It would get you the first 30 feet like a bat out of hell. The killer would be the three seconds it takes getting second.
78 F250 would have a Granny gear 4 speed. Basically a 3 speed with a deep reduction 1st gear. It's not a performance transmission
It would get you the first 30 feet like a bat out of hell. The killer would be the three seconds it takes getting second.
I've seen this question a few times. Just for grins I'll toss this out. The original 400m was used in 70 or 71 ltd cars, not trucks. The importance to to the discussion is that year only, those blocks had sbf bolt pattern for the bell housing. It might be impossible to find one of those rare blocks, but there out there. The only parts that are custom only would be forged pistons, beefy rods or forged cranks. With all the long rods on the market, custom pistons, ( need them made any way ) and some custom crank grinding?? All the rest, heads, cams, distributors are cleveland stuff.
Is it worth doing. Other than getting very lite side loads on the pistons. No. If you have room to use this block go with a 460. Much cheaper parts and still way cool. Even better be really unusual and use an LS3. Great milage, tons of power and lots of " WTF" when you pop the hood.
You guys are really bashing the M block. I think no one on this board has ever seen or heard of one of these that has been done right. The M block is actually a fantastic platform and it is very easy to make power with. Headwork, the right cam and a good intake and it will haul ass. These blocks can make TONS of power. The main issue is the lack of aftermarket support. The M block is actually a very good design for a street car as its always going to make a boat load of torque. Put a good 4 speed behind one with the proper cam profile and you will toast a small block all day long.
That being said, its a biyatch to fit these in the smaller Mustangs. If I had a chance to build an M motor and had a good chasis to put it in, I'd do it and I'd suprise the crap out of all of you guys.
You know, I've replaced 400M's in '71 LTD's that came with them from the factory, and none of those engines had smallblock bolt patterns--they all had the same standard 351M/400/429/460 bolt pattern . . .
As everybody mentioned, it's a very big (external dimensions) engine; it's also very heavy--probably within a few pounds of a 429/460 . . . if you're going to go with an engine that big (externally) and weighs as much as that one does, to me it really doesn't make any sense to build anything other than a 429/460 at that point.
My preference is big cubes . . . as someone once said: "There is no replacement for displacement", and I don't care *what* all the little ricer boi's say! LOL!
You guys are really bashing the M block. I think no one on this board has ever seen or heard of one of these that has been done right. The M block is actually a fantastic platform and it is very easy to make power with. Headwork, the right cam and a good intake and it will haul ass. These blocks can make TONS of power. The main issue is the lack of aftermarket support. The M block is actually a very good design for a street car as its always going to make a boat load of torque. Put a good 4 speed behind one with the proper cam profile and you will toast a small block all day long.
That being said, its a biyatch to fit these in the smaller Mustangs. If I had a chance to build an M motor and had a good chasis to put it in, I'd do it and I'd suprise the crap out of all of you guys.
you sure they were 71's and not later models? because he's right the first year or two the 400 was available in passenger cars it did have a small block bolt pattern.
there were also "big block" FMX trannies as well, back to the c6 argument here, that were used behind the early (but not the earliest) 400 motors that used a special bellhousing which is almost as rare as the early SBF bolt pattern 400
78 F250 would have a Granny gear 4 speed. Basically a 3 speed with a deep reduction 1st gear. It's not a performance transmission.
Yep, I'm sure it was '71 LTD's and one in particular I can remember clearly, had a broken crank; we replaced that engine with a 351M (this was about '77)
I started working on cars when I bought my first car in '75 (a '64 Fairlane 500 2-dr Sedan with a 289 2-V and a C4), and in a year and a half, I was working in a shop part time; around February of '77, I started working in the shop full time, so it was some time after that.
In all that time, I have *NEVER* seen a 400 block that had a smallblock bolt pattern . . . I'd really like to see one, if you can scrounge up a pic!
That would be interesting!
I spent a little time scrounging the library. It was in the '73 ltd with fmx trans. I was thinking of the one time they had a 4v carb. It is mentioned in " how to rebuild Ford engines V8" by Tom Monroe. They had no pics of the block that I saw.
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