Big Blue 78 Bronco Ranger XLT




4" lift and 35 BFG's done by previous owner




ineterior redone by previous owner




Factory trac lock, but uck 3.5 gears. She is getting stuffed with 4.11's




froze 400? the previous owner said it was a 351.




351C 2V out of a 72 mach 1 mustang






My summer project. Swapping a 351C into a 78 Bronco Ranger XLT. Here are some pics to start.

 

where are my pics? Never mind let me resize them and start over. K, there is some to start. I'm editing my photos so there is more to come.

 

Fitting headers and oil pan on the 351C checking for clearance.




headmen headers for a 400 ford in a 77 ford f150 4wd








will 4x4 headers clear with a 4x4 oil pan? yes they do. infact they fit the 351C better than the 400. (this all based on observation and tape measuring. We will truly find out when she goes in.)

 

and before someone comment on the bell housings being different, I have a SBF c6 4x4 tranny and a spare 205 sitting in the garage. So the 400 and the c6 is coming out and a 351C and a c6 is going back in.

 

I will post my part plan for the rebuild here in a bit. Pretty simple tho, all alloy top end, nice low rpm camshaft, headers and true dual exhaust. I'm from the big head small cam camp, so think TFS 195 heads and a RV cam. Of course Tims cam bearings and oil mods but right now I'm kinda stuck on either a 72cc head and a 2cc flattop or a 62cc head and a 13cc dish piston. Yeah 1cc is enough to get me to spin my wheels. The 72cc makes sense, if later on I want to throw the heads on say a 400. But 62cc and dish piston (in my mind weither its true or not) looks to have more quench area. (I'm sure there is a question in there somewhere).Anyway I got to run, post more later.

 

Subscribed. Interesting project.

 

im trying to convince my wife we need a bronco to go with our 77 F250, I had 2 and want another,i'll be watching also.

 

Well got a call from the machine shop. The Cleveland block was cracked. Seems to be a recurring theme.... Anyway made a few phone calls and was offered to be sold the 400 that I built back in 03. It's been sitting in a barn since I pulled it years ago. Anyway, new plan. Rebuild a 400 for big blue.

 

as she looks strait from the barn




sitting did no good, but nothing that won't clean up




little oily rust concoction






Look at that beautiful lifter valley, evident is the thickier casting of this particular 72 block.




nice good as they get early 400 heads.




PowerHeads did an awesome assembley of these heads




comp cam 940-16 valve springs




Dearborn iron Foundry Id.




A 75.6CC open chamber stuffed with 2.19 and 1.71 4V valve sizing. These will probably go on a 302, I'm all horned up for a set of TFS powerport 195's for this 400.




running rich?




nice 2V exhaust port




.020 over ertyl/badger flat tops. nice compression, but sitting over .070 in the hole sucks, yet again THAT was the pistons to have at the time and I swore I must of tracked down the last set in America. I have a set of .020 13.3cc dish pistons coming, Ordered from TMeyerInc. Finally a great piston for these engines.




Simple and effective gear drive, not as loud as you would think, well till its stepped on.




Nice solid bottom end, I can't remember if I used ARP bolts. Got Arp bolts ordered none the less.












oil mods and tims cam bearings is what this shot makes me think. Absolutely brilliant solution to the 335's oiling system short comings.




theres an X, want to get in a aurgument on its meening?








cross hatching is still evident in all the cylinders. A little hone and some deck milling for 0 deck will set things right.




these will clean up nice.

 

So, what does the X mean?

 

No one knows the meaning of the X, but there are lots of conflicting theories.

Anyway, that is gonna be a serious 400. Reminds me of another currently being built - although I don't remember where.

 

Yeah the X is rumored to be a high nickel content, but it hasn't been confirmed. Also in the valley its marked with a 400, a 4 with an open dot like on 4V open chamber heads and than an X. Maybe ford was thinking a of a 4V 400. It was late 71 time frame when this block was cast. And compared to a later D5 block, there is a lot of extra material in a few places. Who knows, but she is a beauty of a block.

 

 

im guessing the "X" is just a stamping code of some sort. Or mine has 4 times the nickel content. Mines a 1974 block.

 

no, completely different X. yours are for reinforcement of the that part of the block. you have a V in the lifter valley. Also I've noticed Ford kept taking iron off the block as years past. Let my go get a few more pictures. Maybe explain it better.