1986 f150 351 windsor engine replacement with advance auto longblock
 

I have been talking to a guy that has an 88 conversion van with new crate engine that has about 5,000 miles on it. The guy told me that he bought the 351 windsor longblock from advance auto in 1991 and it ended sitting in his garage until 1996 when he put the top end of the motor on (cam, heads, valve covers, etc). then he put the motor in the van and it has only been driven about 5,000 miles like I already said. However my truck is carburated and has v-belts on it while this newer engine is fuel injected and has a serpentine belt system on it. Me and my brother can do all the work but I am wondering about how trustworthy a a remanufactured motor from advance auto in 1991 is and how hard will it be to switch it over so that it will go in my truck. Just so you know, my truck currently has a 351 windsor in it but it is worn out and has lots of blow bye and smokes alot. so, the guy started it up for us and seems to run good and no knocking or pinging noise are coming from the motor. The only thing that is odd to me is that the motor doesn't look very clean for being a "new" engine.although it has sat around and not been used very much for the better part of 20 years. I will basically get the motor and lots of other parts to fit my truck for about two $200 after I sell the van itself for scrap . Does this sound like a good motor? I need the engine bad . I have a very tight budget and no room for screw ups , so I need to be sure that this is a good motor before I put it in my truck because I will barely have enough money to get this motor and put it in. I would really like you alls opinion on this so I can make the right decision! Thanks for your input!

Several issues, the first of which is emissions - do you have to pass them? Where do you live?

In order to get an EFI engine running correctly you will need the wiring harness, the computer, and all the sensors. In addition, if you currently have an '86 351W then I'll guess it is the HO, as IIRC that's the only 351W they had that year. The HO was carb'ed and had a mechanical fuel pump. But, EFI takes an electric pump or pumps, so you'll have to add that or get it from the van. If you are up to all of that, then let's discuss the engine.

I know nothing about engines from Advance, but I'm not high on engine rebuilders as a whole. That's probably because I bought a truck, for not much money, that was said to have a rebuilt engine that should work for me. As it turned out, the engine had been bored .080" over by the rebuilder, which is an absolute no-no since the limit most people work to is .040". So, I'm very leery of rebuilders.

Having said that, if that engine seems to run well and you can get it and all the needed components for $200, that sounds like a very good deal. But, if you have the time a leak-down test would tell you whether you have valve or ring problems, and give you a very good indication of how good this engine really is.

I've seen .060, but NEVER have I seen .080! That's absurd. Could you see through the chambers walls?

To the O.P, I would be considerably weary of a long block from Advance. I know they go through a third party to obtain the blocks, but there really is no way of knowing the quality of rebuild done on the engines. No matter what you do, it's gonna be a guessing game on your part, and a matter of luck as well if you're not planning on at least removing the heads and checking clearances.

I've never heard of oversize pistons & rings in .080" size, either. But I'd guess they have to exist.

Anyhow, I can see how this can happen, and I'll bet I now how....

A hole that is .040" oversize is just that - a hole that is .040" larger than spec.

But this means .020" is removed on each opposing side.

I'll bet some newbie drill operator used the wrong size bit, was wanting a hole that's .040" oversize but confused as to which drill bits to use.



.020" is just under the thickness of a standard index card so we're not talking about huge quantities of material that are removed here.



Here is something else some people may find useful....

When drilling holes in the block, some machinists will first bolt a thick, iron plate (but that has holes where the cylinder bores are) into the head bolts to simulate the head being bolted on. This is to allow for any contortions or stretching of the metal that may occur by torquing the heads on.

$200 is not a bad deal. All used engines are a gamble. A junkyard is going to charge you $500-$600 for a "good" used engine with a 30 day guarantee. If you barely have the money to do the deal, I don't think you have any choice but to buy it.

But you are going to need more than $200 to complete the job correct? He is going to give you the short block that he took the heads off of, and you are going to use it? Or you are going to use the engine as it is now with the old block and the advance heads? If you are going marry the rebuilt engine back together, you will need some gaskets, I would buy a complete gasket kit(it may be cheaper).

I would not mess with the fuel injection. I would take the front of the engine apart and put your cam eccentric and timing cover off your old engine onto the newer engine, so you can run the regular fuel pump. Also inspect the timing chain for slop. It's best to drop the oil pan to take the front cover off, so there is another reason to get a full gasket kit, and you can go ahead and clean the oil pan out while you are there.

Put your carbed intake on it, your carb and all your other stuff, and then drop it in.

One other thing to do - change out the water pump. IIRC, pumps for a serpentine belt system run backwards to those using vee belts. So, if you go to vee belts change the pump - maybe to your existing one.

I would advise staying away from a rebuilt engine from Advance or any of the other
autoparts stores.

There are "good" rebuilders and "bad" rebuilders. One outfit actually builds the majority of Ford's replacement engines. I spoke w/the Tulsa area sales rep for them in my quest for finding a replacement for my 351W. He had run a machine shop for decades in Tulsa and knew the various rebuilders. When I told him of my .080" over engine he named the shop that had done it, and that matched the receipt I found in the truck.

According to him there are the big national names, which are reputable, and there are the local outfits which may or may not be. If Advance buys from a national company the engines are probably decent. If they buy locally it gets down to the luck of the draw, and many of the rebuilders doing that work cut every corner known, like bore beyond accepted limits.

But, again, at $200 you really can't go too far wrong, and if you can do some testing prior to plunking down the cash you can tip the odds significantly in your favor.

Ok then, who are the "good" national outfits?

Jasper is one of the big names. Don't know the others.