351 Cleveland or Windsor ??

Rickslick · Post by **Rickslick** » March 6, 2011, 11:42 am

I need your help. I have a opportunity to purchase a rebuilt 351 windsor for my 65 F100. I need your opinions bad or good about either cheveland or windsor engines.

oldfordcoupe · Post by **oldfordcoupe** » March 6, 2011, 11:51 am

i'v had both i'v got a winsor now i built it, an i like it , less weight more parts . the cleveland is nice but part are getting had to find +the weight issue

Haus · Post by **Haus** » March 6, 2011, 11:56 am

70-74 production on the cleveland. 20+ years on the windsor. You could blow up a block and pick up another locally pretty quick.

351 cleveland with the 4v quench heads is kind of fun though. You can still get aluminum heads also.

cooter · Post by **cooter** » March 6, 2011, 1:27 pm

windsor all the way, cheaper to build, blocks are stronger than clevland, size, weight, parts availability etc.

R Pope · Post by **R Pope** » March 6, 2011, 5:23 pm

Cleveland is a "peaky" engine, not the best choice in a heavy truck. Expensive to build, too. The Windsor is the only way to go. Best Ford engine since the flattie!

Post by **Greg D** » March 6, 2011, 7:19 pm

Why not have the best of both worlds;
put a pair of 2 bbl Clevelands heads on a Windsor.

62galxe · Post by **62galxe** » March 6, 2011, 7:34 pm

Greg D wrote:Why not have the best of both worlds;
put a pair of 2 bbl Clevelands heads on a Windsor.

like this
http://www.themustangshop.com/clevor.cfm

jamesdfo · Post by **jamesdfo** » March 6, 2011, 9:17 pm

There was a day when this might have been a good idea......but these days a decent set of aftermarket windsor heads will outflow factory Cleavland heads....and will actually have enough flow velocity "down low" to actually have some low speed torque. In a pickup, a cleavland to me seems like a bad idea, as a big heavy truck with an engine that really doesn't start flowing any air untill about 3500RPM seems like a bad combo. The only reason I can see that someone might run a cleaveland nowadays would be strictly for the "Wow Factor".....but in the end if given the choice I would pick a hyd roller windsor with aftermarket heads over a cleavland.

And for the record, my '79 Pace Car is cleavland powered:):)

I expect not everyone is going to agree with this, but that's my $0.02 worth:)

James

aarons428 · Post by **aarons428** » March 6, 2011, 9:53 pm

windsor all the way and WAY more parts available

64shortbed · Post by **64shortbed** » March 6, 2011, 11:27 pm

I too have had both and would go with the winsor for all the reasons above.

Michelle · Post by **Michelle** » March 6, 2011, 11:42 pm

You guys are a bunch of wimps. Man up and go for the gold and get the Cleveland. My 56 had a 71 Cleveland with the 4V closed chambered heads with adjustable rockers. It cost more to build but you get what you pay for and it did perform. Be different, it seems every one has Windsor, you don't see that many Clevelands anymore and that makes them even more desireable. I guess I am the lone wolf here. I just prefer the less traveled road. I guess that is why I drive the N.

TonyC · Post by **TonyC** » March 6, 2011, 11:53 pm

Toss my 2 cents worth in here. I do agree with a post above on a Cleveland with quench chamber heads being a very fun engine, but they are heavy as heck, and parts are indeed getting scarce. Plus if you keep your foot deep in the pedal, they swill gas big time.

From personal experience, a Windsor is a great engine. A good port and valve job on the stock heads will liven it up big time. Excellent engine.

Michelle · Post by **Michelle** » March 7, 2011, 12:15 am

Tony, I have to agree with you on the gas, they do love it. I figure that anything that gets good gas mileage is not fun to drive.

Leeroy · Post by **Leeroy** » March 7, 2011, 1:36 am

I'll come to the rescue Michelle, I have a 351c too!

So does ALAN x 2! (but he seems to be hiding!

)

Don't forget us aussies had 302c + 351c down here and aussie 2V closed chamber heads on the 302 changes the equation yet again...

Unfortunately the windsor stopped here in about 70 and never came back until 1987 in injected form. So between those years our fords no matter what model had the 'cleveland only' option. PLENTY of parts down here if you need some!

TonyC · Post by **TonyC** » March 7, 2011, 1:38 am

Michelle wrote:Tony, I have to agree with you on the gas, they do love it. I figure that anything that gets good gas mileage is not fun to drive.

Quite true!

Alan Mclennan · Post by **Alan Mclennan** » March 7, 2011, 2:21 am

Good on ya Michelle and Leeroy!, stick it up them!

, If they want something cheap to build! why don`t they build a shevyee. It`s about time we had some thing more plentiful than the Yanks!, hell I think Holden were using Clevo`s at one stage!

, when they were winning Bathurst that is!, and Leeroy it will be 3X Clevo`s soon!

Leeroy · Post by **Leeroy** » March 7, 2011, 2:49 am

Hmmmmm.... whats on the broil Alan?

BMJ's 65 · Post by **BMJ's 65** » March 7, 2011, 7:10 am

Save up for an FE, that way you get the best of both worlds, expensive to build and common at the same time.

CooGAR · Post by **CooGAR** » March 7, 2011, 10:41 am

'65 SWB with a 351C here!!

Considering making it a 406.....

Michelle · Post by **Michelle** » March 7, 2011, 10:52 am

CooGAR wrote:'65 SWB with a 351C here!!

Considering making it a 406.....

Way to go Coog.