Hey guys, I usually hang out on the '48 to '60 part of the forum since I have a '56 F100. But I need some help with my daily driver. I have a '94 F150 with a 351W in it. It has 225,000 miles on it. It runs "ok" but is no powerhouse by no means. I have a 351W that I had built by a machine shop a few years ago for another project that I was considering putting in it. It is a 1978 model engine from a van. I know I'd have to change the oilpan and pickup tube and timing cover with water pump and also the intake but my main concern is if the cam that's in it would be be too big and freak out the EFI computer stuff? I also want to remove the rest of the catalytic convertors from the "Y" pipe in the front. I think they may be "clogged" up? The cam specs for the engine are as follows:

advertised duration 270 @.50 lift intake 204

advertised duration 280 @.50 lift exhaust 214

Valve lift intake is .448 and exhaust is .472 The lobe separation is 112

I have a grind number on the card that says 11032. I'm not sure what brand this cam is but I know for sure its a flat tappet cam and not roller. I know I'd have to run zinc additive in the oil and break it in properly. Thanks in advance for any help

 

What heads are on this motor? Hopefully not the stock '78 boat anchors otherwise I'm afraid this is going to be a downgrade in power from the '94 roller motor.

That looks like a flat tappet grind to me.. going by how short the 0.050" duration is compared to seat to seat. In general MAP based EFI wants to see intake duration at no more than 210 deg@ 0.050" and no less than 114deg LSA, but you're well below on duration so the LSA will probably be OK. And by "OK" I mean it'll run fine but idle may be a little noticable and it likely won't pass an emissions sniffer test.

 

Thanks dude. The heads are stock ones but had a lot of porting done to them by the machinist and valves and springs installed to match the cam. He said that the engine would be around 350 hp. I'm not sure it has never been started or dynoed I'm not sure the '94 has a roller cam? I've been told it could be either way being a '94? I sure appreciate all your help. I do have a card on the cam and it has more specs on it but I'm ignorant of what they all mean. It has timing specs and valve overlap and stuff on it. Thanks for your time.

 

350hp is possible from a stock Ford head but not without a hugh amount of experience with Ford heads on the grinders part and access to a flowbench to verify the work. That is the tippy top of what is possible with the best of production Ford heads(late model GT40s) and not at all likely with a run of the mill smog(8.3:1 CR) era head. A good porting job on these heads should yield potential for a solid 300hp but it's overly optimistic to expect more than that IMO.

Unless your '94 is actually a late '93 it will have a roller cam, if the block casting number starts with F4TE it's a roller and the cam is a pretty good RV grind that only needs a little more lift via 1.7 rockers to be a very good RV grind. The late model heads also have smaller combustion chambers and better ports so this is a native 9:1 motor with easy potential to break 300hp with a backyard porting job and a cam with a little more duration, but even as it stands the addition of longtube headers and a single 2.5" exhaust system makes this an outstanding truck powerplant with impressive grunt for a small block. The stock exhaust system and in particular the front of it(manifolds, Y-pipe, cats) are a hugh bottleneck on the 1/2 ton trucks in particular.

 

Thanks a lot for the help. The machinist may have said 300 HP and I got in my head 350 HP, but I know for sure its a '78 engine with all original parts to the block. My '94 is a late '94 and has some goofy stuff that is on this mid to late year for sure. I have a set of lightning headers I was going to put on it and do away with the factory "Y" pipe/convertor and just make a set of duals for it. The main thing is that the front intake bolt is broke off and the intake leaks a little bit and the rear main is also leaking. I was going to have to remove the engine to replace the rear main and considering just putting in the other one BUT after your advice I may just fix the leaks and such. I have been told if it is a roller cam that a Mustang cam something 303 was the way to go?? As I said it runs smooth but just don't have as much power as I think it should have. I wish they would have ordered it with a 460 if that's possible from the factory. I think the mileage would be about the same?? It gets around 9 to 10 MPG's 12.5 at times. Anyway, what do you think about the Mustang cam and the factory lightning headers?? Maybe a set of K&N breathers directly on the throttlebody assembly? Thanks for all your help dude. You rock

 

Noooooooooooooo.. those alphabet cams are 30yr old technology and completely wrong for a truck.. besides the fact they're not compatible with the EFI system.

460 was not an option in a 1/2 ton sorry.

Replace the exhaust but don't use shorties or any factory "header"... those things are no better than the cast iron logs, get Pacesetter longtubes and add whatever you like behind it just don't use anything bigger than 2.5" pipe for the single or 2.25" if you go duals. Skip the K$N hot air intake thing too.. it won't help performance.

The other things you should do is check fuel pressure and for codes and fix any problems that they present, and then do a tunup with high output ignition parts(coil, wires, copper plugs gaped appropriately), and then get a timing light on it and advance the timing couple degrees from stock which is 10deg BTDC with the spout plug removed to disable computer advance. You should have 38-45psi fuel pressure at the fuel rail with a few primes of the pump(engine not started) and it should hold that pressure and not bleed off any amount you can see in a short period of time, it may lose pressure overnight but that's not a problem.

9-10mpg form this thing is horrible, either you only use the truck for 1 or 2 mile jaunts into town or the truck has serious problems, it should get 12-13 city and mid to high teens strictly highway at 65-70mph, and it should have no problem chirping the tires from a dead stop.

 

Well it looks like Conanski has this thread completely covered. I'll just let you be. Lol

 

Dude, you're right on the money!! I had only driven for 2 and 3 miles at a time to take my daughter to school when I got 9MPG's and I get 12 to 13 from here to town which is around 20 miles round trip. The short trips were letting it warm up and all in the winter. Thanks so much for all your help. The one reason I had said that about the 460 was my neighbor has a E150 with a 460 in it but it needs the trans rebuilt. I could get the whole drivetrain and wiring from him to put it in this truck. I would have pretty much everything I'd need I think?

But I may just change the rocker arms out to the 1.7 ones and put some long tube headers on this thing. I just recently found out that the "Y" pipe was actually a cat convertor. We don't have any kind of testing in my state or in my area at all. So that would not be a problem. Would you recommend a cam change? Or not?? I know where some of my power is lost the guy I got it from had put new tires on it and they're a size or so too big. They're 30" tall and the truck has 3.55 gears in it. I know that the lightnings had 4:10's in them and would help the power a lot. In short trips it actually gets better MPG's in overdrive off mode cause it tach's 1500 RPM's at 60 MPH with the overdrive off it tach's 2,000 RPM's at 60MPH. Anyway, the rocker arms and headers would be no big deal. By the way I did a fuel PSI check recently and it sits at 35PSI with just one turn of the key and 30PSI running. I didn't know to cycle the key. It didn't bleed down or off while sitting. Thanks again for all your help. If you have a recipe for more power, please share, I'd love to pick your brain some more.

 

He certainly does. He's the MAN!!

 

Highly unlikely.. the 460 was not a factory option in 1/2 ton trucks so either it's not an E150 or it's not original. What year is the van?

 

Maybe it wasn't a E150 but it is for sure a 460. I think its a '94 model same as my truck. I know it is the really long van cause he hauled the Amish people around in the neighborhood. Anyway, after talking to you, I think I'm goin to do the necessary upgrades to my truck motor. You have a cam suggestion? Thanks again dude.

 

If this is a running around truck don't change the cam just do the exhaust and add 1.7 rockers.

 

Thank you very much. That's exactly what I'll do. I have a buddy with a junkyard and he has a '94 with a set of dual exhaust on it. I'll get it from him and put it on and change the rockers and change the rear main seal and intake gasket and fix the broken bolts. Thanks a bunch dude.