Other than weight, size, etc, what differences are there between a 351M and a 351W?. What about a Cleveland against a Windsor?. If torque is needed which engine would be better for a swap from a 300?. In terms of mileage how do they compare? thanks...

 

Popularity I guess would be the biggest difference. All three can be built if you have the desire. The W should have the same bolt pattern as the 300 if you don't want to change the trans. Then again, a 400 has very close bore and stroke #'s to the 300 + 2 cylinders. Or you can stroke the W to 392. Pick your poison.

 

The 351 Cleveland is an option I had not considered before. I understand it is better overall and has more power than the Windsor and M, yet parts are harder to find and tend to break more? would it be worth trying a Cleveland then? In terms of fuel consumption, how do the three compare; W, M, C? thanks...

 

How much do you want to spend? The 351c will cost a lot more $$ than either the 351w or 351m. They all burn the same amount of fuel. I believe you will have more torque out of the 351m but that is assuming it has a longer stroke than the 351w (sorry, I do not know the bore/stroke comparison numbers on where the two obtain their CI displacement). All have parts available to build super motors. Are you building this yourself or looking to buy a crate motor? Do you want to use a different tranny than that behind your I6? All factors that will lead to your answer...

--Mike

 

Thanks, yes, I just went to the junkers/used part sales area in my city during my lunch break and I went to some shop that had all the engines we've been discussing in the forum. The guy there seemed pretty honest and claimed that the best engine, all aspects considered would be the 351 Windsor, and told me to stay away from the 351C, M & 400 and instead he offered me a "W" long block complete with carb & all the toys for $500, and he even suggested that I trade in the old 300 I-6.

 

Mmmh, I ruled out the 302 for I've driven it and it just doesn't have the stuff... I was almost sold on the 351 Windsor, yet I have my qualms. Some say it doesn't have the torque of the 300? If I'm not satisfied with the I-6 300 then I would probably be dissapointed about the 351W, plus get worse mileage it seems... If it was up to me (not my wallet) I'd go for a 460 and an Overdrive tranny and I believe I could get both from the same donor car. The thing about the M-Blocks is that they are really cheap in my country and thus could be built good! I have done some quoting into the AOD tranny and it runs about $500 (used). I am also thinking about beefing up the 300 since it was rebuilt not tooo long ago and it's supposed to be the longer lasting engine. But it is still a hard decision to make, since in the past I have invested lots of money on old cars whose investment never gave any returns aside from a headache now and then... Two issues are at hand: Parts availability and mileage... any thoughts?

 

If it were me, I'd take that guy up on that 351W, use the current tranny, and trade in the six to get some money back .

 

The AOD won't bolt up to the 351/400M

 

W,W,W all the way! If you are swapping it into your 92 Bronco it's a no brainer. All the 351s by Ford are actually 352 cid and have the same 3.5 stroke and 4 inch bore. Also the same as the old 352 FE engine from the 1960s. That is why Ford calls them "351 cid", then they go and make 3 different engines all called 351s! Go figure!
To the question, the 351w was offered in a 92 Bronco so all the swap parts are MUCH easier to come by. Mounts, frame towers,oil pan, exhaust, so on.....
The W will bolt up to whatever trans your 300 six {which is actually 302 cid} has behind it with a flywheel and/or convertor swap. If you are considering keeping EFI, that could be done with the W although not a real easy way to go.
351M has a 429-460 trans bolt pattern and is much heavier and bigger than the W. It could be made to fit with a lot more hassle and no benefit at all over the W.
351C is a car only engine and would "bolt up" most anywhere a W would but is harder to deal with on parts availability {exhaust and oil pan to start} and would not make as good of a truck engine IMO.
Just an overview in my experience of what you have in mind. If you have more specific questions, post back!

 

Thanks for the input, it's valuable and just confirms most of what I've heard so far both in and out of this forum. I'll go with the 351W just as soon as I'm able to devote time and money to it, that is, my next vacation.

 

351 W... If you build it right you'll love it over the old 300. I did it, and I love it!!

 

Hi there, did you swap from a 300 into a 351W, is that right?, how was your mileage affected (old vs new mpgs) and performance (in % if you could....)?, thank you...

 

A few years ago Hot Rod mag did a build up of a 400m that made big hp and tq for under 2500 bucks with a 2 brl carb and heads. I will lok for the mag and post issuse if I can find it.

 

Windsor. No question. 351C is a low mpg, poorly designed oil supply system, expensive engine that is in a class by itself when it comes to adaptability. The M family can be built well, but usually do not have the reliability or mpg of the W family. MHO. good luck

 

Well It's a little hard to estimate the improvements because I also went from the NP435 tranny to a NV4500 which has overdrive and different gear ratio's. I also went with 33 in tires vrs. the 31's I had with the 300. With that being said I can say that my engine is built to produce every bit as much torque as the 300, where still gaining goobs of horse power over the 300. Of course with the new tranny, and engine I gained fuel economy. The v8 doesn't have to work as hard to pull my truck around even with the bigger tires. If you give me a month till I get my truck back from the paint shop and drive it some more, I can get you some good estimates for gas mileage. Again it's going to be different depending on your tranny, and gear ratio's.