So here's another Q... I'm looking in to getting a custom 400 from Tuff Dawg Engines... Anyone have any experiance with this company and there engines and what are the Pro's and Con's of a well built Ford 400??? This is the engine that I want in my truck because of the stock stroke and lighter weight than a big block, am I wrong for assuming that this is the case for these engines???

 

Im sure your going to get all kinds of opinions on this. But anyway here is mine..... bore it 30 over, have a little work done to the heads, find a camshaft and timing chain set of your choice, four barrel intake and carb, and you will have a good stout/torqey engine on your hands. To make sure you have good oil pressure make sure you get the main bearing clearance and rod bearing clearance exactly right along with a good brand oil pump.

 

I had one in my 78 f150 4x4 3.50 gears and 35 inch tires. The 400 had an edelbrock intake and carb also headers and dual exhaust. I was keeping up with the boys running 460s. The 400 is a good engine. Only draw back that I found was not much aftermarket support and they have thin wall casting but are a lighter weight engine. I loved my 400 until I got my 390 I was never a fan of the 460. Don't know if this helps you but I always liked the looks of a cleavland family engines under a hood.

 

Let me start by saying there is no replacement for displacement. That being said, try to find the archived link of Bubba's MBlock, aloooooooot of good information on there. I do really like the 400 and wouldn't consider going 460 until we started talking strokers. The stigma of the 460 being this almighty engine is fairly untrue. Most folks like comparing unsmogged 460's vs, the smogged down 400. But in reality, if you compare apples to apples, the 400 has about 90% of the hp and tq as a 460 does, but the 400 does it at lower rpm...which is what I thought trucks were all about, power lower in the power band. Then you always hear the complaint that it's hard to find parts for the 400, that's bull as well. There are plenty of blocks out there, there are plenty of stroker kits out there (TMI, Barnett High Performance, Tuff Dawg, etc.). And go ahead and open any summit or JEG's, there are just as many 351C/351M/400 parts as there are for 460's. So IMO, unless you're going stroker, there's no need to replace the 400, you can get roughly the same numbers for roughly the same amount of money. I've got a couple 400's that I've dropped $2k on parts and rebuilt them myself and they're all right around 325hp at the engine...with no head work. That is one thing I'd suggest, is head work, because the heads are definitely a limiting factor, but if you're buying a crate motor it doesn't really matter. Lastly, don't be fooled about the weight advantage of a 400 over a 460, both fully dressed, there's only about a 75lb difference. Not to mention, John Kaase has won the last couple Engine Masters with the Ford 400 and other teams have placed in the top 3 consistently.

 

Thx for confirming my beliefs about the 400... You dont hear many people talking about this engine so I was just curious about why it is pretty much a forgotten engine. They do have there own issues, but no engine, (in my eyes) is %100 perfect. I am planning on putting a Holley 670cfm Truck Avenger on it... Any thoughts on that??? I know most people put Edelbrocks on there engine but I think Edelbrocks are a bit overrated...

 

Yeah man...no problem. Sure, the 351M/400 is a dog in stock smogged form, but once de-smogged...add a carb/intake, headers and a cam kit and you have a very capable engine. Then if you get any headwork done, that much better.


As for carbs, I won't knock Edelbrock stuff, but the guys that swear by Eddy carbs because they're so much easier to work with and Holley's are crap don't know their butt from fat meat and should probably stay away from a carb. A carb is a carb is a carb (basically), sure everyone will have their preferences, but it's just a name. That being said, Holley does wet flow test their carbs, so the advertised cfm rating is what your getting, while Edelbrock does not...hence the reason some guys say the Holley is more of a 'performance' carb. As for carb choice, if it's an offroad rig, I like the Truck Avenger series, if it's a mall crawler, I like the street avenger series. The 400 won't need a carb any bigger than 670cfm, and I like electric chokes and vacuum secondaries.

 

you should by my engine. i dont even drive my truck anymore.

 

Don't get me wrong... I aint knockin edelbrock stuff niether but when ever someone says edelbrock, panties get wet... If it works the way you want it then go with it... thx for the input guys...

 

I'm game, when can I expect delivery...hahaha.

Agreed, if it gets you home, that's all that matters.

 

I've heard about problems running 400's at higher RPMs due to the oil system - they lubricate the top end well but when revved up the bearings down low go a little dry. The solution was to get the super deep oil filter and keep the oil a quart above full on the stick. I've seen plenty of 400hp+ 400ci's that all did just that and didn't have problems. they are good engines.

 

My first truck was a 69 ford swb with a 351m and a 3 on the tree setup. It was primer red. I bought it that way and it was different for sure. After destroying tires and one clutch with the stock engine I decided to slow down and put productive time in to it. My friends mopar grandpa told me to ditch the anchor weight and get a 460. Well, I was very disheartened and went to my dad. He had a mechanic shop and rejetted the carburetor and set the timing. He also said to get some decent mufflers. That engine came alive! It pulled very hard at a low rpm until the valves would float. I really would like one now and I have a 460 in my truck that isn't stock. Back then there weren't many options for them. When I finally got rid of the truck the next guy pulled the engine and found out it had a bad valve! That engine got spun really high because at first I had no tach and it never burned oil or had any internal problems. I guess it has something to do with the stroke 'cause it pulled great and didn't use a lot of gas. I love constant low rpm pulling power. Plus on the street the responsiveness is nice too.

 

Here's the oiling fix:

Oiling tech - Clevelands Forever!

However, it doesn't really seem to matter until you hit 6k, and I don't know very many 400's that go much more than 5k.


4" stroke by 4" bore...can't get much better than that.

 

Always check the better business breau before buying, see in they have had any complaints. Have you check with TMI for any prices on his stuff ?