Installing a 533ci Big Block in a 70s Ford Bronco

Last month we showed you our recipe for a stroked, 533ci Ford big-block that can be built at home with minimal machining and headaches. This month we'll finish the odds and ends and swing the monster into a late '70s Bronco. We'll point out the details of this simple swap and give you a grocery list of what we used to make it all work.

Although we didn't plan on making any dyno runs, the "cyber-dyno" at Speed-O-Motive tells us the combination should be capable of 454 hp at 4,500 rpm and 551 lb-ft of torque at 3,000 rpm. All we know is that it's a blast to pull the trigger on this beast! Now if we could just teach our right foot that the throttle is no longer hooked to a gutless, 130-horse 400 motor, our driveline would thank us.

Axleshaft Insurance
In an attempt to make our Dana 44 live with the power of the new stroker big-block, we decided to have our chromoly axleshafts beefed at CTM Racing Products ("Axles for Your Grandkids," Oct. '03). CTM installed its U-joints, which are forged, cryogenically frozen, heat-treated units that use full-circle clips and bronze bushings instead of crushable needle bearings. CTM also sent the shafts out to Cryo Science for the same cryogenic freezing process. This deep-freezing forces the molecules in the steel to contract tightly. Once the steel returns to room temperature, the molecules hold to a much more organized alignment, which gives the surface a microscopically smoother surface. The process results in fewer stress risers, which should reduce cracks and breakage.

Will all of this result in an unbreakable axle? Well, for us, terms like "unbreakable" are too close to "unsinkable" and we're not ready to go down with the ship. We're just comfortable knowing we've done all that's possible to build strength into our D44. If we have a problem now it's our right foot's fault. Plus, we've written so many Dana 60 tech articles already, could there be room for another? We'll see ...

As soon as we had buttoned up our long-block, we started adding parts from L&L Products' swap kit 11A. This kit is specifically for late-'70s Ford Broncos and pickups with 351M/400 engines and C6 automatic transmissions, but L&L has many other kits to choose from for your Ford-swapping pleasure. Our kit came with everything necessary to install a big-block, including these special motor mounts with Grade-8 locking bolts and military-spec rubber; a rear sump oil pan, pump, and pickup; alternator and power-steering pump brackets; and a set of exhaust headers.
As soon as we had buttoned up our long-block, we started adding parts from L&L Products' s
L&L Products offers two different rear sump oil pans. The 10-quart model requires the use of fenderwell-exit headers. We chose to use the 7-quart pan, which allows us to keep the exhaust tucked between the framerails. The L&L kit comes with a high-volume pump, an extended pickup, and the special main bolt that holds the pickup tube. Do yourself a favor and run over to your Ford dealer for a one-piece pan gasket (F5TZ-6710-C). The new-fangled gasket means no more gluing together old-school three-piece gaskets with gobs of RTV, only to spring oil leaks later in spite of your best efforts.
L&L Products offers two different rear sump oil pans. The 10-quart model requires the use
The real beauty of the L&L Products kits are the accessory brackets that allow everything to hang together. Kit 11A comes with the correct brackets for a small-body alternator.
The real beauty of the L&L Products kits are the accessory brackets that allow everything

L&L has optional brackets for the large-body one as well. The power-steering pump bracket is also included with the kit and allows for belt-tightening with the pump's threaded rod the original Ford way.
L&L has optional brackets for the large-body one as well. The power-steering pump bracket
You may be tempted (as we were) to reuse the pulleys from the old 351M/400 engine you're replacing. Don't! They look right, but the center pilot hole for the water-pump pulley is too small at 12-inch diameter--even worse, none of the belts will line up with the various accessory drives. Use pulleys from a 460 (58-inch pilot hole) or get these nice aluminum ones also from L&L Products. The two-sheave water pump (043842) and the four-sheave crankshaft (043854) pulleys are necessary if you're running the A/C compressor.
You may be tempted (as we were) to reuse the pulleys from the old 351M/400 engine you're r
Another optional accessory bracket (010166) accepts the stock square-type Tecumseh and York air-conditioning compressors. Even if you don't want A/C in your truck, the brackets help if you want to mount an onboard air compressor system. All of the brackets are plate steel and have a nice gold-iridite finish. Best of all is that they are all designed to work together to easily adapt your accessories to a big-block. No time and effort is wasted junkyard diving or cleaning and painting parts only to have belts improperly aligned.
Another optional accessory bracket (010166) accepts the stock square-type Tecumseh and Yor

The L&L headers come in three varieties. Your choices are the full-length, fenderwell-exit model mentioned earlier (79750A), a full-length, chassis-exit set (79750G), and a new shorty header (79750H). We went with the shorties to keep maximum ground clearance. All are formed from 14-gauge tubing, have oversized port openings, use 1/2-inch (yes, 1/2-inch) thick port flanges, and are all covered in a electroless nickel plating that allows for a lifetime warranty against rust. Heavy-duty!
The L&L headers come in three varieties. Your choices are the full-length, fenderwell-exit
It's all the little details that can cause the greatest grief in life and engine swaps. Thanks to the cool kits from L&L Products, most of the grief is turned into relief, but there are a few pieces you'll still need to scrounge. If you started your project with a salvage-yard big-block most of these will come from the donor, but if your engine came from a shop, you'll need to lay your hands on a few things. The flywheel shield (or motor plate) from the 351M/400 (arrow) will need to be replaced with one from a big-block (D1AZ-7007-A) since the egg-shaped crankshaft hole won't fit over the 460's crank flange.
It's all the little details that can cause the greatest grief in life and engine swaps. Th
Two of the items you can use from your old 351M/400 are the distributor and the starter, but why go cheapskate on these last goodies? Get an aftermarket distributor of your choice to provide a nice, fat ignition spark, and a good gear-reduction starter. We used Powermaster's XS Torque starter (9505) for light weight and tons of cranking power.
Two of the items you can use from your old 351M/400 are the distributor and the starter, b

You'll also have to get a new fan clutch. As mentioned earlier, the pilot bore is 5/8 inch for the 460 (right) and it's too risky to ream out the 351M/400's 1/2-inch bore to fit. A spinning fan shearing off a running engine will take out an amazing amount of underhood items and ruin your day. And what if the hood happens to be open with someone standing in line? Bad mojo, baby, yeah. The original fan will bolt right up to the new clutch.
You'll also have to get a new fan clutch. As mentioned earlier, the pilot bore is 5/8 inch
A few more widgets you'll need to think about are a coil bracket, vacuum fittings, and sending units. We used the sturdy stock 460 bracket for our coil.
A few more widgets you'll need to think about are a coil bracket, vacuum fittings, and sen
We also used a factory vacuum tree for the many vacuum lines that are on this vintage of Ford. You can use the sending units (oil and water temperature) from your 351M/400. Just be sure they are the correct match for what your dash holds--gauges or lights.
We also used a factory vacuum tree for the many vacuum lines that are on this vintage of F

To top everything off we used the last piece of our Edelbrock Power Package, a Performer Series carburetor. Edelbrock recommends the EPS 800 (as in cfm) carb with electric choke (1413) and it fit with no problems. We also added its spring-loaded needles and seats (1465) to help off-road performance.
We used a fuel pressure gauge from XRP (Xtreme Racing Products) and a whole bunch of their AN fittings and tubing from Inline Tube to plumb everything. If you're still using the hardware-store, 45-degree brass stuff, give XRP a call next time and try its anodized aluminum 37-degree fittings. They make a world of difference since they're easy to work with, leak-free, and lightweight.
To top everything off we used the last piece of our Edelbrock Power Package, a Performer S
Finally, purchase a pre-luber from ARP and use it before firing that engine the first time. Use your drill motor on one end and engage the other end into the distributor drive at the oil pump. Spin the drill and wait for oil pressure to show on a gauge. This will eliminate a dry start when you're ready to fire the engine and prevent premature damage to all those new components.
Finally, purchase a pre-luber from ARP and use it before firing that engine the first time
Put the piston in the number-one cylinder at top-dead-center on the compression stroke and then back off the crank to about 10 degrees before-top-dead-center. Install the distributor with the rotor facing the number-one plug terminal and you're ready to fire it up. Remember to run your new engine for a minimum of 20 minutes at 2,000 rpm to properly break in the camshaft and valvetrain. Now you're ready to enjoy a truckload of torque, but watch that right foot!
Put the piston in the number-one cylinder at top-dead-center on the compression stroke and

SOURCES
ARP (American Racing Products) www.arp-bolts.com	Inline Tube 33783 Groesbeck Fraser MI 48026 810-294-4093
COMP Cams	JE Pistons
Cryo Science	L&L Products Rowlett TX
CTM Racing Products www.ctmracing.com	Powermaster 2401 Dutch Valley Dr. Knoxville TN 37918 865-688-5953 www.powermastermotorsports.com
Edelbrock Dept. 5.0 2700 California St. Torrance CA 90503 310-781-2222 www.edelbrock.com	Speed-O-Motive 131 W. Lang Ave. West Covina CA 91790 6-26/-869-0270 speedomotive.com
Fluidampr Springville NY 7-16/-592-1000 fluidampr.com	XRP Inc. (Xtreme Racing Products) www.xrp.com