Reply to "Stroking the 351"

Brad................

You already have a Windsor stroker!

Both production blocks have the same power limitations, as they are both thin wall castings. Clevo cylinder heads are superior to Windsor heads, the heads are what make the Cleveland stand out amongst all other 351 cubic inch V8s, but they can be adapted to the Windsor block (that's called a Clevor).

The Windsor block is 0.3" taller than the Cleveland, so you can run a longer rod, which in turn accomodates a longer stroke. Stroker kits to 4.250" are available for the 351W. The biggest Cleveland kit is 4.00". Since we are comparing the Cleveland to the Windsor, I won't stray off on the subject of stroker motor pros & cons at this time. I've pretty well covered that subject in the past.

The Windsor also has what is accepted as a better lubrication system; the discharge of the oil pump supplies a pasasge feeding the main/cam bearings only, at the rear of the block this passage then feeds the right & left lifter galleys.

The Cleveland cam bearings are larger and allow for larger base circle camshafts, and therefore more aggressive camshaft lobe profiles.

The Cleveland also has smaller main bearing journals, preferable for high rpm operation. The aftermarket Windsor blocks all offer Cleveland sized main bearings either standard or as an option.

The Cleveland coolant system is a better design, although it has often been botched by the idiot at the parts counter that sells the owner a Windsor thermostat.

For a Pantera owner, the attraction of keeping the Cleveland has to be originality. This is important to me for instance, as well as several other folks I know. I can build quite a bit of performance into my Cleveland and yet keep the engine looking oem. I believe as time goes on, originality will become more and more important to our marque. The heavily modified Pantera will be harder to sell and fetch less money. I could be wrong, of course.

Another consideration for some, such as myself, I already have shelves and shelves of Cleveland parts in my garage, er, I mean my Pantera shrine.

Folks are attracted to the Windsor for the readily available crate motors, while others put importance on that magic 427 cubic inch number.

I'll point out that a good power limit for the Pantera, in my opinion, is in the area of 500 ft/lbs torque, 500 bhp, with a redline in the area of 6500 rpm. This takes into consideration the limitations of the production blocks, the limitations in the size of the radiator and the limitations in the oem parts of the ZF tranny.

This power level can be reached with a Cleveland as easily as with the Windsor, air flow and compression are what make horsepower, therefore the formula for 500 bhp is (1) a high lift hydraulic roller cam, (2) head porting or alloy heads plus (3) an induction system to work in conjunction with the heads and cam to provide good volumetric efficiency, and (4) pushing the limit with the compression ratio. Add to that list all the other goodies (exhaust system, ignition system) to support that power level. A stroker crank allows the motor to make more torque, and to reach the bhp goal at a lower rpm, the hope being this improves reliablility AND drivability.

The guys who want to make the most horsepower possible with a small block Ford or who want to go racing should use a Windsor racing block (FRPP, Dart, World Products) and Yates style high port heads (C3H, SC1 or D3) as the foundations for their motor.

Your friend on the DTBB, George