I am quite aware of many threads on the same subject. However I am not a mechanic I find myself lost in different opinions and so many options presented by members i never know the proper direction to take. To make it short I currently have a 351m in my truck it has somewhere between 300,000-400,000 miles on it. It still runs like a top with a minor oil leak. I'm looking to do the rebuild before anything major takes place as i am moving in a year or so and need the truck to be solid for the next X amount of years.

I'm looking to ether rebuild the 351m perhaps with some upgrades to make it better than stock and / or build it into a 400.

I'm a college student that has had this truck since high school I do not want to have to leave my truck behind or sell her not to get sappy here but my first date with my wife years ago was in this truck and our first kiss was against the door long story short this truck means alot to me.

If possible i'd like clear answers on what parts i need preferably links to such parts would be perfect.

I'm not looking to make the 351m into the 500hp 400 build i have seen at this point in my life just prolong my truck and give her new life.

I'm looking for a budget build that preforms better than stock.

Thanks for the read I hope you can help me out.

 

A fresh 351m with a cam made for the low compression will be a much better performer than the stocker.

A 400 with low compression and the better cam, again, better than stock and better than a 351m.

A 400 with decent compression and a mild cam, double the power of the 351m.

I'll see what I can do about links, or you can find plenty here in other threads and you will get more replies.

 

If you can score a used 400 engine that wasn't treated too badly you can have it built while still driving the M.

 

"A 400 with decent compression and a mild cam, double the power of the 351m". In my opinion this is the best option. I did this back the 80s to my f350 400. What a difference! From a performance perspective there isn't much difference between stock 400 and a 351m. Both suffer from low compression and retarded timing. Raise the compression a little (9:1) and change the cam timing and they come to life in big way. Either engine will produce over 300hp easily.

 

There's no good off-the-shelf pistons for a 351M but there is now for a 400 from TMI Inc... also get a 400 crank there... re-use rods and everything else... add a Summit K5200 heavy truck use or K5201 street performance use cam... https://www.tmeyerinc.com