car values/desirability

[ak1234]

" the 351 Windsor motor is a dog, it just won't spin ... If you want a good spinning 351 it has to be a Cleveland,"
   Sorry to say you have that backwards ... I have 2 Pantera's with 351C and unless you do major mods, they have oiling issues ... the 351W is the basis for High Perf Block in 1969 with superior strength to the "C" block. The "W" has been the basis for the NASCAR blocks for years and superior to the "C" block.  The 9.5 W block can be stroked to a 427 and with the new "C" based heads ... I have  one dyno'd to 713hp.  The weight savings over an FE in a cobra in these modern times = Horse Power at the rear wheels

[Hobo]

ak 1234 : I fully agree with your Statement.
   I think part of the confusion about the "W" blocks and their behaviour is, that you could get them in many many versions with an extrem wide range of hp/ft lbs - characteristics. Starting from the marine version with high low end torque and 220 hp, truck engines, engines for campers up to these 700 hp high power performance engines.

[ak1234]

' 428 outside of cost is the thin walls cylinders which make reboring nearly impossible. .10 over is all you get....  The 428 dies at 4500 rpm. "   I don't mean to be confrontational ... but your generalizing and your statements are only partially true ... i only wish i was outside your shop when you were disposing of those 428 cj blocks bored .010 over.  I raced 428 for a few years and we would sonic test the walls and center bore them and get 0.60 out of a 428cj block.  We also install restrictors in the heads to increase oil flow to the lower end. We use zero end gap piston rings and Vandervell tri metal bearings. We did for years ran NHRA C class and the 428's would go to 7100 rpm ... but made peak HP at 5400 all day long.  Running 5W 30 synthetic Oil we would get 220 runs on those motors ... and we could go to the junk yard and get plenty of them compared to the high dollar 427's ... so I'm still not convinced the 427 is a superior motor .. maybe better ... but
   i seen plenty of the rev up and piece flying everywhere.

[Emmanueld]

Ak1234, If you read my post carefully, I said the 427 block cannot be rebored much. For the 428, no problem as the bore walls are much thicker.  Also as far as revs I was talking about a stock motor. Of course one can make a 428 rev, just not safely as much as a 427 can. People use 428 blocks because of cost, but for performance the 427 SO is a better block, just because of the priority oiling to the main bearings and bigger bores. But everything is relative and one can build a pretty good 428 motor. Don't forget, Ford in the 60's won Le Mans with a bone stock 427 in the MK4, this is proof on how good a 427 SO is out of the box.
   As far as 351 Cleveland vs Windsor, again I am talking about stock motors, of course if you spend enough money, you can do almost anything. The Windsor was a truck engine, horrible heads, different firing order compared to a 289 or 302, definitely not a performer. Because of the taller cylinders, not many intakes available. This may have changed at present.
   Again, a Cobra is not a Lincoln Continental, you want an engine that can rev. All v8s make tons of torque but it your engine dies at 4 grands, it will make for a very boring car!
   
   Emmanuel[]