351w? c??????

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Feb 5, 2002 | 07:50 PM

trueblue_79

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From: Ephrata USA

351w? c??????

hey, this might sound a little ignorant, but just exactly how many different 351's are there? and what do the letters after stand for?

Mike S.
1979 F-100

Feb 5, 2002 | 08:06 PM

restorit

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From: Bismarck, ND

351w? c??????

There are actually three. The 351C (Cleveland), which was produced from 1970-1974, the 351W (Windsor), which was produced from 1969-1997(?) - give or take a couple of years!, and the 351M ("M" actually didn't stand for anything, but many take it to mean "modified", as in modified Cleveland or modified 400.) The 351M was produced from, I believe, 1975-1981 (again, give or take a couple of years).

Feb 5, 2002 | 09:15 PM

trueblue_79

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From: Ephrata USA

351w? c??????

thank you for the info! that was really a mystery to me. is there any of the 3 in particular that is the best? or all they basically the same engine? thanks again.
Mike S.
1979 F-100

Feb 5, 2002 | 10:42 PM

slikness

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From: Durham

351w? c??????

The Windsor is the most popular. It's very similar in appearance to the 302 and there are a lot of good aftermarket parts for this engine. The Cleveland was built for power (for the Mustangs!!) and while they are a terrific engine, they are getting rare and it is difficult to find parts for them. The Modified was built (or modified) to accomodate the smog stuff and while they can be built to add torque and hp, they are not as easy to build nor are they supported as well as the 351W.

Feb 6, 2002 | 07:27 PM

restorit

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From: Bismarck, ND

351w? c??????

I agree 100%. Go Windsor. I own a Cleveland and have had an "M". The 351M is basically a de-stroked 400M with 2-barrel Cleveland heads (are you really confused, yet?

) While they can be built up, the M's were dogs from the factory (around 142 hp), and the aftermarket never did too much with them. I love my Cleveland, but I don't push it too hard as, if I do something bad to the block or internals, it's going to cost me in terms of time and $$$ to locate parts. The aftermarket has embraced the 351W more so than any other engine, I would say, save for the Chevy small block and the Ford 302. Ford has stuck by this engine for so long, in fact, that you can find pre-smog examples itching for a solid cam and carburetion as well as late-model, roller cammed copies that came off the assembly line with EFI. Take your pick. Someday when my Cleveland does go, I'll most likely have a service for it, commit it to the earth, and build an EFI 351W to replace it.

Feb 17, 2002 | 02:42 AM

335clevo

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351w? c??????

With your Clevelands they were actually manufactured up until around 1984, in Australia. In Australia The Cleveland was avaliable as a 2 or 4 barrel 351, and a destroked variation known as the 302 Cleveland was also avaliable. Their compression ratios varied from year to year and a 4 barrel 302 was produced as well. The 4V 351 actually powered the world's fastest 4 door car for 25 years. It won Ford many other races and held the prestige of being the largest engine avaliable in our Falcons. Here in Aus. the Cleveland is so common and our fuel price is so high, stock Cleveland engines are dime a dozen and almost worthless, especially the 302's, I have one I bought for a carton of beer. I also have a mate who has a few he pulled out of the tip.
335c

Feb 17, 2002 | 11:35 AM

restorit

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From: Bismarck, ND

351w? c??????

How depressing! Kind of makes me want to pay you a visit and bring some "souveniers" back to the states! I wonder whether shipping costs would make it worth the effort to source engines there.....