Ford 351 Cleveland Engines: How to Build for Max Performance

146 Pages·2013·21.341 MB·English

by  George Reid

F
O
R
Ford’s 351 Cleveland was designed to be a “mid-
D
sized” V-8 engine, and was developed for higher

performance use upon its launch in late 1969 for 3
the 1970 models. The Cleveland engine addressed 5
the major shortcoming of the Windsor engines that 1

preceded it, namely cylinder head air fl ow. The C
Windsor engines just couldn’t be built at the time to l
e
compete effectively with the strongest GM and Mopar
v
small-block offerings, and the Cleveland engine
e
was the answer to that problem. Unfortunately,
l
the Cleveland engine was introduced at the end of a
Detroit’s muscle car era, and the engine, in pure n
Cleveland form, was very short lived. It did continue d
on as a low compression passenger car and truck
E
engine in the form of the 351M and 400M, which n
in their day, offered little in the way of excitement. g
Renewed enthusiasm in this engine has spawned an i
infl ux of top-quality new components that make n
building or modifying these engines affordable. e
This new book reviews the history and variations s
of the 351 Cleveland and Ford’s related engines, the
H
351M and 400M. Basic dimensions and specifi cations o
w
of each engine, along with tips for identifying both

design differences and casting numbers are covered. to
In addition, each engine’s strong points and areas of B
concern are described in detail. Written with high u
i
l
performance in mind, both traditional power tricks d

and methods to increase effi ciency of these specifi c f
o
engines are shared. Also, example builds of 400-, 500-, r

M
and even 600-hp engines are highlighted, so you can
a
model your build after any of these powerhouses, x
depending on your intended use. P
With the infl ux of aftermarket parts, especially e
r
excellent cylinder heads, the 351 Cleveland as fo
well as the 351M and 400m cousins are now seen rm
as great engines to build. This book will tell you a
everything you need to know to build a great street n
c
or competition engine based in the 351 Cleveland e
platform.
George Reid has been a Ford enthusiast for more than R
e
30 years. He enjoys restoring and building Fords. i
d
George has written a number of books for CarTech,
including High-Performance Ford Engine Parts
Interchange, How to Build Big-Inch Ford Small Blocks,
S
How to Rebuild & Modify Ford C4 & C6 Automatic
A
Transmissions, and others. 2
5
2
U.S. $24.95
For a free catalog of all our books, write or call:
39966 Grand Avenue ISBN 978-1-61325-048-8
North Branch, MN 55056 USA Item SA252
[phone] / [phone] Printed in China
www.cartechbooks.com
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George Reid
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Front Cover: Engine builder Mark McKeown of MME Racing in Wal-
dorf, Maryland, is the first engine builder to build an all-new aftermar-
ket Cleveland. Known as the Titus Ultimate Street Engine with CHI
CarTech®, Inc.
induction and heads with F.A.S.T. fuel injection, this engine makes
39966 Grand Avenue
640 hp. The Titus has a 4340 steel crank with 4340 steel H-beam
North Branch, MN 55056 rods, Ross forged pistons, and an MME Racing custom hydraulic
Phone: [phone] or 800-551-4754 roller camshaft. (Photo Courtesy MME, Inc.)
Fax: [phone]
Title Page: This is what Jeff Huneycutt of www.horsepower.com did
www.cartechbooks.com
with a 400 Ford: 565 ft-lbs of real stump-pulling torque and 504.8
hp. Although the Ford 400 has long been the performance pig no one
© 2013 by George Reid wants, this is what you can do with this engine for around $7,000.
The message here is a real twist for your Ford F-series, Bronco, or
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or uti- full-size sedan.
lized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
Back Cover Photos
photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval sys-
tem, without prior permission from the Publisher. All text, photographs, Top Left: The 335-series 351-ci engine introduced for 1970 quickly
and artwork are the property of the Author unless otherwise noted or became known as the “Cleveland” for identification purposes
because there was also the raised-deck 289/302 engine displacing
credited.
351 ci known as the “Windsor” introduced a year earlier in 1969,
which made things confusing for Ford dealer service technicians and
The information in this work is true and complete to the best of our shop mechanics everywhere. The visual differences between Cleve-
knowledge. However, all information is presented without any guarantee land and Windsor versions are obvious with huge, broad-shouldered
on the part of the Author or Publisher, who also disclaim any liability valve covers on the Cleveland and traditional, narrow small-block
Ford valve covers on the Windsor.
incurred in connection with the use of the information and any implied
warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. Readers
Top Right: Compression is also affected by stroke. What you do
are responsible for taking suitable and appropriate safety measures when with stroke is also determined by rod length (rod ratio). You want the
performing any of the operations or activities described in this work. longest dwell time possible by having the highest rod ratio possible.
Dwell time enables you to glean the greatest bore charge possible.
All trademarks, trade names, model names and numbers, and other prod-
Middle Left: Here’s the Titus block in rough cast before machine
uct designations referred to herein are the property of their respective work. Two deck heights are available: 9.200 and 9.500 inches. The
owners and are used solely for identification purposes. This work is a Titus is also available in custom deck heights by special order.
publication of CarTech, Inc., and has not been licensed, approved, spon-
Middle Right: All pump rotor clearances must be checked. Rotor end-
sored, or endorsed by any other person or entity. The publisher is not
play should be .001 to .004 inch. Radial clearance should be .006 to
associated with any product, service, or vendor mentioned in this book,
.013 inch. Shaft to housing bore clearance should be .0015 to .0029
and does not endorse the products or services of any vendor mentioned inch. If clearances are not within Ford specifications, reject the pump.
in this book.
Bottom Left: Look at the port and bowl work on this Scott Cook
head; minimal or no valve shrouding and buttery-smooth CNC bowl
Edit by Bob Wilson
work for improved flow. These ports flow well right out of the box.
Layout by Monica Seiberlich
However, you can net even more improvement with finish work in the
bowls.
ISBN 978-1-61325-126-3
Item No. SA288 Bottom Right: It is one thing to choose the right carburetor and
another to pick the right carb and manifold combination. Manifold
selection depends on what type of driving you intend to do. Basic
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data rule of thumb is dual-plane for driving and low-end torque and single-
plane for high-RPM use. This is a single-plane Edelbrock Torker 351,
Reid, George. which is not a good street manifold, but good for drag racing and
high RPM. This manifold lives at 3,000 to 7,000 rpm and was born
Ford 351 Cleveland engines : how to build for max performance / by
for racing. It does not fit the 351C with 2-barrel heads.
George Reid.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-61325-048-8
OVERSEAS DISTRIBUTION BY:
1. Ford automobile--Motors. 2. Ford automobile--Motors--Performance.
I. Title.
PGUK
63 Hatton Garden
TL215.F7R388 2013 London EC1N 8LE, England
629.25’040288--dc23 Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]

Renniks Publications Ltd.
2012050276
3/37-39 Green Street
Printed in China
Banksmeadow, NSW 2109, Australia
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Phone: [phone] • Fax: [phone]
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments .....................................................................4 Exotic Ford Carburetion ...................................................95
Introduction ...............................................................................4 Weber Induction ................................................................96
Intake Manifold .........................................................................96
Chapter 1: Building Basics ........................................................9 Electronic Fuel Injection Sources ..........................................100
Organization ..............................................................................10 MSD Ignition ...................................................................100
Compression Ratio ...................................................................12 Holley Performance Products ........................................101
Power Physics............................................................................14 Fuel Air Spark Technology .............................................101
Building a Cleveland Stroker ...................................................15 Nitrous Oxide .........................................................................101
Supercharging and Turbocharging .........................................104
Chapter 2: The Block ...............................................................24
Cleveland Block Identifi cation ................................................25 Chapter 8: Ignition ................................................................106
Block Preparation......................................................................32 Quick Fire ................................................................................106
Fasteners and Threads ...............................................................34 Ignition Timing .......................................................................106
Spark Knock ............................................................................108
Chapter 3: Rotating Assembly ..............................................36 Breaker-Point Ignition ............................................................108
Crankshaft .................................................................................36 Electronic Ignition ..................................................................109
Balancer and Flywheel ..............................................................42 Ignition Coils ...........................................................................111
Pistons ........................................................................................45 Distributor Sources .................................................................111
Connecting Rods .......................................................................47 MSD Ignition ...................................................................111
Displacement .............................................................................50 Mallory Ignition ...............................................................112
Cleveland Stroker Kits ..............................................................51 Performance Distributors ...............................................113
Sweat the Details .......................................................................52 Crane .................................................................................114
Magnetos ..................................................................................114
Chapter 4: Lubrication ...........................................................55 Ignition Wires ..........................................................................114
Pump Blueprinting ....................................................................56 Distributor Caps .....................................................................115
Oil Control ................................................................................57 Spark Plugs ..............................................................................115

Chapter 5: Cylinder Heads .....................................................59 Chapter 9: Exhaust ................................................................116
Factory Iron Heads ...................................................................59 Header Selection ......................................................................116
Head Prep ..................................................................................63 Calculating Primary Tube Size ...............................................117
Cylinder Head Sources .............................................................67 Secondary Tubes and Collectors ............................................118
Cylinder Head Innovations ..............................................67 Equal-Length, Step and Tri-Y Headers .................................118
Jon Kaase Racing Engines .................................................69 Exhaust System ........................................................................119
Powerheads Performance Engineering ............................70
MPG Head Service/Cam Research Corporation ............71 Chapter 10: Break-In and Tuning .......................................122
Scott Cook Motorsports ...................................................72 Getting Started ........................................................................122
Edelbrock Corporation .....................................................73 Break-In ...................................................................................125
Trick Flow Specialties ........................................................74 Exhaust System ........................................................................127
Pro Comp USA ..................................................................74 After the Break-In ...................................................................127
Air Flow Dynamics ...........................................................75
Chapter 11: Power Builds .....................................................128
Chapter 6: Camshaft/Valvetrain ...........................................77 400 Horsepower ......................................................................128
Street Cams ................................................................................77 MCE Engines
Race Cams ..................................................................................81 TMeyer, Inc.
Lifters .........................................................................................82 500 Horsepower ......................................................................132
Valvetrain ...................................................................................85 Trick Flow Specialties
Horsepower Monster 400.......................................................134
Chapter 7: Induction ...............................................................90 Jeff Huneycutt
Carburetion ...............................................................................90 600 Horsepower ......................................................................136
Carburetor Sources ...................................................................94 JGM Performance Engineering
Holley Carburetors ...........................................................94 400 Proof Positive ...................................................................139
Edelbrock Corporation .....................................................94 Richard Holdener
Demon Carburetion ..........................................................95
Proform ...............................................................................95 Source Guide ..........................................................................144
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
What keeps me interested in writ- else we can learn. This book is an oppor- came to my rescue with displacement-
ing books like this for CarTech is my tunity for you to learn more about what’s increasing stroker kits. More help
thirst for knowledge and the opportu- possible from one of Ford’s most legend- came from Trent Goodwin of Comp
nity to share it. CarTech asked me to ary engines. Cams; Scott Cook of Australia; Denny
write a book on how to get more per- There are a number of great websites Knepper of Denny’s Auto Machine in
formance from Ford’s 351C, 351M, and out there dedicated to Ford’s 335-series Williamport, Maryland; Randy Millard;
400 engines. The more I thought about “Cleveland” engine. Great engine build- Mark Capps of The Mustang Ranch in
it, the more curious I became about ers such as Tim Meyer of TMeyer, Inc; Fresno, California; David H. Lehr of
Ford’s 335-series Cleveland engines Mark McKeown of MME Motorsports; Classic Junk Yard; Jeff Huneycutt of
because I’ve always held great respect Marvin McAfee of MCE Engines; Mark www.horsepowermonster.com; Andrew
for these short-lived powerhouses. The Jeffrey of Trans Am Racing; and Jim Keys of www.twperformanceparts.com;
351C’s reputation for performance Grubbs and Jeff Latimer of JGM Perfor- Sean Holloway; Eric Blakely of Edelbrock;
has spoken for itself in racing and on mance Engineering have shown me the and Bill Faull and Ron Bramlett of Mus-
the street. It’s larger sibling, the 400 way it is done. I couldn’t have accom- tangs Plus.
and destroked 351M, has always been plished my work effectively through the A book of this caliber doesn’t happen
pegged a choked-out smog mill. years without them. without a lot of help and the great gift of
As performance enthusiasts, we tend Particularly helpful with this book knowledge from all who helped make it
to take for granted what we are told with- have been Alan Rebescher of Summit possible, which adds up to a great team
out giving it enough thought—and that’s Racing Equipment and Mike Downs to which I will be forever grateful. Thank
what gets us into trouble. We wind up of Trick Flow Specialties (TFS) who you one and all for your help.
knowing just enough to be dangerous have gone above and beyond the call
instead of probing further to see what of duty. Alan Davis of Eagle Specialties George Reid
INTRODUCTION
We will probably never know the The 335-series 351-ci engine intro- engines and how to identify them. Ford
entire story behind the origins of Ford’s duced for 1970 quickly became known came up with the words “Windsor” and
335-series middle-block 351C and its as the “Cleveland” for identifi cation pur- “Cleveland” to describe the two 351-ci-
tall-deck brethren, the 400 and 351M. poses because there was also the raised- based engine families and so they have
What we do know is what these engines deck 289/302 engine displacing 351 ci been used for decades.
did for Ford during their brief North known as the “Windsor” introduced a The broad-shouldered 351C with its
American production lives in the 1970s year earlier in 1969, which made things wide valve covers and poly-angle valves
and even longer production periods confusing for Ford dealer service techni- got the “Cleveland” name for the plant
in Australia. These engines didn’t live cians and shop mechanics everywhere. and foundry of its manufacture. The
long enough in production nor did they The visual differences between Cleve- 289/302-based 351-ci engine became
realize their great potential as factory land and Windsor are obvious with huge, known as the “Windsor” for its Canadian
high-performance engines due mostly broad-shouldered valve covers on the birthplace across the river from Detroit. If
to the unfortunate timing of tougher Cleveland and traditional, narrow small- you have a 351, you have either a Wind-
federal emission standards and higher block Ford valve covers on the Windsor. sor or a Cleveland. And “Cleveland” has
auto insurance rates. It arrived during a Ford issued a technical service bulletin always denoted muscle and power. In
period of changing attitudes about high- shortly after the 351C’s introduction fact, based on what I’ve learned from
performance automobiles. differentiating the two types of 351-ci Ford insiders who were there at the time,
4 FORD 351 CLEVELAND ENGINES: HOW TO BUILD FOR MAX PERFORMANCE
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INTRODUCTION
the original game plan was to ultimately chamber with just the right amount of Australia for desirable Cleveland pieces,
drop the 351W and keep the 351C, quench with early 4V heads. What hurt such as cylinder heads never available
which in theory had better block archi- the Cleveland was an ill-timed debut; north of the Equator. For Ford North
tecture and growth potential. The 351W Ford got out of racing in 1970 right after America, the Cleveland’s focus became
was a stopgap, mid-displacement, V-8 the Cleveland’s introduction. more federal emissions than perfor-
Ford hurried into production to compete Though the 351C has a reputation mance, which is why the Boss and High
with middle-inch Detroit V-8s such as for power and performance, most were Output Clevelands lived such a short
GM’s 350s, Chrysler’s 318 and 340, and garden-variety vanilla mills with 2-barrel time here. In fact, the 351C High Output
AMC’s 343 and 360. carburetion and open-chamber heads fi t- was dropped well before the end of the
This book is all about the 351 Cleve- ted to intermediate and full-size Fords and 1972 model year.
land, or 351C, which was produced in Mercurys. They delivered snap, but not Based on what buff books had to say
North America from 1970 to 1974 and the kind of screaming, high-RPM horse- at the time, the 351C fell short of expec-
in Australia from 1972 to 1982. It is also power the Cleveland was developed for. tations. Hot Rod magazine had this to
about the raised-deck version of this The Cleveland shares the same bore say about the new 351C in August 1970:
engine known as the 400 and the 351M. spacing as the 289/302/351 engines; “While the Cleveland is inherently better
It has never been confi rmed with any cer- however, it in no way has the same block in design and potential than the Wind-
tainty what the “M” means, from anyone architecture. The 335 block is heavier sor pattern, it is released for production
including Ford Motor Company. Some and thicker than its Windsor counter- with a good many compromises.” Hot
say “Midland” and others say “Modi- parts—a casting conceived for durability Rod went on to say, “The stock hydraulic
fi ed,” including Ford. The 400 has often with a completely different oiling and cam has .430-inch intake lift and .450-
been called the 400M in the years since cooling system, smaller (yet wider) main inch exhaust lift. Intake valve duration
1975 but when the 400 was destroked to journals, and a dry induction completely is 268 degrees, exhaust is 280 degrees,
become the 351M, Ford didn’t call the bypassed by the cooling system. and overlap is a scant 37 degrees. The
400 “400M” in factory publications. From a performance enthusiast’s canted valve arrangement is a good idea,
The 400 was produced from 1971 to standpoint, the Cleveland was a disap- but for reasons of production and ease of
1979 as a replacement for the 390-ci FE pointing mill because, as enthusiasts, we assembly, a cylindrical fulcrum is used to
big-block. In 1975, the 351C was dropped could see great potential in this engine, hold the individual stamped steel rock-
and the 400 was destroked to displace yet there were not enough factory perfor- ers in place.”
351 ci and became known as the 351M, mance pieces available at the time. This Hot Rod sung the Cleveland’s praises
which was produced through 1982. This continues to be true even today because as a good production engine, but con-
was an obvious effort to consolidate both the Cleveland’s production life in the cluded the engine fell considerably short
displacements into one block. The 351C, United States was all too brief and parts of the mark when it came to perfor-
as well as a lower-displacement 302C, was all too scarce. For those of us in North mance. Ford’s Ak Miller teased Hot Rod
produced in Australia from 1972 to 1982. America, this has long meant looking to readers with a dynamometer test-cell
There are so many unanswered ques-
tions about how the 335 engine came
to be, especially considering it copped
a number of General Motors engineer-
ing nuances (wide cylinder heads with This is the 351C-4V most
poly-angle valves and huge ports like a know, with its broad-
big-block Chevy, and block architecture shouldered attitude
on a par with Oldsmobile with a 12/6 and wide valve covers.
fuel pump and steel timing cover plate). Although the 351C is
However, the engineering that went into known for its power
Ford’s all-new 351C for 1970 was remark- potential, most were the
able for its time. What made the new vanilla 2-barrel version
351C extraordinary was its cylinder head with open-chamber cylin-
with a near-perfect wedge combustion der heads.
FORD 351 CLEVELAND ENGINES: HOW TO BUILD FOR MAX PERFORMANCE 5
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INTRODUCTION
The 351C-2V Ram-Air of 1973–1974 leaves most of us scratch-
Here’s the more common 351C-2V engine, easily identifi ed by its ing our heads because the 4V engine was not available with ram
smaller air cleaner and Autolite/Motorcraft 2100 or 2150 2-barrel air that year due to tougher federal emissions standards. The 2V
carburetor. passed federal emissions; the 4V did not.
experience in Long Beach, California, land engines were cast and assembled at fudged to me I have learned it’s because
with an Autolite in-line carbureted 351C the Geelong engine plant just outside of I don’t understand WHY they designed
to demonstrate the engine’s potential. Melbourne from 1974 to 1982. it that way. In other words, I’m the one
Hot Rod speculated what it would take You don’t need to rub your eyes. who is ignorant, not the engineers who
to reach the 351C’s potential, including Ford Australia did a 302-ci Cleveland designed the 351C 4V.”
Boss 302 cylinder head and valvetrain with a 3-inch stroke and 4-inch bore. Pence further comments, “The engi-
modifi cations to accommodate adjust- The Aussie 302C is a destroked 351C. neers who designed the 351C-4V were
able rocker arms, screw-in studs, guide According to one Australian source, heavy hitters in the world of race engine
plates, and the rest of it. the 302C head was similar to the 351C design. These guys weren’t novices. Bill
Ultimately, Ford presented hot rod- wedge head except for smaller 58-cc Gay’s group represented an amazing depth
ders with the Boss 351C engine with a chambers to keep compression where it of experience in the design of state-of-the-
hot mechanical cam, adjustable rocker belongs. If you’re thinking about 302C art race engines. With all due respect to
arms, screw-in studs, guide plates, and heads for your 351C, forget it. Compres- anyone out there that disagrees with me,
one heck of a middle-block powerhouse. sion would be too high at 11.0:1 with I believe anyone among us who critiques
In Hot Rod’s 1970 351C dyno testing with today’s pump gas. the engineering of the 351C 4V is like one
Ak Miller, it was able to get nearly 400 hp To understand the Cleveland’s per- of the Catholic clerics who opposed the
with no attention being paid to torque. formance image, you have to know a heliocentric science of Galileo. None of us
Of course 400 hp is laughable by today’s little bit about how this engine came to have the knowledge and experience those
standards because the 351C stroked to be. Although there’s a lot we still don’t guys were privileged to have. We are not in
408 ci with the right heads can produce know about its development, here’s what the same league. When it comes to engine
more than 600 hp courting 8,000 rpm. we do know. The 351C was developed design we are fumbling in the dark com-
I suppose you could call it ironic we to be a high-performance street and rac- pared to the 351C 4V engineers.” Pence is
call this engine the Cleveland consider- ing engine from the start, according to accurate in his observations regarding the
ing Cleveland castings were also pro- George Pence of the popular “Clevelands Cleveland’s development. What he has to
duced at the Windsor, Ontario, foundry. Forever” website (www.351c.net). “I have say is enlightening.
All you have to do is look for “WF” on found the best way for me to under- Pence goes on to say, “The Cleve-
Boss 302 and 351C heads to discover stand the Cleveland is to fi rst respect the land was a racing engine from the get-go;
this irony. There are also Michigan cast- knowledge and experience of the engi- heavy duty and designed to get out there
ing pieces, which appear to have no neers who designed it. I am convinced and race. It was designed by the same
foundry markings. However, all 351C every aspect of the design of the 351C people who brought us the legendary FE-
engines were assembled at Ford’s Cleve- 4V was deliberate,” Pence comments in series 427 big-block with its cross-bolted
land Engine Plant #2. Australian Cleve- the website, “If some design aspect seems main caps, heavy main bearing webs, and
6 FORD 351 CLEVELAND ENGINES: HOW TO BUILD FOR MAX PERFORMANCE
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INTRODUCTION
side-oiler design—all features intended to refl ects the racing heritage of Ford ance racing engines that cruised around
help an engine live, and win. products on the world’s toughest race the ovals at about 7,000 rpm making
“These same engineers designed the courses.” The objective was to mass- about 500 bhp. Endurance camshafts of
351C for the same type of racing yet they produce a high-performance engine the day had about .600-inch lift. It was
included none of those features. Had as inexpensively as possible employ- no accident that when equipped with a
they forgotten everything they learned? ing new technology and manufactur- .600-inch lift endurance racing camshaft
Had they gone daft? Were they idiots? ing methods. The 351C had wider main the 351C 4V makes about 500 bhp at
You can’t straddle the fence on this issue. bearing caps, which eliminated the need about 7,000 rpm. From 5.75 liters! 7-liter
They were either idiots and decided their for cross bolting. Ironically, Ford has hemi engine torque and horsepower from
new engine didn’t need those features, since gone back to skirted blocks and 5.75 liters at the same RPM. Engineers hit
or they were up to something new with cross-bolted main caps in its series of their mark dead on. No mistakes. No get-
the 351C 4V—something very deliber- overhead cam modular V-8s, which has ting lucky. It was all very deliberate. The
ate. Engineers knew they would have proven very successful. Cleveland is an amazing racing engine.
to contend with the same forces which Pence further refl ects, “When the It just lacks the curb appeal of the hemi
required cross bolted mains, thick bulk- 351C 4V entered the scene in 1970, engines with their big aluminum heads
heads, steel cranks and side oiling when NASCAR was dominated by 7-liter endur- and centrally located spark plugs.”
they had previously designed the 427
FE, “ Pence observes. “The 351C 4V ben- How Clevelands Stack Up
efi ted from the new ways of doing things
the engineers had learned while design- Ford engine codes can be confusing, especially considering the same engine
ing racing engines such as the Indy rac- codes often applied to two different engine families. The 351C, for example, had
ing engines of 1963–1965. Design of the the same engine codes as the 351W, which means it isn’t always easy to tell which
Cosworth DFV Formula One engine was engine your Ford originally had.
also wrapping up in England in 1966.
Engine Type Model Years Engine Type Model Years
The 427-powered Ford GT40 was domi-
Code Code
nating LeMans and the World Endurance
H 351C-2V 1970–1974 R Boss 351C 1971 only
Racing series in 1966.” M 351C-4V 1970–1974 High Output 351C 1972 only
Q 351C-4V Cobra Jet 1971–1972 S 400 1971–1979
Ford’s engineers took what they
(high compression) H 351M 1975–1982
learned from the 427 FE and applied it
351C-4V Cobra Jet 1973–1974
to the Cleveland’s development. Ford (low compression)
termed the Cleveland “an engine that
The high-performance 1971 Boss 351C and 1972 351C High
Output are the same except for compression ratio and horse- The 351C-4V engine for 1973–1974 was never available with ram
power ratings (SAE net for 1972). Both are ram-air engines. The air though enthusiasts like to upgrade. This one has its original
1972 351C High Output is extremely rare. Very few were pro- large air cleaner with vacuum-operated, auxiliary air door for
duced, and even fewer have survived to today. wide-open-throttle operation.
FORD 351 CLEVELAND ENGINES: HOW TO BUILD FOR MAX PERFORMANCE 7
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INTRODUCTION
The 351C block has the same
decks and bore spacing as the
351W, which is the only thing
these engines have in com-
mon. This makes head swaps
possible from 351C to 351W
to create a “Clevor” engine.
What makes the 351C block different
is its oiling system, steel-plate timing cover,
Here’s the 351W V-8, a raised-deck ver- 12/6 o’clock fuel pump, and smaller 2.7500-inch
sion of the 289/302 with 4.000-inch bores, main bearing journals. The front of the block closely resem-
3.500-inch stroke, and much smaller bles Oldsmobile’s Rocket V-8 with cast iron wrapped around the timing set. Coolant
cylinder heads. It is easily identifi ed by its bypasses the intake manifold and is contained in the block and heads.
smaller valve covers and cylinder heads,
which aren’t as wide as the Cleveland’s. 7,200 rpm for 500 miles, they did so Pence punctuates the 351C’s perfor-
with complete reliability. They were mance message informing us what went
What Pence so eloquently says is reliable in spite of their nodular iron into the development of Ford’s out-of-
the 351C was ahead of its time with cranks instead of steel cranks, in spite the-blue middle-block V-8. The 351C
its poly-angle valves, generous ports, of their thin wall block instead of thick and its fans were victims of unfortunate
near-perfect combustion chambers, and bulkheads, in spite of their lack of cross timing when it entered the marketplace.
meaty bottom end. The Cleveland’s bolting AND in spite of their lack of side In North America, the Cleveland went
4V cylinder heads were designed for a oiling. The engineers achieved the 351C vanilla and went away in just four short
hefty .600-inch-lift cam and 7,000-rpm 4V’s reliability with all those short cuts years. In Australia, bold “no worries”
performance making a solid 500 hp in because they weren’t short cuts. Like the Aussies took the Cleveland to its poten-
1970. These are performance numbers wide main bearing caps, the engineers tial and stayed with it for more than a
quite at home in the twenty-fi rst cen- deliberately chose engineered solutions decade. Some forty years later, the Auss-
tury with its alloy heads and super fl ow instead of brute force to make the engine ies continue to bring us great Cleveland
numbers. reliable. The 351C did not have a repu- performance parts including alloy heads
“As the 351C-4V-powered Fords tation for problems in the early years,” as well as an anticipated supply of after-
thundered around the banked ovals at Pence observes. market blocks.
As you cruise this book, keep in mind
The 351C’s wide cylinder heads the Cleveland aftermarket continues to
offer canted (poly-angle) valves evolve, with exciting performance parts
for improved cross fl ow. Four yet to come for Ford’s venerable Cleveland
basic types of cylinder heads powerhouse.
were cast to the best of my
knowledge—large port/wedge
(closed) chamber, small-port/
open chamber, large port/open
chamber, and small port/wedge
chamber. The small port/wedge
chamber is a Ford Australia What
head, which offers the optimum makes the
combination of 2V size ports 351C different from
for better torque coupled with the 351W is a dry intake
wedge chambers for improved manifold. Coolant bypasses the
quench and more desirable intake manifold, an unusual step for Ford, with the thermo-
compression. stat located in the block along with a brass restrictor.
8 FORD 351 CLEVELAND ENGINES: HOW TO BUILD FOR MAX PERFORMANCE
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CHAPTER 1
B B
UILDING ASICS
Engine-building technology has physics. Again, I am going to presume many engine projects fail because there
made huge advances over the past thirty you’ve got no larger than a 4.040-inch isn’t proper planning. At the least, these
years and the 335 Cleveland engine fam- bore. There are sticky issues such as com- projects produce disappointing results
ily is no exception. Cylinder head and pression height, swept volume, piston because you don’t amass the right combi-
cam technology have come a long way dimensions, and chamber size to think nation of parts and technique. Time and
just to name two areas. Small details can of. You can wind up with too much or money are wasted when you don’t think
make or break an engine build regard- too little compression. Knowing these about what you want the engine to do. A
less of technology. The biggest two I can issues going in, you can know almost big part of building an engine is know-
think of are checking clearances and exactly what your Cleveland is going to ing exactly what you can afford, then not
workmanship, again and again. Far too do when it’s fi red. giving in to ego and temptation. In other
many of us learn the hard way because Planning is the most effective engine- words, be truthful and realistic with
we’re not attentive enough to detail. building tool you can have. Far too yourself. That’s the mistake a lot of us
We get in a hurry to fi nish and hear it
run missing important detail in the pro- This is what
cess. We learn when an overlooked rod most of us start
bolt fails halfway down the track. And with—a core
we learn when a carelessly seated valve engine—with
keeper escapes at high revs. little idea of
Once you understand what you want what’s inside.
your Cleveland to do, you can plan the It’s easy to tell
engine’s basic architecture beginning with if an engine has
good bones. You’ve got to know what been apart by
works well together and what doesn’t. The studying gaskets
right block and head combination. A solid and bolt heads.
bottom end (crank, rods, and pistons). A Ideally, you have
cam that works well with all of these com- a standard-
ponents and for your driving agenda. bore block that
Even if you’re building a warmed-up has never been
stock Cleveland with a factory crank and apart. If your core engine has been apart, it is probably a 4.030-inch bore. Normal prac-
rods along with hypereutectic or forged tice is not to go past 4.040 inches with your overbore. However, if you decide to go to
pistons, you need to know your engine’s 4.060 inches, sonic check the block prior to boring to ascertain cylinder wall thickness.
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