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Initial Upgrades
Rather than pulling the motor and staring at an non-operational truck
until I rebuilt a new one, I took advantage of the 74,000 mile 351M and
planned for some quick upgrades to keep it going for another at least
another 35,000 miles. We'll see.


Some inexpensive Mr. Gasket brand intake gaskets were used to bolt-on one of those aftermarket four-barrel aluminum intakes.
 
I torqued down the manifold to 25 lbs reusing the factory fasteners.
     

Pulling the stock valve covers revealed a sludge-free valve train.
 
Since the stock valve covers were bent along the mating surface, I tossed these old cleveland valve covers on with fresh Mr. Gasket brand gaskets.
     

I didn't like the look of the aluminum intake against the aged brown of the original cylinder heads, block, and water pump. So I painted the new intake brown to match.

 
Next, I cleaned up the balancer and added a timing tape for more accurate tuning.
     

You have to wonder how some things run. I discovered the coil wire terminal was fracturing.
 
Look at this coil. Hard to believe the terminals were still making
connection.
     

Back to the basics, I checked the plugs.
 
Most likely a result of malfunctioning smog equipment, the plugs were fouled and in need of replacement.
     

I picked up some Autolite Plugs, Mallory Sidewinder Wires, and an Accel Wire Crimping tool to get the ignition in order. See ACCEL sidebar on page 1 of this article.
 
It's amazing that it took me almost 20 years of wrenching before I got the correct wire crimps for doing spark plug wire terminals.
     

I prefer cut-to-fit plug wire sets like the Mallory Sidewinder wires I
used here. They allow for a cleaner motor compartment. Look how nice the crimps come out when you've got the right tool.
 
Next, I added a Mr. Amp 3G 130 amp alternator from Performance Distributors. This one wire unit comes with a cut and crimp-to-fit power wire. See Performance Distributors sidebar on page 1 of this article.
     

Once installed, the motor compartment began to take on a new identity.
 
The one wire setup eliminates the stock voltage regulator and related
wiring harness. One wire from the back of the alternator over to the
positive side of the starter solenoid and it's ready to start charging.
     

Holley offers this remanufactured 600 cfm mechanical secondary street/strip carburetor for around $280.00. The small 600 cfm size is suitable for a 351M with a stock cam and offers enough tunable performance for a high torque 400. See Holley sidebar on this page.
 
While most of the smog gear was removed, I still installed my own PCV
system to prevent crankcase gases from entering the cab.
     

Here's a top view of the setup. It can be made very clean by using two 90 degree PCV valves, a 3/8" vacuum tee, and 3/8" fuel line.
 
To keep it real, I decided to reuse the stock air cleaner. However, when
I added a "high-rise" Purolator element, the lid had a conflict with the
cowl. Solutions? Trim to fit.
     

The final look was one to be proud of. Not to mention, the much more tunable and serviceable motor compartment.
 
To keep tabs on the truck I spent so much time getting in line, these Auto Meter Z-series electronic short-sweep gauges were perfect. They add a subtle performance tone to the cab and obvious functionality. Here I am trimming out my own template to install the bezel underdash. See Auto Meter sidebar on this page.
     

I found a nice location just under the ashtray and secured the Auto Meter bezel with self-tapping screws.
 
The oil pressure gauge and water temperature gauge include their own sending units. In order to install the Auto Meter water temperature sending unit, a fitting on the water pump needed to be removed. It took some added leverage to break loose.
     

The 2-1/16" oil, water, and, voltage gauges were an appropriate fit for this cab.
 
I know it's a truck but no factory tach even with a four-speed? I took care of that by installing a matching Auto Meter Z-series tachometer.


What's Next?
There's nothing like a little extra horsepower to break the weakest link in 30-year old motor. Well, I had also forgot to reconnect the PCV system I made up during the upgrade. Too much crankcase pressure will easily blow oil by a hardened rear main or oil pan seal. I wasn't able to determine which but once the PCV was reconnected the outflow of oil that created this mess was reduced to a slow drip. While the problem was reduced to a concern by correcting my mistake, this leak will go down as one argument for considering a rebuild sooner than expected.

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Holley Remanufactured 600 CFM Double Pumper
Popular mail order companies like Summit and Jegs offer these remanufactured double pumpers for those working on a budget. This small four-barrel with mechanical secondaries and mechanical choke was a relatively inexpensive solution for our new four barrel intake. See caption 17 on this page.

The Remanufactured Holley 600 CFM Double Pumper has a small enough cfm rating to keep from drowning our stock 351M yet offers a foundation to upgrade if we choose to build a 400 down the road.

For serious off-roaders, Holley also offers the Truck Avenger series. Holley Truck Avenger carburetors can handle the angles of severe off-roading. This would have been a nice solution for Project Redneck, just outside of our budget for an initial upgrade. Where to buy?

 

 

Auto Meter Z-series Gauges
Auto Meter leads the performance industry with its variety in gauge face styles and features. Whether you are looking for something modern or utilitarian then Auto Meter has a gauge for your application.

In order to match the functional essence of Project RedNeck, a
2-1/16" voltmeter, oil pressure, and water temperature gauge from Auto Meter's Z-series line were used. Additionally, a Z-series 3-3/4" tachometer was added. All use a black face, black bezel, and bold type for simplicity. For a clean install Auto Meter's 2-1/16" 3 hole Panel was easily installed under the dash. See captions 22-26 on this page for more. Where to buy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sources

Mallory Ignition
www.malloryperformance.com
10601 Memphis Ave. #12
Cleveland, OH 44144
Tech Line: 216.688.8300 Ext. 500

ACCEL
www.accel-ignition.com
10601 Memphis Ave. #12
Cleveland, OH 44144
Tech Line: 216.688.8300 Ext. 500

Mr. Gasket Co.
www.mr-gasket.com
10601 Memphis Ave. #12
Cleveland, OH 44144
Tech Line: 216.688.8300 Ext. 500

Performance Distributors
www.performancedistributors.com
2699 Barris Drive
Memphis, TN 38132
901.396.5782

Holley Performance
www.holley.com
1801 Russellville Rd.
P.O. Box 10360
Bowling Green, KY 42102
Tech Line: 270.781.9741

Auto Meter
www.autometer.com
413 West Elm Street
Sycamore, IL 60178
Sales: 815.899.0800

 

Contact Information
If you have any questions or comments about this article please feel free to contact Jon Mikelonis by email at jon@fordmuscle.com

 


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