I'm going to be swaping a 351 into my 1985 Mustang. I can get a really good deal on a completely rebuilt 351 marine engine. Is it a good idea to use a marine engine in a car? What are the differences? Thanks.
The first questions you truly need to ask is:
What rotation is the assembly?
Was it in an open looped, or closed loop cooling system?
Was it in fresh water, or salt water environment?
You can then go from there..............
Bill S.
Bill wrote:
It's normal rotation. Was used in fresh water. Open cooling system.
Then the next question to be asked is which flywheel. Check the part number on your crank dampener, then have it decoded so you cantell which one you have..............You may need a flywheel with counter weights, or you may not...The crank dampner will be the key to finding this out..............
Bill S.
Bill wrote:
really good
I'd stick with a civilian engine if I were you. Those Marine's can get pretty testy when people start stealing their stuff ( they can shoot you and get away with it!)
Sorry. Just feeling like a smart a$$ today!
Matt
89 5.0 GT Vert No mods yet but getting ready to put in Moroso air induction this weekend!Ahhh...but think about it! Those Marine engines are probably a lot tougher than a civilian engine. They'll take several hits and keep on charging!
I too can 'smart-a$$' with the best of 'em! :-D
Well, they are generally built stouter... I have seen several people put an auto engine into a boat, and had it die quickly. Most car engines aren't built to run at 5-6000 rpm for hours on end.
The other thing you might run into is the CAM being more for a marine application. (of course you can swap that easy enough).
All the other things can also be swapped (starter, flywheel, etc) if need be. The other thing that will be different are the accessories. Starter / Alternator / Water pump / power steering pump.
Oil pan will probably be different also.
basically I can't think of any reason it shouldn't work, but just compare everything real close between the 2.
The 351W marine engine had a different imbalance factor than other
351Ws?I thought all 351Ws had a 28.2 oz imbalance factor? None of which would interchange with the 50 oz imbalance factor of all '81-up 302s.
Speaking of too much rain and marine engines...Did you guys see the clip on the Weather Channel that showed a FedEx truck floating down the street in WV? That was our delivery driver. The guys at the local marina wrote his name on some life jackets and wore them in the shop when he made his stop last week. hahaha Just thought it was funny. Now back to Mustangs.
Gary
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