351 C swap

[tyler's 87 ranger]

my uncle is giving me a 351C out of a mach 1 and i want to put it my 87 ranger 2.0 signal cab 5 speed what do i need to do the swap and what kind of metal work is needed? and how hard is the swap?

 

[fordmike1]

my uncle is giving me a 351C out of a mach 1 and i want to put it my 87 ranger 2.0 signal cab 5 speed what do i need to do the swap and what kind of metal work is needed? and how hard is the swap?

351c were cool engines in their day and the best thing to do with it is find and old car or full size truck put it in there and get yourself a 302 to put in your ranger. There is way more support for a windsor engine these days then there ever was for a Cleveland. I my self would use it to anchor my boat at the lake or use it for scrap iron at the local scrap yard. When it comes to doing a V8 Ranger a 302 a way better choise. Hell a GM LS engine is a way better choise and I hate everything GM!!!

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

my uncle is giving me a 351C out of a mach 1 and i want to put it my 87 ranger 2.0 signal cab 5 speed what do i need to do the swap and what kind of metal work is needed? and how hard is the swap?

It would be cool and different compared the long parade of 302 swaps with the oddball 351W thrown in the mix.

If it is a good running engine I would give it a whirl.

 

[ashleyroachclip]

Mounting it in the truck will be the same as a 302, as the short block is still a small block.
The heads are where the trouble comes in.


a 302 requires some re-working of the heater box, and the cleavland will need more drastic surgery.
Exhaust will be your next problem, not impossible but just more work.

The good news is the cleavland is a powerhouse, and all of this extra work is well worth the effort.

Your cleavland comes in 2 flavors , 2 barrel and 4 barrel.
The valve size and port size is quite different between the 2, and in the real world the 2 barrel versions are the ones you want.
You can get a 4 barrel intake for the 2 barrel heads.
The 4 barrel heads are best for high rpm use, mostly over 3K rpm.

 

[baddad457]

351c were cool engines in their day and the best thing to do with it is find and old car or full size truck put it in there and get yourself a 302 to put in your ranger. There is way more support for a windsor engine these days then there ever was for a Cleveland. I my self would use it to anchor my boat at the lake or use it for scrap iron at the local scrap yard. When it comes to doing a V8 Ranger a 302 a way better choise. Hell a GM LS engine is a way better choise and I hate everything GM!!!

You should be drawn and quartered for this post Or at the very least be put up against even a stock Cleveland in a heads up race. It's obvious you don't know squat about em.

 

[tyler's 87 ranger]

can i use the same wiring from my 2.0? ive never done a swap before

 

[baddad457]

You can likely use the 2.0's alternator on it, if it'll bolt up to the Cleveland brackets. As for the igniton, that's a simple deal, just use the points distributor and replace the points with a drop in electronic unit (Pertronix, etc) using the 2.0's ignition hot wire. Thses were and still are awesome engines, contrary to what was posted above. If they were boat anchors, why was the basic head design used in NASCAR racing all these years ? And take a peek back at Prostock Drag racing in the late 70's to mid 80's. Bob Glidden was wringing stock blocked, stock (cast) cranked motors into the 7's if I recall correctly.

 

[fordmike1]

You should be drawn and quartered for this post Or at the very least be put up against even a stock Cleveland in a heads up race. It's obvious you don't know squat about em.

LOL

 

[HOT_ROD_CAR]

You should be drawn and quartered for this post Or at the very least be put up against even a stock Cleveland in a heads up race. It's obvious you don't know squat about em.

I'm with BadDad! I'm running a 351C 2V in my 1991 Ranger, and it is a thrill to drive! It had a 5.0 roller (302), 4 barrel carb, high rise intake, HEI distributor, and etc. in it, and although it ran great, it was simply no match for the same truck with a stock 351 Cleveland 2V! Ya, there is a difference in the cubic inches, but there are a lot more advantages of going with the 351C than just cubes! If you go with the 351C, you won't be disappointed when you drive it!

 

[fordmike1]

I'm with BadDad! I'm running a 351C 2V in my 1991 Ranger, and it is a thrill to drive!

I hope that its alot better then the horrible video that you posted on youtube. No shot of your Ranger, crappy incar shots and no sound so no one could hear that anchor run.

I will line up against any anchor powered Ranger that pulls next to my just over stock Explorer 302 powered Ranger.

 

[baddad457]

I hope that its alot better then the horrible video that you posted on youtube. No shot of your Ranger, crappy incar shots and no sound so no one could hear that anchor run.

I will line up against any anchor powered Ranger that pulls next to my just over stock Explorer 302 powered Ranger.

Just curious, what gave you the idea Clevelands don't run ? Are you confusing them with the 351M ?

 

[fordtrucknut77]

my .02 cents on whats sure to become a hot debate...clevelands make good power sure BUT every person I have ever talked to has told me they are gas hogs and are extremely expensive to work on. me personally if i was gonna go for somethin different i would just big block the thing!

 

[baddad457]

Extremely expensive ? No. Harder to find parts ? Slightly. The payoff is what counts. A 400HP 2 bbl cleveland takes nothing more than a cam, intake and a carb change. They already have the heads to make the power.

 

[HOT_ROD_CAR]

I hope that its alot better then the horrible video that you posted on youtube. No shot of your Ranger, crappy incar shots and no sound so no one could hear that anchor run.

I will line up against any anchor powered Ranger that pulls next to my just over stock Explorer 302 powered Ranger.

I guess you didn't get the memo!

The memo being that this crappy video was made with a cell phone of which we were learning to use, the windows were down so the sound sucks, and yet if you listen, you can still here that incredible engine roar!


I know, I know, your just over stock Explorer 302 Ranger is a power house.

To be fair, 302's are very dependable, and I have owned several of them.

But, you've not drove my 351C Ranger, so you don't have anything to compare your Ranger to. Could this be what the voice of inexperience sounds like?


I would line up against your 302 stock monster, but I won't replace the chrome that gets peeled off your bumper as I blow past you!

 

[HOT_ROD_CAR]

Just curious, what gave you the idea Clevelands don't run ? Are you confusing them with the 351M ?

He is confused or just mad because he is not running a Cleveland!