I was looking through the classifieds today and saw that there is a 351C with a 4spd from a 77 F250 4x4. Can anybody tell me if this set up is compatible for a Maverick or what it takes to put something like this in?
First of all the 351 cleveland was not available in the 77 Ford truck. So, its either a "M" motor or it was transplanted in there. While the M motor can be made to perform well with a modest budget, it is not the motor I would go with just because of its lack of performance parts and adaptability. Second, if the 4 spd was hooked to a transfer case in a 4WD, the transmission is going to be the heavy duty type with the granny first gear. That is not a performance type transmissionat all. If it was a 4 speed that was just installed without the transfer case, then it could be one of those toploader looking overdrive transmissions whick are not what you would want anyway. Its just a 3 speed with overdrive. However, if it is indeed a cleveland with a normal toploader, it can be put in a Comet or Maverick but will require shock tower modifications to make it worth the trouble.
Only the heads are the same from clevelands and M's. The M block is concidered a big block and the cleveland is a small block. The deck hieght is 9.2 on clevelands and the M is close to 10.0 so as you can see the M's is physicaly bigger. My two cents from the desert
Gee Tom with all the money your making I would have thought you could have afforded more than 2 cents........... keep your head down,tammy will want to knock it off her self.......Oh yeah Tom is your email address the same one.........
that proves exactly what I suspected. My main concern was the shock towers and by the way it has a transfer case.
I find the easiest way to tell a 351C from a 351M or 400 is to look at the two top bolts where the tranny mounts .On 289 302 351W 351C the bolts are only about 6 inches apart . On 351M 400 460 they are around 11 inches apart . Mavaholic is right . Clevelands were only make from 70 to 73 and never came in trucks .
Cleveland Easy ID is look at the block where the distributer goes. If it's only about 1/2" from the dist hole to the block edge where the manifold sets, it's a Cleveland. If it's about 1 1/4" it's a 351M or 400.
BTW the heads are different between the M and the C engines. The c's have better exhaust ports where the M engines have nasty turns and goofy shapes inside them that can't be removed without hitting a water jacket. We already tried, ruined a 400 head and gave up. Going back to a W head, much easier.
