When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Anybody done this before? All of my reasearch says it is a bolt in (is that possible with a Ford?). This thread is not to decide if the 351M is my best choice. I have a 78 f150 that i ended up with (2nd time) with a decent engine with several new parts, rebuilt transmission. The truck is rough, is a driver but frame has been jacked up in the past so not going to invest time in it. I have a 66 f100 swb with a dead 240. I want to use the 78 body for parts on my 79 f250 project, so i have a good engine/trans with little market value. So does a engine, trans, front suspension/power steering radiator, and steering column swap make sense?
Sure! The 351M is much maligned, but in the small northern Alberta town where I grew up (when these trucks were everywhere), all the guys I knew with 351M/400's would swap over to a 4bbl aluminum intake, holley carb, "RV" type cam, and headers and dual exhaust. The difference from stock was night and day !! These days, it may take a bit bit of searching but an Edelbrock Performer dual plane intake should be had for pennies on the dollar vs what they cost back in the day.
Better off to swap in a 300. Horse trade the 351m to someone who needs one.
You need a bell or auto trans fo fit the 351m as the 300 bell is different.
Powerwise stock, you might as well have the 300.
jmo.....
I like the 300, but i have the whole truck, engine, trans, everything, the 78 was a daily driver. I really am not wanting to run down everything right now, and want a few of the body pieces for my other project.
All that stuff should bolt in as long as you use the transmission on the M. There are some slight differences that may require some modifications. The first is the spring towers if you look at the 78 you will see an indentation on the corner where the PS sector bolts to the frame. Your 66 probably doesn't have that. If not take a torch and a BFH and make one. If not he PS sector may hit the spring tower before it comes tight against the frame. Use the 78 radius arms with 66 bushings. Reason being those arms will accept an anti sway bar. If you are a lucky boy the 78 has one, if not you may be able to get the parts from a scrap yard if you want to have one. There are a bunch of parts to swap most are obvious but if you are going to use the 78 booster you will have to do some modifications to the pedal support to use the 78 pedal. What you are taking on is a BIG job, worth it but it's going to take a lot of time and effort. You also need to make the center cross member removable. Don't know about the radiator, it probably won't fit.
My parts truck unfortunately does not have a sway bar or power brakes. Thanks for the heads up about the ps, have not heard that. Just looking at it, i think the radiator will fit. I have already drilled the rivets in the transmission crossmember. I have did these kind of projects in the past. Several engine swaps, transmission swaps, put a 455 olds in a 73 chevy pickup. Swapped front steering & brakes from a 71 gmc into my 64 chevy pickup. I am getting too old to be real interested in doing this, but i am going to have all of the parts on hand. I plan on doing this in stages. Figure i will start with engine/trans, then go to brakes, then power steering. Learned from the past if you get too much scattered out at once its hard to get it back together. With a full time job, house 3 acre yard, wife and keeping a rig on the road for my 19 year old son plus taking care of elderly parents/inlaws, my 64 chevy and a little deer hunting, time is a premium around here.
I understand. Don' let a bunch of wrenching get in the way of a good hunt. Turkey season opened today and I'm so down in the back I can't get out in the woods. There have been 8 or 10 hanging around my shop for a week or so, but they will never show up again while the season is open.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalytic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
