400 cleveland

[ak-1970-360]

Hi guys
Its been about two years since my last post unfortunatly. I have a question for everyone. Has anyone ever heard of a 400 cleveland? I was talking to my dad the other day and he told me when he put a new motor in his 78 F250 that he put in a 400 cleveland insted of the modified. I didnt know there was such a thing but he assured me there is but its a rare motor. he told me his dad had one in a 70s station wagon he bought when my dad was a kid. I am very interested in this motor and want to know all i can hear about it, this would also explain why my dads truck has a whole lot more balls than a 400 modified that i thought it had. anything you guys can tell me will be greatly appreciated and maybe i will try to buy the truck
Thank you
Josh Alsterberg

[fordman]

well from what i read. it is just a name. it is a 400. but ti is built. the 400 and 351m uses the cleveland heads. and the almost same block. as the cleveland. the 400 has tha same bellhousing patern as the 429 /460. were as the 351 c has the same bellhousing as the 302 and 6 cyl. so its just a name for a built 400 i think.

[ak-1970-360]

so it is just a 400 that was built from the factory?

[Darren]

400 was a 351 c with about an ich more deck height, which makes it's manifold unique. All other external parts are the same, as well as most internal ones. Crank and rods are different. 351M is a different critter and is criticized for it's long rods and inability to rev.

[fitzwell]

400M. Think cleveland on steroids. Got a bad rep in the '70s, but you can make one into a torque monster with a little bit of work. Oiling system is same as a cleveland & needs some attention. Small cam, 4bbl carb...the usual hop up stuff. One thing to be aware of...they can be gas hogs.

[sideoilerfe]

There is no 400 M or 400 C. They're 400s. They replaced the 351 C in 1975 with the 351 M . 351 Modified Cleavland is modified (basically they de-stroked the 400) to save money. Why have two block castings when you can have one? The 351M and 400 blocks are identical (just like the 360/390 are). 351 Cleavlands are different than the 351M and 400. There were some earlier 400 blocks with the small block bell housing pattern made in the early 70's.

[70shortwide]

my dad had a station wagon a few years back that had a 400c in it. said it on the valve cover and on the core support somewhere i believe. some hot rodder bought the car to use the motor and frontend in a pickup.

[bmerkley58]

About fifteen years ago I helped a high school kid with his mechanics class project. It was a 400 engine he wanted to rebuild and put in his 77 F-150 4x4 4speed truck. The shortblock was stock with the exception of a wilder cam. We aquired a kit that involved spacers that allowed us to install a set of closed chamber 4 barrel 351 Cleveland heads and use the 4 barrel 351 Cleveland intake manifold. The performance was amazing, I guess the long stroke and extra cubic inches of the 400 plus the high compression closed chamber 4 barrel Cleveland heads ended up being a very good combination.

Bob

[nevrenufhp]

I heard they made a 400C for the first year in a few cars. It actually had the small (Windsor) bellhousing. For proof.....I cant find any. Would be a cool one to have though.

[rubiranch]

Looks like the 400 in my 79 is a 400 "B"

What's the "B"

I have never heard of a 400 C. I think some folks called them Clevelands
because they had canted valve heads like a Cleveland.

Maybe they should have called them a 400 BOSS.

[sgs]

Side oiler FE has it right. 400's are 400's. I think they might have been built in Fords Cleveland plant, not 100% sure but there is no secret or rare version of the 400. It does have a Cleveland style valve arrangement. It does have a very long stroke and can produce excellent torque. The limiting factor for common $$$ rebuilds is the low compression ratio and the relatively poor choices of common pistons. They also ran a retarded cam setting for emissions compliance, I think with a different cam key alone this can be corrected.

sgs

[Hawkrod]

You guys are all gonna hate me for this but your all right and all wrong at the same time. The 400's are all M's but some of them are unofficially called 400C's! The first year that Ford made the 400 they were designed to bolt to a small block bellhousing and they also have the bosses to use small block motor mounts (although I have never seen one actually drilled that way). They are still the 351M /400 tall style block but have a different rear bolt pattern. They are actually a bit rare and desirable. Hawkrod

[rubiranch]

You guys are all gonna hate me for this but

It's going to take a lot more than that to make us hate you.