The best thing a 350 has going for it is the heads. In general the SBC has the best designed heads, IMO, but just like everything else, there are good and bad versions. My brother was a machinist/engine builder for several years. He used to laugh about rebuilding SBC's. They kept a stockpile of used connecting rods in the back room, because they had to go through 3 sets just to find 8 of them that were useable. On the flip-side, he never found a Ford rod that was not within factory specs.

All in all, the SBC is a good motor, with it's own strengths & weaknesses.

 

The guy most willing to blow his engine up to prove a point is the one who usually wins those kinds of contests.

 

The only advantage he would have over me would be that his truck is an extended cab, while mine is a regular cab. Plus the fact that he would be willing to blow his engine, because he has another one in his garage waiting to be dropped in when this one goes.

 

I think a lot of it depends on what you are going to use your truck for. If all you have your truck for is looking good and maybe pulling a boat or small camper, then they're all gonna do it and do it well. The difference, in my opinion, comes into play when you have a truck that you work and work hard.

Any of you that has done any junkin knows that it is hard on a truck. When you find a good load of scrap you get it all into the truck regardless of whether or not you will overload the truck. You also will work that truck hard yanking stuff out of the weeds and dirt it's been stuck in for years. You push and push your truck because ya gotta get that load in before the scrap yard closes for the day. I've been there and done that.

Before getting into the junkin business for myself, I worked at a scrap yard. I couldn't help but notice that the regular customers, the regular joes who did it for a living, overwhelminly drove Fords over Chevys. I asked several of them why and they all said the same thing--A Ford will take more abuse over time than a Chevy will. Yes, Chevy makes decent trannies, but abuse the hell out of one dragging stuff out of the weeds, pulling loads too heavy for the truck, spinning the tires, and everything that goes into junkin, and the tranny will not hold up. The rear ends on Chevys also will not take sustained abuse. Yes, the 350 is a stout engine, but work the hell outta one over revving it and see how long it takes to spin a bearing.

So, when I went into the junkin business for myself, I took the advice I had been given and got a 3/4 ton Ford. It was a '67 with a 352. I loaded that truck up with so much weight at times that I could hardly keep the thing on the road. I pulled trailer loads of freezers, washers, dryers, and other appliances so stacked on top of each other that I had to go through the country real slow to get to the scrap yard without getting caught by the police. I dragged junk cars, trucks, and vans out of the weeds that had been sitting there so long small trees had grown up through the engine compartment. I worked the hell outta that truck and it never let me down.

None of what I am saying suggests that Chevy makes junk. They make a good product that is known for longevity and reliability. Hell, I've got an '88 4x4 with a 350 in it now. But when it comes to working a truck hard all day long, Ford wins the "how hard is it to break the thing" contest. And if I ever get back into the junkin business again, I will do it in a Ford.

 

My 89 was used for an iron-hauler it's entire life until the day I bought it. Now it is my weekend play-thing. I helped the previous owners load it on many occasions. On one such instance, we had an old combine torched into several pieces that we loaded on a trailer, plus the bed was loaded full of everything we could fit. I saw the ticket from the scrap-yard, tipped 6 tons of iron that day. That is a hell of a lot of weight for a 1/2 ton with a 351.

 

OK just another "my 2 cents" here but i've raced Chevy 350's carbed and fuel injected and have outran them with my 302(1992 f150) Chevy are cheaper to buy parts for. as far as drive train yes i think ford has them beat by a mile. straight stock I'm positive you would drag your buddy around if you can comp for the weight, say you weigh them and you get to add weight he can blow his motor all day and you can be a good friend and drag him to the garage.
tho chevy is a good a motor and i've had both im putting my money on the ford.

 

I think a loaded toolbox would help compinsate the weight difference. And I know him too well, we wouldn't let me drag him to the shop. Even when his fan went into his radiator he had another buddy of ours drag it there with an s10 because "he couldn't be seen being pulled by a Ford". He sure doesn't have a problem being pulled outta mud and ruts by one though!

 

Take a camera with you next time and get the picture when he isn't looking. Then you can make it the background picture on your computer. Heheeeeeeeeeeeee!

 

I would have to make photo-copies and post them all over Plymouth, Swanton, Harbine, Fairbury, and Beatrice!

 

Yes very true, the '80-90's vintage GM trucks and the SBC were not very well built compared to what Ford was producing at the time. The stock rear axle in a 1/2 ton GM truck was the 10-bolt which is equavelent to a Ford 7.5" and not surprisingly it is all to easy to break when caught between the TQ of the motor and a heavy load, I have seen loads of these axles snapped right in front of my eyes both at the track and on the street. I have seen my share of SBC rebuilds from this era of vehicle too since many of my friends were die hard GM fans, and I have to tell ya it never got old making repeated trips to the junkyard(in my Ford) to pickup yet another set of SBC heads in the hope that we could find some that weren't already cracked. The castings on these late heads were scary thin, but it wasn't only that it was the low quality of material used, it wasn't uncommon to find unmelted steel bits when machining the block. This truely was a low point for GM and any fan with a clue won't give anything from this era a second thought, if they are building a SBC they get muscle car era parts or go straight to the aftermarket.

 

You really can't call one of these engines a true winner. They are both fantastic engines, and long lasting work horses.

Both engines have a huge aftermarket, I have to say though that the 350 aftermarket is probably bigger. They made the engine for 15 billion years, everything on every engine will swap, and most parts from every sbc (305, 327, 350, 400 just to name a few) will bolt up to it as well, and also some parts off of the 6 cyl's.

The Chevy is going to be cheaper to fix, and in my opinion much easier to work on. Personally I have never had any luck with a 351. I've owned 3, and it seemed like I was always working on them. Don't get me wrong though, I'm not bashing the 351 at all. When you get an engine with 150+k miles on it you are bound to have some issues. I have a couple of buddies with 351 and they have been tough as nails.

I honestly don't see how people are saying that 350's break when worked hard, I beat the s**t out of mine fairly constantly, and they hold up just fine.

On the rest of the drive train...Most of Chevys auto transmissions are tanks. I've owned plenty th350's, th400's, 700R4's, and NEVER had any issues out of them. I have owned 2 vehicles with C4's, and they were absolute garbage transmissions. Two of the 351 trucks I had were C6's, and those transmissions were easily as tough as the Chevy autos I have.

Ford has the best rear end, no arguments. Even though the 10 bolt can be built just as tough, and a 12 bolt with C-clip eliminators are serious rear ends, stock vs stock Ford takes the rear end cake hands down.

In the 80's Chevy used some really bad metal on their truck bodies. Ford definitely had them beat on that one.

In my honest opinion from experience, Ford has always had terrible wiring. GM has them on that one.

Interiors were back and forth between years and models, they both had their good and back, all just personal preference.

So honestly putting a 350 Chevy truck up against a 351 Ford truck I can only come to the conclusion that both are fantastic trucks.Both have their little ups and downs (Both have more ups than downs), but IMO they even out in the end.

 

Well I have had my 351 for the last 4 years of my life, going on 5. It has at least 174k miles (only registers 5 digits), and I have never had to work on anything internal. I have only had to replace an altenator, and that is the only work under the hood that I have had to do, other than the annual oil change, and occasional tranny-oil top-off. Couldn't be happier with my 89 work-horse.

 

well, just for prespective. i have 95 chevy 4.3 5 speed, dad had it before me. ive had a few years now. 221k on it. a few gaskets,1 water pump,1 clutch, a tps thats about it other then plugs and wires and oil. nothing major ever gone wrong with it.

had a 350 4 bolt, with a 4 barrel, great engine, power, torque drank gas but its a v8 so what you expect. typical maintaince as well, a few gaskets,oil, plugs, filters. .

both of these trucks been out in the field, have hauled loads they were never designed to. have used to them for hauling junk,parts,engines, tractors, cars, you name it. the 4.3 is the 350's little brother, just as reliable as any engine you could want.

dad has had fords for haulin junk and one was a daily.we still have a ford, last truck was a 88 f350 with a 4.9 that was our junk hauler for a few years. it never let us down, towed fine with the 5 speed took all we asked of it. now he has a 97-98 i forget which year f 350 with a 351 for the hauler, does everything fine with all anything you could want from it.

my point is that there is no reason to say one is better then the other, besides to have fun bs'in. chevy, ford and dodge have good points, good engines, bad engines, good trans, bad trans ect ect.

for my money i would take all of em, no toyotas, mazda's or any other jap. manufacture i love my american cars.

 

^^^ agreed. I don't really think that either is "better". But I do see that my old 351 is more reliable than any of my friends' 350s. Seems like at least one of my buddies' trucks is in the local shop for some reason or another, while mine just keeps takin' miles without breakin'.