400 Project
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Junior User
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 98
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From: Yukon, Oklahoma
400 Project
351M went out in my 77 F150 about 6 months ago and i finally got around to building a new engine for it, the old engine has like 350k on it so i decided to go for a salvage yard engine with less miles, there was an old cougar out there that had a 351M with 72k on it, had them take it out and i brought it home and tore it down, project time and i need some opinions
its torn down to the bare block right now, i vated it and painted it, poped in some new freeze plugs and got a 400 crank
Crane makes a cam with .524"/.519" 272°/284° that im pretty sure i want to put in it, but i havent decided for sure, thats the only thing i have really looked at getting for it
where i can get new pistons? im looking to make 10:1 compression and i dont think stock pistons will work
i need some ideas and opinions
its torn down to the bare block right now, i vated it and painted it, poped in some new freeze plugs and got a 400 crank
Crane makes a cam with .524"/.519" 272°/284° that im pretty sure i want to put in it, but i havent decided for sure, thats the only thing i have really looked at getting for it
where i can get new pistons? im looking to make 10:1 compression and i dont think stock pistons will work
i need some ideas and opinions
Post Fiend
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 5,871
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From: Coutts Canada
For the pistons, first decide how much you are willing to spend, as that can determine a lot of what you will end up with in the end.
That said, tim has come out with some new zero deck flat top pistons that will get you in the 9.5:1 range i think, check out his site for the exact numbers, and also the price ain't bad either.
That said, tim has come out with some new zero deck flat top pistons that will get you in the 9.5:1 range i think, check out his site for the exact numbers, and also the price ain't bad either.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2007
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hmm, so with standard rods its impossibe, why wouldnt they be steatable at 5500 rpm ? on a heavy vehicule maybe but on a light one?
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Postmaster
Joined: Aug 2001
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From: Delaware
Originally Posted by hollenjoe
hmm, so with standard rods its impossibe, why wouldnt they be steatable at 5500 rpm ? on a heavy vehicule maybe but on a light one?
The air flow needed for a 400 cu inch motor at 5500 RPM requires a big carb and high flowing manifold. These do not work well at low RPM, so streetability is reduced.
Cargo Master
Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 2,232
Likes: 3
From: NE Texas
There are some really good responses in this thread.
As said earlier, the 400 is an engine designed for low and midrange torque. Such an engine does NOT make a good high RPM engine. Again, as said before, there is just too much mass slinging around in there to spin at high RPM with reliability.
With something done like heads or pistons to get a good compression ratio, this will make a fun to drive street engine. As when building ANY engine, however, the key is having everything work together. This means that everything should be selected for the same RPM range. In the case of the 400, the only practical RPM range is low and mid. By selecting a dual plane intake(about the only thing available,) a short cam, certainly not to exceed 220 @ .050 at the most, and the 2V heads along with a carb of about 600 CFM, you will have everything working together in the 1,000 or 1,500 up to about 4,500 or 5,000. Trying to spin them much beyond that can be done, but if high RPM horsepower is your desire, you need another, shorter stroke engine as a foundation.
My $0.02,
As said earlier, the 400 is an engine designed for low and midrange torque. Such an engine does NOT make a good high RPM engine. Again, as said before, there is just too much mass slinging around in there to spin at high RPM with reliability.
With something done like heads or pistons to get a good compression ratio, this will make a fun to drive street engine. As when building ANY engine, however, the key is having everything work together. This means that everything should be selected for the same RPM range. In the case of the 400, the only practical RPM range is low and mid. By selecting a dual plane intake(about the only thing available,) a short cam, certainly not to exceed 220 @ .050 at the most, and the 2V heads along with a carb of about 600 CFM, you will have everything working together in the 1,000 or 1,500 up to about 4,500 or 5,000. Trying to spin them much beyond that can be done, but if high RPM horsepower is your desire, you need another, shorter stroke engine as a foundation.
My $0.02,
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2007
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I have a 351m , its actually my only choice, and yes i wanna have a fun engine for street use, but i have a light mustang, and I thought of buliding it to revv "high", to 5000 - 6000 rpm, but if you say a 400 wont go that much higher, I dont care having it run to 5000 rpms tops
Elder User
Joined: May 2002
Posts: 526
Likes: 0
From: Sin City, USA
Originally Posted by MBDiagMan
There are some really good responses in this thread.
As said earlier, the 400 is an engine designed for low and midrange torque. Such an engine does NOT make a good high RPM engine. Again, as said before, there is just too much mass slinging around in there to spin at high RPM with reliability.
With something done like heads or pistons to get a good compression ratio, this will make a fun to drive street engine. As when building ANY engine, however, the key is having everything work together. This means that everything should be selected for the same RPM range. In the case of the 400, the only practical RPM range is low and mid. By selecting a dual plane intake(about the only thing available,) a short cam, certainly not to exceed 220 @ .050 at the most, and the 2V heads along with a carb of about 600 CFM, you will have everything working together in the 1,000 or 1,500 up to about 4,500 or 5,000. Trying to spin them much beyond that can be done, but if high RPM horsepower is your desire, you need another, shorter stroke engine as a foundation.
My $0.02,
As said earlier, the 400 is an engine designed for low and midrange torque. Such an engine does NOT make a good high RPM engine. Again, as said before, there is just too much mass slinging around in there to spin at high RPM with reliability.
With something done like heads or pistons to get a good compression ratio, this will make a fun to drive street engine. As when building ANY engine, however, the key is having everything work together. This means that everything should be selected for the same RPM range. In the case of the 400, the only practical RPM range is low and mid. By selecting a dual plane intake(about the only thing available,) a short cam, certainly not to exceed 220 @ .050 at the most, and the 2V heads along with a carb of about 600 CFM, you will have everything working together in the 1,000 or 1,500 up to about 4,500 or 5,000. Trying to spin them much beyond that can be done, but if high RPM horsepower is your desire, you need another, shorter stroke engine as a foundation.
My $0.02,