i had aquired a 400 ford and was planning on freshining it up and adding performance upgrades such as a cam, lifters... and such for a future rat rod project. so my question is, is this motor worth doing it with or should i just start with another motor. im not looking for a race car i just want it to look and sound nice and when i get on it, i want it to still be fast without being a drag car and without breaking the bank?

 

A mild cam and a 4bbl intake and carb will give ya a bit of torque, some headers and a good set of heads will really surprise ya. so what are you thinkin of installin it in?

 

I think you are leaving out the most important factor. You say a Rat Rod. Does that mean it is safe to assume that it will be a very light, thirties coupe or roadster? If it will be just a frame and small body, then the 400 in stock form will make it a rocket ship. The 400 is a low speed torque motor that lends itself well to a heavy or tow vehicle. Where the 400 would fall short in a light vehicle is that it is NOT a lightweight engine itself, although it is not heavy like a big block engine. It is a middleweight I suppose.

In a lightweight vehicle, it would make it fly. If your Rat Rod will be a heavy vehicle, then it will also give the torque necessary to move lots of iron.

 

Here are some engine weights I found on line. You can see the hole list with notes here. http://fixrambler.com/engineweightchart.txt

Ford 289/302 V8 460 (168) (late 5.0s are a bit lighter)
Ford 5.0 V8 450 (109)
Ford 5.0 V8 411 (171) 89 Mustang 5.0 GT (dry) inc: manifold,
carb(?), headers and alternator. Not
inc: starter, smog pump, power steering
pump, AC compressor, flywheel
Ford 351 Cleveland 550 (48) (includes BOSS and Australian 302-C)
Ford 351 Windsor 510
Ford 351M-400 575 (48)
Ford FE big block 650 (332-428 CID)
Ford 429/460 V8 640
Ford 429-460 720 (48)

As per your question, I'd add a set on TMI pistons to bump compression at least.

 

Mdiag is right, except nobody has really answered your question, yes its a great engine and can be built into a torque monster, so if it still has juice left get some headers, aftermarklet intake, 600 cfm carb, an rv cam and a streight up timming chain, with these and the stock low compression you wil have more than 300 hp at 4500 rpm and around 420 lbs of torque down low, enough to blast any rad rod... If you are rebuilding it you can easily at low cost build a high compression 400hp 470lbs of torque engine...

so yeah its worth it

 

thanks. and ive seen in a lot of other threads people recomened the rv cams for these engines is because they work best or can you use larger cams?

 

You can go mild to wild on cams, just need to have the heads and more specifically the valve springs set up for them. Just depends on what you want out of the engine and how much your willing to spend. Just think of a 400 as a stroked, tall deck Cleveland.

 

What year timing gear would be best to reset the timing straight up?

 

pre-73 although ive heard some 72s are also retarded, theres no reason to buy a stock replacement when you can buy a good aftermarket double roller timming chain for cheap...you can usa a 351c timming chain also..

 

Thanks. Are there other 351C parts that will interchange with a 400?

 

Some light reading.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/article/...00_Engine.html

http://www.tmeyerinc.com/400Fordpg1.htm

Engine Tech: Power Secrets of the "400 Cleveland" Revealed! - Trucks 4x4 @ Off-Road.com

History of the Ford 351M

400 Ford: Peformance From Another Aftermarket

 

also what do you mean by "streight up timming chain"? i had a buddy recomend doing a dual idle timing gear.

 

^^ He's talking about the built in retarding in the factory timing set. What you'd be looking for a a double roller timing set like the ones from Cloyes and Rollmaster. Aftermarket sets have "straight up", advance, and retard position key ways on the crank sprocket. The position of the crank sproket depends on how you intend the motor to perform and what cam you have. Some cams have a built in 4 deg advance. This is something that you need to discuss with your engine builder.

 

im not sayin ur wrong, but doesnt 300hp, 420 tq seams alot more than it will make, or will it really make that with JUST those mods?

 

Here is why you see the RV type cams most often recommended for the 400:

These engines are long stroke, HEAVY crankshaft engines. Unless HIGHLY modified to allow for reliable high RPM operation, they do NOT lend themselves well as a high RPM, high horsepower engines. Horsepower is a calculated value, NOT a measured value. In order to get a very high horsepower calculated value, you have to make your torque at high RPM.

The long stroke of these engines DOES lend itself well to making lots of low and midrange torque. Low and midrange is where an RV cam will ADD torque.

The key to ANY successful engine build is the COMBINATION. You need to have a combination of parts that work well in the same RPM range.