Pump Blueprinting
335-Series 351C/351M/400
Chapter 5: Cylinder Heads
221/260
289
289 High Performance
302
255
351W
351C/351M/400
CHI Aftermarket Heads
Boss 302
“Aftermarket” Cylinder Heads
Valvecovers
Chapter 6: Camshaft and Valvetrain
Cam Selection Considerations
Dual-Pattern Camshafts
Timing Set
Timing Cover
Valves, Springs, Retainers and Locks
Rocker Arms
Valvecovers
Chapter 7: Induction
Carburetors
Manifolds
Fuel Pumps and Fuel Injection
Chapter 8: Ignition, Charging and Starting
Autolite Distributors
Duraspark Ignition
Generators and Alternators
Starters
Senders
Chapter 9: Exhaust
Single- and Dual-Exhaust Systems
Manifolds and Headers
Thermactor System
Chapter 10: Cooling System and Front Dress
Radiator
Packaging Considerations
Water Pump
Fans and Spacers
Front Dress
When I embarked upon writing High-Performance Ford Engine Parts Interchange book nearly two decades ago, I had no idea just how involved it was going to be, or how long it would endure in the marketplace. In the years since, I’ve learned more and, as a result, made great improvements to this series, dividing it into two books: the small-block Ford book you’re holding in your hands and a separate Ford big-block book still in the planning stages.
This book series has been one of the toughest publishing tasks I’ve experienced as a technical writer because, as most of you know, Ford has never been a car company that rested on its laurels. It has always kept its eye on improvement and, as a result, is always revising and improving its product. Translation? More and more revisions and part numbers. That makes choosing the right parts for your small-block project more involved than ever.
Despite the great challenges with a book of this caliber, it has proven to be a very successful publication that has helped thousands with their engine-building projects. Not everyone has been pleased with High-Performance Ford Engine Parts Interchange. I have read your letters, emails, and comments on social media. You have been heard. The goal through the years has been to have steady improvement each time the book went back to press.
There is an old saying: Put 50 engine builders in a room and you will get 50 different opinions on how to approach an engine build. Our job is to inform and enlighten. Our objective is to make sure mistakes don’t happen.
I couldn’t have authored this book and others without help from a lot of extraordinary people in the industry. Brothers Jeff and Bill Sneathen of SEMO Classic Mustang in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, were instrumental in helping me get this book series off the ground nearly two decades ago. Jim Grubbs, Ryan Peart, and Jeff Latimer of JGM Performance Engineering in Valencia, California, have come to my rescue more times than I can remember. Legendary John Vermeersch of Total Performance in Mount Clemens, Michigan, invited me into his shop all those years ago for access to his vast inventory of Ford engine parts accumulated over a lifetime. Mark Jeffery of Trans Am Racing in Gardena, California, is another cohort in crime who has been very helpful. And finally, I am grateful to Arnold and Garrett Marks of Mustangs Etc. in Van Nuys, California, for their undying help and support through the years.
My thanks to all of you for your support in helping make this book a great success.
At the cusp of the 1960s, Ford turned its product planning and engineering attentions to a new lightweight gray iron V-8 displacing 221 and 260 ci designed for the all-new unit-body 1962 Ford Fair-lane intermediate. Known as the “90-degree Fairlane V-8,” the 221/260 grew quickly to 289 ci in 1963. The Fairlane V-8 became known among enthusiasts as the small-block Ford and remains so today.
When the Fairlane V-8 arrived, it had a bore size of 3.500 inches and a 2.870-inch stroke. The short stroke reduced piston speed and frictional issues coupled with high-revving capability. Yet the larger bore, which grew larger in time to 4.000 inches, allowed for generous valve sizing and breathing. What made the Fairlane V-8 different was the absence of a traditional block skirt and rail to support the crankshaft, which reduced weight.
Few can dispute the runaway success of Ford’s small-block V-8. It went to dozens of racing venues around the world with great success and continues to be campaigned successfully more than a half century later. Ford’s first shot at a high-performance small-block was the 289 High Performance V-8 introduced for 1963 in the Fairlane car line. At 271 hp at 6,000 rpm it allowed the 289 to prove its worth as a factory high-performance V-8. Carroll Shelby showed the competition what this engine could do in the new Mustang in the following years. Ford ultimately stroked the 221/260/289 to 3.000 inches and topped the 302-ci with large-port poly-angle-valve heads to create the high-revving Boss 302 small-block for SCCA Trans-Am competition in 1969–1970.
It was the misfortune of the 302 Tunnel Port on the track in 1968 that led Ford engineers to develop the Boss 302 engine in the first place. The short-lived 302 Tunnel Port head made power at very high-RPM ranges, but caused catastrophic engine failure and unacceptable losses during the 1968 SCCA racing season. Racers had to spin the Tunnel Port well above the 8,000-rpm mark, which caused these engines to scatter themselves all over racetracks from coast to coast. Befuddled by failure after failure, Ford engineers looked to the new large-port poly-angle-valve 351C wedge head, which enabled the 302 to make more horsepower at lower RPM ranges. The deep-breathing, high-revving Boss 302 engine had what it took to win thanks to great cylinder heads, a four-bolt main block, and a steel crank with heavy-duty C3AE Boss rods. The Boss 302 was the ultimate evolution of those first petite 221-inch Fairlane V-8s.
For 1969, Ford capitalized on the small-block’s proven architecture by adding 1.28 inches of block deck and 1/2 inch of stroke to the basic 289/302 block to get 351 ci. The 351-ci Windsor small-block with 3.500 inches of stroke on a 4.000-inch bore was a quick response to Chevrolet’s 327- and 350-ci small-blocks as well as Chrysler’s 318/340/360 and AMC’s 343/360/390. It was the mid-size engine Ford needed and didn’t have prior to 1969. It made abundant torque, which is exactly what Ford’s product line needed to attract buyers.
The 351W engine has been very successful in its own right, especially considering its production life span has far outpaced the long-defunct 351C, 351M, and 400. However, did you know the Cleveland engine family was allegedly a replacement for the small-block and big-block? It has been said that Ford’s plan at the time was to have one V-8 engine family: the 335-series Cleveland displacing 302,