im the owner of a ford f250 custom i only use for a dd atm and to take to car shows. well i have the stock original 400m for it. i was wondering how badly is the carrier bearing going to affect me adding a bit of performance to this motor gonna do. when i say a bit im only looking to change how it sounds for shows. before i pull the perfectly running motor out to rebuild it and make it sound nice, i wanna find a decent build. im still new to fords being that i was raised on chevy. so a bit of help is needed. i want to rebuild the motor completely stock except headers/heads/carb and intake manifold. then im gonna dual exhaust it. im also new to the military so its fun trying to work around all the bs of the base regulations. the truck will be sitting all winter because im not about to drive it in the snow and cold. so im taking advantage of this time to build a possible 2-3k build of the motor. and tranny if i can fit it in. any help is appreciated. knowing what cams i can put in the heads and such really helps to. i was considering this for starters
http://www.compperformancegroupstore...y_Code=HRCAMSM

i dunno a good set of headers i was going to go with hooker but im just unsure of what to grab.

for intake mani and carb i was planning on this
http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/2171/10002/-1

http://www.jegs.com/i/Edelbrock/350/1406/10002/-1
didnt choose that carb for the hat either
i chose it because i currently have a electric choke. unless someone can enlighten me on why to go to manual choke.
im trying to do most of this to stay all original. but the 400 sounds so sad choked for emmisions. i wanna let it breathe a bit with a bit of sound to it.

and for a rebuild kit can anyone recommend me something or is my local napa quite alright for that.

any advice is great. as i said im new to ford and this will be my first engine overhaul by myself. ive watched a 283 get rebuilt and that was little bit here and a little bit there.

 

Rebuilding a 400 to stock specs...just burn the truck.

Add compression, and a cam that isn't round, and a timing set that runs the cam "straight up", instead of retarded as the post '72 (?) cams run.

Heads--stock heads sometimes crack. Reworking stock heads can be expensive and the incremental cost of aftermarket heads may not be that much.

Check the info here, and in the 335 forums. Don't rebuild to stock specs, at least not the cam timing and compression, the two power killers in most 400s.

http://www.tmeyerinc.com/400Ford.htm

 

you post excellent information man i thank you for that and when u helped me on my transmission by the way. but you are speaking another language to me now. about the heads. ive never built heads in my life.

EDIT: and is this build here going to cost around 3000? thats what im really limited to. to be honest =/ if i have to though ill just rebuild the motor and put a 4 barrel carb setup on it.

 

Heads can be sent out to have the valve surface areas refinished ("valves ground") new heat-treated seats installed, guides replaced or knurled, maybe new valves, springs, maybe better seals that require a little machine work, screw-in studs if needed or other rework, depending on the design.

Thus, it can be expensive to get heads done.

Edelbrook sells heads ready to go that flow better than stockers. Not cheap, but back to your stock heads.... You have to get a quote on bringing your stock heads up to a servicable level. If this thing is going north of 3500 rpm, the stock valve springs are suspect. North of 4500 and they must go.

Don't try to work on them yourself. You'll just take an eye out if you try to take those springs off wrong....

 

my truck will probably never see higher then 80mph tbh. i baby it. where are these heads? i may consider them. and just rebuild the lower end myself. what is a good set of headers to go with? and will any of this affect me having a carrier bearing. like ive stated. all i want is a bit more lope that catches the eyes of many when i start it up at shows. have u seen the pics of it at my first car show by the way?

EDIT: do u have aim or msn? if so let me know. my aim is kgkleader for any that wanna just have a straight conversation with me rather then waiting on forum posts.

 

You have to buy a timing set, so buying the (I believe) 1972 spec unit or a similar aftermarket set is just getting the right set--shouldn't add to the cost.

You have to buy pistons, so buying one's that give you 9.5 compression may be a bit more than the 7 something stockers, but it's money well spent.

You can run your old cam but it's... but why would you? A new cam isn't that expensive, and you're looking at an RV type anyway.

So not everything has to be megabux or extra. The basic parts must be chosen correctly, not just what Ford put in there to get by.

 

Check the link I posted, and search around there. I'm going to bed & I don't have those services.

 

my biggest question still stands. will the carrier bearing affect how much hp im possibly gonna put into this thing. depending on the answers i get is depending on what ill do to the motor.

 

Your carrier bearing, if in good condition, anchored properly, and attached to balanced shafts with good u-joints, will handle all a $3000 rebuild can dish out.