Gary Lewis Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Tim Meyer posted on FB today that Hot Rod has recently published a new article on How To Build A 351 Cleveland. Thought y’all might like to see it. And note what it says about how the “W” and “C” came about. 😉 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blacktop Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Interesting read, thanks for posting👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 Cool! Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 17, 2019 Author Share Posted January 17, 2019 Cool! Thanks! One of the many reasons I like that article is that it supports my understanding of how and why the 351 cubic inch engines got alpha suffixes, meaning C, M, and W - because they had to differentiate between the engines. So in at least two of those they used the first initial of the main casting plant where the engines were made. And, it reinforces my position that since there was only one 400 cubic inch engine it never needed a suffix, and Ford never referred to it as a 400M. I'd written all that up on the 351M And 400 page almost two years ago, so was pleased to see that a source like Hot Rod agrees. Given that, and the recent find of the TSB on Power Valve Vacuum Hose, where Ford again uses the terminology of "351M" and "400", I've edited the page on 351M And 400 engines to include those references. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grumpin Posted January 17, 2019 Share Posted January 17, 2019 One of the many reasons I like that article is that it supports my understanding of how and why the 351 cubic inch engines got alpha suffixes, meaning C, M, and W - because they had to differentiate between the engines. So in at least two of those they used the first initial of the main casting plant where the engines were made. And, it reinforces my position that since there was only one 400 cubic inch engine it never needed a suffix, and Ford never referred to it as a 400M. I'd written all that up on the 351M And 400 page almost two years ago, so was pleased to see that a source like Hot Rod agrees. Given that, and the recent find of the TSB on Power Valve Vacuum Hose, where Ford again uses the terminology of "351M" and "400", I've edited the page on 351M And 400 engines to include those references. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 18, 2019 Author Share Posted January 18, 2019 One of the many reasons I like that article is that it supports my understanding of how and why the 351 cubic inch engines got alpha suffixes, meaning C, M, and W - because they had to differentiate between the engines. So in at least two of those they used the first initial of the main casting plant where the engines were made. And, it reinforces my position that since there was only one 400 cubic inch engine it never needed a suffix, and Ford never referred to it as a 400M. I'd written all that up on the 351M And 400 page almost two years ago, so was pleased to see that a source like Hot Rod agrees. Given that, and the recent find of the TSB on Power Valve Vacuum Hose, where Ford again uses the terminology of "351M" and "400", I've edited the page on 351M And 400 engines to include those references. 🤪 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
85lebaront2 Posted January 18, 2019 Share Posted January 18, 2019 🤪 Gary, I knew the W and C backgrounds from the 1970 Muscle Parts catalog. It is interesting to note that even Ford was figuring on the 351W to be a stopgap till the 351C was ready. The logic I always heard on the 351M was parts commonality and the ability to use the same transmission case as the 400 and 385 engines once the FE engines were completely phased out. I still hold that Ford made a big mistake in not at least certifying a 4V version of the 400 for trucks. I honestly think if they had the 460 might well have vanished after 1979. As you, and anyone else who has seen a Bullnose with a 351M/400 vs one with a 460 can attest to, it is a tight fit, because it wasn't intended to be in the F series after 1979, only the E series. I assume it was brought back after the competition started putting 454s in their pickups. I have wondered if a developed 4V 400 as the original Lightning option instead of trying to make the 351W compete for the same market the SS454 Chevy trucks did would have worked, the weight and emission class of the 460, eliminated it from contention in a "half ton" truck after 1979. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 18, 2019 Author Share Posted January 18, 2019 Gary, I knew the W and C backgrounds from the 1970 Muscle Parts catalog. It is interesting to note that even Ford was figuring on the 351W to be a stopgap till the 351C was ready. The logic I always heard on the 351M was parts commonality and the ability to use the same transmission case as the 400 and 385 engines once the FE engines were completely phased out. I still hold that Ford made a big mistake in not at least certifying a 4V version of the 400 for trucks. I honestly think if they had the 460 might well have vanished after 1979. As you, and anyone else who has seen a Bullnose with a 351M/400 vs one with a 460 can attest to, it is a tight fit, because it wasn't intended to be in the F series after 1979, only the E series. I assume it was brought back after the competition started putting 454s in their pickups. I have wondered if a developed 4V 400 as the original Lightning option instead of trying to make the 351W compete for the same market the SS454 Chevy trucks did would have worked, the weight and emission class of the 460, eliminated it from contention in a "half ton" truck after 1979. Yes, the 400 is hamstrung with the 2bbl carb. Even the 351HO got a 4bbl, so why not the 400? A 400 with the right hardware would have been a really strong engine. In fact, it still IS a really strong engine. And, as you said, it fits so much better in a Bullnose than a 460. Brandon and I have a friend, James, who has built many transmissions, transfer cases, and differentials for me. He has an '80 F350 w/a 400, and a couple of years ago he put an Edelbrock intake and 600 CFM 4bbl on as well as a straight-up timing set. He swore that it doubled the power on the engine. Who knows how much each part played in that, but apparently it really woke the engine up - even though it had stock exhaust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angelo Voltura Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Yes, the 400 is hamstrung with the 2bbl carb. Even the 351HO got a 4bbl, so why not the 400? A 400 with the right hardware would have been a really strong engine. In fact, it still IS a really strong engine. And, as you said, it fits so much better in a Bullnose than a 460. Brandon and I have a friend, James, who has built many transmissions, transfer cases, and differentials for me. He has an '80 F350 w/a 400, and a couple of years ago he put an Edelbrock intake and 600 CFM 4bbl on as well as a straight-up timing set. He swore that it doubled the power on the engine. Who knows how much each part played in that, but apparently it really woke the engine up - even though it had stock exhaust. I sure do love my 400 ;) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Lewis Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 I sure do love my 400 ;) Sounds good, Angelo. But you can embed it here. Hit "Share" on Youtube, then "Embed", and copy the embed code. And on here click "Embed" then "Embed Tags" and paste the code between the ">" and the " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts