[fordtruckf-100]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum so here it goes. I have 3 engines and transmission laying around in my garage and I dont know for sure which one to use. I have a 351W out of a buddies old derby car that only lasted 1 minute because of a carb that was on it was way too big, a 390 that was out of a totalled F-1 pickup some guy had put in for a unique combo, and a 400 out of an late 70's F-250. I would like to put one of these into my 1966 Ford F-100. The truck has no motor in it and i would like to keep the body and interior the same but what i really want it a slightly tuned up weekend driver! My plan would be to just enjoy the truck for awhile and then someday i would like to do a full frame off restoration or just keep as it is and start another project like a galaxie, torino, or a comet. I stop dreaming. I have heard that the best power/money engine is the 351. What are your opinions and what kind of modifications would you suggest i do. I would like to do a slightly lopey cam (so you know its there at idle), and different intake and carb combo and probably headers too. Which engine to use and what to change is what im wondering. Thanks for your help!

 

[DanH]

Hi everyone, I'm new to this forum so here it goes. I have 3 engines and transmission laying around in my garage and I dont know for sure which one to use. I have a 351W out of a buddies old derby car that only lasted 1 minute because of a carb that was on it was way too big, a 390 that was out of a totalled F-1 pickup some guy had put in for a unique combo, and a 400 out of an late 70's F-250. I would like to put one of these into my 1966 Ford F-100. The truck has no motor in it and i would like to keep the body and interior the same but what i really want it a slightly tuned up weekend driver! My plan would be to just enjoy the truck for awhile and then someday i would like to do a full frame off restoration or just keep as it is and start another project like a galaxie, torino, or a comet. I stop dreaming. I have heard that the best power/money engine is the 351. What are your opinions and what kind of modifications would you suggest i do. I would like to do a slightly lopey cam (so you know its there at idle), and different intake and carb combo and probably headers too. Which engine to use and what to change is what im wondering. Thanks for your help!

what size carb on the 351W that lasted 1 minute ?

 

[Hottarod]

That is all up to you. There are hop up parts for all those engines. Maybe it depends which one is in the best condition to begin with.

Cam, intake, carb, headers, dual exhaust, gears, stall if its an auto are all basic mod's. If you want to get more into it, port your heads or even better, get some after market heads. Up the compression some. Convert to screw in studs, guide plates and roller rockers. Add a windage tray. If you keep on hopping you'll probably have to deal with your cooling system so it will need to be upgraded. Get a good ignition system. My particular preference is MSD. Shed weight off the vehicle where ever possible. Once you've done all that you will need to modify your suspension so it will hook up and go straight.

I'm just wondering if any of those engines will fit in a 66 engine bay and can you get the conversion motor mounts for it.

 

[fordtruckf-100]

The carb my friend had was a 1050, and everytime he would get hit the car would flood. Couldve had other issues too such as timing. Im not looking to build a drag truck. I mainly just want a reliable cruiser.

 

[DanH]

The carb my friend had was a 1050, and everytime he would get hit the car would flood. Couldve had other issues too such as timing. Im not looking to build a drag truck. I mainly just want a reliable cruiser.

Reliable equals knowing what you have , that means a new build

what do you have for transmissions ? that would sway the pick

lopey cam , just mis-tune the engine for that lope . be no difference , except when you want it right.... able to fix

 

[fordtruckf-100]

I have a C4 and C6. Not sure whats on the 351 i know its an automatic.

 

[65FalconLover]

My vote would be the 351W and C4 combo. Easy to make tons of power (can you say 427 stroker?) and the C4 can be made to handle just about anything you can throw at it. And the C4 has lots of hop up stuff available and for reasonable money too.

The 1050 was waaaay too big for that motor unless it's been stroked already and is set up for extreem RPM's. I'm running a 750DP on my 347 and it seems perfect to me.

Good luck!

John

PS: Let's see some photos in the Garage section! :tup:

 

[fordtruckf-100]

The 351W is kinda the way im leaning. Now how much would it take to make a decent running 351W? I hear that you can make a 393 stroker out of this block with a few modifications and not a ton of $$$? How do you make a 427 stroker (65FalconLover). Is a stroker motor going to be ok if i ever want to pull a trailer with this truck?

 

[fordtruckf-100]

I dont know if i need a stroker, but it sure would be fun! If i use the stock heads am i kinda defeating the purpose of adding a intake and carb combo? I have heard the heads on a 351Windsor suffocate the performance aspect, can you change these heads to flow better? Or is the best option to go aftermarket?

 

[firehorse5_0]

I dont know if i need a stroker, but it sure would be fun! If i use the stock heads am i kinda defeating the purpose of adding a intake and carb combo? I have heard the heads on a 351Windsor suffocate the performance aspect, can you change these heads to flow better? Or is the best option to go aftermarket?

351w is the best bang for your buck. you are correct about the heads, if you are going to hop it up they are the first thing to go. I like the AFRs, a lot of guys on here use the TFS heads both are good and can be had for $1200-1500. You can pick up a set of GT-40 heads for $300-500, these will make 250-300 HP with good exhaust, intake, and a bit of cam. '69-'70 heads are good to but harder to find. what are your goals and budget?

 

[fordtruckf-100]

I would like to build an engine that makes inbetween 3-400 hp. And dont want to spend more then $4,000 installed.

 

[firehorse5_0]

That should be doable with the 351. check out CHP (www.coasthigh.com) for stroker kits and other goodies. A 408 with a set of AFR 185s should put you well in to the 300 HP range and be able to use a well mannered cam and have great low end.

The 390 would be a fun engine as well, but more expensive to build. If it is pre '72 and has good comp it may be pretty strong allready. They also have some oiling issues to work around if you plan to rev it to high. There are a few guys on here that know the FEs real well if you are inclined to go that route.

 

[fordtruckf-100]

wow that is a pretty neat site. What is the best stroker size to go for? This thing will never see a race track and so is a stroker motor going to be alright for mainly street driving and cruising? What is the stock bore and stroke on a 351W?

 

[firehorse5_0]

What ever size you want. 351 is 4.000" bore 3.5" stroke, 408 is 4.030 bore 4.0" stroke. Strokers are fine for street driving. bore, stroke, and comp ratios are all listed on CHPs site when you click on the kits and scroll down to the bottom of the page. there is a lot of good info in the Q&A section as well. DO ALL OF your homework BEFORE buying parts, and keep asking questions!

 

[fordtruckf-100]

so with a stroker 427 will internal parts wear out much faster just because things are moving that much further? If i make this a 427 what would be a good head to use? can i get by with porting out the stock heads or is that defeating the purpose of stroking the motor? How much power would i be looking at in your opinion?

 

[Mroldfart2U]

Strokers are cool but that being said why no start with more in the beginning? I would start with the 390... JMO

 

[firehorse5_0]

Parts will wear slightly faster as they travel farther and faster. It is common for strokers to go well past 100,000k miles. A lot of modern engines have strokes in the 3.7" to 3.9" range and last several hundred k. Stock heads even ported will not feed the 427 ( to its full potental). 185s will give you better low and midrange power, 205s would be fine as well for a 427. if you plan to drive mostly on the street and do some pulling I think the 185s would serve you best. The 427 will meat your power goals easely, and be able to use a very streetable cam. they are capable of well over 600, but the power band will move up.

 

[65FalconLover]

I actually went with CHP (Coast) for my stroker short block. I also bought my Scorpion roller rockers, balancer and a couple of other items from them. They're local to me so I picked it all up at their shop in Torrance, CA. Nice guys and very helpful, even after the purchase which says something to me. I built it up from there with AFR185 heads and the rest.

If you want really good, straight forward information on all of these issues I'd call them. To answer you question on towing etc. I'd say yes and probably go with the 393 stroker but again, they'd know. As long as you know what it is you're expecting from it they can taylor it for that application. They also recommended a Comp Cams grind for me and it worked perfectly for what I needed. They know their stuff and aren't just some fly-by-night shop out for your money.

A 393 or 427 stroker with the right parts can make WAAAY more than 400 HP so if that's your goal you might not even want/need a stroker in the first place. My 347 is making about 450HP (or more) and it's not radical at all. Tell them what it is you're looking for and see what they have to say.

You can buy everything from them from stock stroke to wild in kit form, short blocks, long blocks and turn key engines.

John

PS: I'm not in any way related to them, just a happy customer. People are the first to complain when something is wrong but usually don't say much whan it all goes well. Not me.

 

[65FalconLover]

Strokers are cool but that being said why no start with more in the beginning? I would start with the 390... JMO

The simple answer is that the 390 would take a lot more money and work to make the same power as a built 351W (and/or stroker). Plus they're harder to get parts for and they're big and heavy. Not a lot going for them really.<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #ffffff; COLOR: #ffffff" SIZE=1>
<!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->
<!-- BEGIN TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_start --><!-- END TEMPLATE: ad_showthread_firstpost_start -->I actually went with CHP (Coast) for my stroker short block. I also bought my Scorpion roller rockers, balancer and a couple of other items from them. They're local to me so I picked it all up at their shop in Torrance, CA. Nice guys and very helpful, even after the purchase which says something to me. I built it up from there with AFR185 heads and the rest.

If you want really good, straight forward information on all of these issues I'd call them. To answer you question on towing etc. I'd say yes and probably go with the 393 stroker but again, they'd know. As long as you know what it is you're expecting from it they can taylor it for that application. They also recommended a Comp Cams grind for me and it worked perfectly for what I needed. They know their stuff and aren't just some fly-by-night shop out for your money.

A 393 or 427 stroker with the right parts can make WAAAY more than 400 HP so if that's your goal you might not even want/need a stroker in the first place. My 347 is making about 450HP (or more) and it's not radical at all. Tell them what it is you're looking for and see what they have to say.

You can buy everything from them from stock stroke to wild in kit form, short blocks, long blocks and turn key engines.

John

PS: I'm not in any way related to them, just a happy customer. People are the first to complain when something is wrong but usually don't say much whan it all goes well. Not me.

 

[fordtruckf-100]

ok thanks for all your help! im thinking maybe going to a 393 wouldnt be bad. What kind of heads would you use there? The same as a 427 build? Where can you find these heads? What are the advantages of a stroker motor, do they rev up quicker? Also if i say forget stroking the motor how much power would a 351 with different heads,intake, carb, and maybe headers make?

Sorry im asking a thousand questions.