351 W or C?

[Dave_Mustang_50 2]

I`m gonna need to rebuild the Cleveland or swap in a new engine. My car came with a 351 W 4v. Value wise, how much is it worth to swap back to a 69 windsor? Just kinda lookin at my options. Thanks

[70vert 17]

Dave,

 

Are you saying the car originally came with a W and you bought it with a C and you want to bring it back to stock? Otherwise, the post doesn't make sense as you worded it.

If you have a real Mach 1 - yeah, there is some value in having it at the original specs. If you have a Sportsroof, go to town and enjoy your bad self! C's have more street cred, they are a race-bred engine and though parts are more expensive, you have something better to start with.

But I'm going to drop a 408W stroker in someday - I don't have the money for a comparable Cleveland . . .

 

 

 

I`m gonna need to rebuild the Cleveland or swap in a new engine. My car came with a 351 W 4v. Value wise, how much is it worth to swap back to a 69 windsor? Just kinda lookin at my options. Thanks

[Dave_Mustang_50 2]

Yes, My car is a real Mach 1(63c), that came from the factory with a 351 Windsor 4v. I purchased the car with a Cleveland under the hood. My question leans more to value of the car. Although it wouldnt be the original engine it would be period correct. Would it make a difference? If not, I was thinking for a 4v Cleveland with a small centrifugal blower to make use of those huge ports and valves.

[70vert 17]

I believe that it's very hard on Mustangs to prove "numbers matching" on engine and body style. I mean the serial # of the engine, not the type.

 

What you could do is to have fun with the Cleve and if it turns out that OEM Windsors are getting much higher $ than aftermarket Cleves if/when you decide to sell, just hunt one down, hopefully in running condition or easy to get that way. It shouldn't be that hard.

 

Lots of guys here will give you great advice on Cleves - I think you should look for heads and/or intake that will give it a little more low-end torque if that matters a lot.

 

 

Yes, My car is a real Mach 1(63c), that came from the factory with a 351 Windsor 4v. I purchased the car with a Cleveland under the hood. My question leans more to value of the car. Although it wouldnt be the original engine it would be period correct. Would it make a difference? If not, I was thinking for a 4v Cleveland with a small centrifugal blower to make use of those huge ports and valves.

[JC69Stang 0]

But to add to the value thing, it should no be too hard to find a 69351W block, stroke it a bit and have serious fun with it!

 

Either is a great motor though when set up right.

[buening 63]

Well as you probably know, there are only two known 69 mustangs that came with a cleveland from the factory and they were promotional vehicles. So anyone who knows their mustangs will know that it isn't the original engine if you keep the cleveland in there. 69 windsor motors pop up on ebay every now and then and they don't command very high prices, so one could be had cheap. As mentioned before, numbers matching is hard to prove on the older mustangs. BUT, most blocks from Dearborn and Metuchen were VIN stamped along with the transmissions. I have heard that the San Jose cars did not but my memory is a little fuzzy on that one. The VINs are located on the back of the block and IMO are only visible when the motor is out of the engine so no one would really know if the 69 windsor you bought off of ebay is not original besides you. Sure Clevelands are cool but you can build a stroker windsor for half the price of a cleveland and still get the same hp/torque out of it. Clevelands are known for the high flowing heads but aftermarket windsor heads can come pretty close in flow to the clevelands. My $0.02

[bnickel 10,004]

value wise yes, it would be a benefit to replace the c with a correct w. however as has been said it would be extremely easy to make a stroker out of it and nobody would be the wiser unless you told them. yan even port and polish the heads, especially the 69 heads since they are about the best flowing stock windsor heads you can get.

[wantahertzdonut 10]

If you want a stock restoration then get yourself a Windsor. The prices on those motors are climbing however, so the sooner you can find one, the better. Remember if you go with a different engine you can always sell the new W off and make a little profit. 69-74 blocks are more sought after because they are stronger blocks (more nickel in the iron) so be ready to pay a little more or put up with a bidding war on ebay.

 

I personally say you'll be better with a W anyway due to their lighter weight, greater reliability, and better availability of aftermarket parts. You'll have maybe half the money in it than a comparably equipped C. Plus you can get nice modern parts like aluminum heads (with large canted valves), and you can run high rpm's all day. Plus you'll use considerably less gas, which these days might hold some water.

 

Yes, I'm very biased on this subject, and I think for good reason.

[70vert 17]

I'm going 408w crate anyway, but in the interest of doing an affordable C check this out:

 

http://forums.stangnet.com/showthread.php?t=595694

 

 

 

If you want a stock restoration then get yourself a Windsor. The prices on those motors are climbing however, so the sooner you can find one, the better. Remember if you go with a different engine you can always sell the new W off and make a little profit. 69-74 blocks are more sought after because they are stronger blocks (more nickel in the iron) so be ready to pay a little more or put up with a bidding war on ebay.

 

I personally say you'll be better with a W anyway due to their lighter weight, greater reliability, and better availability of aftermarket parts. You'll have maybe half the money in it than a comparably equipped C. Plus you can get nice modern parts like aluminum heads (with large canted valves), and you can run high rpm's all day. Plus you'll use considerably less gas, which these days might hold some water.

 

Yes, I'm very biased on this subject, and I think for good reason.

[wantahertzdonut 10]

Well everything is cheaper when you're dealing with used parts!

 

Honestly I consider the C's to be obsolete, especially for road racing. The C's were the engine of their time but technology for the W's has caught up and surpassed it. I just can't justify the extra expense. Plus with the weaker thinwall casting of the C's causes overheating problems when you bore them out, and extra weight of the block itself, I just can't see myself building one unless it was a rare car that originally had it.