"Blown" Ford 351

Thanks and do I have the prop shaft disconnected by removing those four bolts? it didn't separate at all when I removed them.

Also, to remove the engine, should I just remove the bell housing bolts and lift just the block? Or, remove the bolts from the stringers and lift the whole thing? Or, leave the mounts in the boat and remove the engine from them? I'm concerned about removing the bolts from the stringers due to the age of the boat. As in, when I replace them, will the seating be as secure as if I left them in place? Thanks William

With everyone here I bet you'll have that thing running in no time at all. Keep it up!

It's a little hard to tell with it all wrapped in plastic, but from what I can see,the crankshaft looks like an older one for a 2 pc rear main seal which is what your old engine had too.

Ford never made a forged crank for the 351, so unless you got some kind of aftermarket crank it's about like any other 351W crank

The blocks up till about 74 or so are said to be stronger

Good luck building it out. I"m sure you can do it.

William get your self the book Rebuilding Ford small block by Tom Monroe it will help you out a lot.

This is why I enjoy this site. Good luck on your project. I’ll be following and hoping to learn a lot. Please update as you go.

Gary S wrote: More importantly is why,meaning you would not need to. google link

My point exactly

We're just saying the same thing differently

More importantly is why,meaning you would not need to. You could machine it for a 1 and put a speedi sleeve on the crank. If my Mustang engine ever comes out,which I doubt,I'll have it done.
google link

Time for the funeral

You have a 2 piece rear main seal in a 78 engine, that was mentioned way back.

If all your other parts are good and you want to transfer stuff to another block you'd need an early block with the 2 pc rear main seal because your reverse rotation crank has wick lines, helix lines or whatever somebody may call them for oil at the back of the crank for oil control reasons. You also have a rotation specific camshaft distributor (just the gear on the distributor is rotation specific) and starter

You can buy a long block reverse rotation engine from numerous rebuilders, transfer your marine parts and be good to go. Of course it will cost more than transferring parts to another block, but in the long run, it may be worth it for you.

You could get a junkyard 351W from a truck that rotates the opposite way, transfer parts and reindex the transmission to work for you. You'd have to buy a normal rotation prop so that when you put the boat in forward, it will go forward. And you'd need a normal rotation marine starter and distributor (gear).

People will tell you that the boat will handle differently and lean much more to the right with a normal rotation engine To the CC purist types this is absolutely sacrilegious

I'd spend the next week or 3 of your life going through old threads here on CCF about 351W engines, read other people's experience, listen to recommendations, then make up your own mind based on your budget, engine assembly experience and
tools available to you etc

There are west coast people who will come along that could tell you what places they used for things like a long block

Oh yeah, ask questions first instead of after buying parts to make sure you get things right.

I would swap your parts into a new block.

Well that Monty Python was freakin hilarious. I AM that Black Knight! Good call tryathelete. Alas, I took the intake manifold off and found the lovely big crack and it look like to continues under the starboard head, so, I give up. Although I'm tempted to patch it too, I'd be on edge every time I take the boat out with Frankenstein engine patches all over.        Also, from the pic can someone tell me if I have the one piece seal block or two? I'm at sea on this at the moment. Would a difference enable me to use a standard 351 block? Not sure if I'm even asking a coherent question.

Yee of little faith. The fat lady is still eating.

I think you are emotionally attached to your engine Block like a dying pet or loved one. Ya got to let it go.

I like that but it has 2 flaws:
1) My wife would kill me.. again.
2) I'd stub my toe on it in the middle of the night and be crippled for life.