Well i believe that i have finally decided on a motor for my truck. I found a 69 fairlane fastback that we are going to buy when we get the money (the guy is holding it for us) Anyway it has a 351c in it. And from the looks of it i believe it has later 4v heads (73' i think) but the intake and exhaust manifolds have different dates on the serial numbers so i dunno. I guess i will find out when i get it home.

Anyway i have some questions that need to be answered. How would i tell if it has had a cam put in it? My dad said he thinks it does from the way it idlees (lumpy idle) but it hasn't been registered for ten years and hasn't been driven for a while and has some stale gas so that could cause the problem, but i dunno. Second is the Weiand XCELerator manifold any good? (its costs $237 in summit for the 4v heads), third would a set of hedman hedders ($120) and A set of March underdrive pullies($190) be worth purchasing? (i have the money) Now these prices are all from summit racing. Thanks for any help.

 

Make sure you put some 4.xx:1 gears in your truck and be prepared to pay $$$ at the fuel pump. A 351C 4V will have a gutless low end.

 

Ford stopped using the "traditional" 351-C 4bbl "closed chamber" heads in 1971. So the '72-74 heads are actually the open chamber design similar to those used in the 351-C 2V all along, but they still have the bigger valves and ports. These are also built to be able to use "regular" and "unleaded" gas, whereas the 1970-71 4bbl required premium. 1973 351-C introduced the EGR and smog pump. Horsepower gradually decreased from 1972-74 in the Clevelands.

If you are going to put a Cleveland mill in your truck, beware. There are a lot of "little" things you will have to bend, twist, and modify to make operational. From my experience, it is a PITA correctly doing a swap from a 351-C to a truck, and it is an ongoing thing because there is so much that changes that you will overlook. Everything from the flywheel to the rear end will need some form of modification or another. And it seems you can never just go out and buy a part that you don't have to fiddle around with.

That's not saying it can't be done, but I've said this before. If I had the choice of having the correct 360 or 390 V-8 in my F-100, I would choose the stock mill over the 351-C. I like the 351-C, don't get me wrong. But you will have a lot more work than meets the eye.

Regarding the Cleveland engines, my recommendations are the '69 Boss 302, any of the '70-71 4bbl variants, then the 70 2bbl (in that order). The 1972 "Boss" 4bbl is another good choice.

 

the swap will be simple. I say this cause the motor is currently hooked to a toploader, which i already have, the flywheel and clutch with the motor are fairly new and will bolt in, the motor has been converted to digital igition (using accell & ford performance parts) so i will take the necessities and swap parts, i will be getting hedders then taking it to the exhaust shop and get them to put side pipes. I am prepared for the work and i am really good at these things and my dad is a certified mechanic with his journey men.(hes pulled a motor in 45min start to finish with only 1 other helping him), Also we have all the accessories for the motor (not to mention a set of bare 71 4v heads). I will change the gears to 3.50s and when we test the car that had the motor it seemed to have lots of low end and that was with gears below 3.00:1s.

But anyway what do you guys think of my mods? can you think of anything else i should do?

 

the only problem i see you having is that no one makes headers for a 4V clevo in an F series truck. using manifolds is not the end of the world, but close. Sanderson makes high quality "shorty" headers that will prolly work, or try L+L Performance in Texas i think? unless your're a welder?

 

If they can make em for the 351m to fit then my guess is that they should be able to make them for the 4v, only diff is really the difference in port size. And if they ever offered headers for rancheros then they should know how to make them for my vehicle.

 

heddman makes a header kit, you buy the parts you need to make your own. or you can have them custom made.

 

Did you look into the price of this kit?

 

there is a bit of difference between the C and M/400 deck height. 9.206 for the C and 10.297, difference of 1.091. this difference will cause M/400 headers to sit approx .770 lower at the collector and .770 closer to the frame and everything else. it's possible that it might not be much problem, but you still have the flanges to change too. not insurmountable, i think there are others on this forum that are using the M/400 headers on C's. the problem with "off the shelf" availability is that the combo was never offered from the factory, so why would any manufacturer produce a product without a market?

 

I have a 400 with 351C-4V heads in my '53. I am using Sanderson Headers made for 351C. The right header goes over the starter, so the starter doesn't see as much heat. Of course my heads are higher than a 351C, because of the additional deck height in the 400.

 

oh yes i have. i never implied a cost. i just gave an answer. it may be what he needs, then again it may be out of his price range.

 

bwt, thi price isnt that bad in the paw catalog. well not whe you are restoring 3 cars at once.

 

i just found a site-
http://www.stans-headers.com/index.htm
they don't list the application but they do list the flanges under "parts" so i bet they can make 'em. not exactly cheap, but from the description they sound pretty heavy duty and worth the cost? polished stainless tri-y's!

 

Remember this is just metal and metal can be bent. What i have been thinking is that is i get a set of hedders meant for a ranchero, then with the help of a mulffer shop they should be able to be massaged into my truck (the tranny is out of a ranchero to). After all i believe that is more room in my 82' then there is in a ranchero.

But anyway, has anyone use the weiland x-celorater intake manifold? I am debating between this manifold and the edlebrock torker (about the same price) but i dunno what one to get. Any input on these manifolds?

 

word is that the weiand 4V excellerator is a dog, and the torker has no low end manners but will run with the right combination of cam, stall and gears. BIG difference in the drop length of tubes from a ranchero/torino(car) header and a truck. i would start from the other direction, a set of headers that fit the chassis and change the flanges to fit the engine. for more feedback on the intakes or whatever... you can try
http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/119419