351m/400?
 

Can a 351m/400 fit in my 1990 Lx mustang?If so would it be worth it can that engine make good numbers? By the way has anyone ever done the swap? Not sure about the tranny and headers also.

Just my opinion, but I wouldn't bother with it. You would be better off with a 460 swap over those two. If you are just looking for cubes, put a 408 windsor in there. You could probably make it work, but the other blocks have a much better parts selection.

Those engines are not performance engines. They were designed to be work truck engines and it would be a waste of money swaping one of those it. You best bet (it the money and power department) would be to swap in a stroker Windsor engine. I built a 414 CID Windsor for my ranger that should make over 550 hp, and it didn't cost much at all. There is a link in my profile.

If you want serious N/A power (over 700) you can go with a big block, but you will need to lose your power brakes or go with hydroboost system from a newer mustang.

Yes, please don't even attempt this swap. Not worth the time, money, or humiliation. It's a torquey truck engine with terrible breathing problems. Bolt patterns are different, motor mounts would be a b!tch to figure out, it'd puke after ~4500rpm, etc. Another vote to stroke and poke a 351W!!! :D

351/400M = Steaming pile of crap, aka worst engine Ford ever made


-Josh, aka the tireburner

I was practically on the verge of a 460 swap....

and then I realized that there is so much potential for the little 302 with some good heads and maybe a power adder. The 302/351 has....hands down...some of the best parts selection in the world. You can easily far exceed the numbers you would be making with a 351M/400 for the same money and it's far far less headache. The only thing is the bigger engines make more torque.

Stick with the 302 and spend your swap money on a twin turbo kit that will blow the doors off anything.

Have fun!

so ur all sayin that the 351M an 400 was not the same as the clevends that were in mustangs?

cuz i've seen an know some pretty wicked cleveland cars, so i take it the engines arent the same.

The 351M and 351C engines are completley different animals.

ok, i had a feeling haha

Thanks for the info. The 408 stroker carb or fuel inj. ? And what about intake's whats the best for a good price? The car that I'm building is going to be a street car with some power and stock look to it. Any ideas?

carb or injected depends on what you are gonna use the car for, what parts you already have, racing class, and hundreds of other factors. If you search the forums you can get the info you need for yourself. As far as which one makes more power, it is really even, regardless of what anyone says (properly tuned of course).

I went with a carb on my ranger since it would be cheaper for my setup.

I build race engines, you can send me a PM if you are serious about it, or just want some good advice.

After tormenting myself with EFI, having tons of electronics failures (and I'm an Electrical Engineer!), I went carb. I am SO happy with my choice.

All the time....

I see all these postings of the form: "oh no, what MAF/injectors/chip do I use with this or that maf/injectors/chip" and I see people wasting thousands of dollars on electronics when a simple springloaded box can do the exact same thing. For the cost of a MAF, I can get the whole fuel metering system. The you still need injectors, an upper intake, a fuel pressure regulator and countless other things. You change something big...oh no! Now you need to buy all that crap all over again. I just need to turn some screws.

=) Sorry, memories of my EFI nightmares.....

Honestly,

If you go carb, it's for simplicity, low cost and ease of upgrade and, in all cold honesty......reliability. Ever since my carb swap, I have not had a single "car not starting" or "car mysteriously dying" incident. It always runs. If the temperature drops 40 degrees overnight and goes from dry summer to peasoup fog and I dont go up front to adjust the idle screws, it will run a _little_ lopey when it's cold. Thats it. I just set it to run rich in the summer and just right in the winter. I use 72's all around all year long.

Plus, if you pop the hood, you get the instant respect of every old guy. They get like tears in their eyes that some "kid" is running a good ole holley. =)

Really cleans up the enginebay as well. Just look at my avatar. Sorry bout the chevy orange, I dont know what came over me. It's getting ford blue when I finish porting the gt-40p's

Good luck!

I don't believe I would have told that. I would have kept that secret to myself. From a glance, it looks more red. Well, on my screen it does.

I agree 110% with you on the carb thing. It is actually not a chore to do anything under the hood now since there is no wiring harness or any electrical connectors to scrape your arms and hands to death. I always break the tabs on those connectors too. They were and are such a pain to disconnect too. IMO, it is a sacrifice to run EFI. Some see it the other way around. And maybe it is just me, but I think a carbed motor sounds better too. Must be that cam hittin a lick.

Either put a big block in it. ( like I have done ) or have the mains turned down to stock 351, use a stock 351 rod. .030 over 302 piston in a 351 W block and get 408 cubes the cheap way.