72 Gran Torino Rebuild

Nicodemus Telrenner opined in news:Xns95AAC1A80E7C5citygangrelassassin@216.196.97.136:

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You don't say which 351C you are working with. The 2v engine is the best starting point for a nice street engine. The 4v engine has it's strong points but, the 2v will be better for good driveability because of the heads. There are several in this groupas well as other groups who have built these things. BTW, did your dad buy his new? I will someday complete mine which I watched being built in Atlanta. In any case, the two engines need to be built differently for best results. You need to check the door decal for trans and rear gear info. Build the engine to be compatible with them.

It's not hard to rebuild one and perk it up at the same time. I'm putting a custom grind hydraulic roller cam in mine to help bring it up to date.

check out this site...

DC

The only people who make these absurd statements about Ford 351 Cleveland four barrel heads, are those who have never driven one on the street! In stock form, any one of the 351 Cleveland four barrel engines makes more torque and horsepower than any stock 351 Windsor or stock two barrel Cleveland.

If you took a perfect four barrel engine and swapped the four barrel heads for a pair of two barrel heads, with no other changes you would suffer a performance loss not gain!

If you had ever driven a 351 Cleveland four barrel engine that is running properly on the street, You would not keep repeating this asinine myth.

I don't think you read or received what I said. Of course, you will get more peak power from the 4v heads. That's why Ford made them. I was pointing out that the 2v heads make a nicer driveability engine at lower rpm in a heavy car like the Torino on the street. I suspect he is my age and is somewhat interested in an engine that is strong and smooth across a fairly wide operating range for daily driving. The

4v heads do their trick very sweetly above 3500 rpm or so.

Asinine or not, I have owned and built both. All else being equal in the torino, the 2v head engine is nicer to drive on the street in the low to medium RPM range. My 4v engines have always brought a smile to my face as soon as they get above 3000-3500rpm and all hell breaks loose. The pre-72 high compression engines did not suffer this problem nearly as bad but, the 72-74 engine with the open chambers sucked big time off the bottom end. The 4v engines are very happy in the mid to high rpm range. They can also be helped immensely with a bump into the 9.5-10.0 compression range. The open heads are not happy with regular fuel at compression that high but, since it is going to be a toy, that may not matter as it does not to me.

What do you think about using the 2V open heads with the TRW flat top pistons? What kind of compression would this yield? Just for a mildly hopped up all around street engine that will burn todays fuel.

DC

Evidently your idea of "making a nicer drivability engine at lower rpm in a heavy car like the Torino on the street" and mine are two different things. I still contend that there is nothing about a four barrel Cleveland engine that makes it less of a "nicer drivability engine at lower rpm in a heavy car like the Torino on the street" then the two barrel version, and quite a bit that makes it a better choice.

BTW: My first four barrel Cleveland was a 351 Cobra Jet in a 1971 Torino, This car would froth the tires in all 4 gears without breathing hard. Absolutely NO low rpm torque deficiency. I still have that car and engine, the car now sports a 460, and the 351 Cobra Jet engine is in another project, soon to be transplanted again...

I'll lay off when you produce some real torque curves that back up your position. Otherwise I still contend it is a myth.

lugnut wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@4ax.com:

Sorry about that:

It is the 2v Engine. He did buy it new, the only thing I beleive he left out for sure was the air intake for the hood (it has the holes, but not the pipeing to the air intake). He has the Deluxe dash (he had a 73

2 door regular coupe as well, with the normal dash, what a difference)m floor mounted auto tranny (3 speed), AM only Stereo, umm...if i still lived close to him iw oudl go look at the plate, but I am in colorado now and he is in Lower New Mexico ::shrugs::. It is that wonderful royal blue color that seems unique to Ford (Ford blue?).

I know the engine currently doesnt have the correct seals (it hink its valve seats or valve seals, he told me ONEC) that woudl allow it to run on unleaded.

This is what he told me he wanted to do:

He wants to keep it runnable on regular unleaded. (so that pretty much kills the higher compression heads), unless you guys know how to do the higher compression heads without required premium gas?

Thank guys,f or all the info you have given so far (the truck link only talked about 351M's...i dont even know what a 351m is :-) ).

Nicodemus Telrenner wrote in news:Xns95AC2A5A72444citygangrelassassin@216.196.97.136:

Go to alt.hi-po.big-block-ford-mercury they have the real knowlagable people about these eng. there. (the 351C is on topic also) KB