To get things back on track the 351W roller blocks started in 94 and the block number is something like F4TE. I have read that the 74 an older blocks are stronger than 75 and up. I have sold two 74 351W blocks to guys building strokers.

As always some one will feel that what they have or do is the best and pounce on anothers input which is only being shared for others to read and not to insult another member. Why is it people get so testy when some one offers their experience? Let the readers decided for them selves which way they want to go by reading every ones input.

As for me I like both the 289/302 and 351W. You can also run into people that feel the 289 is a much better engine than the 302 and the 351W. There are way to many factors that come in to play to say one is better than the other. They're all ford engines and thats good enough for me.

 

Hear, hear! Couldn't have said it better myself! (Which is probably why I didn't!)

I've always preferred the 289/302, but for certain reasons:

I was into Sunbeam Tigers long before I ever bought my first Ford truck, and they came from the factory with the 260/289. A 302 fits right in of course, but a 351 is a very tight fit in an already very full engine compartment. When you get one stuffed in, you can't even remove the valve covers with the eingine in place, and the sump will drag on every little obstruction if the car is at all lowered. Plus, you are adding more front-end weight to a car with a delicate F/R balance.

Then I got into racing. Again, I didn't want the extra front-end weight of the 351W, not to mention those 3-inch mains that just don't like to spin at 7200 RPMs. The 302 was the logical choice for me.

So I've always been partial to the the 302 and have never owned anything with a 351W. That's not to say I wouldn't, just that so far, I haven't. If I bought a good-running truck with a 351W in it, I would happily keep it and fix it up a bit. By the same token, if that truck had a 302 in it, I would happily keep it and modify it as well.

To each his own, and what works for one person may not be the hot ticket for another. We may not all be looking for the same thing out of our trucks, and some of us would be perfectly happy with the 302 in there.

So, read all the info available, listen to what people on both sides have to say, and make your own informed decision. It's really up to you.

 

I was perfectly happy with my 302 when I had it...just not happy with the lack of low end torque but it was ok.

 

Eitherone will serve you well. I'm 20 and have been lucky enough to have had two 302's under my hoods, and both have served me well (even though the second one only has EFI. Can't win em all I guess.). They have very good reliability, are capable of good gas mileage, and are ridiculously easy to modify. I have never had any trouble with mine (only occasionally the accessories - not exactly the engine's fault.) I find the 302 to be quite adequate for a truck. However, since I'm a "no replacement for displacement" kind of guy, I do prefer 351's. Because the 302 and 351 are both Windsor motors, most of what fits on a 302 fits on a 351. Therefore, the price discrepancy between modding a 302 and a 351 is relatively small.

My personal preference for either is a stock roller cam, AFR 165 heads, Edelbrock RPM intake with a 4-bbl carb, 9.0-9.5:1 compression, Pertronix Ignitor electronic ignition, and then back it up with a 5-speed stick. Well tuned, the 302 should get around 340-365hp with that, and the 351 somewhere in excess of 400hp. But granted, these are combos I cooked up in my head when I had a '68 Mustang and low-end torque was much less of a concern, but I did keep it in mind at the time when coming up with those.

The Cleveland engine was a fast as hell engine, and extremely fun to drive, but has some quirks. Ours was expensive to build, chewed through a couple of dizzy gears befor we found the right combo, and couldn't hold a tune worth a lick, among other things. But when you got that thing north of 3500, WHAM. No looking back.

 

I built a 302/347 for my 56 F100 backed by a built AOD. She is carbed with a Holly 600. I went with the 302 block for added room in the engine bay, A/C, battery on the firewall, firewall mounted power brake booster, headers and rack & pinion. No regrets, 5.0 roller blocks are easy to find and the stoker kits are the way to go. My.02.

 

Yup, they're smaller and provide more room, which would be more important to some.