The "Ford in a Ford" finally got to me; decided to deep six the GM350 in favor of a 351M in my '54. Found a freshly pulled (rebuilt) engine from an '82 F-250 with 35,000 for $250. Be interested in hearing from anyone who's done this: what's worked for you, what NOT to do, what engine mods were done, that sort of thing. Could use some advice on which automatic (C4 or C6?) best fits. As always, thanks for taking the time to respond.

 

Is this a rear sump oil pan?

 

My honest opinion? Well, I've had a 55 F-100 with a Ford 289/3sdpOD; a 56 F-100 with a 351C and a C-4; and a 51 F-1 with a 390PI and a C6.

The 289 was a great power train - great mileage, fair power, easy to work on and lots of available parts. The 390 has been a little tough to find parts for, has required special exhaust, negated use of an IFS, the C6 required quite a bit of frame mod, and it gets lousy mileage (up to 14 -15 now) - but it is powerful and a fantastic drive train from a performance standpoint.

The 351C - which is the early variant of the 351M was a complete dog. It didn't pull the 56 any better than the 289, took up a lot of space, was heavy, and just an all around nothing. I had a Camaro with a 350 in it. My honest opinion is if you want to take th e350 out and put in a Ford motor you should invest in a 351 Windsor. It's a small block, lighter, (so your exhaust etc will fit better) parts are plentiful, and the performance is BETTER than the 351M. For transmissions I would install an AOD.

If it were me I would NEVER replace a working Chevy 350 motor for a 351 Cleveland or Michigan Motor--- Sorry, but YUCK!

 

I, for one, commend You Sir.Building a Ford 351M, 400, or Cleveland Motor

 

I am pulling a buick 3.8 out of my 51 and replacing it with a 5.0 EFI setup by FAST along with a c4 transmission. I would prefer a 351w over a 351M just because of the performance value and the ease of getting parts. I keep thinking 351w but the 5.0 is going to serve me better for a driver.....

 

No matter what ever engine you choose
i am glad to see you put a ford in a ford
how about a 5.0 ?

 

Yes Ford in a Ford is what made me crack...... I have 71 Chevy fleetside and I am selling it because I got the 51...

 

Talk about a good twist, I got a buddy thats kind of been into doing up 67-70s C10s,
and he does them up respectable looking for resale BUT they all got 302 + C6s.
On the for sale sign "NOW I RUN"

 

That's hilarious. But I gotta ask, does he have much trouble selling them? I've always found Cheby people to be a lot less tolerant about that kind of thing in their cars and trucks.

For me, I always wanted to go to a Camaro Nationals with a 69 Pace car, equipped with a 352 under the hood, just to spite 'em.

 

There's nothing wrong with the 351M, aside perhaps, from it's power to weight ratio. You can have the same performance 100 pounds lighter with the 351W, or you can have a lot more in the same package, installing the 400 crank and internals. (Both engines share the same 4" bore) But you have what you have, and $250 for a good running engine is a good deal. You can always upgrade later, if you get the bug. Tuning, and especially distributor advance curving is critical in making that family of engines run well.

If you can get the trans from the same truck, (assuming it's an automatic, and not a 4x4) that would save a lot of work. I've never seen a C4 with the big block-style bellhousing, so your choices of transmission may be limited. The E4OD automatic overdrive trans may be a good option for you. Fortunately, there's a lot of room in a '54, so you shouldn't have too much trouble making your drivetrain combo, whatever you choose, fit just fine.

Congrats on your decision to go 'All Ford!' ;-)

 

I have a 351w and C6 in my 54 panel.Am getting about 16 to 17 mpg,it runs great and had no trouble fitting it in.I made my own motor and trans mounts but there are plenty of aftermarket to pick from.Putting a chevy in a ford is sort of like being a cross dresser.

 

I agree with DR SMITH about cross dressing a
ford with a chevy.my 51 wont be cross dressed.

 

A 351M should be a soild reliable powerlant. I would go with a C6. The m might mean modified. Good luck!

 

It might be called "Modified" and it might be called "Michigan," as I stated in Post #3. The motor is commonly called both and most folks accept both terms. The 351M was produced at both the Cleveland foundry and Michigan casting center.

But truth of the matter is it doesn't stand for anything. Ford assigned the "M" designation simply to distinguish the engine from the 351 W (Windsor).

 

Ummmm - now I'm wondering about "Old F1" comment asking if it is a rear sump oil pan. I'll find out tonight when I pick it up. Hope that doesn't present any problems . . . . .

What's the difference between a C4 and a C6?
Will either fit the 351?