351W vs 351C

[z3beemer]

I have a 351c from a 73 Mach I and a 351w currently in a 69 mustang (non mach). I want to rebuild one with mild mods (heads, mild cam, intake & 4v carb). that will gi into the 69. Which is the better engine of the 2 what are the advantages / disadvantages of each? Or is it just a toss up?

Thanks for any insite you provide.

Paul

[Orange97GTVert]

I think most people will agree that there is more potential for performance with the 351W because more performance parts are available for the 351W.

[KiltedBanshees93GT]

I have to agree with 'Vert, The clev has some performance "pros", most about the heads, the cons outweigh the benefits of going with a windsor though. With the W, you get the cubes without the added weight, and you have a huge aftermarket to work from, and you have the added bonus of being able to convince the "less than knowlegable" that your running a "stock 302".
I think overall the parts selecton and weight savings makes the W a better choice, given the amout of interest, parts and tech out to make it helluafast.
If the car was originally a W , I would call that an added bonus that you didnt have to swap anything, and if you use the original engine, the numbers will match
just my .02
J

[mustangII460]

The cleveland will suck the doors off the windsor,but you better have a thick checkbook.

If I was going to rebuild one Id go get a roller 351w motor to start with. As stated above there are alot of aftermarket parts for 351w's and or 302's.

[MEDIK418]

Actually, there are about as many performance parts for the Cleveland as there are for the Windsor. You'll pay about 30 percent more across the board for most of them but they're out there. Austrailia has a plethora of hi performance parts still being manufactured and most are readily available here in this country. I'm building my third Cleveland right now and haven't had any trouble with parts. Now. . Maw is another story.
They are expensive to build but like I said, the numbers are about the same. One example, a 393 stroker kit for a Cleveland is about 1800 bucks, the same for a Windsor is about 8-900.
About the only thing I couldnt' find this time around is dished forged pistons. Had to have Probe cut a set, cost right at $530 for everything.

[era427tp]

The 351c turned out to be kind of a dead end in Ford evolution.The 351c was heavy and had a terrible oiling system.T 351w has the advantage of having a lot more devlopment.If you can find an intake you could build a "clenvor" by putting the clevland heads on the windsor,it would be a real convesation piece.

[~The Jester~]

I'm jumping on MustangII460's bandwagon. The Cleveland is just plain awesome, it does have some drawbacks though. Oiling system was mentioned among some others. They can all be overcome though. I just saw an article about some new heads from down under, the Cleveland 3V heads. Basically they took the cc volume of the 2V and the flow numbers of the 4V heads, and combined the two.

On the other hand, bring your checkbook! Dollar for dollar you can't beat the Windsor. Plentiful cheap(er) aftermarket parts, research and development is there. D&D performance, Coast High, Ford Motorsport, the list goes on. Not too many people playing with the Clevelands anymore. The "Clevor" is a good running motor, and can be built relatively cheap. Plan on spending time at swap meets to find the right parts, and you better know what you're looking for. Then the intake is an a$$ache to find, or have built.

Like "Nitro420" said in a differnt post, 351 Windsor, and don't look back. Just in your rearview mirror"

[MEDIK418]

I sometimes wish I had started on the 351 Windsor I have instead of the Cleveland but the feelings usually don't last long. One of the things I really like about the Cleveland is the torque. I've never been in a windsor that would match it. The sound is another. Windsors sound just like a 5.0. It seems that every fox body Mustang in the world sounds exactly the same. Different pitches sometimes, but they're all noise clones. This Cleveland is going in a 86 notchback. (it came out of my son's 71) and it's Daddy's toy this time. I guess the shock factor is fun too. Not many people have even seen a Cleveland much less have the ability to tell one from a Windsor. I'd never knock a Windsor. I've built two of them and they are awsome engines. Cheap to build too. But you ust can't beat the thunder from a Cleveland at full song.

[Devine65GT]

I had a cleveland in my 65 till just recently, it was a horrible motor. nothing but problems with it. we rebuilt it 2 times but just couldnt get it to run right. now the motor was in the car since 1970 somthing so it was pretty old and probably a little tired andthe people that worked on it kinda butcherd it. but we tryed pretty much everything, and nothing seemed to work.

[ramnaraina]

I think if people got their hands on a Cleveland then their opinions would be different. The cleveland is more difficult to find and more potent than a Windsor anytime. Also depends on how good the mechanic who attempts to overall the motor is......

The cleveland also has a more cleaner tone of its own class!

[Dave_mustang_50]

Personally, id use the windsor as the cleveland didnt see mustang production until 1970, Higher resale value.
As for heads for the cleveland,
2v Cleveland heads - 2.04 int. and 1.67 exh.
4v Cleveland heads - 2.19 int. and 1.71 exh. with Huge ports
Aftermarket is not like the windsor, but its there.

[rwhite65]

If it is about money, then 351w all the way. But if it is about the COOL factor, then u cant beat saying it has a cleveland!!!
Ryan

[NO SLO PK]

Originally Posted by rwhite65

If it is about money, then 351w all the way. But if it is about the COOL factor, then u cant beat saying it has a cleveland!!!
Ryan

Agreed. There is something real about having a Cleveland in a vintage 'Stang. Huge cool and woodie factor. 20 yrs. ago I had a 351C 4v in a '69 fastack. Loved that car. Loved that engine.

[yecats]

Well, I agree the 351W for the $$ is cheaper. To tell people you have the CLEVELAND talks a lot. I have a 351C in a 1968 coupe and it sounds great and will fly like a jet on taking off. So bottom line you can save $$ or you can have something different from the rest of the crowd. Good luck.

[canadianstang1]

i have a stock 73 cleve 2bbl auto in my 68 coupe too and its awesome. lotsa power good gas mileage sounds really cool.

[Frankie The 69 Kid]

depends on what you're planning on doing with the car... driver? show? secial occ, etc. if it's a driver, i'd go with the windsor. parts are readily available (because ford is still building them). good hp, and actually if you show the car occasionally, say cruise nites, etc. it's the right engine for the year. clevelands didn't show up til 70.
cleveland was built for the power the windsor was lacking. so if it's going to be an occasional driver (very occasional) go for the C. lots more money though.

[Frankie The 69 Kid]

depends on what you're doing with the car...

[69bronco]

i've had a 351w in my bronco befor and i couldn't get the power out of it i needed for my truck. so i put in a 351 cevland corba jet in the truck and it had more power stock the the beefed up 351w. but the parts for the cevlands do coust more.