in the november issue they layed out what seems to be a killer 351w based 408 small block build, I am very interested in building this setup 10.1 comp mustang mass air set up from 90 lx w/auto ecm (a9p)  the article detailed the engine quite well but didnt say much about what intake, injectors, and other associated hardware ie mass air meter, and other things, the plan is to put this in a first generation ford ranger (1986 model) In the past i had a basicly stock 5.0 gt drive train in one but an overzealous son wrrapped it around a tree, this one he will NOT touch. anyway I am trying to come up with a solid plan and budget for this project and need as much info as possible about needed injectors,mass air, obviously ill need a custom chip burnt, but anyone thats built this engine or similar and put it in a 87-93 fox body, your advice would be helpful  

in short. to duplicate this engine and use it in an efi application what other hardware will i need to round out the build, have it be streetable, stone reliabe for 100,000  

no one here is a ford guy not one staff membor or member here has any advice on what id need to top off the 408 in that article efi wise? ive heard of car craft being called camaro crafft lol but i didnt want to believe it come on man someones running a 408 windsor with late model mustang efi setup surely?  

I'll need more info. What HP/torque are looking to make?
Come over to the HotRod message board, and look for a guy screennamed dieselgeek, he is a tuner for Spectre Performance in California, he can hook you up with the specifics on the EFI. I am an engine builder who specializes in SBF motors, so I can help you immensely there.  

Hey, your going to spend a ton of money and labor on a whopping 57 cubic inches, why not just put a supercharger on it and be much happier? If you really gota have a 408, Ford made the 400M, carb it, they can be made to run very strong believe it or not.  

No, the bottom end is weak, and they use a BBF bellhousing pattern. Stroking a 351w to 408 is an easy proposition, with the cost of stroker kits what they are.  

Well whats a matter with a supercharger on a 351? I dont believe the bottom end is any weaker on a 400 than a 351. I believe thats nothing more than a wives tale. The 400 was built to power heavy pickups down the road, why would Ford build it weak from the get go. That sounds like again, a wives tale from a misimformed back yard shop owner. As far as the bell housing, there are a ton of adapters to mate up what you need. Then again, its your choice to hand over hard earned bucks to these crankshaft companies who are making a killing off people who feel they need to re engineer or creat a individualized engine combination.  

The oiling system won't take much abuse. The bottom end of a 351w is much more robust. I know, I've built em.  

Min I think it's the 351M's that have the crappy bottom end. At least that's what my buddy that's building that 400M said. It's the same guy I got those 400M Edelbrock heads for. And I can tell you this there's no one that know's more about ford than he does.  

Ok, go tell your theory to Bob Glidden,  Irv Beringhaus, and Don Nicholson who ran them in the early 70's after NHRA factored the Hemis'. Yea that engine family was so bad that they insisted on using an engine design that popped left and right. Seems like you are mildly ignorant and too afraid to rock the boat and do something different. Some people just keep thinking the world is flat.  

The inferior oiling system of the 351C is no theory.  Rather a fact.  This was its Achilles tendon.  Serious builders had to perform mods to get ample oil to the crankshaft then onto the rod bearings at stratospheric rpms.  

Cmon JC, look at what he is building. A 10 to 1 engine going in a Ranger. This is not some kind of stressed vehicle a 400M cant handle. In one hand I am glad the industry has come up with all these odd ball stroker kits but in the other hand people are waisting gobs of money when they can pick a block closer to the cubes they want and spend the money making power instead of labor trying to fit the latest cubic re engineered kit in their block. Not only is the 400M strong enough to take on 10 to 1 street duty chores with occasional strip duty, he will get many more looks and questions at the cruise joint thus spreading the word that this wives tale piece of junk really works and helps other out in the process. Hey Ranger man, you want to put the 400M in let me know what state your in so I can help you turn wrenches.  

I'm just stating fact.  Clevelands were/are inferior in the oiling department.  You don't need to be building a circa 70s Pro-Stock type mill to have these problems. 

Factory Boss 351s that saw duty into the low 7,000 rpms had problems spinning rod bearings.  I know, my Boss spun a bearing on two different occasions.

An engine from a manufacture was intended to go 75,000-100,000 miles or more during those years of production. The 400M was used in vehicles ranging from Lincolns to Ford trucks for nearly a decade. I cant imagine Ford especially Lincoln letting their reputation ride on a grenade style engine. We swapped a 400M into a early 80's F100 which had a warmed over 289 in it, we had no problems with it. This was a father son project, everything went well with the project with no modifications to the oiling system. Again, from the sounds of what he intends to do with this ranger 10 to 1 street engine without spray or other power adder, he should be money ahead and happier with the 400M.   

I don't agree, but if he wants to do the 400m, he will want to spend some time, and money to make sure it will survive.

Not only have I built these, but had them in numerous other vehicles. Yes, it should handle what he's going to do, but if it's driven hard, it will find a weak spot, and the oiling system is it, not to mention it's a boat anchor compared to a windsor.

To each their own, btw if in Michigan, I'd be happy to wrench for you or with you.