Does Anyone Know If There Are Any Aftermarket Head Gaskets For The 351m/400 That Are Thinner Than Stock And Will Increase My Motors Compression Ratio? If So, Would It Be Worth It On An Otherwise Stock Motor? I Am About To Swap Out The 351m Short Block For A Reman 400 Short Block.

Thanks

 

I would take some off the heads to get what you want. You can only gain so much by using a thinner gasket, plus increase chances of a leak.

 

ROL has a .039" thick gasket but like already said your not gaining much alone.
standard bore gasket going from a .042 to a .039 is less than a 1cc difference. its like shooting a tank with a bb gun

 

There is a company out there that makes a wide range of shim gaskets,(headgaskets .com?), but again that's not the way to go. Decide now before you put it together what you want to do with it. Now is the easiest and cheapest time. A set of Badger pistons would up your cr, but anything you do to it would probably void your warranty if that is a concern.

 

My Truck Is A 78 F100 Flareside. It Has A 351m Miles Unknown, Supposedly Rebuilt 60k Ago. It Blows No Smoke. Perfectly Tuned But Could Use A Little More Power. Headman Headers, Dual Exhaust 2.25 Pipes W/ Catco Cats And Glasspacks. C6 Rebuilt Recently W/ 3.50 Gears In The Rear. I Am Looking For Some More Power (cheep) And Can Get A 400 Short Block For Around $300. I Figured Since It Would Need Head Gaskets Anyway I Would Put In Some Thinner Ones. I Had Another Thread Asking About 351c Cams Before I Came Across The Short Block. Eventually I Will Put A 460 In Her

 

I really think you need to sit back, look through alot of the posts here and consider what you do before buying anything. If your eventual goal is a real good running truck don't mess with half way in between. You say you have a 351m in it now that runs good for a 351m. Then leave that there until you get your desired engine done. Putting a 460 in requires changing quite a bit for the conversion, and adds more weight to the front end further hindering handling. Some companies make kits that have all you need to do it. Then you have the option, a far better one in my opinion and probably everyone else in this forum, to build a 400 that makes all the power you could want. The only thing that limits you is your wallet and knowledge. Your wallet you know and there is enough knowledge in this forum to get you through that part of it. Generally most agree that if you put the money into the 400 that you would into a 460 and the conversion you will come out better in the end with a built 400. Check out some of these.
http://home.earthlink.net/~bubbaf250/index.html
http://www.projectbronco.com/Technic...e_build_up.htm

 

If your dead set on a 460 conversion, there is a forum here that will tell you all you want to hear about the benefits of that swap. On the other hand for the amount of money it takes to secure a 460, let alone to rebuild it, and the added cost and complexity of the conversion, you can build a 400 that will produce all the power you need. Well unless you need a 460 to produce the power levels you desire. It's all up to you, theres plenty of info on these pages to help you in you decision. Try doing a search on 400 build ups. You should get all kinds of oppinions and advice.
Happy motoring.

 

Taskyklair,

What happened to the rest of your 2nd. post?

 

Hmmm. I'm sure I had another link there.

 

it was there. but I don't think it worked. wish I could just make things that don't work dissapear.

 

Try this.
http://www.*********.com/fordmotors.htm

 

I don't think FTE admin will allow that site...

 

Thanks Again Guys


I Am Not Dead Set On The 460, Though I Do Have One In My Garage That Needs Rebuilding. I Also Have The Motor Mounts So The Swap Will Only Cost Me The Price Of The Headers. Let's See How The 400 Small Block Works Out. Thanks Again For All The Great Help, I Will Keep You Posted On What I Decide, And I Will Post Some Pics Of My Truck Soon