racinjason68

or do a windsor with a good carb and save money. As the F/I setup if not cheap or free will take awhile to recoupe the money spent thru mpg saved....

NGM

Yea and with the time saved "adapting" from one truck to another, buying the parts from the salvage yard, buyng the miscl stuff that you will need the Stand alone kit is better. Plus it has directions so you are not guessing what is what.

turnkyle

True, true. I've also been thinking about just getting a 351 windsor with the 2 barrel carb. I've heard those motors pull about 10-12 mpg's. Anything is better than 8. At the moment it's just a project truck, I'm just trying to decide what I want to do with it engine wise.

racinjason68

Go with a windsor and a good 2bbl get a MSD ignition box or close to. While you have it out throw in a RV type cam if you want a bit more out of it. Still be way cheaper than going with the F/I.

transmaster

I have experience with the 351W and it is an excellent motor. There are some things you need to know. first thing you want to do is find one with a 4 barrel carb. The porting on the heads is different depending on if it is a two or four barrel. The Two barrel engines especially the ones with the 2150 Autolite which is a gigantic 500 CFM two barrel feels restricted when you hit the pedal. Edelbrock, has a direct drop on replacement for the 2150 that is a still larger at 600 CFM, the results with this carb are mixed. If you get a two barrel model don't waste your money on performance cam shafts. The 4 barrels engines have better throttle response. Plus there is a real sweet throttle body fuel injection system, again from Edelbrock, which bolts right onto the existing four barrel intake manifold. It uses the stock throttle linkage, and all you have to do is install a bung on the exhaust system to take an O2 sensor, and mount the ECM on the firewall and power it up. You can tune if with a laptop but that is unnecessary the computer control is self teaching. Oh and one more thing when you get your 351W make sure you replace the main seals, especially the rear main. 351W's made in the 70's are notorious for having weepy rear mains.

racinjason68

all you need is money.... LOL

turnkyle

No kidding!

Transmaster, thanks for all the info.

turnkyle

Will the tranny from the 351M bolt up to a windsor?

Also, what about the 351 cleveland? I am mainly looking for an engine that will increase my mpg's but I want my truck to still be fun to drive. Is there any way to get 12 mpg out of any of these engines? I would also like to be able to bolt up a 5 spd manual tranny to it as well.

transmaster

As I understand it the 351/400 Modified has a different bolt pattern then the Windsor. One thing interesting about the Modified engine is it has the same bolt pattern as the 460 V8. I have no idea what it would take to mate it up with a standard transmission, If you went for this combination I would go with a automatic anyway. This is an engine which is the standard engine in the Lincoln in the 70's. Right now these big Lincolns can be purchased for real cheap because of current gas prices. It would be cheaper to purchase a whole car then just the engine. The 460 is an amazing engine. I have personally recorded 20 mpg with this engine in a Mark IV. In a truck this engine would get just about the same mileage, as long as you are not too hard on the gas pedal.

turnkyle

I was reading up on these engines on wikipedia and it sounds like the windsor is the way to go. I will have to keep my eye out for an older ford truck with the windsor in it already because the trannies are not compatable. It's looking like it will be a while before I get this project started.