I recently acquired a 76 F150 supercab. i bought it untested and not running from a charity car lot. I finally got a key to it the other day, and cranked it up this morning. it runs amazingly well, other than the carburetor spews gas all over the intake. so i figure i need to rebuild the carburetor and started trying to figure out where to get parts.
while on some parts web page, it didn't offer the 400 V8 as an option in 1976. So i started doing a little plugging around, since the 400 is what i thought i had.
The VIN is F15YKCxxxxx, which, according to some VIN decoder, means it is a 360 V8 2bbl
The sticker on the valve cover says 351M/400 family with displacement of 351 CID (also says conforms to all 1977 year model emissions requirements).
The air cleaner says 400-2v, which is what i had been going by.
The truck had been owned by a single family since new, so i figured minimal things had been done to it. Maybe not. I guess someone could have replaced the valve covers and air cleaner (but why?!? and from 2 different vehicles??)
So what exactly is the difference between these three motors? And can I tell from the outside what I actually have?
more info: 1976 f150 supercab 2wd, trans code G, axle code 14J
thanks in advance,
ray

The more uncertainty I have, the more inclined I am to swap in the 460 from my 77 f150, which i was planning on selling. but i already have a BB ch*vy and i don't think i need to continue to singlehandedly account for 78% of the fuel usage in my small town.

 

the 400 valve covers would not be able to bolt onto a 360, which is from the FE family of engines. Likely what you have is a 1977 Ford, built in late 1976 as a next year's model. Check the vin number sticker for date of manufacture and post back. Generally, if it was made in the last 4-5 months of a production year, it's next year's model sort of deal. Might also be able to do a VIN number search on it. If you could trace back to the original owners, maybe you could even ask them some questions. The 351M/400 engines were considerably narrower than the FE as well.

http://www.mustangandfords.com/techarticles/15999/

http://www.thecarsource.com/shelby/r...an_engine.html

 

The sticker on the inside of the door frame has the date 06/76 on it.
BTW, all signs seem to be 1976 also. No fuel door, emblems on fender rather than cowl,etc. (based upon comparing it to my 77)
If valve covers don't mate up, then how do i tell if the 351 cid on the valve cover sticker is right or if the 400 2v sticker on the air cleaner is right? Is it a difference in the stroke?

 

a fe has 5 valve cover bolts on each can you post a picture of the engine i can tell you right away

 

Looking at the engine, you won't physically be able to tell the difference between the 351m and 400 ( NO M ), but very easily tell it from an FE block, which is physically a much bigger and wider engine.

 

Let me guess.
8 valve cover bolts>

sparkplugs look like this
RH / / / /
LH... \ \ \ \

The only way to figure between the 351M & 400 is to measure the stroke


The 360 plugs would look like this / / \ \

 

The difference between a 351M and a 400 is that the 351M gets 13MPG and the 400 gets 10MPG.

 

Well, from what y'all have described it is definitely a 351 or 400. I'll have to measure the stroke to find out which, I suppose.
I am going to try and contact the owners and see what they can tell me. I believe it was a one family owned truck, so it shouldn't be too hard.
The motor runs out great, even with the carb leaking gas everywhere. It's real clean, no real oil leaks (there's even rust on the oil pan from being dry). I took off the driveshaft to tow it, so i haven't tested the tranny yet, but it looks promising. (If not, I rebuilt the C6 in my 77, so no problem).
The brakes will need a good going over, but that's easy stuff.
So I'll put some 31's on it, and a tow package, swap my push bumper from my 77 before I sell it. I've always wanted a 75-77 supercab, so I finally got it. Now I just got to make it the way I want it. This particular truck is a great starting platform because it looks to have been well cared for both mechanically and body-wise. As I go, I'll try and post pics.
Thanks for the help,
ray

 

Did you to see if there is a small netal tag on the carb ? If there is take the numbers off of it to you parts store, they should be able to get you a rebuild kit .
While you are waiting see if the float is sticking, or check for a damaged needle and seat. I have had the power valve leak, It is on the bottom of the float bowl , if that is what is leaking just make a new gasket and fix it.

 

The 360 or trans probably died and they replaced it with a 351M and trans. The trans is not compatible. I'd bet money the valve cover is right, not the air cleaner. Think about which one is harder to swap. It's common for people to put different air cleaners on for no particular reason other than to look cool. Kinda like trucks that run 44" tires and have a show quality paint job. Why bother with the tires if you can't take it off road? It's just for looks.