Does anyone know anything about the 351W engines?

[Schiffy]

So i picked up my 351 and went to tearing it down... I thought it WASN'T a hydraulic lifter cam and all that good stuff, as Supposedly the Engine came out of a '84/'84 Econoline van, BUT after tearing the valve covers off, the lifters a non adjustable, which would mean(i might be wrong, thats what you guys are for) if there's no adjustment, the lifters must be hydraulic, which means i can run a cam out of a 302... is that right? fill me in! Is there anywhere i can look for casting numbers that will tell me the year or any info? I noticed some marks under where the manifold sits... can somebody help me here? :dunno:

 

[Paul]

Re: Doies anyone know anything about the 351W engines?

Just pull a lifter out and see if it's hydraulic roller or not.

 

[Schiffy]

Re: Doies anyone know anything about the 351W engines?

Just pull a lifter out and see if it's hydraulic roller or not.

You know what... thats a great idea... LOL... I'm out of it. I've been tearing this thing down all day. got some bolts that rounded off... i'm mad at it right now... I had to walk away awhile... we're dropping the pan tomorrow, and cleaning it up some. I'll pull a lifter tomorrow and see, but that would make this buildup a LOT easier... :thumb:

 

[realitygt]

Re: Doies anyone know anything about the 351W engines?

i <3 351dubya's

 

[97vertstang]

u can use a 302 or 351 cam , just make sure ur using the right firing order, and if u decide to go roller, get some retro-fit roller lifters.
theyre expensive but its the easiest way, and works killer.also if u got the heads off get them ready for stud mounted rockers.

 

[Paul]

If you're going to retro-fit to hydraulic roller lifters, you'll need to drill/tap the valley for the "spider", and get a retrofit small base circle camshaft.

 

[Schiffy]

It's official. I just pulled a rocker and pushrod, then yanked the lifter out....
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It's Hydraulic... woohoo!!! Less money, easier to find cams, more lift, and more power! plus the fact i won't have to adjust every so often.

 

[Paul]

Are they hydraulic roller or hydraulic flat tappet?

 

[Schiffy]

Are they hydraulic roller or hydraulic flat tappet?

damn man... keep busting my bubble... LOL... I don't know, how do i find out? what is the visual difference?

 

[Paul]

Post up a couple pictures of the lifter for me and I'll help you out. :hammer:

 

[Schiffy]

Ok, gimme a few... as far as the hydraulic lifter, it has no spider thingy... the black metal piece in the middle betrween heads, there isn't one... so i guess it's hydraulic, but it's not the same as a 302...

 

[Schiffy]

While i'm thinking about it... where will I find the casting number on the block? I have a book i forgot i had that will decipher it all, but the damn thing doesn't say WHERE to look. LOL

 

[Schiffy]

 

[Schiffy]

 

[sonicsn95]

That is a flat tappet lifter.

 

[Hellion94]

It sure is.

 

[Schiffy]

what is the visual give-away? is it the obvious flat bottom, or something else?

 

[97vertstang]

If you're going to retro-fit to hydraulic roller lifters, you'll need to drill/tap the valley for the "spider", and get a retrofit small base circle camshaft.

u can do it ur way, or get a retro-fit lifter such as these
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CCA-8931-16&autoview=sku
and a retro-fit roller cam. i sell these set ups all the time at work and they work great without modifying anything.

 

[Schiffy]

If you're going to retro-fit to hydraulic roller lifters, you'll need to drill/tap the valley for the "spider", and get a retrofit small base circle camshaft.

u can do it ur way, or get a retro-fit lifter such as these
http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=CCA-8931-16&autoview=sku
and a retro-fit roller cam. i sell these set ups all the time at work and they work great without modifying anything.

What am i looking at for those 2 options, price wise? The comp lifters are almost $600, what would i be paying a machine shop to drill and tap for the "spider"? I'm looking for whatever is the best bang for the buck... Seems like both options will give me the same result, so it's a matter of what is more affordable, and what is the better choice.

 

[Paul]

Those retro-fit lifters are very expensive. You can drill and tap the two holes yourself and use OEM Ford hydraulic roller lifters. Roller lifters will have a roller surface on the bottom of them instead of the flat surface like the ones you have. You can get the spider, bolts, and dogbones out of any 5.0. This is how my silver convertible is set up and it works fine.

Regular Ford hydro roller lifters are $125 from Summit. http://store.summitracing.com/partdetail.asp?part=FMS-M-6500-R302&autoview=sku

You could even get some used ones, take 'em apart, clean 'em up, and re-use them if you're trying to do this on an uber-budget.



I told you this process was going to be expensive.

Paul.