First thing we had to do was...
First thing we had to do was remove the 390 from the truck. We started by removing the oil and draining the coolant from the radiator. On the 390 there is a drain plug on the driver side that is hopefully not stripped like ours was. If the plug is stripped then you may be able to remove a freeze plug, but the idea is draining the block so that you can keep your work area clean.
Have you ever heard the saying “there is no replacement for displacement”? Well, to build power and torque without high compression or forced induction you have to go bigger. By bigger I mean larger stroke and bore that will increase the displacement, and if done right, push you back in the seat.
We started with a stock Ford 390 big-block that was lacking the oomph to push our test vehicle to its limits. We took the truck over to a chassis dyno to see what the old stock 390 was putting to the ground. The stock-ish 390 pumped out 240 horsepower and 290 torque at the wheels, but it was nothing to brag about since the motor is so heavy. Let me give you something to think about, if truck No. 1 has 400 horsepower and torque, and truck No. 2 has the same power and torque, but is 200 pounds heavier, what truck will get down the quarter mile first?
Let’s just pretend that there are no other variables like reaction times, transmission, tires, etc. Most likely truck No. 1 would win because the power to weight was better. Still following me? Good. Since this particular truck does a lot of autocross, it was on the scales to adjust suspension, but more importantly we knew what it weighed before we removed the 390. In the end we were able to remove 200 pounds off the truck’s front end and increase the power to weight.
Disconnecting the Optima battery, we were able to remove the wires off the starter and alternator.
So why replace a big-block with something that is physically smaller in size? Won’t that have less power? Well, our 351W might have started out on the smaller side, but Ford beefed up the Windsor by increasing the displacement to 427 and the truck doesn’t know if it is a small- or big-block, it only knows how heavy the motor is, along with the torque curve. The stock 390ci is 4.05-inch bore x 3.784-inch stroke, and the small-block 427ci is 4.125-inch bore x 4.00-inch stroke. So why does that matter? Usually the bigger the motor is in displacement (not actual size), the more power it will make, and more importantly, more torque.
I disconnected the power steering...
I disconnected the power steering hoses and let it drain into a bucket and continued on with the electrical.
For guys with heavy trucks, the more torque the better, as long as the horsepower is near the torque specs. In most cases, torque has the ability to get a heavy vehicle moving quicker from a dead stop than a same-sized motor with more horsepower and less torque. Remember the old saying, “horsepower sell cars, but torque wins races”; well, this is especially true for trucks that tend to weigh more than the average hot rod car.
A well-balanced engine, like our 450hp/520 torque Ford 427, will accelerate our ’67 Ford F-100 and was a perfect choice for several reasons. One, Ford now offers a two-year/12,000-mile warranty on all its create engines. Two, we didn’t spend six months searching for parts and waiting for machine shops to build it.
The Hedman headers were removed...
The Hedman headers were removed along with the H-pipe under the transmission.
The coolant hoses and radiator...
The coolant hoses and radiator can be removed after all the coolant has drained out.
The carb was removed and the...
The carb was removed and the throttle linkage was tied up behind the master cylinder. I also removed the oil pressure line that goes to the gauge.
I used an adjustable engine...
I used an adjustable engine load leveler from Harbor Freight to support the motor, as we were getting ready to remove the transmission bolts.
The next step was to remove...
The next step was to remove the torque converter bolts connecting the transmission to the engine. If you forget this step and somehow manage to pull out the torque converter, more than likely have 7 quarts sitting on the garage floor and a bent front pump. Don’t forget to support the transmission with a jack or blocks of wood.
We removed the bolts that...
We removed the bolts that hold the transmission bell housing to the engine. Then the engine hoist was raised slightly to put a slight pressure on the engine mounts so that the engine would not fall down. The mounts were then removed and the engine was free.
My good friend Ed Kajioka...
My good friend Ed Kajioka helped guide the motor out while watched for things we forgot to disconnect.
The motor is out. Now what?...
The motor is out. Now what? Well since the truck is split 50/50 between street driver and autocross, we started looking at how far we could move the 427 back in the engine bay.
Turns out the engine can go...
Turns out the engine can go really far back, but we needed to remove the old engine mounts that adapted to the new Speedway Motors small-block Ford mounts.