Need help to know what engine I have?

[1973MachoUno]

Hi Everyone and sorry to bother you but I need help with a little issue that I have. I'm selling a 72 Mach 1 and the vin number says that is a 351C and that's what I list the car with a 351C. someone ask me if I knew for a fact that my engine was a 351 and not other ford engine? the air filter says 400 but I don't know if is juts because someone change the top plate. The guy who is trying to buy my car says that it looks like a 302 engine but I don't know much about engines at all. Any help would be amazing! Thanks in advance Sergio .

[Mach1FatherFigure]

That looks like a 302 to me. The Clevo I work on has a deeper water pump area and a heat sensitive vacuum valve screwed in it.

[1973MachoUno]

so you think it is the 351? I don't know if there is any difference on the sounds from the 302 and the 351 but I can turn my 73 Mach1 with the 351 and feels the same sound coming out of the exhaust out of this engine but I'm lost and I don't want to misguide someone trying to buy my car.

Thanks for any advice

[jrpav]

Nope that's definitely a 335 (Cleveland or "M") engine: it has 8 valve-cover bolts and the thermostat housing is bolted to the block, not the intake manifold. That's the easiest way to tell. Now we need to figure out if it's a 351C, 351M or 400. Look for an engine tag - these were attached to the intake right underneath the ignition coil. If you can't find it then we'll have to figure out another way to tell. There are various casting numbers on the heads and intake that could help.

I bet that it really is a 400.

[mrmach1]

It looks like a 351 Cleveland 2 barrel carburetor. But that said its possible it could be a 400m. It's hard to tell from the pics.

[Masterblaster7212]

If you measure the distance between the top bell housing bolts (The very top two bolts) it should be the narrow small block distance of exactly (5 inches from the hole centers).
Any longer then its a 351-M or 400.

Its definately not a 289, or 302, or a 351 Windsor at all.

The block casting will be located directly beside the starter. You may have to remove a bunch of gunk to read it or remove the starter. But if you give us the markings we can decipher it.
typically a D2AE-CA would mean.
C= the decade= 1960's
D= the Decade =1970.s
E= the decade= 1980's

The next would be a number like this above mentioned block casting serial number. The #1 would mean 1970. This one is D2AE-CA, so the #2 would mean 1972.

Im thinking that more than likely the guy just finally got a period correct air cleaner out of a junk yard to replace all the cheap aftermarket exposed filters everyone ran back in the early years because we thought they looked cool.
Here is My 351     cleveland: Notice the shape of the valve cover has a raised and flattened area near the oil cap.

[j-cobb9]

the clue's are here. the pcv valve in the left hand valve cover, the thermostatic vacuum valve in the thermostat housing, the vacuum valve in the carburetor top horn, the extra vacuum ports in the vacuum tree. probably had and egr valve removed. the carburetor linkage looks like maybe had a dash pod, removed. the hose inlets on the front of the air filter housing not connected. fuel tank vapor hose ? housing not from this engine. all poor emissions attempts of the middle 70's. the trucks and bigger Lincoln's mostly had the 400 and emissions always came a couple years later. my guess a 351 modified from a tbird,cougar, ltd. dime a dozen in every junk yard would bolt right in. if u do get the numbers and find out please post it. just curious now. good luck

[gxr02190]

I'm with j-cobb9 on this one. Note there isn't a 2 or 4 cast into the upper left cyl. head. Check and see what you have for a transmission. Bell housing bolt patterns will tell you if it's a 351-C or 351-M /400. Masterblaster is right about the distance between the top 2 engine-to-bell housing bolts. Also, the 351M and 400 would be mated to a C-6, not a C-4 or FMX. I'm saying 351M or a 400.

[Mach1FatherFigure]

At the risk of never being taken seriously again, I still think that because of the difference in the water pump area and missing parts this is a 302.
Also a 2 barrel on a 351, was Ford serious? That must run like a strangled slug.

[mrmach1]

Just the location of the thermostat housing should tell you it's one of the 335 family engines. if it were a member of the small block 289-302-351W engines the water passages would go through the intake and the thermostat housing would be in the intake. Also the Valve covers are definitely Cleveland. I know of no other ford engine with valve covers like that. With that said not all engines in the 335 family are the same for instance the deck width is different on a 351C then on a 351M/400 and the intake will not interchange. I found this out the hard way. A 2V carb is very common on 351M/400 engines as these engines were most commonly used on full size Ford Mercury and Lincoln as well as F series pickup trucks.