[hvacrefrigoligist]

might buy a 79 camper special 4x4 with a 400m in it. just wanted to know if there is any recals or what the motor is actually like. is it a stroked 390 or 351 what is it anything helps thank you

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

It's a 351 modified 400... Some were barn burners out of the factory and some were crap... It is NOT in the 390 category whatsoever. If you remove all the smog junk and all the un-necessary vacuum lines going to and fro and put a goor carb on it, you have a good running motor.

FE

 

[MNSJR]

My first car was a 1972 LTD w/ a 400. Bought the car with 59,000 miles. Drove it for 12 years and parked it with 165,000 and only change the valve cover gaskets. It had a C-6 and 2.75 gears - I changed to a 3.25 gear. I put a Police handling package (out of a junk yard $35.00) front and rear springs and sway bars, gas shocks and Crager SS 15x7 mags. It was dark green w/black top and was a 2 door hard top.

That was 1978 when I bought this car. For a 2v carb. it ran good and if driven like an adult (hard for a 16 year old kid) would get 19 mpg. I could out handle alot of cars with the police suspension. No large GMC 2v cars could out run it and I took other smaller GMC cars with 4v carbs such and 1974 Monte Carols, 1976 Pont. LeMans.

The 400 (400 cleveland) was a good runner and I never went into the engine. This car is parked and not driven. I started it 2 years ago. I have lost interest because this car is not collectable and even if it was mint, is not worth much. But I can not bear to sell it. Some day I might pull the 400 to put in Street Rod. They have big block style torque in a smaller package.

 

[MHumpy]

the 400 was a very good engine, it just came about at the wrong time, at the end of the performance era. It was meant as a good substitute for thje heavier FE engines in the larger cars and trucks, and it did perform that role well. As with any engine, it had it's share of problems and defects, but look over this site, lot's of good info on the engine:

http://home.earthlink.net/~bubbaf250/index.html

I like the numbers here when you do a comparison to the 429 and the 460 from similar years...

http://home.earthlink.net/~bubbaf250/history/history05.html

made me stop and rethink the 400...might think of building one for my Bronco one day to replace the 302 (I know, I know, it would be easier to do a stoker 351 or just drop in the 460...but I like to do things different

).
Mike

 

[forthman]

400 is ok, replace the timming gears and cams. Ford degraded them for smog reasons. Guys runs one at the local track and it screams.

 

[427sidewinder]

So.......overlooked!!!, its not a a 351 modified to a 400, The 351M is modified but not the way we would like, its basiclly a
400 with a 351 W(windsor) crank & diffrent rods, sticker reads 351M/400 means 400 family. The 400 is a 400 & is no "dog" (everyone seems to think their dogs). when introduced I think the compression ratio was something like 8:7-1, tell what engine would perform good with low c/r like that, Really the only drawbacks are header avail, unique motor mounts, also carries same bolt pattern as 429-460 trans (C6) My 400 is stroked =427 c.i. 10-1 Ross custom racing pistons, 1.73 rollers, 71-2v cleveland heads, healthy cam, owner rebuilt Tci streetfighter trans, 4:11 out back its good torque Monster that puts out plenty power for street & strip. Also consider that the 429-460 weigh about 100-150 lbs more

 

[FEandGoingBroke]

the first 400 came out in 71 with 260 BHP. Not a TON but nothing to laugh at... It made that HP with all correct emission requirements being met as well.

FE

 

[MHumpy]

I personally think that if the 400 had made its debut maybe two or three years earlier, it would have had more of a chance at a better reputation...but it came out at the end of the performance era, and then add the fact that early smog equipment is a killer of horsepower, well that just didn't help it. Maybe a good two years of running before being hindered by smog equipment, and a better following may have come about...but since that didn't happen...it's now a nice little "secret" of an engine, and since it does respond to the same mods you would perform on a 351C, it makes the nice sleeper engine too...how often have you seen the look on someones face when you say it's a 400 Ford, and they look at you with sympathy, because they have only heard the "bad" stuff about it. Tweak it out and drop it into a fullsize ford and have some fun!
Mike

 

[mavman]

Everyone knows about the Hot Rod article of a few years ago. Perhaps someone can dig it up & talk about it.

I remember it having 9:1 compression, open chamber heads, small cam, and good intake manifold...and it made what? 450 HP or something?

It's the same bore & stroke as a 408 windsor. The stock iron heads aren't great, but a good set of Aussies should help out...or...maybe even a set of 4V closed chamber heads.

The 400 rods are LONG (6.58&quot

. The block is fairly strong with it's increased deck height (351M and 400 use same block) but it is definetly wide, tall, and heavy. The 10.30" deck height puts it in big block territory (the 429/460 is 10.32" DH). One downside to the rods is that the small ends are an oddball size, .975" IIRC. You'd have to bush them down to small block size to get any sort of decent pistons. The rest of it, though, is probably one of the most under-rated and under-estimated engines of all time. It just came out in the wrong era. My bud used to have a '79 with a 400....had 194,000 miles on it when he got it and we pulled cars all over the country with it. Changed oil every 2000 miles and kept the filter clean, and it gave him another 5 years or so of great service. I think he sold it with a lil' over 300,000 miles on it....

Another friend of mine gave me a '73 Ford LTD that had one. It knocked when I got it, but I put a set of main bearings in it and drove it a while. The crank wasn't too nice, but I ended up selling it to one of our old neighbors for a couple hundred bucks. I was told it had close to 200,000 on it--but the speedo didn't work when I got it, and didn't work when I sold it, so I can't really say how accurate that figure was. They cylinder walls weren't worn at all!

 

[gchero351]

Its a cleveland with 1" added to the deck height to get the added ci. Put '71 to 73 2v 351c heads on cause of better exhaust flow as there is no smog "bump" in there, get a better intake for a 4v edelbrock carb. easy power and lotsa torque. for flat out racing get a early block as ive heard that the late '70s blocks "could" crack at the rear water jacket but ive never seen it.....

 

[tonys10sec306]

they are ok for what they are!