I was just wondering which engine would be the best to have in my 70 f100. Right now I have a 302 in the truck but i have a 351 C 4V that needs rebuilt. I have researched alot of parts for both but still not sure in the long run which would be best for a weekend truck. Thanks for the advice Bobby

 

I'd say to check and see what kind of tranny you have behind that 302 first. Is it an auto, If so, I'd say it's a C4. The 351C can be made into a great engine, and is the only one in it's family that has a small block bellhousing. Rebuild that thing and slap it in there!

Matt

 

Yes it is a auto C4 tranny, It need rebuilt as well. I had a fmx? tranny at one point and someone stole it out of the back of my truck. I've heard good and bad things about the fmx but i guess i'll never know until i get one behind a good motor.

 

Get some steep gears, the 4V Clevelands love the high rpm. Low end torque isnt their strong point, so dont plan on towing anything.

 

No plans on towing. Going to put a mustang gas tank behind the rear axel and a roll pan no place for a reciever. Just a cruisin truck.

 

Well, the cleveland is a great motor, and they put them in some HEAVY cars. The only problem (stock) is that they have problems oiling in the upper RPM's. Look around on the forum and see if you can't find anything about it. I'm sure there's a remedy to it somewhere.

matt

 

Easy, rebuild the 351C, port the intakes a little and polish the exhaust ports, set of headers, don't know the year of the engine, but make sure you have 9.5:1 CR pistons and the cam is set at 0* or 4* BTDC and the engine will be making more than 300 hp. The C-4 rebuilt with a shift kit will handle this engine easily. Or put a T-5 behind it. Lot of work swapping to a manual, but if yer havin' fun and the beer doesn't run out....

 

IMO id steer away from a stock 351c in a truck, but if you need to rebuild maybe a 408c to get some more bottom end torque could be right up your alley.

 

if it were my truck and i already had to rebuild both the engine and tranny, id throw in a 460/c6 combo, rebuild the 460, and have a fun truck

 

If i had a 460 I would go with it.

 

i can go to any junkyard in town here and pick up a 460 for about 300 dollars- complete. a c-6 i could get for around a hundred dollars. youd be in way more than that on either of the engines youve got, and if youre trying to get power out of them youll be in a whole lot more money than you would a 460 for the same power level, and the 460 would be more reliable doing it.

 

i had a 71 years ago(high school) with a clevland in it and it wasnt to bad but im a fan of big blocks(just look at my sig) but if you allready have a clevlend and a c-4 i probably would just biuld the heck out of that and stuff it between the fenders,then again if you can get a deal on a 429-460 you could get more bang for the buck from that just take a lil longer

 

351C is a great engine, and can be built to outperform many big blocks. As far as the oiling problem goes, summit racing and others sell screw in restrictors that fix that problem. The commons school of thought is the 4V heads are too much for the street (almost 11:1 compression), and the 2V heads were plenty (9-9.5:1) and would make better low end. They used to make "D" shaped plates that bolted between the head and exhaust/header that would take care of the complaints of lack of low end. Or you can get the Aussie head and that would take care of it too. It will make big block power, but has less weight. If I was building a 4WD that needed gobs of torque, 460 definately. If I was building a weekend cruiser, 351C hands down.

 

I've looked into the aussie heads and wow looks real nice with a huge price tag. Well the AFI are anyways.

 

check ebay, cleveland's are abundant. Prices seem to be all over the place, but you can get a deal if you are patient. Of course, you could always mill the 2V heads if you really wanted higher compression, but at 9-9.5:1 without milling, you can still run pump gas and reduce detonation chances.