351 Cleveland

[mjohnson3764]

A friend of mine has a old Ford F-100 with a 351 Cleveland in it. The actual truck is POS and he wants to just scrap it because he doesnt have the time for it anymore. Currently my 1997 Ranger V6 4.0L is a big money pit and theres a possibility the head/block may be warped or cracked. Hes offering me his 351 Cleveland as a swap for my engine straight up for free, cause he just wants my engine for the extra weight he'll get when he scraps his truck.

Is this sort of a conversion possible, or even desirable? My truck is in decent shape cosmetically but I'm not so sure I'll even be keeping it much longer than next summer as I am buying a more fuel efficient car from my sister-in-law.

Whats the deal with these engines and what am I looking at if I chose to do this swap?

Thanks,
Mike

 

[superdave1984]

The Cleveland is a big motor. TONS of power and torque. If it's a 4bbl motor (a number 4 on the corner of the heads) the valves are ginormous. You can fit it in, but lots of mods and fabrication required.

 

[Mac]

If you are not sure about keeping it past next year, not worth all the time and work for the conversion. Some doing the a lot easier 302 swap take a couple of months to finish it. I'd pass.
Dave of the Nord

 

[93 4x4]

Hard to find 351 clevelands anymore, get something so he can make the weight and grab the motor even if you don't use it it's worth money, it would make for a bad ass stroker motor for a fox body

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

Hard to find 351 clevelands anymore, get something so he can make the weight and grab the motor even if you don't use it it's worth money, it would make for a bad ass stroker motor for a fox body

Irons worth what $200 a ton? Give him whatever the difference would be and find it a good home that doesn't involve a slow boat ride to china.

Unless it is a 351M (which Ford also marketed as a 351 Cleveland) then just forget about it.

 

[Snoranger]

Are you sure its a Cleveland? It could be, but it had to be swapped in there. Ford never put a 351c in a truck in North America.

Edit: Unless you consider a Ranchero a truck.

 

[1slow5oh]

If its a cleveland than grab it up at least.....the extra weight of the engine is probibly only going to cost your buddy....Weight of a 351c is 5-600 so if scrap prices are around 2k/ton than your buddy is out 50 or 60 bucks....

If it is a cleveland they are bigger than a 351w and I know my windsor is tight in the space....headers will be your funnest part....but its carbed so it should be easy wiring wise.

 

[1slow5oh]

But like was stated above if it is a 351m or whatever they usually put in trucks they are a dime a dozen and not as soute after as the clevelands......all the race car guys I know run clevelands because they can be bored to over .90 over and take a beating with the right mods...

 

[baddad457]

...all the race car guys I know run clevelands because they can be bored to over .90 over...

UMMMM, No. .030-040 with a Cleveland is the absolute limit, even with a block that's got minimal core shift. Someone saying they've bored one .090 is B.S. pure and simple.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

But like was stated above if it is a 351m or whatever they usually put in trucks they are a dime a dozen and not as soute after as the clevelands......all the race car guys I know run clevelands because they can be bored to over .90 over and take a beating with the right mods...

I don't think 351M's are really sought after at all...

 

[cody93]

hmm, how much bigger is the 351/400M compared to a 302w/351c, theres a 78 f-150 thats half rusted out in a ditch from a flood nearby, no bed, doors, hood, axls and frame is rotted and the cab is crushed, but the motor is there! i know they have low compression and retarded timing sets, but they can be remidied

 

[baddad457]

hmm, how much bigger is the 351/400M compared to a 302w/351c, theres a 78 f-150 thats half rusted out in a ditch from a flood nearby, no bed, doors, hood, axls and frame is rotted and the cab is crushed, but the motor is there! i know they have low compression and retarded timing sets, but they can be remidied

If it's in that bad a condition, the motor will be as well. Nothin but scrap metal there.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

And they are about the same size as a 460.

 

[Psychopete]

Setting next to a 302, a 351M makes a 302 look like a small baby engine.

 

[cody93]

eek!! that aint gona work for me. the motor wasn't that bad in it though, the truck sat on a bank untill the big flood back in the spring washed the bank out and the rear end on the truck got sucked in the river, but got hung up on a large root, bed was ripped off cause of rust, cab was hit by a log that was floating by.. but the grille is still shiny and strait!