Okay, right at about 20 years ago, I bought a set of "Aussie" heads that I wanted to put on my '71 Cougar that has a stock 2V Cleveland. At the time, the so-called experts said it was the head to use to wake up a 2V Cleveland engine. Well, time flew by, kids came along, and my Aussie-headed Cleveland build never happened. Matter-of-fact, I had completely forgotten where I had stored the heads. I actually thought they were stolen from me.
Fast forward to a few days ago, and I found them. They were the same place that I had put them and they haven't been touched since. And, I still have the same '71 Cougar. It's a parade queen and probably doesn't get 200 miles a year put on it. but with the kids flying out of the nest soon (at least within a couple of years), I now have some more time for some of my projects.
Okay, compared to 20 years ago, the aftermarket is a lot better and I know there are some good aftermarket heads that can really wake up my Cleveland. But I guess I'd really like to put on a head that looks stock. Plus, I already have them and that would save a few bucks.
So....what is the modern day opinion on these heads? I already need 91+ octane to run this car and I realize that these Aussie heads will not help that situation. Are these heads worth the labor that it would take for me to do a refresh on these heads and are there any benefits to using them? (If I look long enough, I bet I could also find the factory Ford Aussie four barrel intake that I got with these heads) Opinions welcome.

 

if you already have them then they are well worth the effort. What do you want to do with the engine? there was a hybrid CC 4V head used in the Ford GTHO here in Australia but they revved the tripe out of them. Anything below 5500rpm the 2V closed chambers are the way to go. get them fitted with studs so you can take your pick of aftermarket roller rockers.
How much compression does your original engine have?
If you are rebuilding it then you can get pistons to suit so compression can be optimized.

 

There have been some advancements in head options for the cleveland engines but the Aussie head is still a good choice. Without serious porting work figure 400 - 450 to be your max hp you could get from these (my estimates, others may have their own).

The only real difference between the 2v heads you have and the Aussie heads is the combustion chamber. To take advantage of the Aussie closed chamber you will need pistons that create a quench area, doing this and keeping the same compression you currently have may allow you to decrease your octane requirements. A good quench area has the ability to make the motor more resistant to knock.

 

I got the car when it had 50K miles on it about 20 years ago. It currently has about 70K miles on it. What do I want to do with it is to put the Aussie heads on it, change the timing chain (still the stock timing chain from the factory), and POSSIBLY change the cam. (Cam change is really at the bottom of my list, but maybe while I have the engine apart. I might put in one with a little more lift, but nothing radical) It still has the factory single exhaust system, but I plan on a dual exhaust that was being sold in a Mustang catalog that featured a factory-looking dual exhaust for the 2V engine.
Because it is a parade queen, a little more rumble would be okay, but I'm not making it loud. As far as the compression ratio, it is stock. I need to run a minimum of 91 octane right now. I can also get 93 octane at the same station.
Because I run so few miles on it, I couldn't care less about the cost of 93 octane for this car.

 

Why do you need 91 octane already? I was running 87 in my cleveland with 14* timing. And in the hot desert. No knock problems.

However, I too have a set of 302C Aussie heads. And am saving them for a time when I can get them re-done with hardened seats and all that. I think then my compression ration would be right around 10:1.

If you do put them on, let us know how the car responds as far as drivability and power. I run my C in a F-100, so the extra compression would help my truck get more torque.

 

Here in Oz, we had Clevos from 71 - 84.


They are the beloved Ford V8 of choice. There's no other engine I would put in my 52 F1....


....that said,


Barely anybody here bothers mucking around with stock heads since the alloy CHI 3Vs etc came into existence. it just doesn't make any sense financially...

 

I really don't think I'd use them unless you are ready or a complete rebuild. Get the most out of a matched combo.

 

I'd absolutely do it if they are the aussie 2v 302C closed chamber heads.
302 Cleveland[edit]
In November 1971, Ford of Australia began to manufacture the 302 cu in (4.9 L) Cleveland engine at the Geelong engine plant alongside of the 351C. The engine remained in production until 1982 and was only produced in Australia. The 302C was considered an economy V8 and it is estimated that only 10% of the Australian Cleveland V8 production was the 302C.[1] The 302C was created by using the 351C block with a crankshaft that had a 3.0 in (76 mm) stroke while it shared the 2.75" main journal size of the 351C. The 302C had a 6.020 in (152.91 mm) connecting rod to allow it to share the same piston as the 351C. This resulted in a connecting rod-to-stroke ratio of 2.01:1, the least desirable of any of the 335 series V8s.[1] The 302C used a unique cylinder head compared to the Australian 351C to ensure an adequate compression ratio. The 302C had used the "quench" closed combustion chamber with a volume of 56.4–59.4 cc, the smallest of any 335 series engine cylinder head. This head used the small 2V ports and valves, making it the only 335 Series head with the closed chambers and small 2V ports.[4]

The combination of the closed chamber heads with the small 2V ports has caused the 302C head to be a bolt-on-performance upgrade for other 335 series V8s. Having the smallest combustion chamber of the 335 series V8s, these cylinder heads will easily boost the static compression ratio of any other 335 series V8. In addition, the small ports used on these head are more efficient for a street performance engine, than the large port 4V heads that tend to favour high RPM performance.[31]

 

I'm up in the air about it. Mine need to be completely rebuilt as they're just bare castings right now. That's gonna take a chunk of change. and I don't know if the actual gain I'd see in my truck vs the open heads would be worth it.

If I did it Id rather rebuild an entire engine with high-grade stuff and make it so it will crank 6,500-7,000 rpm. And at that point, I'm in 4V head territory.

 

Just bought the new intake and exhaust valves for a buddy of mine for Xmas...next step, machine shop (wish they fit on 351W's (people have told me they do but I still don't know if that's true).

 

Cleveland heads will bolt onto a Windsor block, with some machine work. These engines are referred to as cleveors

 

must look a litlle strange on a 5.8 windsor block.

any problems with the EFI intake bolting up?

thought there were some issues with coolant flow

 

Coolant passages get machined and plugged to what is required.

I'm not familiar with the process, I just know that it can be/has been done.

 

. The whole point of the Aussie 2V heads is that "as is" they outperform the 4V heads for street performance engines...


. the 4V heads have too big ports and too big valves big enough for 600+ HP at 9,000 RPMs, but the ports are so poorly shaped they induce flow-blocking turbulence and have always struggled to get over 300+ HP... and the too big ports reduce torque and MPG on a street engine... big isn't always better... making the 4V heads work requires "port plates" and/or welding to help make them smaller, straighter, and better flowing... and the small combustion chambers of the high compression 4V heads shroud the too big valves, further blocking air flow...


MPG Heads - 351-302 Port Plates


. The 2V heads don't really have 'small' ports, but the size they should be for an efficient, strong street engine of 302/351/400 inches... and the 'smaller' valves are still big enough for 500 HP... both 2V valves are actually bigger than the vaunted, desirable Chevy SBC 'fuely' valves...


. Pinging is usually mainly caused by the Achille's Heel of most 335-series engines: Pistons way too far down in the bores resulting in absolutely horrid 'engine quench' effect. The saving grace of most of the stock engines is that the claimed " 8's " compression ratio is actually way down in the 7's and the cam timing is retarded to even bleed off some of that already too low 'dynamic compression ratio' via a late closing intake valve so that they're compatible with pump gas, anyways... but also results in terrible MPG, nothing HP, wimpy torque, and the 2000 RPM Torque peak and 3,600 RPM HP peak 'power' curve like a 1940's Briggs&Stratton lawn mower engine has...

http://www.crankshaftcoalition.com/wiki/Quench

What Is The Ideal Quench Height? - Hot Rod Magazine

Piston Head Clearance Guide - Tech Article - Chevy High Performance Magazine


. Ford, itself, put Cleveland heads on Windsor blocks in American cars to make the stock Boss 302 engine... the Boss 302, although under rated to a low HP number, was actually more powerful than the 1970 Cleveland/CobraJet 4V 351C...

http://www.hotrod.com/how-to/engine/...ngine-shootout
.
.