351 C.....yeah i know

[fordwheelinman]

I know someone is prolly gonna rag on me or call me an idiot, so let me first say, if your gonna do that, dont bother posting.


NOW to the real question. Has anyone ever successfully put a 351C into a first gen ranger? We have an 88 2wd regular cab that doesnt get driven much, and we have 2 complete 351C engines just sitting out in the garage begging to be put in something. And we are running out of space. Anywho, can it be done? Yes i know they are dimensionally different from the windsor engines, but can anybody tell me in what ways? The ranger doesnt get driven very often, so i figure when it does, why not make it fun? ALSO is there and easy way to adapt the rangers hydraulic clutch to work with the mechanical linkage that we have with a 3 speed tranny? Help would be appreciated.

[v-8power]

I know i have seen it done. It was a silver ranger if i remember right.

The guy put his leaf springs to the inside of the frame is why i remember the truck.

[Wicked_Sludge]

what exactly are you asking? if it'll fit? or are you looking for swap-specific details.

theres no doubt it'll fit. ive seen big blocks and 4.6's in a ranger frame, and those are both much bigger then a 351.

[Mutant Pony]

I put a 351c in a 2wd Ranger. Then I put EB axles under it so it is 4wd now. I don't think I can help you much because I hand fabbed everything. I used a set of used headers that I don't know what they were designed to fit, then fit the frame to the headers. I used a manual steering box and sectioned the frame to relocate the box farther out. I used the short 1/2 quart oil filter at first but, then went to a remote filter. I found that different companies filters were different lengths so not all would fit.
The fox body oil pan should fit but, they are only aftermarket and pricey. The small block/Ranger motor mounts should work.
Fitting a 302 is tight at the radiator, The "c" is about 2 1/2" longer. My water pump is 1/2" away from the Radiator which is moved forward as well.
I also used an Aerostar steering shaft to gain clearance at the #5 header primary. It still rubs a little.
I don't think it is possible without a welder and torch but, It is possible and not much harder than a 351w.

[baddad457]

There is another that has a 351C ranger, I think 351C is his screen name, or it has that as part of it. The overall length should be about the same as a 302. They share the same bore spacing and the timing cover extension is similarly sized. The waterpumps are also the same depth. The heater/AC box will have to go though.

[Mutant Pony]

Mine has a complete, functioning heater.

[baddad457]

But did it also have A/C ? Or heater only ? If the latter, I can see keeping it, the housings are completely different.

[Wicked_Sludge]

are you sure about that?

thats something ive often wondered about...so ive been checking it out as of late whenever a ranger comes through the shop. so far ive only seen '95+ rigs, but the non-a/c trucks have the same blower housing...they just didnt cut out the molded exits for the evaporator tubing.

[baddad457]

The early Rangers had a different housing on the non A/C trucks.

[projectnitemare]

Yeah the non A/C heater box is about half the size. It only needs a little notching to fit a V8 and keep the heater. Don't know if they can be swapped onto newer trucks; I haven't thought of it until now.

Matt

[85_Ranger4x4]

I tried taking the non A/C one off my '86 parts truck, even without the front clip or an engine in the truck it was a pain. I decided that I would probably never need it anyway and it went to the junkyard with the cab.

How much bigger is a 351C vs a 302/351W?

[baddad457]

It's about the same width as the Windsor, it has a shorter deck but wider heads. It will bolt into any car the Windsor came in, Ford used them interchangeably in the early 70's. Same engine code for both the 2 bbl versions.

[Psychopete]

Yeah the non A/C heater box is about half the size.

Yes, it was nice that they did that, too. I am glad I have a non-A/C equipped Ranger, less for me to rip out :). It gets a little hot here, but I don't even think we broke 100 this year.

Pete

[Wicked_Sludge]

The early Rangers had a different housing on the non A/C trucks.

alright, i wasnt sure since i hadnt had the chance to check it out myself :beer:

[88 supercab]

Basicly a cleveland uses the same block as a 289/302,same motor mounts ,same small block bellhousing.The waterpump housing sticks out farther than a 302 so it will be longer.No headers available that i know of,you could possibly use a fox body swap oil pan.I was researching this a few years ago as i was going to do the same swap.

[fordwheelinman]

Wrong, the blocks are not the same. Totally different design and casting.

[baddad457]

The overall length is the same or nearly so. The timing case extension is about the thickness of the Windsor cover. Flat steel cover on the Cleveland with the pump bolted directly to this. Bore size & spacing the same for both.

[SRL]

There's a 351 Cleveland truck on Youtube. Anyone here belong to it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0wW7fQiAts

I've been drooling over 351C's for a while now and seeing vids like that make me really want to build one. It would likely go into a late 60's Mustang or Cougar instead of a Ranger. I consider myself to be a bit old skool and find buying and assembling new performance aftermarket cores to be too easy (and waaay too expensive for me). That's why I've gradually fallen in love with the 351C. An OEM fire-breathing dragon that would just need a cleaning up of the stock block and heads, a DIY rebuild with hopefully non-overbore pistons, perhaps drilling for 4-bolt mains if not already equipped, then cam, carb, and exhaust to match. Perhaps a new intake, especially if you've got a 2bbl and want 4.

Not as streetable as a Windsor, but will still kick ass with factory heads for those on a tight budget.

[Sunk]

Nice.... That one had a 5 spd behind it.

[baddad457]

There's a 351 Cleveland truck on Youtube. Anyone here belong to it?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0wW7fQiAts

I've been drooling over 351C's for a while now and seeing vids like that make me really want to build one. It would likely go into a late 60's Mustang or Cougar instead of a Ranger. I consider myself to be a bit old skool and find buying and assembling new performance aftermarket cores to be too easy (and waaay too expensive for me). That's why I've gradually fallen in love with the 351C. An OEM fire-breathing dragon that would just need a cleaning up of the stock block and heads, a DIY rebuild with hopefully non-overbore pistons, perhaps drilling for 4-bolt mains if not already equipped, then cam, carb, and exhaust to match. Perhaps a new intake, especially if you've got a 2bbl and want 4.

Not as streetable as a Windsor, but will still kick ass with factory heads for those on a tight budget.
Not as streetable ? BS. And you won't need to add 4 bolt mains. If you're looking for a std bore core, I've got one for sale. $300 for the whole thing. std bore, std crank, just as Ford built it in 1972. Jumped time, timing chain stretched. Top it with 2 bbl Aussie heads or quench 4 bbl heads plus intake/cam/carb and you've got 400 horses without trying.

[Sunk]

Yeah I agree, Clevelands are very streetable. And I have seen a number of motors built to over 400 hp with just 2 bolt blocks.

[Will]

THIS (http://www.valorebooks.com/froogle/buy/siteID=DITBzZ/ISBN=1855201054?utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=froogle&date=11/14/07&utm_source=froogle)
is a decent book. I bought it in '91 I think when I first got a 351C. I was into my Duster at the time and got a motor with 4V quench heads on it as a trade. I ended up getting rid of the Duster and had that 351 in 2 cars before I broke it. I would say it's very streetable, but that depends on what you consider streetable. It's not as good of everyday motor as others. It's an amazing motor if you are willing to spin it. It will happinly go 1,000rpm higher than any other old V8 I've been around. It just needs a lot of cam, a single-plane intake and a 750 double-pumper, headers and 4.56 gears and you have a contender.

[baddad457]

It doesn't need a lot of cam to spin it. The factory knew this when they equipped the std 4 bbl motor with a surprisingly small cam (on the intake side) You can do more with less cam with those huge 4 bbl heads.

[Will]

Air has mass and need time to accelerate. The valve has to be open long enough. The factory valvetrain will not spin that to 7,000rpm. My motor pulled to 7,000rpm with an Erson Hi-Flo II--duration at .050-240/240, .540 valve lift. The stock cam was good for maybe 5,500 but it didn't pull nearly as hard up to that point. It really fades after about 5,000. There's a hell of a difference, especially about 3500.

[SRL]

Not as streetable ? BS. And you won't need to add 4 bolt mains. If you're looking for a std bore core, I've got one for sale. $300 for the whole thing. std bore, std crank, just as Ford built it in 1972. Jumped time, timing chain stretched. Top it with 2 bbl Aussie heads or quench 4 bbl heads plus intake/cam/carb and you've got 400 horses without trying.

I guess by streetable I really meant power band. The 4bbls only really woke up in high rpm's. A guy I know has a cleveland in a '67 fairlane and a C6 behind it and even with a hi-stall t.c. he still wants to convert to a 5spd to get more power down from standing starts.

Too bad you're too far away from me otherwise I'd take that motor off your hands.:) The cleveland is cheaper horsepower which definitely floats my boat!!!

[baddad457]

My brother had a 71 Torino GT with the stock 4 bbl quench headed motor. Backed by an FMX and 3.00 rear. I had no lack of bottom end. You can use less cam with the Cleveland than a Windsor and get the same results. If you want good bottom end with 4 bbl heads, just use less cam and a dual plane intake. Same as with any other motor, only with the Cleveland, less cam is needed.

[baddad457]

I guess by streetable I really meant power band. The 4bbls only really woke up in high rpm's. A guy I know has a cleveland in a '67 fairlane and a C6 behind it and even with a hi-stall t.c. he still wants to convert to a 5spd to get more power down from standing starts.

What intake and carb is he running ?

[fordwheelinman]

:offtopic::threadjacked:

[baddad457]

:c-n::offtopic::threadjacked::c-n::stirthepot::bsflag:

[SRL]

What intake and carb is he running ?

Don't know off hand.

Thanks for the tips on the 351C. It is definitely gonna be my next motor, but whenever that happens I don't know.

[fordwheelinman]

would you care to explain how turning a thread about putting a 351c into a ranger into one about the 351c itself isnt thread hijacking???

[baddad457]

would you care to explain how turning a thread about putting a 351c into a ranger into one about the 351c itself isnt thread hijacking???
Who cares? Only you apparently.:icon_rofl:
Loosen up dude. :buttkick::stirthepot: We're all here havin fun.:yahoo:

[MichiganSpecialRPS]

I know someone is prolly gonna rag on me or call me an idiot, so let me first say, if your gonna do that, dont bother posting.


NOW to the real question. Has anyone ever successfully put a 351C into a first gen ranger? We have an 88 2wd regular cab that doesnt get driven much, and we have 2 complete 351C engines just sitting out in the garage begging to be put in something. And we are running out of space. Anywho, can it be done? Yes i know they are dimensionally different from the windsor engines, but can anybody tell me in what ways? The ranger doesnt get driven very often, so i figure when it does, why not make it fun? ALSO is there and easy way to adapt the rangers hydraulic clutch to work with the mechanical linkage that we have with a 3 speed tranny? Help would be appreciated.

351C GO FOR IT! Yes it has/can be done. Check over at RPS, ther are a few guys who have done it. There are also a couple guys doing 460 and 4.6 mod-motor swaps.

would you care to explain how turning a thread about putting a 351c into a ranger into one about the 351c itself isnt thread hijacking???
Did you not start this thread asking about 351C's in a Ranger? So, where in this thread does anyone really go off topic from that? They are all explaining tech on a 351C...

[fordwheelinman]

Who cares? Only you apparently.:icon_rofl:
Loosen up dude. :buttkick::stirthepot: We're all here havin fun.:yahoo:

i was only having fun too....but then you saw fit to B.S. me, so i decided to not be so much fun anymore. Sorry, im a bit like an aluminum nut, threaded on a steel bolt after 20 years of northern winters, youll have to break me before you get me to loosen up.

[baddad457]

:offtopic::threadjacked:

Guess I missed the "having fun" part:icon_confused::D