Small-Block Ford power tips......and why some engines were omitted!

When we started this thread I said it would be a "Reader's Digest" kind of gloss over-good general advice for each engine line-and you could buy specific books for your particular engine to get real details, head and block casting numbers, and other nuances needed to make maximum power for minimum bucks. However-there's a few "niche" engines that I feel we don't need to address. There's not a lot of them out there-and the people that have them or want them probably know more than I do about what's best for them. I'm talking about Chrysler Hemis and the Ford Boss 302 and the Boss 429. The parts for these are very specific and expensive-so like I said-if you own one of these cars you probably know more about it than I do, so I'm not going to go into a bunch of basic information that you probably already know. I also decided to omit the 289 / 302 Ford. The reason is unless you have a VERY light car-i.e. a '64-66 Mustang, a '62-65 Falcon, or an early '70's Maverick / Comet-they are just too small for serious performance work. Before you get spittingly hysterical-be honest- all other things being equal, either stock or modified, do you really think a 289 powered Fairlane has a chance against a 389 GTO or a 396 Chevelle in a drag race? Or even a 340 Dodge Dart or 327 Nova? When's the last time someone in a 440 or even a 383 Road Runner told you they had their ass handed to them by a Fairlane or Torino or Mustang that had a 289 / 302 and NOT a 428 under the hood?  If you have a nice '65-68 Mustang and want more oomph-yes, headers or an Edelbrock intake, and maybe a mild cam will help immensely-but your not going to be throwing fear into the hearts of any 400 Firebird owners. That's all I'm saying. I'm also leaving the 1979-93 "5.0" Mustangs out. Yes they are great performers-spare me your 10 second timeslips and angry letters. However-if we get into those-then we also have to get into LB9 and L98, LT1 and LS1 Camaros and Firebirds and Buick Grand Nationals, Impala SS's, Supercharged T-Birds, etc-and hey-were not "Modern Musclecar Monthly" were talking about '60's and '70's musclecars. Last time I checked a '70 Mach 1 Mustang had a 351 Cleveland under the hood- not a fuelie "5.0".  Which bring us to..... Ford made two different 351 inch V8s-the "Cleveland" style that was used from 1970-74 in Mustangs, Cougars, Torinos, Montegos, and Panteras. The other is the "Windsor" that was used in production cars and trucks from 1969-1997 and lives on today in several Ford Racing crate engines. The major difference is the cylinder heads and the deck height. The Cleveland heads have ports and valves- literally-the size of a big-block Chevy. They were originally designed for the Boss 302 Trans-Am engines that made all their power between 5 and 8,000 rpm. There's actually 2 designs-the 2V heads used on two-barrel engines and the 4V heads used on 4-barrel-i.e. Boss 351 and CJ engines. The 2V heads are actually better for street use as the smaller ports and valves make better low-end and mid-range torque. Edelbrock and Weiand make intakes that use a 4-barrel carb, but bolt up to 2-barrel heads. Confused? Try not to be. Edelbrock, Trick Flow and other companies make performance aluminum heads that are kind of a compromise between the factory 2v and 4V designs to aid street performance, and they also offer manifolds that will bolt onto Windsor blocks to make a "Clevor" or "Mock Boss" engine. The Windsor heads are like a 289 / 302, and performance heads for these engines-i.e. the factory "GT40 5.0" heads, and aftermarket Edelbrock and Trick Flow designs for the 289 / 302 will fit a 351W. The 351W intake manifolds are unique because the deck height is different than a 289 / 302, and different than a "Cleveland". However they are plentiful, and Edelbrock, Holley and Weiand offer many choices of dual-plane and single-plane intakes for the Windsors. As for Cams-stick with the cam manufacturer's guidelines on gearing, converter stall speed etc. In a medium weight car-71-73 Mustang, 70's Torino, Cougar, Cyclone or Montego- these can really rock. In a heavier car-I'd swap in a 429 / 460-which shares the same bellhousing bolt pattern. The 351 / 400M series used from 1975-82 is a boat anchor. Their not really a Cleveland and not really a Windsor, and they have the triple-axel of being heavy, having no power and crappy gas mileage. Before I invested a nickel in one of these-I'd swap in a 460-you'll be way ahead of the game  not only in power production but it'll probably also be cheaper to build.  Mastermind