Hey guys, I recently scored a free 351w that’s been bored over .030. It came with pistons, crank and heads. My plan is hook it up to a C4 and put it in my 62 Meteor. I have never put a motor together and need some help picking out picking out all the other parts to put this bad boy together.
It will not fit without shock tower work. Failanes and Meteors were designed for 221-289 Challangers. The early small blocks Just Fit! The 351 is too wide without modification to the engine bay.
The 351W will fit the early Fairlanes/Falcons, it's just that getting exhaust fit to it is extremely difficult. I've seen one in a first-gen Falcon, but they used 221 exhaust manifolds to make it fit (just barely, and changing plugs is a real drag). The problem is the 221 exhaust chokes the 351 so the power gain isn't much....
Like said above, it will "fit" but exhaust is the problem. Headers are out of the question without an expensive custom set. Tubular Automotive used to make a swap header for falcon/comet 351 swap. And, with a high rise intake the air cleaner will hit the underside of the hood potentially.
also if not a FORD guy beware the parts changes, torque converter spline, harmonic balancer, bellhousing bolt pattern, spark plug size... 351 distributor uses a 5/16" hex drive, the other small blocks use 1/4".... find a local ford guy and you will be fine !
Steve, That's a Falcon. The early Falcons ( designed for the 144 six) actually have a bigger engine bay than the Fairlane/Metoer. Ford designed the Failanes with nearly a shoe horn fit with standard exhaust. Sure, the engine will technally fit but even with the 221 exhausts, clearance is going to be problematic. He is much better off with a 221-302 if he does not want to modify the engine bay.
I didn't say it would be an easy fit.... LOL. But if I were going to attempt either one, I'd rather try the Fairlane. Doable with custom headers, not the case on the Falcon. The Falcon will require modding the shock towers for anything but the 221 manifolds.
Will the hi-po exhaust manifolds work??? You can still buy those new..... A muffler shop can also bend up new down pipes to make it all work..
Straight axle takes all the worries out of fitting a 351 Windsor. Seriously you should look for a 302 and then build a stroker. Not much more expensive than a stock quality rebuild.By the time you turn the crank and resize or replace the rods. Bore the block and buy parts a stroker kit can be had. Prepare to cut the shock towers to be able to work on a 351 Windsor easily on a daily basis.
I should’ve mentioned that I knew about the shock tower modification. For now that’s the route I’ll take. I plan on switching over to a Coil over System in the future anyways.
I have a 351W in my Fairlane. I used old $10 swap meet headers probably from an early Mustang, and cut out the two back tubes on each side since they are the ones that interfere with the shock towers. Then I got a pile of small exhaust pipe bends and straights from the local muffler shop dumpster, and cut and fitted and tack welded them together to fit the engine bay. Then took them out and finished up the welding. It was a major pain in the neck, but I did not cut or do any other modifications to the engine bay. These headers also clear the shifter rods and clutch linkage, the equalizer bar is a real puzzle to remove now. The point is, that a 351W can be installed in a '62-65 Fairlane and Meteor engine bay without cutting the original body at all.
In 1973, I put a '69 351w in my '70 Maverick. Used 302 ex manifold on driver's side and 289 ex manifold on passenger side. Had to shave casting number off 289 manifold to get it in. Exhaust outlet slightly smaller than 351 but it still ran great. And talk about torque . . .
They might on a Fairlane; the problem is the 351W is taller/wider than a 289/302. I don't think the width would be a big issue as the 351 is just a bit over 2" wider, but the 3" extra height may bring the manifold outlets up too high. No go on a Falcon; the drivers side needs to be modded to fit with a 289/302 to clear the steering box, you simply won't have the room with the bigger motor. I'm not a fan of the 302 strokers unless you stick with the 331" version. The bigger ones have a very poor rod ratio and that combined with the short pistons compromises ring life pretty drastically. Fine for a race motor, not the best choice for longevity in a street motor.
351 W will fit Fairlane /Metorer , no issues . My buddy had a C in a 64 Fairlane , 69 Mustang headers . Just look for what fits and let it eat !
There's issues if you want to have an exhaust on it. See my post #13. The stock 221 / 260 / 289 manifolds only have about 1/4" clearance with the shock towers on a small block (221-302) engine. The 351W engine is at least an inch wider, so manifolds and available headers will not fit a stock engine bay.
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