400 should i rebuild?
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5th Gear
Joined: Jan 2010
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400 should i rebuild?
Got a 1980 F-250 4X4 Camper special with a 400 in in. Rings are rusted to the cylinders in 3 cylinder. Should i rebuild or, replace with a different motor. Want more horsepower than this motor makes too. Motor is stock except a performer intake manifold.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2020
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You never know about rust, it can really fool you. Sometimes it'll look bad and not hurt anything or vice versa. Has the block ever been bored before? 400's have a ton of potential when built reasonably well; mostly just addressing the compromises that were made to the engine for emissions reasons back long ago. They can run great and make excellent usable torque. Good intake, the right carburetor, headers and a proper camshaft and you'll be there.
Thread Starter
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5th Gear
Joined: Jan 2010
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
You never know about rust, it can really fool you. Sometimes it'll look bad and not hurt anything or vice versa. Has the block ever been bored before? 400's have a ton of potential when built reasonably well; mostly just addressing the compromises that were made to the engine for emissions reasons back long ago. They can run great and make excellent usable torque. Good intake, the right carburetor, headers and a proper camshaft and you'll be there.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2020
Posts: 2,675
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It would be a good idea to measure the bores and check it out. It could have been bored to 4.030 and that might mean that it would be easily possible to hone it to 4.040 and be nice. One thing to remember about rust stains in a cylinder is that often they can go deeper than it would seem. The good thing is that they are not raised and the ring often doesn't even know they exist. Lake Speed Jr had a good video on this where they dyno test one of his dad's old engines with cylinders that looked pretty rusty from sitting for 20 years. Cylinders looked bad, power was the same, very interesting. I used to see this on my monster truck engines with methanol fuel. Sometimes on a teardown there would be a stain in a cylinder or two and it would never hurt anything. It would still be there at the time of the next freshening and only go away when the block was honed for new pistons the next time around.
Cargo Master
Joined: Nov 2009
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From: starship enterprise
I like my 400s after addressing the plastic timing gears, the oil pressure, the low compression, and the slouch cam. Some people hate them, I leave the 2bbl and they run fine, but 4barrel might help.
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