We don't want to sound negative, but that's the reality of making big-time torque and horsepower. But dive right in, the water's fine! Just be sure you know how deep the pool is.
More Info
NOS (A division of Holley); Bowling Green, KY; 270/781-9741;
nosnitrous.com
Roller Ford 400
Jason, via CarCraft.com: I've been into your magazine for a few years now, and I have yet to see any articles on the Ford 400. I have a set of 302 roller lifters, and I wanted to know if I could use these in my 400 with a conventional hydraulic cam. Or, is there a company out there that makes a roller cam for the 335-series Ford engines? My motor sports a Lunati Bracket Master 2 cam, 9.4:1 compression, Weiand 4V intake, Holley 750-cfm double-pumper carb, Rhoads lifters for better street manners, a C6 trans with a TCI kit, and 4.11s polish off the rear. Now, don't laugh, it's in a '71 LTD. I am tired of hashing conventional lifters and would love any advice (other than toss the 400 and get the Man o' War Windsor). My plan is for it to be a good reliable everyday driver but still able to blow off all the dang rice burners and at least keep up with the local Chevy/Mopar musclecar group.
Jeff Smith: You are in the minority when it comes to Ford V-8 engines, Jason. There are probably more FE guys out there than Ford 400 fans. For the benefit of the readers who do not speak Ford, the 400M is similar in design to the 351 Cleveland engines built in the early '70s. First and most importantly, you cannot run a roller lifter on any flat-tappet camshaft for several reasons, but mainly because the ductile iron used in making a flat-tappet cam is not strong enough to withstand the high unit-loading pressure exerted on the cam lobe by the roller lifter. This is why most roller cams are made out of steel blanks.
If you want to run roller lifters, you need to also use a roller cam. While the lifter diameter is the same between the Ford 302 and the 351C and 400 engines, there is no factory provision in the Ford 351C/400 block for locating the roller lifters to prevent them from spinning in the lifter bore. But all is not lost. Comp Cams offers an inexpensive Ford retrofit hydraulic roller lifter kit (PN 31-1000, $49.39 summitracing.com). It includes a stamped-steel retainer and eight tie-bars or lifter guides that slip over stock Ford 5.0 hydraulic roller lifters. These tie-bars prevent the roller lifters from rotating in the lifter bores. The only thing you have to do is drill and tap two 11/44-inch bolt holes to mount the stamped-steel retainer in the lifter valley. This kit is designed to use stock Ford 5.0L hydraulic roller tappets. It sounds like you already have a set of lifters, but if not, they are available from Ford Racing (PN M-6500-R302, $119.95 for a set of 16 lifters).
According to the guys at Comp Cams' Cam Help Hotline, this conversion also requires a Comp retrofit hydraulic roller camshaft with a small-base-circle lobe design. This is required because the factory Ford lifters are rather tall, and if a production-base-circle cam is used, it can push the lifters far enough out of the lifter bores that the tie-bars fall off and allow the lifter to turn in the bore, which will instantly destroy the camshaft and lifter. You must also go with a retrofit cam intended for a 351C/400M because this engine uses a big-block front cam journal. Comp offers five different retrofit hydraulic roller cam grinds ranging in intake duration from 206 to 244 degrees at 0.050-inch tappet lift. You can also order a custom grind on a retrofit 351C/400 blank if you have a grind in mind. We've listed the Cam Help number at the end of this answer should you need additional assistance.
More Info
Comp Cams; Memphis, TN;800/999-0853;
compcams.com
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