351c questions...

[my67stang]

Hi all. I have a couple of questions about a 351c that I am thinking about buying. I am hoping to put it into a 1967 coupe. I guess the first question should be how hard is it to squeeze the engine into it (I have hear not too hard)? I asked the guy to send me a receipt of the rebuild. It includes a $450 rebuild kit from summit racing. The cam is a Lunati Bracket Master II cam and lifter kit. Its specs are: 2,000-6,000 rpm, 224 intake duration 050 inch lift, 334 exhaust lift, 290 intake duration, 300 exhaust duration ($160). The heads are have been vatted and checked for cracks. Machine shop said they are rebuildable. Need some helicoils installed. These are the 351 4V closed chamber heads with the large ports. He suggests studs and guide plates installed due to the cam he chose. The engine has just been rebuilt. Bored .040, 1 sleeve, TRW forged pistons, Lunati Cam with matched springs, brass freeze plugs, double roller timing chain, crank turned, all new bearings, etc.... Also has 351 4v Edelbrock (first generation) intake, a Holley 750 carb with rebuild kit, new Holley high volume mechanical fuel pump, chrome valve covers with air cleaner and M/T valve covers.

Tell me what you guys think for $1000 (good deal?
Thanks a lot.

 

[dodgestang]

In a word. No. - but what do you intend to do with it?

.040 over, sleeved block, heads with helicoils. Where I come from that is a motor that is LONG past its prime.

 

[65ShelbyClone]

In a word. No. - but what do you intend to do with it?

.040 over, sleeved block, heads with helicoils. Where I come from that is a motor that is LONG past its prime.

I agree. The closed chamber heads are tempting, but to need a sleeve and Heli-Coils leads me to believe there was a bit of abuse and/or neglect in the past.

BTW- Heli-Coils are better than regular threads(or the aerospace industry/military wouldnt use them so frequently), but the fact that a 351C needs them indicates that some threads were stripped out.

 

[rbohm]

i agree with the others. the top end is the only desirable parts from the motor.

 

[ddonaca351]

Well the carb, intake, crank, rods and pistons are worth about a grand.... if the heads have good valves in them that would be a plus, the cam is my personal choice for my C.

You might try to offer him like 7-800 and then get another set of heads for the shortblock. Edelbrocks new ones are only 639 each bare, you can use the bm2 springs, get some manley (or whoever) valves, and be ready to go.... I personally love the C, if for no other reason than it's something that you dont see at EVERY DAMN ROD RUN.... like a W. But thats just my op. The sleave is not that big of a deal, as long as youre not going to build a killer out of it (like 500+) it will probably never be an issue. But I dont think its worth the full 1000.

Oh, you could also build a cle-vor if you want something really weird, but thats probably more hastle than you want.... its not hard, just have to get some special parts.

Another possible option is to pass on the C, and see if you can find a 351W from a ford truck in the junkyard... they can be had for a couple hundred. A rebuild kit and misc parts (1000) some machine work on the block and heads (1000) and you could have a solid 300 horse motor (probably 350) for about 2500 bucks.

Or if you save a few bucks you can get a whole motor for about 3500, a real nice one for about 4500. (DSS, CHP, Mortorsport, etc...)

You could also bide your time, and look around for a good C, and get a stroker kit for it (1600 for good all forged SCAT parts) and that really helps wake up those big ports in the heads...

Good luck, with whatever you decide...
Dave-

 

[brianj5600]

Why is everyone afraid of a sleeve? That will be the one cyl that has garanteed wall thickness. Every aluminum block made uses 8 of them! I would be more afraid of an Al block as they have different expansion rates and not as rigid to begin with.
Where are helicoils needed? I would not sweat it, especialy if it is for the valve covers. What will it cost to finish the heads?
$1000 for a fresh short block with forged pistons sounds like a fair price to me. How much more total to finish it? Does it have a distributer? Rocker arms? Pushrods? These thing can really add to the bottom line.

 

[67efivert]

knowing cleavlands problem with core shift i wouldnt worry bout the sleeve heck id trust that one more then any other cylnder the combination sounds pretty good to me but like others said what other parts has he that will cost u to find? oh and as far as the helicoils arent any big thing they cant be in the valvetrain if u do the smart thing and add screw in studs so that only leaves accesories on front of valve covers

 

[Hack]

When someone is selling a half finished project, it makes you wonder why. I'm not saying that you shouldn't buy it - buying a completed rebuild should be much cheaper than doing a rebuild. However, it's not worth anything if the build isn't right.

So having said all that, I think you should start by finding out why this guy is giving up on the motor, and how much you trust his and the shop's word. If something doesn't smell right, bail!

Good luck.

 

[ratio411]

I won't get into the arguement over that particular engine...
But I will say that the swap you are planning is extremely easy.
The only part that I would even ponder for a second is the headers... but I have seen 67-68 Cs with 70 model headers fitting like a glove.

Get a 65-66 and try the swap and we'll have more to talk about.
Dave

 

[D.Hearne]

Why is everyone afraid of a sleeve? That will be the one cyl that has garanteed wall thickness. .

The 427 that I had in my 67 fastback had two dry sleeves. Never had a problem with it.