I want to put together a 400hp-400tq 351c for my 1979 F100 2wd shortbed and have been researching 351c builds, most I find are high $ max rpm dragstrip builds, I'm not looking to build a race motor but instead just a weekend cruiser so my question is it possible to get those HP/TQ numbers without have to spin a 351c above 6,000rpm without custom parts? My initial build I was gonna use Edelbrock heads/ air gap intake and mild roller cam.
those heads are anything but cheap as $2,600 will get them shipped complete to my door, I can find them bare for about $1,500 but I found a site that sells bare Aussie 2v heads for $575 shipped.
What kind of cost would I be looking at getting parts and machine work done on the Aussie heads as opposed to just buying complete aluminum heads? What would you Cleveland guys use to reach my desired HP/TQ goals? Can I achieve that with the Aussie 2v heads or should I just man up and drop a ridiculous amount of cash the first time and get aluminum heads and be done with? I also want to be able to run pump gas do not want problems with detonation at all! Sorry for the long winded post I just want to make sure my project is headed in the right direction! Thanks!

 

Is there a reason you want to go with a 351C, specifically? Performance parts for a Cleveland are generally oriented around race engines, but if you can build out a 400, those are mostly built by truck guys and will give you the HP and torque you're looking for without having to wind her up above 4000 RPM.

 

I'm intrigued by the 351c and the 79 F100 I bought that originally came with a 302 had a 351c- AOD combo, I was skeptical that it was a 351m/400 but after identifying the transmission and running the intake manifold/exhaust manifold numbers among other identifiers I'm almost certain it is a 351c and not a 1971 400
When I bought the truck my plans were to put the F4TE 351w roller block, scat 393w rotating assembly that I have, slap AFR 205s on it and call it a day but since the truck already has a 351c in it I can't stop thinking about just building a street machine 351c for my truck, I'm not looking to race my truck but to just have a weekend toy I can get in and cruise! I'm leaning towards a somewhat budget build with Aussie 2v heads, eddy intake and roller cam, I want to use pump gas so I got to watch my CR but I don't want a gutless wonder either. I'm might just get frustrated with the 351c build and drop my 393w but I'm trying to do my research on the 351c before I make that decision!

 

When I was planning the 400 for Dad's truck I talked to Tim Meyer extensively. At the time I thought I wanted to run Aussie heads, but he talked me out of it as the cost of the Aussies is very close to aluminum heads, and the aluminum heads flow much better than the Aussies. Plus, you can run pump gas with aluminum at 10.5:1, but 9:5:1 is about all you can run on cast iron with pump gas.

My goal was low-end torque, not high RPM horsepower. In the end I went with Trick Flows @ 10.5:1 from Tim and one of his mild custom roller grind cams since I was after reasonable economy on the road. And I went with a Weiand dual-plane intake and Street Demon 750 CFM carb for good street manners. He recently dyno'd it for me and it put out 384 HP @ 5400 and 494 ft-lbs at 3400.

Doing the math to get a ratio of 351/400, you might get ~335 HP and 435 ft-lbs of torque on a 351C with my approach. Or, you could go with a bit wilder cam and raise the HP at higher RPM, at the expense of low RPM torque.

However, I personally wouldn't do that given the kind of money you'd be talking without having Tim advise you. He knows these engines probably better than anyone in the world and can sell you the right bits to achieve your goal - assuming it is doable. And, he can put it together and dyno it for you.

 

Thanks! I'll contact Tim! My goals are a little unrealistic I don't need that much power for a weekend cruiser and everything I'm reading says just go with aluminum heads and be done with it! I would like 10-10.5cr so aluminum looks to be the way to go

 

Bear in mind that aluminum wicks away some of the heat of combustion so you don't get the full benefit of the 10.5:1 compression ratio. But, the reduced heat is a large part of why you can run that compression ratio and not have detonation.