Hey all,

I was talking to my junk man about getting a small block for my truck. He said that he had a 351C small block, they were made in the late 60s early 70s... Has anyone heard of such a beast? If so, is it a good engine? I only thought the 351C was a big block....

THANKS

 

There is no such thing as a Ford small block or big block. There are series or families. 335 series = 351C, 351M, 400. 385 series = 429, 460. Windsor family = 351W, 302, 289, and some others. There are many other families too.

If you see a parts catalog such as Summit referring to a "Ford small block" then they are usually referring to the Windsor family. It's not correct terminology, however, but it is still used.

The only other place you will hear "small block" and "big block" used for Ford are bellhousing bolt patterns. 351C, 351W, and 302 use "small block" bellhousing where as the 351M, 400, 429 and 460 use "big block" bellhousing. Again, it's not correct terminology, but it has caught on nonetheless.

A 351C is a 351C, there were no big or small versions. They were only made from '70 to '74. There are also referred to as 351 Clevelands or just Clevelands, hence the C after the 351. I think the 351C is a good engine; they origianlly started out as a performance motor until they found their way into full-size passenger cars until they were stopped after 1974. 335-series engines typically do not hold good oil pressure at high mileage, but what engine doesn't have problems after many miles.

 

First thing your going to get jumped for is there is no such thing as ford big block and small block. The 351w and the 351c have the small bolt pattern. The 351m has the large bolt pattern. The 351c was a car engine used in the 60s and70s, yes. It can be built to be a very good engine.

 

Thanks for the corrections, I guess I usually referred the to them as the same as chevys... SBF, BBF... But it is actually the bolt pattern... Now... Anybody know what Clutch and pressure plate to put with the Cleveland and a 5 speed on a 89 F-150??? The slave cylinder for the clutch is in the bell housing...

Thanks again!!!

 

You should be able to take the flywheel you have and have it rebalanced for the 351C, I don't know if there is one that is compatable with the hydraulic clutch or not but this way you know it will work with your tranny. Should cost less than buying a new one. Make sure its a 351C and not a 351M many people incorrectly refer to the Ms as Cs this is the easiest way I know to tell the two apart its the link below, the M shares a bellhousing with a 460 and isn't worth near as much as a cleveland. http://www.tmeyerinc.com/Fordvisualcompare.html
-Johnboy

 

Another discussion about this subject in another Topic on this forum.

While I do understand the W/335/385 series designation and agree with it to a large extent, I have to respectfully disagree with the small/large designation being inaccurate----except that I will not jump you about the subject Fords SVO catalog does use that designation. Some argue that the catalog is using chebby terminology, which may be 100% correct, I dont know about that. I have not seen anything but speculation that ford did not intend to use those terms.

Way back when----- the 221 was introduced, it was without a doubt a small block. If I recall, the FE's were the big blocks even though they werent big on cubes by todays standards. If you trace the evolution of todays engines, it is easy to see that they originated as a smaller and a larger block. Whether or not that distinction is valid today is very ambiguous. The 221/255/260/289/302/302boss/351W/351C/351M/400 all share the same bore spacing and generally the same bore. Thats why I do see the small block name as somewhat good. The Modulars and the V10 are another story---. Actually the bore spacing on those is smaller (~3.9") than the W/335 series. By cubes and bore spacing, it wouldnt be entirely inaccurate to call them a small block-----lets not go there!!

The 351's W/C are known by most of the rest of the automotive world as small blocks. Whether accurate or not, call em by whatever name the person you are dealing with wants them called-----at least until after you get your fat little fingers on the motor Then you can come back to this board and call them stoopid if you wish

 

Since FTE uses the terms, I don't understand why everyone jumps on this as being a "Chevy term" or not used for Ford. When the world consisted of 260/289 and 352/390/427s, BB and SB were valid terms. When the FE went away, the 429/460 became the BBF. (not to mention 170/200 vs. 240/300) In the era of modular motors, it is meaningless, but the term soldiers on as there are many examples of both from almost all manufacturers.

The only reasonable "definition" I've seen is deck height. 10" and over, BB. But I don't think that holds everywhere.

Anyway, a 351C needs no further introduction. If you know the engines of that era, you know what it is.