Anybody read this book? "Ford Cleveland 335-Series V8 Engine 1970 to 1982"

I don't know about the book, but if you want an encyclopedia of FREE Cleveland info, don't forget our moderator's collection of articles. Worth every penny!

George Pence's Cleveland Info

quote:

Originally posted by Dave2811:
I don't know about the book, but if you want an encyclopedia of FREE Cleveland info, don't forget our moderator's collection of articles. Worth every penny!

George Pence's Cleveland Info

I second that

I definitely agree with that, It is certainly the best I've come across anywhere.....JP

> Just wondering if anybody has had the chance to read the book "Ford Cleveland
> 335-Series V8 Engine 1970 to 1982"

Des is a Kiwi who now lives in England. Most of his titles cover British
vehicles (Rover V8's, Minis, SU carbs, etc.). I have his Rover V8 book.
The production variations section of his Rover V8 book is very good but I
get the idea that most of the technical information is gleaned from interviews
with engine builders, not first hand knowledge. As such, there are some
errors in that book. I'll wager he has very little experience with the 351C
and got most of his info from interviews with either British or Australian
engine builders. I have the book and while the history section is interesting,
the technical section is not so good. Some of it is recycled from the Rover
book and there really isn't much detail. For instance, the intake manifold
section mentions only the Edelbrock Performer, Torker and a mythical
Victor for cast iron heads. The carb section recommends a 675 CFM carb
for a 7000 RPM 351C and says a 500 CFM 2 barrel carb can accommodate
a 400 cubic inch engine's airflow requirements. The camshaft section
covers the Ford Motorsport flat tappet cams which are no longer offered.
He also says the 2 bolt main caps are only good under 6000 RPM and the
4 bolts are only good to 6500 RPM. He also opines there's an ideal rod
ratio of 1.72:1 and that poor rod ratio and heavier rods/crank is why
the factory 351M's were so lame. The section on high port heads is
laughable and there's no mention of aftermarket heads like CHI, AFD, TFS,
Edelbrock and Brodix. Technically, the book gets a failing grade.

There is an interesting history section, though I don't know if it's accurate.
The one saving grace is that half of the book is a reprint of the Ford
"How to Build a Pro Stock Pinto" book though much of that info is in the
reprints of the Off Highway newsletters and Boss 302 engine booklet.

Dan Jones

Dan, Thanks immensely for your insight. This was exactly the kind of input I was looking for. I think for now I'll save my money for parts vs books.