Ytailhuntr

I have a 79 F150 that smokes heavy when accelerating. It uses at least 1 quart of oil per full tank. No puddles under the truck, so I assume the oil is blowing through. Passenger side mostly. My thought is to find a local engine rebuilder. The Engine is not original and I'm not sure where it came from. Pretty sure it is a 1977 400m. Replace vs rebuild? I live in Indy so I would think there are many local rebuilders or engine shops but don't find many. Referrals or alternate ideas welcome?

Suzuki14258

http://www.kchilites.com/under-the-hood-cyclone-led-light-kit-ford-raptor-kc-352.html

Suzuki14258

Ignore this. I have no idea how my phone went to this thread.

burnthelight88

Depends on how mechanically inclined you are. If you can swap the engine yourself, that's an option. If you can't do either of them yourself, I'd go with the rebuild. The logic is this:

You get a used engine to put in. It's also probably old and you don't know its history. If you can complete this yourself, you probably will only spend a couple hundred bucks. If that only lasts you a year or two, you're still in good shape.

If you can't swap it yourself, you probably should just stick to having yours rebuilt. Much better to get a quality rebuilt engine and know that it's warrantied and going to last a little while than pay someone to swap in a used engine that you know nothing about.

burnthelight88

Ford engines were equipped with a stamped metal ID tag, which carries the displacement and model year among other info. This tag is generally attached to either the intake manifold in front of the carb or to the ignition coil on the front of the engine, if you're lucky enough to find an untouched original.

Also, if you can find a cast number on the engine, you can figure out the year. D should be the first letter if its a 70's engine, the second digit will be the year. So if you think you've got a 77 engine, the cast numbers on parts such as the intake should be D7.

No such thing as a 400m...its either a 351m or a 400, extremely difficult to tell the difference without pulling plug#1 and measuring stroke.

Ytailhuntr

Thanks for the insight. I checked the engine manifold area and found no tags. There was a sticker on the driver side tapet cover that read 1977 400. I found a reputable engine rebuild 5 blocks away since I don't have the garage space I will opt for someone else completing the work. They quoted $2500 for the rebuild and can be done in 2 weeks.

burnthelight88

If its reputable, I'd say that's a fair price and a decent timeline. I hope it works out well.