Folks, I am working on my first Ford Truck. It is an 84 lwb 2wd. It has a 351 v8, Windsor I believe, and had a C5 tranny. What I am wanting to do first is get the engine rebuilt. You see, I have not rebuilt a Ford Engine, seeing as how I was raised in a Bowtie family. So besides having engine questions I have suspension, brakes, body, and transmission questions. I really just need to talk to someone who has gotten into an F150 hard and heavy as far as the customizing goes. Please, any help is appreciated.

 

whats the question. i have done many bronco - f150 work, bith stock as well as custom fabrications.. Kurt

 

I have an 86 f150 that I put a warmed up 351w and 6 speed tranny into. Before that I had a np 435 4-speed in it and it originally came with a 300. I have swapped from column shift to floor shift, basically I have modified the heck out of it, so post questions and I will try to help

 

MadMaxChopper
You come to the right place these people know their stuff! Just post you question and somebody that knows will answer.


Steve.

FTE rocks!

 

All domestic V-8's of that vintage are basically the same. How they differ is in how the parts bolt together, in my experience meaning how many bolts hold the heads, intake, tin, etc. together. Suffice to say if you built 350 Chevys before, you can build a 351W Ford. I've done Olds-Buick-Pontiac-Ford-Chevy-Mopar-Cadillac, believe me when I say if you've seen one old American V-8, you've seen them all. They are all the same basic design.

I would recommend teardown to bare block and heads, take to a competent machine shop, and have the heads-crank-rods-block all shot peened and magged. The shot peen process will leave the castings looking brand new to accept paint. You have to be sure your cores are not cracked before you rebuild.

Have all the parts clearance checked. If you are on a tight budget, re-use any that are within specs. If you can afford it, or they need it, do the following- cut crank on mains/rods, bore and hone block preferably with torque plate, align hone, machine decks flat, mill heads flat, resize all the rods big ends. Have a valve job done with new guides and seals. Re-assemble just like you would a Chevy, using all new bearings-pistons-rings-timing chain-oil pump-etc. parts, and pick a cam that fits your driving style and needs. It would also be wise to put a kit in the carb if so equipped. If the truck is COMPUTER CONTROLLED INJECTION, you should have the system scanned and change any sensors that may be faulty. Also do a fuel pump pressure/volume test to check pump and relay, VERY important to make an injected engine run well.

On a recent 302 Ford rebuild, we did the after-rebuild scan of the computer and found a bad fuel pump relay and throttle position sensor. This was in addition to the engine having a worn out cam, and bearings down to the copper. But if we didn't do the scan, the engine would have run poorly, even though completely rebuilt inside. Keep this in mind. When you have a computer controlled engine, you have TWO systems to deal with- the computerized fuel/spark management, and the basic engine. They both have to be working perfectly, together, for good results. Older engines with basic distributor/coil/carb, are simpler.

 

I am curious how you believe it is a 351w and not a 351m. I thought they quit putting windsors in trucks in the late 70's. There is a difference in the blocks that might hinder you during tranny swaps, new intake, etc., etc. Good Luck

 

well it should be a windsor if it hasn't been converted out. the last year for domestic 351m was 1981 they were used in canada and export models in the 1982 year. the last year of the 400m was 83, but that was only in the heavy line. the modifieds could not be made to meet the new stricter emission standards intriduced in 1983... Kurt

 

I second ShopDog here, Ford did NOT quit using the 351W. In the 80's the 4 barrel carb version was stickered "351-HO" for high output(they're nothing to get excited about though, unfortunately). A much more impressive fuel-injected version of the 351W came out in the 90's in a cute little unit called the F150 "Lightning". Perhaps you've heard of it.
For an excellent rebuild book, I (and a lot of other people) highly recommend "How to Rebuild Your Small Block Ford" by Tom Monroe. Right about the top of my list of technical books of any kind that are both very useful and understandable.