how to tell 351s apart?

ripsnorter · Post by **ripsnorter** » February 19, 2007, 6:09 pm

how do you tell the 351s apart? is there some way to tell them apart by looking at them? or do you have to look at the codestamp on the engine? and how do break down the serial on the engine?

I'm looking at grabbing a 65ish F250 that has a V8 in it, the guy thinks its a 351 but he's not sure. I dont completely trust the stamp on the body, as I dont know if the engine has been swapped or not.

and what was that link someone gave me a while back that broke down the various codes for engine, transmission etc you find on the door tag?

thats a lot of questions aint it? :shock:

MadMaxetc · Post by **MadMaxetc** » February 19, 2007, 11:10 pm

Our Buddies over at www.FORDification.com have all the info...

http://www.fordification.com/engineID.htm

check it out!

(Nice job Keith!)

6166 Junkyard Dog · February 19, 2007, 11:17 pm

MAN SO EASY Are we talking about 302 to 351W 302 has reg headbolts, 351W has the head bolts with washers built on the headbolt early 351 c is like 302/351W takes the same trans as them narrow top bolt pattern on trans. late 351C has the wide pattern at the top like your 351M/400 429/460 trans...

bigtrip460 · Post by **bigtrip460** » February 20, 2007, 2:34 am

351w has the thermostat housing that mounts on the front of the intake

ripsnorter · Post by **ripsnorter** » February 20, 2007, 3:18 am

thanks a lot guys, big help.

would they have used any 351Cs in 64-66? or just Ws? and are the Cs still sought after good engines?

I may buy this truck just to play around with the engine etc, and I'd kind of like to make sure beforehand that its even worth playing with.

---- Edit -----

errr, nevermind. after researching, i guess they didnt even start making 351Ws til 69. heh. :oops:

is there any possibility that whatever engine is in that thing would be worth screwing with?

jakdad · Post by **jakdad** » February 20, 2007, 5:23 am

I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a 351M. The 400s can be made to run but none of the 351M-400 series will get good gas milage.

mikecarson · Post by **mikecarson** » February 20, 2007, 5:57 am

Probably a 352.

66fordtrucknut · Post by **66fordtrucknut** » February 20, 2007, 6:27 am

Take a pic.
Charlie

BigTim · Post by **BigTim** » February 20, 2007, 8:54 am

mikecarson wrote:Probably a 352.

Kind of what I was thinking, does it look like an FE?

jakdad wrote:I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a 351M.

Like tortoise they are slow and steady. But the best thing about them is they are removable. :lol:

ICEMAN6166 · Post by **ICEMAN6166** » February 20, 2007, 12:26 pm

BigTim wrote:
mikecarson wrote:Probably a 352.

Kind of what I was thinking, does it look like an FE?

jakdad wrote:I wouldn't spend a lot of money on a 351M.

Like tortoise they are slow and steady. But the best thing about them is they are removable.

lots of people are confused between 351 and 352.seen lots of 352s that were advertised as 351C, even argued with one who said there was no such thing as a 352.
most likely its a 352.

the best thing about the 351M/400 besides its use as a boat anchor is the fact that once you drop it in the water at the end of a chain you can install a real engine, 429 or 460 in its place.

Slick Fan · Post by **Slick Fan** » February 20, 2007, 12:58 pm

ICEMAN6166 wrote:
lots of people are confused between 351 and 352.seen lots of 352s that were advertised as 351C, even argued with one who said there was no such thing as a 352.

I had that happen once...the guy thought it was a 351C & even started swearing at me. :shock:

Then I took a rag & wiped off the block, exposing the '352' cast into it...'there, do ya believe me now?" :evil:

The guy was uhhh... :oops:

So because it wasn't an almighty Cleveland anymore & was just a lowly 352, I got the engine for $50, instead of the $400 he was asking. I would have paid more, if he hadn't gotten belligerent with me...so I get it home & checked it out closer, it ended up being a 390. SWEET!

Trying to tell someone their 400 really isn't a 351C is a real joy too, sometimes. :roll:

bigtrip460 · Post by **bigtrip460** » February 20, 2007, 1:52 pm

I like it when people that should know SWEAR a cleveland is a bigblock. :roll:

some guys will fight to the death over that.

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » February 20, 2007, 2:01 pm

The world is full of experts.

One of the parts houses here, one that hires real Partsmen, that have been there for years, argued with a friend of mine that there was no such thing as a 352.
Until my friend made him look it up. The color of his face, apparently , was good enough for fire engine use.. :rotflmao:

Satinblack · Post by **Satinblack** » February 20, 2007, 2:23 pm

Some folks just have no clue. 351C wasnt even built when slicks were out.

jakdad · Post by **jakdad** » February 20, 2007, 2:42 pm

There isn't much telling what engine is in a truck over 15 years of age.

Fordman · Post by **Fordman** » February 20, 2007, 6:29 pm

which of the 351 are the best and or hottest engines.

Uncle Skip · Post by **Uncle Skip** » February 20, 2007, 6:44 pm

If the motor is an FE (352-390-406-410-427-428) the intake manifold looks like its part of the cylinder head. That is, the head is not a unitized one piece like a regular motor. The pushrods go thru the intake and the valve cover covers part of the intake as well as the head.
Its the only one out there like that so its easy to tell.
Besides, its a big wide mother dunker and the others are relatively narrow from valve cover to valve cover.

U@ss

BigTim · Post by **BigTim** » February 20, 2007, 6:56 pm

Fordman wrote:which of the 351 are the best and or hottest engines.

Back in the 70s and 80s the Cleveland was the big power maker, 2V, 4V, and Aussie heads, a lot of peoplke even put those heads on their Windsors.

But now with all the tech that has gone into Windsor heads, Dart blocks, that the 5.0 craze set off, Windsor is the only way to go in my opinion.

bigtrip460 · Post by **bigtrip460** » February 20, 2007, 7:16 pm

I agree, cleveland was OK (some will fight to the death over that statement as well) but it didnt stand the test of time. there is a reason for that.

the windsor is a better overall design (though the thermostat housing location was poorly thought out :roll:

) people talk about cleveland heads being so much better, but why do that when you can get bolt on aftermarket heads that flow just as good or even better?

I think cleveland's are over rated and the myth has out grown reality.

didgeytrucker · Post by **didgeytrucker** » February 20, 2007, 10:45 pm

Ever since the mid 70's when NASCAR set a 358 cid limit, the Ford motors have run a Cleveland style head. The current Ford NASCAR motor is a hybrid using a 351W style block with 351C style heads. The street nickname for this is a "Clevor" and there have been intakes cast to do this at home.

Today you want the most bang for your buck (and horsepower per pound). The aftermarket support for the 351W says that's the way to go today.... unless you just have to have an FE 352 (which looks just like a 390, 428 and 427 on the outside) or a 351C just to say you have one. Tie the 351M/400 to a chain to keep your boat in place.

When I bought 66KIXX it had a 351C 2V in it. It still does.

Tracy