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I have been hunting for a donor block. 2 now have been junk. I will be ordering DSS racing pistons for my 400. If i can ever get my machine shop to answer the phone I will get it scheduled to re-balance. Most likley a winter project.
Anyway, If anyone can use the TMyers, PM me. They are .040. I will go with a true flat top and correct pin height to get to zero deck. My motor runs well but i have a 406 SBC that would smoke this 400 and they are almost the same build.
For me, Having the piston .035 in the hole is not acceptable. The piston is not suited for performance. If you are going full rebuild i would not use them unless you have open chamber heads and want to run ~9-1. Even then, The detonation issue with the 400 was bad Quench and these Tmyers and my gasket give me ~.085 quench. Just as bad as the factory .080 from the 70s,
I have been hunting for a donor block. 2 now have been junk. I will be ordering DSS racing pistons for my 400. If i can ever get my machine shop to answer the phone I will get it scheduled to re-balance. Most likley a winter project.
Anyway, If anyone can use the TMyers, PM me. They are .040. I will go with a true flat top and correct pin height to get to zero deck. My motor runs well but i have a 406 SBC that would smoke this 400 and they are almost the same build.
For me, Having the piston .035 in the hole is not acceptable. The piston is not suited for performance. If you are going full rebuild i would not use them unless you have open chamber heads and want to run ~9-1. Even then, The detonation issue with the 400 was bad Quench and these Tmyers and my gasket give me ~.085 quench. Just as bad as the factory .080 from the 70s,
If you have your motor apart, do not make my mistake.
Chris
Hey Chris,
was going to PM you this message but I think I’m too new of a user to do so… woops.
This spring I’m hoping to be starting on my grandfathers old 78 f150 that’s sitting in a brush pile. Long story short i was contemplating robbing the 400 out of a wrecked bronco he also has to replace the 300 I6 that’s in it.
been doing tons of research on 400’s, zf5 conversions, TMeyer pistons/kits, etc.
In my head I was planning on getting aftermarket heads because of the flow restrictions seen in OEM ones. But yours is the first thread I’ve stumbled on that showed issues with aftermarket heads combined with TMeyer pistons.
I’m mainly messaging to see if you’re still active on this site (which based on dates I’d assume you are?). And seeing if when it comes time I’ll be able to ping you on some of these compression/heads/piston questions you seem to have solid experience with.
Thanks. Also awesome sounding YouTube video you threw up a couple years ago. Hoping mine will sound like that.
was going to PM you this message but I think I’m too new of a user to do so… woops.
This spring I’m hoping to be starting on my grandfathers old 78 f150 that’s sitting in a brush pile. Long story short i was contemplating robbing the 400 out of a wrecked bronco he also has to replace the 300 I6 that’s in it.
been doing tons of research on 400’s, zf5 conversions, TMeyer pistons/kits, etc.
In my head I was planning on getting aftermarket heads because of the flow restrictions seen in OEM ones. But yours is the first thread I’ve stumbled on that showed issues with aftermarket heads combined with TMeyer pistons.
I’m mainly messaging to see if you’re still active on this site (which based on dates I’d assume you are?). And seeing if when it comes time I’ll be able to ping you on some of these compression/heads/piston questions you seem to have solid experience with.
Thanks. Also awesome sounding YouTube video you threw up a couple years ago. Hoping mine will sound like that.
If you have to rebuild your heads, for me a no-brainer is new Trick flows, they are available in 62 or 72 CC. DSS have pistons for 3cc and 13 cc. You can easily get any comp ratio you want. Nothing wrong with the 400 to build. Would i do it again? maybe. NO real intake choices, limited cam choices. Limited crank/rod stuff compared to windsor and BBF.
I stuck with the 400 because i did not want iron manifold or fenderwell headers. otherwise i would have gone BBF for the same money. I will PM you my number.
If you have to rebuild your heads, for me a no-brainer is new Trick flows, they are available in 62 or 72 CC. DSS have pistons for 3cc and 13 cc. You can easily get any comp ratio you want. Nothing wrong with the 400 to build. Would i do it again? maybe. NO real intake choices, limited cam choices. Limited crank/rod stuff compared to windsor and BBF.
I stuck with the 400 because i did not want iron manifold or fenderwell headers. otherwise i would have gone BBF for the same money. I will PM you my number.
Chris
that was quick. Yeah, I appreciate the advice. I’ve initially been excited about doing the 400 because it’s relatively rare and would be more unique. Everyone and their mother has built a 460 and I didn’t think I wanted to try to squeeze HP out of a 300 (although I’ve found some impressive builds that do)
However, I have been wondering too if my time (or $’s…) might be better spent on a 460 because I have a block I could steal from my dad to start with.
it’s one of those deals where I have all the time to think about it because this will be a complete full body off restore (aka multiple years) and it’s my first engine ever fully built so I want to not screw it up.
Uneducated musings of a first timer I suppose. Curious your thoughts since I have about 3 different engines to pick from. Analysis paralysis is my biggest issue so far.
F150? 2wd? 4wd? For me, my truck was factory 400 with AC. I wanted to keep it as close to OEM as possible. If i were doing a modified build with no emotional connection to authenticy i would go BBF.
That said, f150= 9" rear? what transmission will you use. Unlike Chevy, Bellhousings are different.
F150? 2wd? 4wd? For me, my truck was factory 400 with AC. I wanted to keep it as close to OEM as possible. If i were doing a modified build with no emotional connection to authenticy i would go BBF.
That said, f150= 9" rear? what transmission will you use. Unlike Chevy, Bellhousings are different.
I6/Windsor different than BBF/335 series.
78 f150 4x4 with a 300 and a 4-speed manual (not sure which one) the 400 would come in from a 79 bronco that’s was wrecked long ago and is sitting next to the f150. It has a 400 that was rebuilt by a fellow named Everett Hatch before being put in the bronco and grandpa always said it was an impressive engine compared to what he knew about 400’s.
There is a blend of emotional connection (mainly to the frame and body of the f150) but also totally willing to modify and upgrade because the truck is no where near operable condition and if I’m doing so much work I might as well improve some things.
I figured I’d pick a trans after having the motor decided. Because of bell housings. Also I’m not a Chevy guy at all. Didn’t know they all had the same bolt pattern. If I stick with the 400 a zf5 conversion sounded really cool to have an OD gear.
as you can probably tell I’m not intimately familiar with all this and what ever I do I have tons of research ahead of me. This is just kind of helping me guide the direction I should be looking I suppose. Thanks.
EDIT: added pic of truck for fun.
Last edited by littleray16; Dec 3, 2025 at 09:36 AM.
Honestly, in this scenario, I would go SBF all day, donors are almost free, easily fits, unlimited aftermarket support, cheaper to build. take a 351, if it need a crank, stroke it some. add TF heads and your done. Biggest bang for the buck,
The "400" in the bronco is most likely a 351m. I just hauled one to the scrapper, block was .040 already. guy thought it was a 400 and until you pull a head and measure, no way to tell the crank.
Honestly, in this scenario, I would go SBF all day, donors are almost free, easily fits, unlimited aftermarket support, cheaper to build. take a 351, if it need a crank, stroke it some. add TF heads and your done. Biggest bang for the buck,
The "400" in the bronco is most likely a 351m. I just hauled one to the scrapper, block was .040 already. guy thought it was a 400 and until you pull a head and measure, no way to tell the crank.
ok thanks. PM’s should be activated for me tomorrow (I figured out it’s a 10 day aging period before an account gets access).
Chasing a rear main leak thanks to my machine shop i pulled the motor and had to tear it down.
Attached is a picture of the piston. This is 100% what you do not want.. I am glad i did not sell the motor to anyone,, Now that i know i wouldn't sleep well.
The piston design leaves the step ~.120" away from the machined surface of the head. The flame front is not burning complete in this area leaving a lot of carbon soot behind. THe soot then encourages even more detonation..
If anyone want these pistons PM me,, you can have them. Not sure I would recommend them even for free but if not they will go to scrap.
