1978 determining engine on potential buy

[Drep]

I'm currently looking to buy what seems to be a very nice '78, (zero rust, fantastic interior, low mileage) currently sight unseen and a 5 hour drive away
Dealer says it's a 400 but the original build sheet has been lost and I suspect it might be a 351M, the car is listed as a '77 despite having '78 light covers; ie the dealer has little knowledge of this model car
Is there any way I can confirm the engine when I go to look at it? Do the 400's come with dual exhaust or something else easy to check?

 

[Mikey97D]

I'm currently looking to buy what seems to be a very nice '78, (zero rust, fantastic interior, low mileage) currently sight unseen and a 5 hour drive away
Dealer says it's a 400 but the original build sheet has been lost and I suspect it might be a 351M, the car is listed as a '77 despite having '78 light covers; ie the dealer has little knowledge of this model car
Is there any way I can confirm the engine when I go to look at it? Do the 400's come with dual exhaust or something else easy to check?

I rather doubt it is the original exhaust. I would not suggest using that for reference.

I tried looking on RockAuto for the exhaust but couldn't find any images.

Is there a picture of the motor looking straight on to the car? Is the distributor at an angle towards the passenger side? If so 351M/400.
If the distributor looks level, then it is a Windsor. 302 or 351W

Looks like a standard clock dash without the tach gauge and extras. What mirrors are on the car? Sport or the classic?

The grill is different on '77. Although I have seen th '77 and '79 grill on the '78. Maybe they went until the bin was empty?

Chrome bezels around the flip up headlight covers was introduced in '78.

Ask the dealer for a picture of the sticker on the driver's side valve cover with the engine info.

 

[74 Harley]

First off, All of the distributors available in these cars sit level. There is no external difference in a 351M and 400. The difference is the stroke of the crankshaft. To tell what the car was built with look up the vin number. At 47 years old it's likely to have had at least one rebuild or engine change.

 

[Drep]

ran the vin, comes up as '77 2bbl 400
'77 can't be right unless the previous owner retrofitted '78 parts right?
could it have been a very late '77 that got '78 parts?

 

[74 Harley]

It could also have a '78 front end on it, it may have had a minor bump or two and '77 parts may not have been available ...

 

[Drep]

they did get it at a dealer auction and admitted it'd been repainted but in general they don't know that much about the car
title is clean at least and has no accident history, repairs probably done out of pocket
panels look very straight at least

 

[mlewisariz]

they did get it at a dealer auction and admitted it'd been repainted but in general they don't know that much about the car
title is clean at least and has no accident history, repairs probably done out of pocket
panels look very straight at least

Drep, I have a 77 with similar interior. It appears that the seats have been completely recovered as they are 100% velour. They should have vinyl lower trim and headrests. Only the seating area is velour. The seat back crest is also different than my 77 and would be brite finished. Door panels on 77 do not have the T-bird crest on upper panel. Possibly these panels are from a later year. Seems like there may be a mixture of parts. As for the engine size, the valve cover decal or emissions labels will show as 351/400M. Don't know how to verify without getting inside the engine. If the VIN check says 400/2bbl I would assume it to be a 400. You probably wouldn't notice much difference between the two.

Mike

 

[mlewisariz]

Drep, I checked out my 77 dealer brochure and found a picture of a luxury interior. It is the same details for seats and door panels with all surfaces in velour as shown in your picture. Don't know how many were ordered with luxury interior but could be relatively rare. My guess would be that it would be actual 77.

 

[Mikey97D]

Did you get to see the car yet?

Please see the attached image of the 351/400M motors for reference on the distributor being at an angle towards the passenger side. The 351/400M was based on the 351 Cleveland that had its distributor also at an angle towards the passengers side.

The SBF Windsors distributors are pretty level in comparison. It's a quick check to tell between the motors for the 70's era cars.

Edit: a good read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_335_engine

 

[Drep]

Thank you 'bird enthusiasts
Took a look at it, it's very clearly been in at least 2 accidents (front and rear panels are slightly pushed in)

>Front is definitely from a '78, csr is definitely a '77
>Engine is a 400, checked valve cover label
>Interior and driveline are both excellent
>Was repainted excellently a long time ago
>Was touched up terribly not so long ago; color matches but it's rough, wavy, and too shiny
>Probably needs a repaint, touch up very clearly is over some surface rust
>Spot of visible rust cancer on passenger A-pillar (picture)

Good new is, seller just dropped the price to 7k
Now the question is, how much would it cost to get this A-pillar patched assuming I remove the top, the trim, and dig out the main rot myself? And would the car's value be greatly diminished by having been in an accident?

 

[Drep]

May I add:

>Odometer numbers are slightly misaligned (36000 miles)
Is this a guarantee that it's rolled over? It certainly drove like a real 40k car (seats good, carpet good, steering tight, car fires up immediately from cold)
>Touchup is extensive, around much of the top of the exterior trim
>Radio/surround sound works, AC barely works but isn't completely fried
>Frame appears to be 100% rust free, would have a shop inspect for bondo of course before purchase

 

[Drep]

welp it sold
nevermind