400 V8

[79lincolnlover]

I know this engine was mainly used in the old Ford trucks. I would like to know more about it.

[1987cp]

Modified Cleveland design, 4" bore x 4" stroke, intended to replace the heavier 385-series (429/460) where fuel economy was a concern. Often paired with a 2V carb in heavy cars such as my mom's old '74 Cougar. Uber torque on the low end, but you never really hear of them for performance use.

Some interesting info on the Cleveland family (335-series) here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Cleveland_engine

[DuceAnAHalf]

the Cleveland motors were also used in the DeTomasa panteras 9god i want one of those). they can make power since some of the factory heads have huge ports and valves. just that the motors were notorious for oiling issues. Best use of Cleveland parts is a Clevor, a Windsor based motor with cleveland heads. so you get the benefits of the 302/351 bottom ends with the big potential of the Cleveland heads

[1987cp]

+1 - original Cleveland design blocks (dunno about the taller-deck 351/400M blocks) in particular have issues with cylinder wall thickness. My old boss had a customer who wanted him to build a blown 351C and even bought a short block on eBay that was all prepped for blower service with hot items like forged pistons and Crower billet main caps, only to find upon sonic-checking the block that simply not enough wall thickness was remaining to use it for a blown engine for a customer. Subsequent teardowns of two more complete 351C engines resulted in the discovery of bad pitting in the cylinders that couldn't clean up at a reasonable overbore, so those blocks were scrapped.

[gadget73]

think factory stroker Cleveland with a big block bellhousing and engine mounts and a horrible cam and intake. They're taller deck too, so they're a big engine. They were usually fairly low compression too. Even with the low compression, a decent intake and cam will go a very long way toward waking one up.

[Mercracer]

Modified Cleveland design, 4" bore x 4" stroke, intended to replace the heavier 385-series (429/460) where fuel economy was a concern. Often paired with a 2V carb in heavy cars such as my mom's old '74 Cougar. Uber torque on the low end, but you never really hear of them for performance use.

Don't use the word modified in the same sentence as the 400 motor. Nothing was modified and there is no such thing as a 400M. The 351C and 400 motors both came out at the same time for automobile use, NOT truck use. The 351C was first used in 1970 and the 400 in 1971. The 351M engine didn't come out until 1975 and it was used in cars exclusively also.
Trucks got neither the 400 nor the 351M until 1977.
It is almost too easy to get 400HP from a 400.
The 400 along with the 351M used what are essentially Cleveland 2V heads. That means decent sized nice flowing ports which put any factory Windsor head including the GT40 & GT40P heads to shame easily. 2.05" Intake valves with a canted valve design. The cylinder walls are thin on any 335 series engine and a sonic test is in order for any serious build.

[p71towny]

Good God Mercracer, we need to sticky all your engine info into a 302 section and 351 section. Your knowledge amazes me and would do us well as a reference. I hate tellin people to search but I think you have damn near everything covered.

[1987cp]

So if I'm understanding correctly, the 400 actually uses a regular 351C block (or a tall-deck version thereof?) and takes the same standard SBF bellhousing, and only the 351M used a BBF bellhousing?

[Mercracer]

You are still confused. Although the basic design is the same as the 351C, the deck IS higher on the 351M/400 motors and therefore the intakes are significantly wider. Most all 351M and 400 blocks use the 429/460 bolt pattern. Only 1 specific casting 351M used the SBF pattern.

[1987cp]

OK .... Cleveland block, tall-deck, 385-series bellhousing. How then is it not correct to call it an "M"? Sounds like a Modified Cleveland Design block to me ......

[Mercracer]

Nothing was "Modified". The 335 series was designed as a whole with the 351C and the 400 being designed together. Calling the 351W a "Modified" 302 would be no less retarded.....

[79lincolnlover]

Wow! Thanks for all the info on this engine! I know a lot more now, than I did before posting this thread

[1987cp]

One more question about nomenclature (maybe) ... so if the tall-deck block was introduced at the same time as the "regular" Cleveland block, why was the 351M called "modified", since if I'm understanding correctly it's just a destroked 400?

[gadget73]

because the 351m is a modified 400.

[Mercracer]

"Modified" is NOT a Ford term. The reality is that the C W and M refer to where the blocks were cast. Cleveland, Windsor and Michigan (Some number of the 351M/400 blocks were cast at the Cleveland Casting Center also.). Some like to think along the lines that the 400 was "modified" by destroking it to make the 351M. It is a nickname. Some like to think of it as a 351W crank in a 400 block. This is technically not correct. Other dimensions prevent this in being a direct swap. Because the 351W and the 400 share main crank journal diameters, you CAN drop a 400 crank in a 351W block to make a stroker 351W. Some relatively moderate machining and balancing of the crank is required though.
I really don't care what people want to make up what the M stands for. What does irritate me is those who want to add a M (and call it modified) after the 400.