Weber 48 IDF Intake for the 351C

I picked up an Aussiespeed intake for the 351 Cleveland from a guy in Texas that is importing them and selling them on eBay.  I like the fact that he has been importing these and saving everyone on on shipping.  Even though I'm working on a Coyote, I'm also keeping my 351 for originality.  If I decide to go back to stock, then Weber IDF carburetors are the way I'd like to go.  The Aussiespeed intake is a great way to go with Weber carburetors. Unlike the 48 IDF manifold from Hall Pantera, the IDF manifold is a lot shorter.  See the manifold measurements here.  Interesting that they have put my blog as a link there! I put the 40 IDF body I have on the intake to see how it fits.

I also found two brand-new 48 IDF's for a good deal on the internet.  I picked them up and will post when I receive them.  I plan to buy two more, but unless I can find them new, I'll just buy two brand-new from Redline.

I also plan to pick up all of the jetting and linkage needed from Jim Inglese. Jim understands the unique Pantera aspect and builds Weber setups with this intake manifold, and he agreed to sell me the linkage & jetting. My philosophy is that one day, these manifolds, etc. will be gone and I will have missed the boat.

Four-Bolt Mains

I have the cash to work on the engine a little (ironically from the engine parts I have sold as a result of having the block cleaned) so I'm pushing ahead to bore the block now. 

Here's the block being machined for four-bolt main caps:

Here's the tapped holes:

Block Updates

When Ford cast the 351 Cleveland, they cast all of the blocks the same.  The Australian XE race blocks intended for drag and road race cars are the only exception.  Even the Austrailian blocks are essentially the same casting, and I was told that when stateside production halted, the molds were shipped to Australia.  All blocks have 4-bolt main provisions, even if they have 2-bolt mains.  This means if you have a set of 4-bolt main caps, you can drill the block and have a 4-bolt main block.  I think it's overkill to seek out a 4-bolt main capped block and many people would agree for a street-driven car, but I want to be able to really get on this engine.

My block has 2-bolt main caps.  I had 4-bolt main caps from the previous owner's engine, so I took them in to have them looked at when the block was being cleaned up.  Roger from the machine shop said that he put the torqued block and caps into his line hone today and confirmed that the 4-bolt main caps are usable with this block.  So, I can use the 4-bolt main caps I have, effectively making my block a 4-bolt main block.  I'm also going for ARP main studs.  I already have ARP head bolts.

After the align hone and rough bore, I'll probably stop everything on the engine and concentrate on body issues, of which I have several.

Machine Shop Blues

I took my 351 Cleveland block and 4V quench heads to the machinist two weeks ago this past Wednesday.  Roger at RB Machine will be looking at the block & heads.  The task at hand is to clean both block & heads up and then check them over.  Immediately upon seeing the block and heads, Roger said that it didn't look bad at all.  He checked the bores with his finger and said "it'll need 20 thousandths over".  He agreed to disassemble the heads and clean them at the same time as the block.

I got word on Wednesday about what I was in for.  It seems that the block is in excellent condition and should be a great foundation for the engine.

The 351 Cleveland 4V quench heads (casting D1AE-GA) are a different story.  Roger said that the heads have pitted valves and valve seats, need new valves, and doesn't trust the double springs with dampers.  What I thought were stainless steel exhaust valves are actually two-piece stock, burnt valves.  He said the keepers are in poor condition and will require replacement.  The bronze valve guides are actually cheap bronze guide inserts and Roger didn't recommend keeping them, even though the valves are tight in them.  So, in a nutshell, the good heads I thought I had aren't very good at all.

I called the guy who sold me the heads on Thursday.  I explained what we found and tried to be as understanding and calm as possible.  He said "send me the pictures and let me dig back into my emails to see what I said I was selling you".  Sure enough, he emailed me on Friday and offered new valves or a discount on another item I need for my project or even a refund if I shipped the heads back.  I haven't decided which to do, but I'm leaning toward the discount on the other item.  I really appreciate his acceptance that the heads weren't what I thought they were.  I am also glad that he didn't say "I can't help you since I didn't know about that".  +1 for him in my opinion.  I never thought he tried to pull a fast one and this confirmed it.  He told me that he would stand behind what he did, even if it was painful or costly for him, and he has done just that in my opinion.

Obligatory pictures:

Current Engine Condition

I picked up the 351 Cleveland with the car.  The previous owner stated that it had been rebuilt, but not by him and he picked it up from someone in New Mexico who claimed it had been rebuilt.  The previous owner hadn't pulled off the heads, but did look at the bottom end and found ARP main studs, APR rod bolts & nuts, fresh assembly lube, and what appeared to be new bearings.  I pulled the heads and found that the bores were stock with a carbon ridge at the top.  The engine had not been machined, but I guess someone might consider it "rebuilt".

Here are the "rebuilt" pistons.  Looks kinda stock to me.  Notice the ARP head studs.