Ford Forums banner

335 series 400cid- anyone run this ?

3K views 7 replies 0 participants last post by  trippin28track@yahoo.com 
G
#1 ·
I have an '82 F150 w/400 CID 335 series engine. 2-barrel- not original
motor, someone put it in, I believe the motor is a '77 model

anyone else here run a 400 CID ?

For some reason this motor never really caught on in a big way with
Ford guys- and was eclipsed by the smaller 351C- it seems to me the 400
should make even more power with the same heads and mods.

opinions ?
 
G
#2 ·
On 21 Aug 2005 10:46:58 -0700, trippingtoo8track@yahoo.com wrote:

>I have an '82 F150 w/400 CID 335 series engine. 2-barrel- not original
>motor, someone put it in, I believe the motor is a '77 model
>
>anyone else here run a 400 CID ?
>
>For some reason this motor never really caught on in a big way with
>Ford guys- and was eclipsed by the smaller 351C- it seems to me the 400
>should make even more power with the same heads and mods.
>
>opinions ?


Hot Rod magazine had a build-up of one of those things a few years ago.
They made 380 horsepower with it and spent remarkably little money. It
was a torquey bastard, too - they never had to take the motor over five
grand.

I think the reason it never 'caught on' with the performance crowd was
the fact that it only came bolted to Ford's heavier tin - the '72-newer
Torinos and big A-bodies, and later the full-sized Broncos, F-series
pickups, and Econoline vans. Add to that they were always kind of low-
compression mills (except the first couple of years). They had odd
motor mounts so they don't bolt easily into other chassis, and for the
most part, most folks interested in performance were looking at the 429s
and 460s.

The potential for power is definitely there, though. It has the cubic
inches for impressive power, and the 351C-2V head, although not quite
the deep breathers the 4V heads were, are certainly adequate for good
performance for a 400-inch V8. Get the compression up, give it a good
cam and a decent induction (Edelbrock Performer series intkae and sensibly
sized four-barrel carb) and it'll make power all day.
 
G
#5 ·
<xmh31d_64@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:lb7ig1pi5haehmbbat18p87sp5fhluds7c@4ax.com...
> Here's a link with more information about these engines:
>
> http://home.earthlink.net/~bubbaf250/index.html
>
> Doesn't look like it's been updated in a while, though.


Bubba, has it half right. The 400 cid 335 series was built to compete with
the Chevy 400 of the time. The 351M was no more than a destroked 400. The
400 and 351M lack in power due to the smog regulation of the 70's and 80's.
Yes they use the simular heads as the 351 cleveland but the compression
ratio is low and the heads have small ports to allow better low-end torque.
Preformance parts are hard to find but if you are a master engine builder
nothing is impossible.
 
G
#6 ·
Even the 2V heads on the 335 series are healthy sized ports though.
Compression is not an issue these days- it makes no sense to build any
more than a 9:1 motor with iron heads, as there simply isn't gas
available to feed more CR than that.

aluminum heads may raise the limit a bit

I like the 335 series- they have canted valve heads and huge ports
compared to most other makes, simply dwarfing a SB Chevy. This 400 is
a torquey SOB even with the mild smog cam.

damned distributor is stuck though...that seems to be a problem with
these
 
G
#7 ·
I had a well built 400 in a 78 3/4 ton supercab 4x4. It would pull ahead of
a 300 hp 6L chevy racing uphill - the chevy was a 3/4 ton 4wd as well. I ran
him twice and bested him both times by a small margin. Other than the
edelbrock intake and carb, RV cam, and good dual exhaust, it was stock. The
previous owner told me it had 10:1 comp. flat-tops in it but I'm pretty sure
that when I mentioned this a few years ago in this group it was deemed
highly unlikely. SO I'm assuming stock compression. A lot of the wreckers I
talk to say the 400 has a weak bottom end. Meaning the cranks bearings don't
last. I have seen them and the 351M run for well over 200,000 miles without
problems.When your buddy is on his 3rd small block chevy re & re, than maybe
its time to rebuild the ford.:)


Merc
Thundersnake#16
78 ford4x4 f-150351Mtiredbutstill plowingsnow

<trippin28track@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1124747932.547834.129160@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Even the 2V heads on the 335 series are healthy sized ports though.
> Compression is not an issue these days- it makes no sense to build any
> more than a 9:1 motor with iron heads, as there simply isn't gas
> available to feed more CR than that.
>
> aluminum heads may raise the limit a bit
>
> I like the 335 series- they have canted valve heads and huge ports
> compared to most other makes, simply dwarfing a SB Chevy. This 400 is
> a torquey SOB even with the mild smog cam.
>
> damned distributor is stuck though...that seems to be a problem with
> these
>
 
G
#8 ·
bearings wearing out on Ford V-8's- that seems to be a problem with the
small block 302 and 360 FE as well.

My friend had a Ford truck w/302, I believe ' 85 model. It had only
53,000 miles on it- but very low oil pressure. I pulled the engine and
tore it down- all the main and rod bearings were down to the copper-
really bad. So we did a total overhaul on it- the of course oil
pressure came up and the truck had like-new or better power with the
aftermarket Crower cam..

The funny thing is, the truck still ran very good prior to the rebuild.
I had a ' 76 F150 w/360FE that was the same deal- 3 to 5 pounds of oil
pressure when hot, but was running smoothly like it didn't mind it too
much.

If the rpm's are kept low they will run a long time with low oil
pressure and worn bearings. I can hear some faint bearing noises in my
400 at times, that sound like sloppy rod bearings. For now I'm
ignoring it until it becomes a real problem ! I don't beat the hell
out of the truck and it doesn't use much oil, and it's only used when
needed to haul something.

thanks for the reply !
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top