In Part One of our deep-dive into Ford’s 351 Cleveland and its 351M and 400 cousins, we explored the origins of the 335-Series engine family and separated the truths from the myths. In this article, we’ll get in the technical weeds and see what makes the 351 Cleveland tick.
Engine Block
The 351C is an odd-duck engine because it has so little in common with other Ford V8 engines of the era. The Cleveland’s block seems to be a mirror image of the Oldsmobile V8 block with a 12 and 6 o’clock fuel pump mount (the only Ford engine ever done this way) and timing components housed in a wraparound cast iron timing cover. Bore spacing is spot-on with the small block Ford 289/302/351W.
Cleveland blocks were engineered for four-bolt main bearing caps. Ford engineers wanted more beef for added strength without having a skirted block and cross-bolted main caps. However, two-bolt main blocks were also made. A two-bolt block can be converted to four-bolt main caps with help from a qualified machine shop.
The round brass orifice plate below the thermostat in the block controls coolant flow to the thermostat and should never be removed. Ford called this insert the “Controlled Bypass System.” It provided improved cooling without frequent thermostat cycling and improved engine warmup by keeping hot coolant inside the engine. This was eliminated with the 351M and 400 engines when Ford cast the system right into the block.
You will hear the terms ‘D’ and ‘square’ block. This refers to the shape of the boss that rises from the left-hand deck near the distributor and above the fuel pump. It appears early 351C blocks have the D boss, which was actually a provision for a water temperature sending unit or hose nipple. Not all had the sender provision.
Early Cleveland blocks seem to have been plagued with cracking issues in the lifter valley, allowing coolant to find its way into the oil. The Xs and Ys cast in the valley of most blocks were supposedly done as a running production change to prevent this. It has been theorized those Xs and Ys means a higher nickel content, but we’ve never seen anything from Ford to confirm this. It’s like the belief Mexican small blocks are of higher nickel content, which has never been proven.
The 351C’s oiling system prioritized cam bearing journals first, then the main bearings. This is one of the biggest gripes with the 351C, 400, and 351M because the mains can become oil starved at high RPM.
Experimental and limited production block castings are out there. We’ve seen factory aluminum Cleveland blocks, iron blocks with heavier webbing and pan rails, you name it. Most have the XE factory experimental casting ID. According to reliable sources, some “XE” blocks found their way into regular production because they weren’t acceptable for racing. Another find known as “pillow” blocks are race blocks, which have bulges or “pillows” in the external block sides.
Sometimes, you will find raw factory castings that were never machined. Expect to also see rough cut Cleveland blocks with 3.990 inch unfinished bores. All of this can make your Cleveland block search a crapshoot.
It appears the best Cleveland block to use is the D2AE-CA casting, the final evolution before production ended in 1974. Though the Ford Master Parts Catalog indicates the D2AE-CA block is a four-bolt main casting, not all of them were drilled and tapped for four-bolt mains. Always pull the pan to confirm before committing to a D2AE-CA block casting.
Cylinder Heads
The 351C head castings were produced in both Cleveland and Windsor foundries. The quickest way to identify the foundry is how it is marked in the casting. A circled “C” logo indicates the Cleveland foundry. A “WF” indicates the Windsor foundry. North American-produced 351C-4V heads were produced in three versions:
Early 4V(1970-71) heads sport 61-64cc wedge chambers with 2.190/1.710 inch valves, 2.500 x 1.750 inch intake ports, and 2.000 x 1.740 inch exhaust ports.
BOSS 351 (1971) and 351C High Output (1972) R-code heads differs from the Early 4V head by having an adjustable valvetrain with screw-in rocker arm studs and guideplates.
Late 4V (1972-74) heads have the 351-2V head’s open 74-77cc chambers, 2.190/1.710 inch valves, and port sizing.
The Late 4V head is the most undesirable Cleveland head casting thanks to the combination of modest compression and those huge intake ports. The head lacks the quench of the closed-chamber wedge head. Quench is also defined as the distance between the flat portion of the piston crown and the cylinder head surface at Top Dead Center (TDC), including the head gasket’s compressed thickness and any positive or negative piston deck height. The experts tell us quench should be as “tight” as possible without piston and cylinder head contact. This minimizes detonation and spark knock.
Good quench also creates turbulence in the combustion chamber, pushing the air/fuel mixture toward the spark plug and reducing the chance of unburned gases being left behind. That can play a significant role in reducing detonation and hydrocarbon emissions.
Valvetrain
The 351 Cleveland used stamped steel rocker arms with either a no-adjust “bolt-fulcrum” pivot or an adjustable stud-mounted rocker arm. The Boss 351 and 351 High Output had the adjustable rocker arms due to their high-performance mechanical tappet camshafts and stiffer valve springs. The stamped steel bolt-fulcrum rocker would find its way to the 5.0L and 5.8L small block Fords in the late 1970s.
Want to learn more? Let’s take a look at some photos.
Aside from small block Ford bore and bolt spacing and the distributor and oil filter in the old familiar places, the 351 Cleveland’s block doesn’t look much like a Ford-developed part. In fact, seems to be a mirror image of the Oldsmobile V8 block. (Image/Jim Smart)This is a two-bolt main “D0AE” block cast in 1969, the only Cleveland block available early in production. Note the provision for a temperature-sending unit (arrow) in the “D” boss. Later blocks have a square boss in the same location, but it appears Ford never drilled and tapped it for a sender. (Image/Jim Smart)This D2AE-CA casting most desirable 351C four-bolt main block. It’s the final casting made before production ended in 1974. All D2AE-CAs are four-bolt main castings, not all of them were drilled and tapped for them. (Image/Jim Smart)Four-bolt main caps deliver impressive strength. What’s more, you can convert a two-bolt main block to four-bolt mains using stock main caps or a Milodon main cap kit. (Image/Jim Smart)The 351C block casting number and date code are above the starter as shown. This is a four-bolt main D2AE-CA block cast on June 30, 1972 (2F30). (Image/Jim Smart)These “Ys” and “Xs” in the lifter valley have befuddled engine builders for decades. One issue with the 351C and 400 block castings was cracking and porosity problems, which plagued the Cleveland blocks and heads throughout production. The Ys and Xs may have been cast in to act as stress relievers. (Image/Jim Smart)The 351C block has an additional oil pressure sending unit provision at the back of the block as shown. This provision was also adopted for the 302/351W Windsor blocks. (Image/Jim Smart)The 351C’s oiling system prioritized cam bearing journals first, then, the mains. This can oil-starve the main bearings at high RPM, leading to serious engine damage or even demise. This is one of the biggest gripes with the 351C, 351M, and 400. (Image/Jim Smart)TMeyer Racing out of Fairmont, Minnesota does a lot of 351C and 400 builds. This is the oiling system modification Tim Meyer suggests for Cleveland builds. It prioritizes the main journals while getting adequate amounts of oil to the cam journals and valvetrain. (Image/TMeyer Racing)The Cleveland engine family had its timing components covered by a steel plate. The goal was to reduce the number of seams between castings and stampings, which kept oil weeping to a minimum. (Image/Jim Smart)The 400 block is easy to identify with its raised bosses. This is an easy engine to stroke for increased displacements as high as 430-450 cubic inches. (Image/Jim Smart)The 400 on the left has a one-inch taller deck than the 351C. The 400 and 351M have two-bolt main caps only. The arrow points to one of the large bosses on the 400. (Image/Jim Smart)The 351C block on the left has the traditional small block Ford bellhousing bolt pattern. The 351M and 400 have the larger C6 bolt pattern. Early 400 blocks have both small and big block bolt patterns.(Image/Jim Smart)Three Cleveland crankshafts side by side–351M, 351C, and the 400. The 351M and 400 cranks sport three-inch main journals while the 351C’s are 2.750 inches. The 400 crank has a four-inch stroke while the 351C and 351M have shorter 3.500-inch stroke. These are all cast cranks—Ford never offered a steel crank. (Image/Jim Smart)There are two basic Cleveland connecting rods. The 351C has a 5.780 inch rod with a .927-inch wrist pin. The 351M and 400 have a 6.780 inch rod with a .975-inch wrist pin. The factory rods are robust. All they need is reconditioning and ARP Wave-Loc bolts. (Image/Jim Smart)335 Series engines came with domed or flattop pistons. The domed pistons are designed for high-compression engines with closed-chamber heads. Flattops with valve reliefs are for the open-chamber 2V heads to lower compression. (Image/Jim Smart)The 351C-4V cylinder heads have tunnel-sized 244cc intake runners. Low-to-midrange torque suffers with these heads, but make great power at 6,500 to 7,500 RPM. The BOSS 302 head is virtually the same casting, but has cooling passages compatible with “wet” intake manifold design of the small block Ford. (Image/Jim Smart)The early 351C-4V closed combustion chambers have an average volume of 61-64cc with 2.190/1.710 inch valves. Boss 351 and 351 High-Output engines use the same cylinder heads. These heads are good for engines making up to 11.0:1 compression. (Image/Jim Smart)This is the 351C-2V cylinder head’s “open” 74-77cc combustion chamber. The chambers offer poor quench, which makes the head prone to detonation. It makes these engines hard to start on a hot day. The 1973-74 351C-4V head has the same chamber to reduce the engine’s compression rating. Combine that with the big 4V intake ports and you have what’s probably the worst factory Cleveland head ever. Always check chamber size before plunking your money down. (Image/Jim Smart)Ford Australia designed the best factory street performance 351C cylinder head by combining the smaller closed combustion chambers of the early 4V heads with the 2V’s intake ports. The result is good quench and swirl to minimize detonation and terrific low-to-mid range torque. Image/Jim Smart)Cleveland engines have never been strong on exhaust scavenging due to the very cramped exhaust ports. These are exhaust ports on a 2V cylinder head, which suffers terribly from poor scavenging. (Image/Jim Smart)Standard 351C 4v and 2V heads have non-adjustable stamped steel rocker arms. The BOSS 351, 351 High Output, and BOSS 302 heads sport screw-in studs, fully adjustable rocker arms, and guideplates. You can convert heads with non-adjustable rockers to adjustable by having the pedestals machined down and tapped for screw-in studs. (Image/Jim Smart)Camshafts? Summit Racing has plenty of cams for the 351C. Take your choice of hydraulic flat tappet, solid flat tappet, and retrofit hydraulic and solid roller grinds from mild to wild. This one is a Howards Cams retrofit hydraulic roller. It’s a street performance cam available in six configurations. (Image/Summit Racing)Trick Flow Specialties’ PowerPort® Cleveland Cylinder Heads are a modern take on the factory Australian 351C-4V heads. They feature a choice of 195cc or 225cc CNC-ported intake runners based on the OE Ford 2V design. Heads with 195cc runners come with 62cc or 72cc combustion chambers while the 225cc heads have 60cc chambers. All are CNC-ported. Trick Flow PowerPort Cleveland 225 cylinder heads fit 351C, 351M, and 400 engines. With minor machining, they also fit Ford 302/351W blocks to create a “replica” Boss 302 or a 351 “Clevor” engine. The heads are available fully assembled or as bare castings. (Image/Summit Racing)If you don’t want to run the factory cast iron intake, the Edelbrock Performer Air Gap is a good street intake manifold for the 351C. The dual plane manifold isolates the runners and plenum from engine heat to keep the air/fuel mixture cooler as it enters the engine. RPM range is 1,500 to 6,500. (Image/Summit Racing)For serious street performance or racing, a single plane intake like this Weiand X-CELerator Manifold is what you want. Best suited for engines with higher compression ratios, 280° or more of cam duration, and headers with 1 5/8-inch primary tubes, the X-CELerator makes power in the 1,500 to 6,800 RPM range. You’ll want a 750 to 850 CFM carburetor for this one. (Image/Summit Racing)This is the Autolite/Motorcraft 4300 4V carburetor as fitted from the factory. It is an emissions carburetor and has always struggled with drivability problems—surging, hesitation, flat spots, etc. If you decide to use a 4300, get the 600 CFM version. (Image/Jim Smart)Ford never put a Holley or other non-Ford carburetor on a factory Cleveland engine. That doesn’t mean you can’t (or shouldn’t). If your 351C is mostly factory or a bit warmer, a 600 to 650 CFM carburetor with vacuum secondaries will work nicely on the street. Hotter street and race engines will want a 750 to 850 CFM carburetor depending on your engine combination. This one’s a 770 CFM Holley Street Avenger with vacuum secondaries and an electric choke. (Image/Summit Racing)George Reid’s excellent “Ford 351 Cleveland” book (SAD-SA252) from CarTech Books is an excellent reference source if you’re building a 351C. (Image/Jim Smart)
Jim Smart is a veteran automotive journalist, technical editor, and historian with hundreds of how-to and feature articles to his credit. Jim's also an enthusiast, and has owned and restored many classic vehicles, including an impressive mix of vintage Ford Mustangs.
Comments
14 responses to “Ford’s Game-Changing 351 Cleveland Part 2: Tech and Specifications”
Ford Australia sold early 70’s Galaxie’s here in Australia. I have one.
These cars were fitted with 2V 400 Cleveland engines.
They were big block patten on both the engine mounts and on the back of the block.
Interesting point I once bought a Japanese import 400 Cleveland that had a factory cast iron 4 barrel inlet manifold. I was told it came out of a Lincoln.
I bought that engine for the crank as my mate had an XW GT with a 351 Windsor in it.
Both with the 3” journals he built a stroker back in the day.
Years ago when i found my 4 v clevland saw rows of ysxs under intake found that to designate a cobrajet 4bolt main engine still have it today. Could not beat it to death just put in my 64 country sedan in progress.
Ford Australia did fit a Holley to a factory engine. The Ford Falcon GTHO phase 3 had a 780 Holley as standard equipment. I’m not dead sure but I believe this model had the highest output 351 Cleveland ever offered. So it had a R code 351c 4v with additional solid cam and lifters, 780 Holley and headers supposedly 380hp. Car was good for 145mph.
I have a set of Australian 302 2V heads on my Cleveland and I run 93 Octane pump gas in it. I keep timing at 35 degrees max. No detonation or
pinging here. I do have a question though. I have what seams to be a date stamped on the oil pan rail near the oil pump mount (12 469) just as you see in parentheses’. What is this for?
My 70 1/2 Falcon (US) with a 351C 4 V had a 780 Holley and a solid flat-tappet cam with studs and 4 bolt mains. It was an Automatic transmission with a loose (for a factory) converter. And it had low gears, 3.89 I believe I am over 60 now, lol. I wanted to put a 4 speed in it but I am glad I didn’t. A 69 428CJ Torino could take in the 1/4. But I guess it was a rare car, black and black interior 2 dr sedan with chrome pillars and cop caps. I was stupid to let it go. I really wish that they had made the 4V C heads to fit the FE. When the 4.25 stroke kits came out, I have a 4.135 bore block that would have been great for them. I have 2 Pro Gram cross bolt diesel iron caps and the 427 thrust main, and a CapSadlle to brace the 3 center. Stand pipes in the valley to let the crank case breathe. And Enough grout to fill it to the core plugs. 457 ci with those heads would be sweet!
I meant to ask. Has any company ever cast the 351 4V closed chamber quench heads at 4.63 FE bore spacing . I would still love to built my 470-472 ci stroker. I have built 455 ci FE strokers with a short fill and studs with 2 cross bolt caps at 2 and 4. 588 ft lbs and 700+ hp that are driven and raced for 20 years.
I am from the US. I see your parts houses sell a DSO decal for the 351C. It was used in the US rarely but was on my 428Cobra Jet Mustang because the first 50 engines were rushed into production to win a drag race. When was the decal used on your engines?
I was a development engineer over here on the Ford Mustang and enjoyed reading the history of the 351C -so many engines to keep up on. The 69Mustang had 7 different ones as I remember it.
Thanks Roger
A bit of forgotten history that may interest some guys, some of the public does not know there was a 9.2″/9.250″ deck 351 “W”indsor # XE 93532 race block made back in 1966 way before GM’s B Kundsen’s “C”leveland block was even on the drawing board & this 351w XE 93532 9.2″/9.250” deck Windsor race block got as big as 398/400 ci back in 1968/69 for Can-Am racing. 302 & 351 windsor XE race blocks were tested with canted valve head prototypes in 1968 just before Kundsens new block was & there were plans WAY BACK in 1964-65 for a stretched deck 6.9-7.0L aluminum Windsor race eng for Can Am racing. IMO, with Kundsen taking resources away from the Ford engineers we might have even gotten a GT4VBoss 402 ci “W”indsor engine as the 69 W block could have become a 400ci eng if it wasn’t for GM’s Bunkie Kundsen screwing things up at FORD with Fords XE 93532 351W race block development by selfishly ramming through his own “Oldsland” inspired block for the short time he was there. H Ford should of fired him sooner… goo gle “351w xe 93532 block” for more info…
In the article above, you made this statement: Ford called the destroked 400 the “351M” for either “Modified” or “Midland.”
I believe you are merely continuing to spread urban myth here! To the best of my knowledge, Ford NEVER designated the M portion of 351M to mean either “Modified” or “Midland”. Your statement even contradicts itself! is it “Modified” or “Midland”?!? It cannot be both!! Please provide PROOF that Ford made an official designation as to the meaning of the “M” or strike the statement from the article. You also need to stop spreading the myth… if you cannot back up what you wrote with said proof.
No, in the grand scheme of life, what the “M” stands for is hardly a matter of national security but at the same time, it is important to get the facts right. One of the biggest problems we have in society is an ever-growing number of people who live in denial and/or delusion. How do they do it? They’ll state something along the lines of “I’m living my truth”. That’s another way of saying that they simply are in denial of the real and only truth… which is backed up by facts. Reality dictates that truth and fact are one in the same – they cannot be separated from each other and you cannot have one without the other! A successful and functioning society depends on the acceptance of facts. To allow falsehood to creep in allows for conflict and the degradation of society. I point these things out in this case because in the Ford world, the meaning of the “M” has been debated, argued over and even fought over since the 1970s. So, I’d love to see some proof offered to back up your statement. Again, to the best of my knowledge, there isn’t any. If there is, I’d sure love to see it as I’ve been following this topic for decades without resolution! Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has ever come up with anything from Ford which resolves the issue as far as I know. Magazine articles, parts counter books, aftermarket repair guides and books about Ford don’t count! Why? They aren’t produced by Ford. The terms “modified” or “midland” have been used for so long that they’ve come to be accepted terms to differentiate the engines… and everybody knows what you’re talking about when you use them… but that certainly doesn’t mean either of those terms were put forth by nor used by Ford. The meaning of the “M” isn’t unlike how people call the 400 cubic inch engine a “Ford 400 Cleveland” or a “Ford 400 Modified” but those too are incorrect to the best of my knowledge.
So, to make my long comment a little longer, please provide proof from Ford if you’ve got it. It isn’t just me. There are a whole bunch of people out there that would like to see it. Thanks in advance for any help!
Early in his descript it was stated that many people used these tedms (351M,400M, Modified, midland) in my opinion he was not endorsing these terms.
I personally belive that, 351M was the only correct phrase, and it stood for the 351C being ‘modified’ by change bell housing to 385 series.
Cleveland’s were in fact produced in Australia from 1974 until approximately 1982/3 in the Geelong casting works of Ford Australia.
The engine was produced in two capacities 351 and 302 cu, the 302 having a 1/2″ less stroke with a 6 inch rod.
The 302 was fitted with a unique Australian casting head with 59cc quench shape chamber and when bolted onto a 351 pushed the compression with flat-top pistons to 11:1 comp with the added advantage of less disposition to pre-detonation than the std open chamber 351 heads.
These heads were perfect for a street machine and flowed very well with a good set of extractors and the 4BBL square bore or 4BBL spread-bore Australian manifolds fitted to post 77 models.
As mentioned by an earlier poster there was in fact a Holley 750 D/pumper fitted by factory to Australian XY GT Falcons, also Ford Australia fitted 850 CFM Carter Thermoquads to both 351 and 302 Clevelands after 1977, they actually worked very well and I much preferred them to Autolite/Motorcraft factory carbs as fitted to USA engine.
Ford Australia sold early 70’s Galaxie’s here in Australia. I have one.
These cars were fitted with 2V 400 Cleveland engines.
They were big block patten on both the engine mounts and on the back of the block.
Interesting point I once bought a Japanese import 400 Cleveland that had a factory cast iron 4 barrel inlet manifold. I was told it came out of a Lincoln.
I bought that engine for the crank as my mate had an XW GT with a 351 Windsor in it.
Both with the 3” journals he built a stroker back in the day.
I did not know this. However – Ford didn’t build 400 Clevelands in Australia. Were the Galaxies right hand drive?
Nice file Story on ”C” ford.
Years ago when i found my 4 v clevland saw rows of ysxs under intake found that to designate a cobrajet 4bolt main engine still have it today. Could not beat it to death just put in my 64 country sedan in progress.
I have one question can I good street 351C 4 bolt mains block be good to use for a power adder, specifically twin turbo’s?
Ford Australia did fit a Holley to a factory engine. The Ford Falcon GTHO phase 3 had a 780 Holley as standard equipment. I’m not dead sure but I believe this model had the highest output 351 Cleveland ever offered. So it had a R code 351c 4v with additional solid cam and lifters, 780 Holley and headers supposedly 380hp. Car was good for 145mph.
I have a set of Australian 302 2V heads on my Cleveland and I run 93 Octane pump gas in it. I keep timing at 35 degrees max. No detonation or
pinging here. I do have a question though. I have what seams to be a date stamped on the oil pan rail near the oil pump mount (12 469) just as you see in parentheses’. What is this for?
My 70 1/2 Falcon (US) with a 351C 4 V had a 780 Holley and a solid flat-tappet cam with studs and 4 bolt mains. It was an Automatic transmission with a loose (for a factory) converter. And it had low gears, 3.89 I believe I am over 60 now, lol. I wanted to put a 4 speed in it but I am glad I didn’t. A 69 428CJ Torino could take in the 1/4. But I guess it was a rare car, black and black interior 2 dr sedan with chrome pillars and cop caps. I was stupid to let it go. I really wish that they had made the 4V C heads to fit the FE. When the 4.25 stroke kits came out, I have a 4.135 bore block that would have been great for them. I have 2 Pro Gram cross bolt diesel iron caps and the 427 thrust main, and a CapSadlle to brace the 3 center. Stand pipes in the valley to let the crank case breathe. And Enough grout to fill it to the core plugs. 457 ci with those heads would be sweet!
I meant to ask. Has any company ever cast the 351 4V closed chamber quench heads at 4.63 FE bore spacing . I would still love to built my 470-472 ci stroker. I have built 455 ci FE strokers with a short fill and studs with 2 cross bolt caps at 2 and 4. 588 ft lbs and 700+ hp that are driven and raced for 20 years.
I am from the US. I see your parts houses sell a DSO decal for the 351C. It was used in the US rarely but was on my 428Cobra Jet Mustang because the first 50 engines were rushed into production to win a drag race. When was the decal used on your engines?
I was a development engineer over here on the Ford Mustang and enjoyed reading the history of the 351C -so many engines to keep up on. The 69Mustang had 7 different ones as I remember it.
Thanks Roger
A bit of forgotten history that may interest some guys, some of the public does not know there was a 9.2″/9.250″ deck 351 “W”indsor # XE 93532 race block made back in 1966 way before GM’s B Kundsen’s “C”leveland block was even on the drawing board & this 351w XE 93532 9.2″/9.250” deck Windsor race block got as big as 398/400 ci back in 1968/69 for Can-Am racing. 302 & 351 windsor XE race blocks were tested with canted valve head prototypes in 1968 just before Kundsens new block was & there were plans WAY BACK in 1964-65 for a stretched deck 6.9-7.0L aluminum Windsor race eng for Can Am racing. IMO, with Kundsen taking resources away from the Ford engineers we might have even gotten a GT4VBoss 402 ci “W”indsor engine as the 69 W block could have become a 400ci eng if it wasn’t for GM’s Bunkie Kundsen screwing things up at FORD with Fords XE 93532 351W race block development by selfishly ramming through his own “Oldsland” inspired block for the short time he was there. H Ford should of fired him sooner… goo gle “351w xe 93532 block” for more info…
To Jim Smart:
In the article above, you made this statement: Ford called the destroked 400 the “351M” for either “Modified” or “Midland.”
I believe you are merely continuing to spread urban myth here! To the best of my knowledge, Ford NEVER designated the M portion of 351M to mean either “Modified” or “Midland”. Your statement even contradicts itself! is it “Modified” or “Midland”?!? It cannot be both!! Please provide PROOF that Ford made an official designation as to the meaning of the “M” or strike the statement from the article. You also need to stop spreading the myth… if you cannot back up what you wrote with said proof.
No, in the grand scheme of life, what the “M” stands for is hardly a matter of national security but at the same time, it is important to get the facts right. One of the biggest problems we have in society is an ever-growing number of people who live in denial and/or delusion. How do they do it? They’ll state something along the lines of “I’m living my truth”. That’s another way of saying that they simply are in denial of the real and only truth… which is backed up by facts. Reality dictates that truth and fact are one in the same – they cannot be separated from each other and you cannot have one without the other! A successful and functioning society depends on the acceptance of facts. To allow falsehood to creep in allows for conflict and the degradation of society. I point these things out in this case because in the Ford world, the meaning of the “M” has been debated, argued over and even fought over since the 1970s. So, I’d love to see some proof offered to back up your statement. Again, to the best of my knowledge, there isn’t any. If there is, I’d sure love to see it as I’ve been following this topic for decades without resolution! Nobody, and I mean NOBODY, has ever come up with anything from Ford which resolves the issue as far as I know. Magazine articles, parts counter books, aftermarket repair guides and books about Ford don’t count! Why? They aren’t produced by Ford. The terms “modified” or “midland” have been used for so long that they’ve come to be accepted terms to differentiate the engines… and everybody knows what you’re talking about when you use them… but that certainly doesn’t mean either of those terms were put forth by nor used by Ford. The meaning of the “M” isn’t unlike how people call the 400 cubic inch engine a “Ford 400 Cleveland” or a “Ford 400 Modified” but those too are incorrect to the best of my knowledge.
So, to make my long comment a little longer, please provide proof from Ford if you’ve got it. It isn’t just me. There are a whole bunch of people out there that would like to see it. Thanks in advance for any help!
– Texas Brian
Early in his descript it was stated that many people used these tedms (351M,400M, Modified, midland) in my opinion he was not endorsing these terms.
I personally belive that, 351M was the only correct phrase, and it stood for the 351C being ‘modified’ by change bell housing to 385 series.
Cleveland’s were in fact produced in Australia from 1974 until approximately 1982/3 in the Geelong casting works of Ford Australia.
The engine was produced in two capacities 351 and 302 cu, the 302 having a 1/2″ less stroke with a 6 inch rod.
The 302 was fitted with a unique Australian casting head with 59cc quench shape chamber and when bolted onto a 351 pushed the compression with flat-top pistons to 11:1 comp with the added advantage of less disposition to pre-detonation than the std open chamber 351 heads.
These heads were perfect for a street machine and flowed very well with a good set of extractors and the 4BBL square bore or 4BBL spread-bore Australian manifolds fitted to post 77 models.
As mentioned by an earlier poster there was in fact a Holley 750 D/pumper fitted by factory to Australian XY GT Falcons, also Ford Australia fitted 850 CFM Carter Thermoquads to both 351 and 302 Clevelands after 1977, they actually worked very well and I much preferred them to Autolite/Motorcraft factory carbs as fitted to USA engine.