looking to change motor in my 78 ford f150. I have a straight 6 now but I'm wanting to upgrade it. i would like to know what you guys think. The truck sets more than it drives so gas mileage is no big deal, but i do haul my boat back and forth to lake and like to pull things with it. I have a camper and stuff to so i need pulling power. I have a bunch of engines to choose from so let me know what would be best. I have couple 302's, 351W(1969 C block), 351C(1971 4V), 351M(1979 stock 2 barrel) and a 460(1971).

All the motors will need rebuilt so it really doesn't matter which i go with. The 351M is currently in my parts truck a 1979 4x4.

 

If the truck is mainly a play truck then go with the 460

 

The 460 i got dont have the good heads its the worst heads to have as far as HP goes. What would be nice is take the 351M/400 and use the 400 block and the the 351C 4V heads and make a 400 with the 4V heads but i'm not sure if man could find a intake for that.

 

you have all those engines laying around and you need our advice on which is best? PME makes adaptors to make intakes work for about every application you might want to check them out.

 

BTW 460 is a LOT cheaper to get good power but in stock form go with cleveland. What year 460?

 

Just Rebuild the 400. A guy on here gets 700+ HP out of his 400.
Plus the 400 is about 120 lbs lighter than the 460.

 

But don't use the 4v heads those have the huge valves they work fine if your gonna be in the higher rpm range and driving fast but just doing low rpm work they wouldn't work very good. here is a nice write up about the 4V heads

http://www.boss351.org/cylhead.htm

 

I too had a 300 six, and swapped in a V-8. I too had kicked around several different engine sizes when I did my swap. I towed a small pop-up camper at the time, so I went with a 351W, which allowed me to use the same bell housing. I noticed alot more power than with the 300, especially on the highway.
I now upgraded to a larger camper (approx. 4000lbs.) that I tow with my truck, and with a load of firewood in the bed, it does pretty good on flat highways, but on the hills I lose power pretty quick. I have 3.50 gears with 33" tires, and I think if I were to get lower gears and smaller tires that I would be fine, but If I had to do it again, I'd go with the 460.

 

Another thing to keep in mind is that the 302, 351W, and 351C share the same bell housing with the 6. The 351M, 400, and the 460 ues a different bell housing pattern. I know that Ford didn't put a smallblock V8 in a 78 4x4 truck so I am not sure how much of a bolt in it is. 351M and 400's were put in from the factory, so mounts and stuff are available. L&L makes all of the stuff to put the 460 in it. Just some other stuff to think about. If you use the larger bell housing engines you will need a different bell housing if you have a 4 speed or C4 or a different tranny if you have a C6.

I have a 400 in my 78 4x4 with a Performer cam and intake, 750 Edelbrock carb, and headers, and it runs great and pulls pretty hard. I swapped from a 300 like you are planning, but I have a 4 speed and got all of the frame mounts from a donor truck and a bell housing from a friend.

Let us know if you have any more questions.

Steve

 

No he doesn't he got rid of that motor several years ago, when the class he pulled in allowed more CID and has stated he would never go back to a 335 series engine, he now runs a 460 based motor at over 900hp and they live longer usually.

you stated it was a 71 460, so that should have DOVE heads on it, and those are definitely not worst heads for power, I might not suggest guys go out and buy them trying to gain power (not worth the cost if you don't already have them on hand) and you have to watch piston choices to keep compression reasonable. Now if you have some other year 460 then post that up, but otherwise you should have a good setup. And if by chance you happen to have D3VE heads those also are a decent head for a street driven 460, and infact are the ones I usually recommend that guys build as easier to keep the compression at a reasonable level for running pump gas.

 

The truck has 4 inch lift with 33" tires and gears are 3:50 or lower im pretty sure. it was the lariat trailer special. Ill prob just put 351W in it. i dont want a hot rod i just want a good stock engine with a 4 barrel carb. Tranny is 4 speed granny. The Cleveland 351 would be great for top end hp but i will mainly need low rpm HP and torque.

as for the 460 its not D0VE heads so it may not be a 71. its either d2ve or d3ve im pretty sure.

 

If it's D2VE, then it's an open chamber design which is extremely prone to detonation and as you noted is the worst head available for a 385 series engine (and would make it a 72 just for reference) the D3VE, was the head designed to replace it and had closed chamber design again thus reducing the problems with detonation.

Honestly if you are not looking for a "hotrod" as you put it, but want an engine with low end torque, your better off rebuilding the 300I6, that motor is a solid engine, and will produce more torque in the low end than a 351W dreams about. I have had several and I will take a straight 6 over a small block V8 everytime for low end towing etc, so unless your looking for a high speed screamer you already have the perfect engine.

 

I use a 460 in my 77. I would go 351W stroked to a 408 if I had it to do again. These are cheaper to build and there are plenty of parts available thanks to the Mustang guys.

 

Does the 351M/400 use same bell housing as the 460? what about flywheel is it the same or would it need to be balanced different?

 

same bellhousing, different flywheel. Balance is different, and I believe the bolt pattern is different but can't remember on that for sure.