77 LTD II

[racsan]

We had a 77 F250 with a 400 and full-time 4wd. C6 & 4.10’s, It shifted to 2nd almost as soon as it was moving & into 3rd before 30 mph. Would pull anything and was a snow plowing beast. 9mpg though, no matter how much you babied it. No tach so I dont know what rpms were. Had 7.50-16’s on split-ring rims that were originally on the 74 truck it replaced.

 

[Josh B]

My 73 had 16s but not split. I bought it in 73 from a guy who had used several for rentals back east, before he moved to east TX. Mine had been used by a band around DC, and had taken a spill but not plum over, only the RR Quarter panel was damaged, and that was easy enough to hide by keeping everything on the left
Those vans were mostly used by enterprise type stuff, and my Ford Red paint was a perfect match for the ones used by the New Orleans Fire Dept! Saved me a few parking tickets, although I saved the ones from Bourbon St, planned one day to frame them

Ahh, those tires were not hard to find then, so many were used for workhorses they were usually available for cheap with still good tread left, mostly 8 ply. One I watched all the way to seven, then waited for the PSHHHHH!!! It finally happened

 

[bobbywalter]

Nahhh. Im a purist lol. I did contemplate building a 400...as it was an original option and 400s can be mean when done right...but i think ill stick with the windsor. Even if it needs full rebuild

i know where there is an absolute mean ass 400....

 

[rusty ol ranger]

i know where there is an absolute mean ass 400....

Where and how much? If this windsors to sick to save i might still be open to it

 

[bobbywalter]

he probably wont sell it..its like a child for him....he is a member on the forum. i will try to get some pics....it is absolutely beautiful... i think it would be perfect for your car.


he is using a godzilla platform in a satellite configuration to inject it , so he can run the 10 r transmission behind it....

it was for his next truck build but not sure if he wants to do that now...

maybe talk him into breaking it in in your beast. it would get attention for sure....i think he would consider it...just to do some shows and mag stuff. be fun while it lasted.

 

[bobbywalter]

i am down to help install

 

[rusty ol ranger]

he probably wont sell it..its like a child for him....he is a member on the forum. i will try to get some pics....it is absolutely beautiful... i think it would be perfect for your car.


he is using a godzilla platform in a satellite configuration to inject it , so he can run the 10 r transmission behind it....

it was for his next truck build but not sure if he wants to do that now...

maybe talk him into breaking it in in your beast. it would get attention for sure....i think he would consider it...just to do some shows and mag stuff. be fun while it lasted.

To fancy and electronic sounding for my likeing lol.

But sounds like a cool project.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

We had a 77 F250 with a 400 and full-time 4wd. C6 & 4.10’s, It shifted to 2nd almost as soon as it was moving & into 3rd before 30 mph. Would pull anything and was a snow plowing beast. 9mpg though, no matter how much you babied it. No tach so I dont know what rpms were. Had 7.50-16’s on split-ring rims that were originally on the 74 truck it replaced.

My 77 F250 has a bone stock 400 backed by a C6 and a 3.07 rear. Its only 2wd but given what its saddled with it drug my 7200lb 30 ft travel trailer around pretty decent.

I also had a 78 F350dually with a massaged 400 and a 4speed with a 4.30 rear. That thing would pull absolutly anything, had 13 leaf packs and 2 overloads, got 6mpg and topped out at 72mph.

I wish ford woulda kept the 400 around up through the 90s instead of the 460.

I really kick myself for not keeping atleast that motor.

 

[19Walt93]

We replaced a lot of cracked blocks in 75-77 351M's and 400's, I suspect that had something to do with that engine family's demise. Coolant would disappear with no external leaks. We'd pull the intake manifold and find a line of black crud in the lifter valley over the crack. The lifter vally walls were flat on the crack prone blocks and had waves on the improved blocks. It was handy being able to pull the intake on a 351m/400 without draining coolant but changing the timing chain sucked. The 385 series(429/460) was pretty bulletproof and made more power per pound. I still like the looks of the 351m/400 but it's relatively easy to make more power with a lighter, smaller 351w based engine.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

We replaced a lot of cracked blocks in 75-77 351M's and 400's, I suspect that had something to do with that engine family's demise. Coolant would disappear with no external leaks. We'd pull the intake manifold and find a line of black crud in the lifter valley over the crack. The lifter vally walls were flat on the crack prone blocks and had waves on the improved blocks. It was handy being able to pull the intake on a 351m/400 without draining coolant but changing the timing chain sucked. The 385 series(429/460) was pretty bulletproof and made more power per pound. I still like the looks of the 351m/400 but it's relatively easy to make more power with a lighter, smaller 351w based engine.

The 351M/400 were killed in 82 because they were to well adapted to early emission controls and updating them to comply with stuff coming in the 80s was going to cost more then adapting the W's and 385 motors.

The 460 was actually on hiatus from 80-82...i believe.

Wernt the crack prone 335's all early 77 castings? Thats what i read anyways.

Either way...my 400s have treated me alot better then my 460s. Im guessing the fact that "460CI/7.5L" looked better on a sales sheet next to "454CI/7.4L" then "400CI/6.6L" did played into the death of them as well

 

[19Walt93]

The 351M/400 were killed in 82 because they were to well adapted to early emission controls and updating them to comply with stuff coming in the 80s was going to cost more then adapting the W's and 385 motors.

The 460 was actually on hiatus from 80-82...i believe.

Wernt the crack prone 335's all early 77 castings? Thats what i read anyways.

Either way...my 400s have treated me alot better then my 460s. Im guessing the fact that "460CI/7.5L" looked better on a sales sheet next to "454CI/7.4L" then "400CI/6.6L" did played into the death of them as well

The 400 didn't appear until 71, the 429 was introduced in about 68 so I wouldn't think emissions compliance was the issue. We also didn't measure displacement in liters, that was for the import crowd and motorcycles. Most 351m/400's were doggy gas hogs- admittedly, with late 70's retarded cam and ignition timing, lean mixtures, and restrictive exhaust, nothing ran well. By the 80's they just didn't have enough heavy vehilces to justify having 2 "big" engine families. A lot of Fseries buyers hated the underpowered 351m when it replaced the FE's in 77. I'm sure looking back that it was emissions tampering, but we started recurving distributors and richening mixtures so our customers wouldn't lynch us.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

The 400 didn't appear until 71, the 429 was introduced in about 68 so I wouldn't think emissions compliance was the issue. We also didn't measure displacement in liters, that was for the import crowd and motorcycles. Most 351m/400's were doggy gas hogs- admittedly, with late 70's retarded cam and ignition timing, lean mixtures, and restrictive exhaust, nothing ran well. By the 80's they just didn't have enough heavy vehilces to justify having 2 "big" engine families. A lot of Fseries buyers hated the underpowered 351m when it replaced the FE's in 77. I'm sure looking back that it was emissions tampering, but we started recurving distributors and richening mixtures so our customers wouldn't lynch us.

No i know everything was in CI...but i was reffering to if ford had kept the 400 past 82.

The 351M/400 had the EGR system built into the block i believe is what was being reffered to,. It was eaiser to tack the stuff on to 385s/Windsors then retool the 335s to meet emissions.

No offense...cause i know youre an FE fan...but i really dont understand the folklore around the 390. In stock emission form a 400 would rip its asshole out.

But thats a debate for a different day lol. I like the M blocks

 

[Shran]

I think the FE engines had a better reputation because they were around a lot longer... and used in some hot rod cars back in the 60's. Regardless of what they actually became in the 70's, they retained those good vibes and when put up against another engine that was kneecapped from the get go it was no surprise that the latter got a bad rep. Cracked blocks and cracked heads did not help either - a couple buddies of mine were really into building 351M's and 400's back when they first came out and had a ton of issues with heads in particular.

I've always been a Windsor guy, I've had at least several of each block design and I just am drawn to them for whatever reason. FE's are probably 2nd in line.... 385's would come in a solid last place.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

I think the FE engines had a better reputation because they were around a lot longer... and used in some hot rod cars back in the 60's. Regardless of what they actually became in the 70's, they retained those good vibes and when put up against another engine that was kneecapped from the get go it was no surprise that the latter got a bad rep. Cracked blocks and cracked heads did not help either - a couple buddies of mine were really into building 351M's and 400's back when they first came out and had a ton of issues with heads in particular.

I've always been a Windsor guy, I've had at least several of each block design and I just am drawn to them for whatever reason. FE's are probably 2nd in line.... 385's would come in a solid last place.

Im usually a fan of things everyone hates....M blocks, 2.9's, 70s smog cars....

I havent driven but a few 390s, all in well worn dentsides, i just didnt see what the hype was about...but what you said makes sense. Seems to be the same thing with the 351C.

I like my 460s...to a point. Power is the ending of that point.

 

[Shran]

My dad had a really nice '76 F250 that had a 390 and a C6 in it. That truck was an animal, stock for stock it would have easily out pulled my old '85 that had a 460 in it. Drove a clapped out '75 high boy around on the ranch when I was a teenager, it had a 360 that ran super strong... my buddy had a '69 F100 that he built a 352 for, also a very strong running truck. Never had the muscle car experience but I like FE's in pickups.

460 guys all seem to have the attitude of "ya gotta do this, and that, and get D0VE heads, and headers, and a timing set, and a cam, and a big carb, and ..............." and THEN you've got a good engine... after all that work. Stock form after the late 70's were just smog choked turds.