Well, I would like to do an engine swap in my 77 ford but I don't really know what to throw in there because I want power in a mud pit and fuel economy on the highway . Right now there is a 300 I6 and I would like to put a V8 in there. I know that I will need a new cross member in there and a new transmission if I want a big block and all that jazz, but all i want to know is what is a good engine that will give me the best of both worlds.

 

Mud rat, my dad use to say "you can't have your cake and eat it too!" But, your happy medium might be a 351 with fuel injection. You can build decent power and possibly still pull down 12-15 mpg. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

Yes exactly "can't have your cake and eat it too." But what kind of 351?

 

You don't have to change the crossmember and you don't have to change your transmission, as long as you have the right bellhousing. All you need are the right mounts and probably the right stands since you have the six.

fwiw, the stock 351m in my truck made less power than the stock and healthy 300 in one of my other trucks. It wasn't super healthy at the time, so not a great measure of the breed, but I don't think I'd spend a whole lot of time on a 351m. Fuel injection will add lots of headaches to your build. If youre the guy posting on a forum asking if you can swap an engine, a fuel injection swap probably isn't for you.

I swapped in a 460. My truck is just a play truck. It will drain 5 gallons of gas in an hour. But it does have a lot of power.

 

351-w is the motor i have in my 2wd, and is fun to drive with hp riveling the cleaveland IMO, dosen't seem to have the torque of the cleaveland motor though...
The modified is the torquiest of the three from what I've read/been told (i haven't personally driven one, or rode for any kind of distance in one...)
The Cleaveland is the one most people seem to want, it's got a nice amount of torque, has a nice level of hp, and can handle quite a lot of building... but it's getting to be a real PITA to find (at least around here...), and there not cheap when you do find them...

A 302 has a nice aftermarket, can be built for a nice amount of power, and parts are plentiful. If it's your first motor swap, this may be a good choice, because 351's are kind of a pain to find aftermarket parts for (used for reasonable prices anyway..)

Power and Mileage go hand in hand to a point, then you kind of shoot yourself in the foot so to speak.. A good set of tuned headers, true dual exhaust, an aluminum intake, and a nice 4 barrel carb will give you decent power while not hurting your economy too bad, may even help it a bit... if you keep your foot out of the carb... If you need a lil more power, go for a towing/Rv cam, and a mild one at that...

 

If I was you I would put in a 351w. Same bellhousing and with a few little modifications they can produce lots ofower. Good luck

 

5.4 Lighting Engine. Power and somewhat better economy.....$$$

 

I think I'd go for a 302 as well. You can make lots of power with a smaller carb, great aftermarket, a bit lighter than the 400m series. Just depends on what you wanna do with it. If you want to do mud bogs with big mud tires like super swampers, you need a ton of HP to swing those things.

 

Well. I would like to build a DD and a Toy so I would like to have the C6 Transmission for a little off-roading because what I have been told is that the C4 Transmission can't hold up in the mud. I was also thinking about a 302 but how does that hold up in mud and is there a C6 that will bolt up to a 302?

 

who told you a c4 won't hold up!? C4 is probably one of the most popular drag racing transmissions for streep/strip cars and you can order one (pretty reasonable in cost, imo) that have life time warranties. I've seen c4's behind 800 hp drag cars.

I wouldn't worry about a C4 vs a C6. Just my opinion, but no real advantage to stepping up to a C6. You can build either of them as strong as you'll need em.

 

302 really doesn't have enough "*****" to really push a 5500 lb 4x4 pickup around. It'll struggle on the highway because it's like trying to push a wet sail against the wind. Go with a 351w or even 400 because torque is what you're really gonna need when it's all said and done. Horsepower is just an equation involving torque and rpm. Get something with a low rpm torque band and you'll be a happy camper.

You might even net better mpg's with a 351w than you would with a 302. The 351 wouldn't need to work nearly as hard.

 

How well does a 351W or a 351M hold up in mud and how well do the C4 and C6 hold up also?

 

I've never had a C4 before, but I had a C6 behind a 300 i6 and it was a very good trans. I have, however, driven vehicles with carb'd and injected 351's and 302's. The 302 (efi or carb) was a dog... the 351w with EFI was peppy, and the 351m had a lot of torque but it took forever to get anywhere. No horse in the 351m, 302 had hp but no torque, and the 351w had the best of both worlds.

Edit: The C6 had 262k miles on it and it still grabbed like the truck was brand new. Pulled trailers and took the truck for the occasional flogging and it never slipped. But, it was a 300 i6. Truck was an 87 F-150 4x4 with a 3" leveling kit, 31's, standard cab, long bed.

 

So basically get the best of both world I should get a 351W and a C6 Transmission?

 

351w is just a 302 with a taller deck height and some other changes. So basically the different is about 49ci's... not a huge difference in power potential. Its known more for being durable than for its horsepower potential.

The 351m shares most common characteristics with the 400m and 460. Also not really well known for producing outrageous power.

Most enthusiasts consider the 5.0 (302) to be the "350 chevy" of the ford world, which is to say, the compromise choice that is cheap and easy to build.

For a given amount of money, just about everyone agrees the cheapest way to get decent power is with a big block, but if its a truck thats gonna be driven on the street, the 460 will just suck down fuel. forum members get 6, 8, maybe 10 mpg on the high end. On the other hand, nothing is gonna spin 35" or larger mud tires like a big block. Just about any of the above engines can be built to 400 hp or more, but the 460 can make nearly that hp at 2000 rpm, just off the torque converter, which is where you want it for off road or towing. For my money I went with the 460, I actually junked two complete 351m engines, had zero interest in them even after listing the pair for sale for $100 for 3 months.

If you go with a big block I'd go with the C6 that will be bolted to it. If you stay with any of the small blocks, and your C4 is still nice and healthy, there is really no reason to swap it out unless the engine comes bolted to another tranny thats in good shape.

I'm a big fan of running things until they break. If you spend enough time on internet forums people will convince you that you should spend all this money to bulletproof a truck before it ever hits a trail or a mud pit. I think its more fun just to wheel and when something breaks, you fix it. If it breaks more than once, maybe upgrade then. But its all just bench racing till then.