Let’s start things simple. The 351 designation in each of these engines signifies the engine’s displacement in cubic inches. As the names “Cleveland” and “Windsor” might indicate, the engines’ names refer to where they were built.
The 351 Windsor engines were built in Windsor, Ontario, just across the water from Detroit, Michigan. You might be familiar with the Windsor nomenclature because it’s also the same platform as the legendary Ford 302 V8. The Windsor plant also built the classic 221, 260, and 289 cubic-inch V8 engines, all of which made their way into iconic Ford models like the Mustang, Fairlane, and Falcon.
The 351 Cleveland was built in Cleveland, Ohio. It’s rarer than the 351 Windsor, particularly on the U.S. market, having only been made in America for 5 years. The 351 Cleveland had a beefier crankshaft and better airflow than the Windsor. That, combined with the option of two-valve or four-valve cylinder heads, made the 351 Cleveland the preferred choice for high-performance builds. DeTomaso even put the American engine into its deeply cool Pantera supercar.
Seeing a 351 Cleveland swap is fairly common in hot rods and Mustangs because of the engine’s power benefits. Both engines share the same bell housing pattern, so the Cleveland is almost a drop-in replacement for a 302 or 351 Windsor.
[Featured image by Stephen Foskett via Wikimedia Commons | Cropped and scaled | CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported]
