 into a puller and i want to keep my 400. everyone is saying that this will be a no go for my 35 in tires and 4.56 gears. what do you guys think? i was thinking full rebuild with badger pistons, resurfaced block and heads, cam with 500ish lift, high volume pump, oil cooler and dual remote filters keep in mind this is an auto truck and it will be backed with a c6 with b+m rebuild with shift kit (kit is from summit) how will that be?

 

I think the 400 will do an excellent job if you build it up. I've had 3 of them and used to use them for 4 wheeling all the time and ran them very hard and they all held up well. Besides it would be unique to have a 400 rather than a 460 like everyone else, not to knock the 460, i also have several of them.

 

yeah it would be diferent but how will that combo do?? any input ??

 

What is your deffinition of a puller? I see that as pulling trailers, while someone else might be using it in a "tractor" pull.

 

yeah, that is a good question actually. I would say that it would do quite well. I used to have a 1980 1ton 4x4 with a 400 and 4 speed. 4.10 gears and that thing could pull almost anything. Even my 78 F150 with 400/4speed,3.54 gears and 33'' tires will pull quite well. It will pull a 2500 lb flatbed trailor with a Ford truck F150 on it easy. But like he 53fatfndr asked, are you entering a truck pull or just pulling trailors?

 

well kinda iffy there dont get confused on me. i will be pulling a 24' pontoon and a trailer from time to time. but i would also like to enter it at small truck and tractor pulls county fair or two. maybe a mud bog or two. you guys know how it is. sorry about the confusion.thanks

 

I don't think you will have any problems. I've done plenty of hauling with my stock 400 in my '79 F-350 4x4. I usually haul 3-cords of wood and sometimes the old Farmall-H tractor. You won't have any problems. I would just choose the right cam. The more I hear about the 255 and 265 DEH cams, the more I like the results owners are posting. I will probably go that route for my rebuild in my big truck.

 

You may want to contact Greensubmarine, another user here. He has basically what you are talking about here. You can find him often in the chatroom late at night. I think you are on the right track, but remember that a street driven truck that occasionally does some towing is different than a high rpm truck for all-out power. There is a compromise involved if you want it to be streetable with a trailer behind it.

 

I don't think you will have any problems either if you have a good four barrel, cam, intake, etc.

 

thanks alot guys i will try to contact greensubmarine if i can.

 

any input on the summitt cams?????

 

Sorry to take so long to jump on this thread busted. You will be fine with the 4.56s and 35s. Using a c6 will cause you to rev a little higher at highway speed due to the lack of an overdrive. The big question is, how much highway time? Is this a daily driver? Or is it more of a play truck that you'll use a few weekends to pull the pontoon? I run 42s and 4.88s with a 4 speed (T-18 or 435 depending on which is broken at the time) with a beefy 400; and it does very well for me. It is becoming more and more a purpose built bogger, but I still drive it around town and to the woods (60 miles) with no troubles. I have the Badgers, Aussie heads, an XE 262 cam, Performer intake and a 650 4 bbl. Lots of power through about 5800. After that, she's out of breath; I really wish I had gone bigger. Hope this helps, and if you have any specific questions, just shoot me a pm.

Ernie

 

Thanks for chiming in on this thread, Green.
Busted knuckle, I wanted you to hear Greens story before you chucked the idea. My build will be very similar to what he has engine wise, including the exact same cam. My truck, on the other hand, is identical to yours. I plan to use the 400 with a C-6, and probably 4:56 gears. It should be a good all around combo for the street, as long as you don't plan on alot of high speed highway miles. It should pull like a freight train as well.

 

not really any highway at most 35 miles at 55mpg once a week. thanks green i get ahold of you when i get some more ?s

 

There have been a few guys who have posted here in the past that run summit cams and seem to be pleased with them. If it were my money, I would go with a Comp Cam DEH grind.