1980 F150 4x4 Ranger Lariat Trailer Special

This one seems to be a special-order truck. Short bed, 351M, Trailer Special, Ranger Lariat, Light Group, Quad Shocks, Clock, etc. Not a bad optioned rig, and a decent looking driver too. I wouldn't be afraid to daily this one.




https://www.ebay.com/itm/265608793735?hash=item3dd7848e87:g:pSIAAOSwq-tiNS9t

Really nice!  And pretty straight.  Yes, I'd daily that.

But I'll bet it gets 10 MPG.  (I didn't watch the whole video so I don't know if he said.)  Dad said his truck, a 351M with a C6, always got 10 MPG, regardless.

Were the 351 Cleveland's only for the 80 and 81 model years?

mines an 81 and a 351M - I don't think Cleveland's were available at this time.....but I could be mistaken.

My bad, I thought the 351M was considered a Cleveland and I referred to it as such.

It’s depends on who you ask. I have a book entitled Cleveland Engines that includes the M-block engines. But Ford called them the 351C, 351M, and 400.

tcbaklash wrote

Were the 351 Cleveland's only for the 80 and 81 model years?

The 351M was phased out by early to mid 1982 and replaced by the 351W which is a completely different animal more closely related to the 302. The 400 which is the "more powerful" version of the 351M lasted through 82 and was replaced for 1983 by the 460 V8.

Although not available on pickup trucks in the USA, I do believe the 351 Cleveland was offered in Bullnose trucks over in Australia.

Both the 351M and the 400 were neutered by the cams being retarded.  And neither came with anything but a 2bbl carb.  So even the 400 with a longer stroke than the 460 wasn't all that powerful.

But I guy I know put a straight-up timing set and a 4bbl on his 400 and said that it doubled the power.

Gary Lewis wrote

Both the 351M and the 400 were neutered by the cams being retarded.  

Gary, aren't they called a 351M/400????

hahaha...just kidding. I know that's a common mistake. I see it in for sale ads. Truck is equipped with a 351M/400 engine.

LOL!  Yes, the uneducated do seem to say that, and frequently.

The issue is that the label on the radiator filler panel says "351M/400", and that's because both engines got the same sticker since all of the specs on there were the same.  But as the 400 has a 1/2" stroke advantage on its little brother, they are obviously two different engines - at least in size.  But the differences were in the crank and the pistons as all else was the same.

salans7 wrote

tcbaklash wrote

Were the 351 Cleveland's only for the 80 and 81 model years?

The 351M was phased out by early to mid 1982 and replaced by the 351W which is a completely different animal more closely related to the 302. The 400 which is the "more powerful" version of the 351M lasted through 82 and was replaced for 1983 by the 460 V8.

Although not available on pickup trucks in the USA, I do believe the 351 Cleveland was offered in Bullnose trucks over in Australia.

Huh. I did not even know that Bullnose trucks came with a different 351 before seeing the posted ad. I thought it was Windsors all the way through. It's pretty interesting how many engines went into Bullnose trucks. For the first time today I saw one on Instagram with a 400M

Just fyi, our page at Documentation/Engines/351M & 400 says:

First, let's talk terminology - there is no such thing as a "400M".  There are 351M's and there are 400's, but no 400M.

A little background: Ford didn't put a letter on their engines, like 351C, unless there was more than one engine with the same cubic inch displacement.  So, when what we know of as the 351W was introduced in 1970 Ford had a dilemma as they already had another 351 cubic inch engine - what we know of now as the 351C.  It appears that Ford decided to tack a letter suffix on to the cubic inch, and that letter was taken from the foundry where the engines were, for the most part, cast - Cleveland and Windsor.

Meanwhile they introduced the 400, which is the tall-block big brother to the 351C as both are in the 335 Series, and the taller block gave them the ability to increase the stroke from 3.5" to 4.0" to get the torque needed for the land barges and trucks.  Later Ford destroked the 400 to 3.5" and that gave them a third 351 cubic inch engine - what we know of as the 351M.  However, the origins of the "M" are shrouded in mystery.  Some say it stands for Michigan and some say Modified, and no one seems to know for sure.  But Joe Viola pointed out to me references in Ford's Master Parts Catalog which refer to the engine as a Modified.  The seven I can find in any of the MPC's that cover the years those engines were used are shown below.  However, I can't say that this constitutes proof that Ford officially called the 351M a Modified.

tcbaklash wrote

salans7 wrote

tcbaklash wrote

Were the 351 Cleveland's only for the 80 and 81 model years?

The 351M was phased out by early to mid 1982 and replaced by the 351W which is a completely different animal more closely related to the 302. The 400 which is the "more powerful" version of the 351M lasted through 82 and was replaced for 1983 by the 460 V8.

Although not available on pickup trucks in the USA, I do believe the 351 Cleveland was offered in Bullnose trucks over in Australia.

Huh. I did not even know that Bullnose trucks came with a different 351 before seeing the posted ad. I thought it was Windsors all the way through. It's pretty interesting how many engines went into Bullnose trucks. For the first time today I saw one on Instagram with a 400M

There was a 255 4.2L V8 and a 232 (3.8) V6 as well. Very uncommon, but still available on the light duty trucks.

Don't get us started on the range of transmissions available either.

salans7 wrote

Don't get us started on the range of transmissions available either.

Yeah I went through that dilemma when selecting a gearbox for my truck, and the multiple variants of certain transmissions makes it even more fun