Here is my other thread leading up to this :

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...-on-power.html

I'm now rebuilding the "new" 408 in my truck. It'll take a while as I'm only doing what I can afford at a time.

Decided to say screw it even though my 400 heads were brand new, I picked up a set of Australian 302 cleveland closed chamber 2v heads for my 408 build. Just got them back from the machine shop where they were hot tanked, blasted, surfaced, got a valve job, four new exhaust valves in one head, and machined for dual springs and positive control seals. No springs yet, as the cam will be a custom roller and I don't know what it will need.

Block was hot-tanked and honed, still at .030 over. Still need to do some work of my own to it, then finish cleaning it and paint.

Gotta let the budget replenish before I send the rotating assembly off for new pistons and a balance job.

Now I have a set of leftover open chamber heads with 4,000 miles on them if anyone needs some!

 

I would get the align bore checked in the block. More often than not a 351M-400 block will need to be align honed. I'd also get rid of any 2 piece valves that are left in your heads, looks like some of your exhaust were replaced with stainless ?

 

Thanks, the engine had just been rebuilt 4,000 miles ago by the previous owner, don't know if it was line bored or not, but the bearings all looked great, no scuffing or uneven wear at all so I didn't mess with the crank bores.

Waiting to sell a few more parts and then I can send the crank and rods/pistons off to Tim Meyer to get a set of his Aussie head pistons and a balance job.

 

Try to get the valve with the single groove, one piece. I bought an old pair of aussie head with multi-groove valve, and almost all the exhaust valve were ruine. All the groove were gone! I replace everything with stainless steel valve one piece with single groove.The single groove promote a better grip.

 

All my remaining valves and grooves are fine. I know they aren't as durable as single-groove, but I've never had a problem with them. I'm on a tight budget, so no good parts get replaced.

I've had people a lot smarter than me tell me the 3-groove are fine, unless you turn a lot of RPM or run a solid cam.

Have a few more parts sold and a few to go, then I can box up my rotating assembly and ship it to Tim

 

replace them, i know you are on a budget but its cheap insurance, ive had multi- groove valve fail on me and all multigroove valve or almost all are two piece manganese filled valves, those will break and cause havoc in there...

 

Go with Tim Meyer's " Pantera" grind by comp for a hyd roller cam. Nice lope (108 LSA) and good power without drivability issues.

SPEC CARD
PART #: 32-000-8
ENGINE: FORD 351C-400M

GRIND #: FC 3630 /3632 HR108.0

INT EXH
VALVE ADJUSTMENT HYD HYD
GROSS VALVE LIFT .589 .602

DURATION @ .006
TAPPET LIFT 282 282

VALVE TIMING OPEN CLOSE
@ .050 INT 4 BTDC 32 ABDC
EXH 44 BBDC 0 ATDC

THESE SPECS ARE FOR CAM INST. @ 104.0 CENTERLINE
INT EXH
DURATION @ .050 216.00 224.00
LOBE LIFT .341 .348
LOBE SEPARATION 108.0

SPRINGS REQUIRED
VALVE SPRINGS SPECS FURNISHED WITH SPRINGS


I used Lunati hyd roller lifters and Scorpion roller-rockers.

Tim can set you up with all of that.

 

I've thought about it, what did that dyno in a 400" non-stroker?

I'll search.

Was going to use Buddy Rawls for the cam, but since I'm getting all my parts from Tim, might be just as easy. We'll definitely have a conversation about it. I need to get my crap boxed up and shipped to him.


Starting to wonder if my radiator will cut it or not.

It's the 3-row 19" tall one, not the taller 24" core...

 

$529 worth of Summit goodies on the way, more progress soon!

 

Thanks uncle summit!

 

It's like open a chrismas gift box ! Nice block and heads. I'm doing a slow 408 built too. Fully rebuilt aussie heads with roler rockers and tim pistons for aussie. Almost finish just missing distributor, wire, rotor and sending unit for oil and water. Just need more money to buy parts and then dyno! Let us know if you have issue.

 

Got my 4,000 mile pistons cleaned up like new :






rings installed - hastings with a Moly faced top ring






Comp XE 262 Slathered up with lube (.513"/.520")





Both heads had these stampings ? ? AP* or AR* not sure? Anybody know what that's about?

 

I was looking at your pistons they are 0.010 over. It's a 404.14 now. It's too bad you don't have the zero deck pistons for aussie heads. You won't have the good quench with those pistons. They are 300$. I know you will regret after but it's your choice. By the way the block and heads look perferct! nice job!

 

It does look like a .010 in that last pic, but in real life it is a .030" I promise! I'll try to get a clearer pic using the "Macro" setting.

It's $350 for the Aussie head pistons, plus around $60 to R&R them, and $250-$275-ish for a balance job afterwards. So, knocking on $700 is a closer estimate for the total cost of them.

If I didn't already have new-ish pistons that's costs that you will have anyway so it's a no-brainer. In my case my pistons are barely used, so I wasn't about to fork over $700 for a slightly larger dish and a small quench eyebrow at the top, just not justifiable. No offense to Tim Meyer, and I did use his cam bearings, rings and rod & main bearings which he gave me a really good price on.

 

I hate to tell you this...but I will because I want to save you the hassle.

I would spend the $$$ on Tim's pistons.

I tried a combo like you are working on. I run the Federal Mogul / Sterling 427P pistons (probably identical to what you have) with the Aussie heads, and the deck height was such that I never had decent quench...the build pinged bad the whole time I had it...the lobes at #7 both got wiped out...the engine failed with ~15,000 miles on it.

This time around, I built my own engine, so I know everything is perfect, and I spared no expense. The TMeyer / Keith Black pistons run so much better with these Aussie heads...the power is a lot stronger than before.

Anyway, that's my .02. I respect a budget build, but don't cut corners on the piston / head relationship - they are complementary.