Hey everybody, new guy here wanting to get some advice. In the next week or two I’ll be buying a 1970 Cougar with a 351C 2-V V-8. It’s got around 121k miles on it so I’m planning on doing a rebuild since the guy said it burns a little oil and hasn’t been rebuilt. Since I’ll be taking it all apart, I figured it’d be a good idea to see what parts I could invest in and replace to get some better performance out of it. I’d appreciate any recommendations on what to put on, any new parts. Cams, Carbs, Intakes, everything that I could use to have a bit more fun with it. I’d like to have it to where I can still drive it a few times a week, have it be mainly driven on streets but with enough power to chirp the tires a bit and just have fun. I’m not really looking to make it any kind of drag or specifically track car or anything, just as much power and performance to have the most fun on the streets. Once I’ve got it I can post about some of the upgrades it’s already had such as the disk brake conversion and other things. Also, any recommendations on wheels and tires would be nice since I’m not sure what looks great so far, I’ve got a 1977 Ford Maverick with American Racing Torq’s on there and they look good and I’ve thought about going with some similar ones for the Cougar, but I’m open to lots of suggestions. Thanks.
Clevelands tend to run a little hot, bore them out .030 and it gets worse! Make sure you have this little upgrade and a 3 core 24" wide rad with clutch fan.
https://secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/waterrestrictplate.html?attribs=79
Thanks, I’m out in california so running hot is a huge problem here, I had to put a 3 core champion radiator in my Maverick just so it wouldn’t overheat, and it’s only got a 302.
Building any engine involves a budget, what is your desired end result and finding a good machine shop. Foundation (good machining) and quality well matched parts is key.
On a Cleveland I would say get a custom ground cam from a person or supplier that specializes in the Cleveland. They are a bit of a different beast as far as lift duration and timing events compared to other small block engines.
A decent set of gears will be in order as well.
I run a 3 core 24" in my Cougar .30 over block and have zero issues with over heating, run a Cleveland specific T stat. Here: https://www.tmeyerinc.com/product-p/tbp-333-xxx.htm
I can vouch for the hot running albatross we Cleveland owners wore around our necks! My '71 M-Code was beloved by my dates in arctic upstate NY - because coming out of a movie or restaurant at 2300 on a February night, it made heat for their feet quicker than any car they’d ever been in (their review, not mine!) We just never figured Don’s tricks out.
On a few other points: Stay with 9:1 type C.R. See if things can clean up vs. boring .030 over right off. I think KB makes a dished hypereutectic piston that’d work if you have to replace them. Stock oiling system works fine for the street; there are a thousand myths about how to midify the Cleveland oiling around, don’t let people scare you, just put a new stock volume oil pump in. Try Lunati’s replica of the Cobra Jet cam, http://www.lunatipower.com/Product.aspx?id=3029&gid=340 . Degree it and make sure it goes in slightly advanced. Have a trusted shop give the heads a good 7, 5 or even traditional 3-angle valve job and skim cut to true them. Many machinists will know how to go in a bit to clean up under the seat a bit without doing any actual porting. Get some aftermarket stock-weight valves and don’t try re-using the 40+ year old factory ones. Bronze valve guides will be needed. The pedestal rockers will work fine for a mild build. Don’t go crazy $$ wise with springs; single should do it. The cast iron manifolds flowed OK; skip headers. Everyone wants 4 venturis; I would. So get an an aftermarket manifold made for the 2V ports. Consider painting it Ford blue to keep it sneaky. Holleys will fit under the stock air cleaner as well for that stock look. Make sure you have a snappy centrifugal advance curve that’s all in by 2500 or so.
A Cleveland that’s conservatively cammed, 4V or 2V, makes power from idle on up and garners a lot of wows when the hood’s up!
So, I’ve done a bit of research and looking around and now that I’m finally taking the engine apart and going to pull it out, I need a few recommendations. Here’s what I have that I am not completely 100% sure on
https://secure.cougarpartscatalog.com/50-5067.html?attribs=79
This is just because I’m not sure of the reviews and quality of it, and I planned on doing a clutch fan but the 7 blade 428 Clutch fan is 250 and at that point I may as well just do electric for the 100 more. Mainly I’m worried of any major problems or if it’s somehow a pain to wire up.
http://www.jegs.com/i/COMP-Cams/249/CL32-221-3/10002/-1?ymm=4294829708+4294829383+4294829361
This Cam seems to be fairly popular for cougars from what I read, but a previous post recommended a different one and I’m not sure, as I’ve never rebuilt an engine or done a lot of work regarding cams.
https://www.summitracing.com/int/parts/sum-cedl004/overview/make/ford
I thought about this combo, but I’m open to any 4v carb and intake combo. My brother just put a demon carb and a stealth intake on his 66 mustang and he enjoys it and I was wondering how viable it is on a cougar. His mustang is a 289 just for more info.
I’ll also be getting a new stock oil pump, and as for machining I’ve got no clue, so I’ll take it to a shop nearby if I can find a good one. I’ll be keeping the 2v heads since its a street build, and I’ve got no idea as to anything else. It’s my first rebuild and my first cleveland, and being 18 I don’t have too many friends who happen to work on cars like these. Any recommendations for Pistons, headers, intake manifolds and carbs and any other part I’m missing would be greatly appreciated, along with any links for the parts/products I’d need and any guides to help me out. I’ll also be working on brakes and steering but since it’s already had a disk brake conversion I’m hoping I’m all good. Thank you in advance for any recommendations and advice.
Edit: I also plan on putting 3.25 gears in the diff, but I’m not sure of whats already in there and the gears I have are for an 8" since I originally planned to put them in my Maverick, but I figure they’d have a better home in the Cougar.
Try Brent http://www.lykinsmotorsports.com/
He can do custom carbs [ I have 3 from him] and cams. A 351c is a different animal and a custom cam shaft will make a big difference.
intake manifold, look at an edelbrock rpm airgap
headers, www.fordpowertrain.com,very high quality but spendy.
These are just some suggestions to show you whats out there, good luck. Dan
Has anyone used a set of these? http://www.stang-aholics.com/i-24187709-69-73-mustang-351-cleveland-shorty-headers.html
Looks like a reasonable compromise between the hassle of full-length headers and the restriction of 2V manifolds.
I endorse Canted 393. I don’t care for 110 LSA on that otherwise moderate 268 cam, although the lift right at .500 is fine. Lykins seems to be a like mind, so give them a blast and discuss what you’re after.
Was given a running 351 Cleveland 4 barrel engine with matching c6 tranny still bolted up to it. Friend of mine took it out of a cougar to put in his 69 mach-1. He sold the mach-1 (divorce) and gave me the engine and tranny. I just had my 302 rebuilt with new crank, cam (93 GT mustang grind and comp cam) and roller valve train so I wont be using the motor in my cougar. Not sure what I am going to do with it. I’m told the 4 barrel 351 Cleveland is rare…ish. Should have my Cougar back this week. I’m expecting around 375 to 400 HP. Will probably have to go to a 9" rear end. I’m using the car as a cruiser so the 8" rear end with 272 gear works for me with the c4. 2600 RPM at 75 MPH. I’m going to make it last as long as possible. Anyway, I may decide to get rid of the 351 Cleveland at some point. Would probably look to trade it. One thing I will need in the future is an AOD tranny. I have the 9" rear but would need a 325 gear.
I can vouch for Brent at Lykin motorsports, its where I got my cam and Quickfuel carb from.
I also run an Eddy RPM airgap and its a very good intake. My heads are 4V so a bit different, get rid of the stock valves and put in a set of decent single groove valves and all the machining to go with it as was said previously.
As for gears with a cleveland likes gears, I run 3:50 now and am going to 3:89 as it still seems not as snappy as I’d like. You most likely have a 9" rear with 3:00 or 2:73 gears in it.
As said earlier only take out as much as needed to clean the cylinders up. I’m not familliar with what the 2V heads have as far as open chamber or closed but that will determine pistons to get the right compression ratio you want, I have 4V closed chamber run forged flats which is about 10.5:1 and run 94 octane Chevron with no issues at all.
Its not going to be a cheap build but worth it when done right.
When trying to keep the Cleveland cool, there is a few issues that should be addressed.
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All the aftermarket mechanical water pumps I have seen have excessive impeller clearance, this causes the coolant to by pass the impeller and slows down flow. Get yourself a copy of an original workshop manual, in it you will find the correct clearance specifications to what the pump should be. Aftermarket pumps have as much as twice the Ford recommended clearance between the impeller and the housing.
( I prefer a cast iron pump over an aluminium type because they don’t suffer corrosion so much if you miss a coolant flush, but that’s my choice) -
It is possible to get water pumps for the Cleveland with the Boss 302 style impeller to improve flow, maybe an option.
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When repairing my last Cleveland pump I noticed that the holes between the pump and the block don’t line up correctly and the timing chain cover plate partly covers the holes. So I match ported the water pump, timing cover and the block to improve flow. As yet have not driven my cougar to find out if it works, but makes sense to me.
I am not so keen on the electric fan idea, unless you have an engine that runs nice and cool all the time. In my experience in hot weather they are always on and the battery is always flat. So inevitably you end up sitting on the side of the road with a car that is over heating and has a flat battery.
I would second Don Rush on his 3 core 24" wide rad with clutch fan idea. I have not tried his restrictor plate idea, so can not comment it.
The fan clutch with the larger fan and 24’ radiator looks more original anyway and possibly better for resale of you vehicle.
Peter 
So, It’s been more than a year since I’ve gotten my cougar and I’ve had a lot of set backs and the engine rebuild was sadly one of those. Now that I have some time and am able to get back into it, I’d like to get back on track, and since I’m in the tear down stage on the engine I figure I may as well start my research.
1970 Cougar, 351 Cleveland 2V, FMX Transmission and 8" with 3.00 Gears I believe. It’s going to be a daily driver, not long distance if I can help it but I’d like to be able to daily drive it around town. Everything is stock, pistons, connecting rods, cam and crank, carb and intake, and heads. I’m looking to replace the cam, and I don’t know too much, but after some research I think I have a general ballpark.
A solid roller cam, .500 lift, 110-114 lobe seperation, Overlap I know should be between 10 and 55 but I don’t know an exact range, and as for duration I was told 268 was moderate, but I have no experience with cams so to me it’s just theory and all the relation between each different aspect is not something I am savvy with.
I’m gonna keep the 2V heads, get it cleaned up and probably get a 3 angle valve job, and I read that the stock connecting rods can handle somewhere in the 300 hp range, and I don’t plan to go over at most 400, most likely around 350, but I’d like to get new rods since they are 50 years old, so a recommendation on that would be appreciated. Pistons as well, since I planned to stay stock but I’m open to changing since I may as well replace most of the internals. As for the intake I was recommended an edelbrock air gap, and for the carb I hadn’t looked at which 4 barrel works best with the air gap. I have an FMX trans, and I don’t plan on any work or upgrades on it, and I am 90% certain it has an 8" with 3.00 gears, and I have a set of 3.25 gears that were for my maverick but I no longer have that and if they fit in the cougar I may as well use them.
This is my first engine build, and I figure 350hp wasn’t an unreachable figure, and I could do all the reading in the world but I’m sure everyone on here has more knowledge than any book could give me, so any advice is appreciated, as well as explanations since it’s new ground for me. Any products, number ranges for things or tips would be great, Thanks for any help.
edit: Also time/money aren’t a major concern, I’ll be getting a new job soon and I don’t have too many expenses so I can put money into it and I can save up if need be. Obviously I’d like to to be as cheap as I can but I want the car to be upgraded and have it last so I know not everything can be cheap and good quality, thanks.
Your Cougar would have left the factory with a 9" rear, so if you currently have an 8" than someone has replaced it. An easy way to tell the difference between an 8" and a 9" is to look at the nut holding the center section to the housing at the 6:00 position. If you can put a socket on that nut then it is an 8". On a 9" there is no way to get a socket on that nut.
Randy Goodling
CCOA #95
Yes what Randy said.
AS long as your rods arent damaged they will hold up to way more than 300, your HP range is well within your limits. The weekness of the rods are the nuts on the rod bolts, I think you can get nuts but I’d just get a new set of ARP rod bolts and have the machine shop put them in and re-shape the big hole. Also, for your HP range I’d say a set of Sealed Power/Speed Pro forged pistons for the size your machinest states. Spend your money on good machining, new valves, ARP hardware and quality bearings you’ll have a more reliable build than spending on stuff you don’t need. 350HP out of a Cleveland is pretty easy.
Also, a solid roller cam requires a bit of regular “tuning”, meaning valve lash needs to be set somewhat frequently. If your dailey driving and not really racing it may not be the best for you. A hydraulic roller conversion set up is good IMO, one time (usually) valve lash set up and no need for special oils to prevent a cam lobe wipe out.
I’ve built several motors, but I don’t have the test equipment nor the knowledge and skills to properly recommend a cam for you. Thats why I recommended a skilled Cleveland builder with experience; Brent LYKINS. He has a forum thats Clev specific with some good info http://www.the351cforum.com/
I’ve read a lot about ARP rods for both connecting rods and other parts, so that’ll definitely be an upgrade. For sure new bearings, valve guides and valves, new arp hardware, and thanks for the piston recommendation, I’ll be going to the machine shop this weekend with parts to see what needs to be done.
I also have a topic on 351cforum with basically the same post, however I did learn that I should be going for a hydraulic roller cam, and I’ve talked to Brent over email and on the forum so I’ll be in contact with him. Thanks for the advice.
Edit: I forgot to ask if anyone had a recommendation on a torque converter or even just a rpm range for one, as well as if anyone has tried the Edelbrock AVS2 650cfm electric choke. I plan on putting that on the Air Gap, and was wondering if anyone had any firsthand experience with it.
IMHO. The edelbrock carb looks like a carter which was a mopar product. Holley always looks better and performs as well IF not better.
It is the same as a Carter. Did you know Lincoln’s had Carters at one time?
As did GM products and mid-century Willys. Carter was a St.Louis company that had no connection to any manufacturer other than who was sending them business.
Keep it simple and cheap, I say. I would even avoid converting to hydraulic roller if it was mine!