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Farmall 400 engine size

M

Marv

Member
Need some help to settle an arguement. Did all Farmall 400's have the 281 cid engine OR did some of the early models have the 264 engine? Marv
 
Per Guy Fay"s IHC Tractor Data Book the 400 was produced only with the 264 engine. The 281 appeared with the 450 in 1956.
 
(quoted from post at 10:23:09 12/17/08) mine has a 281 cid.
Click to expand...

It would not be unusual for the engine to have been replaced at some point due to damage, or for increased performance. Externally, the C281 is identical to the C264 and would bolt right into an M, Super M, Super MTA, 400, or 450 with no modifications.

Look at the casting date code on the engine block and compare to the rest of the tractor. The engine's probably a C or D code (1957-1958), while the tractor is an A or B code (1955-1956).
 
What can be confusing is the C264 engine blocks that IH used are the same size as the C281 blocks. In the original SM and 400 thicker sleeves with 4 inch diameter pistons were used. In the C281 thin sleeves with 4-1/8 diameter pistons were used. Most SM and 400 tractors got the bigger pistons and sleeves put in at rebuilds over the years, making them a 281 cubic inch. In 1956 a change was made on 400 tractors to the piston, piston pins and connecting rods to use a smaller pin. Small pin was used in all C281. 4inch and 4-1/8 pistons were made in both piston pin sizes. Also adapter piston pin bushings for small end of connecting rod are made so a small pin piston will work with early connecting rods.
Its not to unusual to find a block with C281 on the side in tractors before the 450 because IH sold some to replace failed blocks from previous tractors. Some can be found with a date code at least 10 years after 1958. More confusing is some blocks cast in the sixties have C-248 on the side but are actually the same block bore size as the C-264 and C-281.
 
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