i have a 78 mercury marquis with a 400m. i was originally going to do a mild build and try to leave the 400 in, but with gas the way it is, ive starting scheming on some potential swaps. my first one is a fuel injected windsor stroked to either 392 or 408, ive also contemplated building about a 12:1 514 and running e85. my last one was the wackiest, a 7.3 powerstroke diesel w/ twin turbos ! ive pretty much ruled out the diesel, but would like to hear what everyone thinks about the other two. the car weighs about 6000 lbs, and the rest of the drivetrain is open for suggestions as well. it is still stock, but ive got a c6 w/ a 460 bellhousing and a 9 inch out of a 76 lincoln. i want a good, strong cruiser that can hold its own, but it doesn't have to break any speed barriers. thanks in advance  

oops. that was supposed to say sound barriers  

First off, don't go with E85.

E85 is really trendy right now, so everyone wants to build motors to run off it. But if you look at the long term effects of not only running that fuel, but the related costs it drives up (including your grocery bill believe it or not!), you're better off building a motor that runs on regular, 87 octane gas and gets decent economy for what it's in.

If you want a good, strong cruiser, then do a moderate build on your 400M. Car Craft did this last year, and got great power out of the engine. That big, heavy car, you want a motor that'll make plenty of torque to move it, and the 400 was meant to do just that.

Another thing to look at, for the money you'd spend building a smaller Windsor motor for the car and converting it over to fuel injection, you'd have to drive the car for a long while before even coming close to making up that money in fuel savings.  

that was my train of thought on the fuel injection. i was researching the 400 after i made this post, and found a lot of info. i was originally concerned with the availability and cost of parts. i keep the issue of hot rod in my truck with me where they got 500 hp and 565 lb-ft of torque out of one. i know edelbrock makes an intake, but i would like to do some research and comparing first before i make a decision. ive never built a ford motor before, so i have no idea what carb would be good for this build. i have no desire to race this car, so outside of normal machining, and the cam, carb, and intake, the motor will stay stock. i may do a basic msd type upgrade. is there an od trans or a bolt in od unit that will work with this motor? any help and info is appreciated. thanks