At 6'4" my wing span is enough to grab both sides of the hood and lift off. What I didn't factor in was you can't see crap hugging a hood to set it down safely. I managed, but back and brain says never again.

 

Not me or my hood.

 

Well damn, I sure missed that deadline ... if I meant Fall 2022 ... but then maybe I was thinking Fall 2023? I forgot. I used to enjoy motor work like swapping major parts, heads, intakes, exhaust, etc .... now I enjoy long smooth uneventful drives more. I enjoy some fabricating, but I tend to focus on what I will get some use from. I still find myself sitting on the fence about that 400 in my basement shop because the 351M is just running so well. Maybe, my sub conscience has decided to just run the 351M until it drops?

 

Running > not running

 

I get it too. It dawns on me that if I had not kept the 400, if it wasn't there "in the wings", I would not be even thinking about swapping the 351M out now.

But then I wonder If I had not had the 400 on the stand, would the 351M have blowed up 30 years ago after that bearing deal.

There was a time I was gonna do the 400 complete, but for some reason I stopped after block work and new bearings and pistons and rings, and chose to just keep it static on a stand, covered up.. Initially, the 400 was a still running engine with just a couple burnt valves and it was free. Maybe I just knew inside that I was just gonna keep it on standby?

 

This is what happens when you get a few years on you. X2 on the front clip!

 

I changed the oil and a new filter a few days ago, 15W40 Delo LE, some driving, great oil pressure, running smooth, everything else seems good, I just still think about those bearing shells I swapped in on rods and mains 35K ago.

I just can't shake it, I keep wondering how those bearings look ... I guess because I've carried it in the back of my mind ever since 1992 ... it's like "the sword of Damocles"
I've decided to just do another "roll in" type of bearing swap, new pan gasket, swap in the ARP pump drive, take my time like over two easy days even, and just leave the 351M in there.

It uses no oil, there's no smoking either. Wondering if I might be better off to sell the 400 as is on the stand ... or ... maybe I should keep it as it's not as easy to find as once they were. If I let go of it, I'll no longer dwell on swapping ... but then I may need it one day. It does have new bearings, polished crank, new pistons and rings, cam bearings and core plugs in place. I have a few dollars in work in it, but that's not really so much ... but letting go would settle it upstairs between the ears.

When the 351M lost oil pressure in '92, etc .... I was covered up between my career and still working on my house and stuff, I was busy, but there was a time swapping would have been fun otherwise. It went to Burlington, VT in '94 and brought a motorcycle back (1600 miles in two back to back days), it went to Muscadine, Ala in 2004 pulling a trailer of furniture. It's made trips to West Va, Penn., and to Richmond, Va. for reasons too. Now I have time, but there's been other things that changed. Maybe I just grew lazy? I don't get enthused about swapping engines now. Safe to say that unless it blows up, "the 351M will stay in the '77".