Mach 1 Club

If you were making the decision what would you go with and why?
What is the most bang for the buck?
Parts cost between the 3?
availability?
Ease of rebuilding?
Best one for getting HP and torque from with a small budget?

I made my decision to go with the 351C. I will have to admit that part of the process of making the decision was of the 351C I had in my 1970 Torino GT back in the day. (But I have also owned 460's). My other thought was to eliminate some front end weight for better balance.

If it is pure seat of the pants feeling that you are wanting then the old adage "there is no replacement for displacement" still holds true. That being true, it is still hard to beat the performance potential of a 351C. I have never done a cost analysis of the two but I would imagine they would be within dollars of each other. The parts availability and ease of rebuilding would also be a wash between the two. You'll get more horsepower and torque from the 460 with the same money simply because you start with more.

Again. back when I ran my 351C 4V I hung with a pro drag racer who ran Pontiac's. He always told me that pound for pound you could not beat a 351C 4V. Today I would have to say with the new options available for the 351C it would be even harder to beat.

We'll see what others think.

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Well you need to also determine what the rest of the drive train will consist of. Bigger motor means a lot of more money to make everything else stronger IE tranny, gears, axles, brakes, suspension etc...

I'm getting older so for me the racing days are becoming less and less important. Ive even swore off shifting anymore. If it doesn't have an automatic I don't want it.

Ive seen guys drive down the street in cars that are not fast and people can't take there eyes off the car. So frankly I don't think a big motor means anything unless your still in race mode.
Im not knocking racing, I just don't need it and cant afford it! However I will still bark the tires on occasion!

My 72 was a 351 Cleveland 2 bbl. And people lost there minds when they saw it, but they didn't know that it really was not that fast, it was just super cool Sold but never forgotten!

If your going to drive it . The 351 C has alot of things out there . Take your time . Besure you have some help on the oiling problem the motor doe,s have . It,s well worth the trouble . C . L .

I think these cars have a lot going for them as they look fast! As these cars are aging, how much stress can the frame and suspension take from the big blocks with all the torque and HP. I would be a little concerned about how utilizing all that power in such an old car. It's nice to have bragging rights on the engine size and HP, but there is always something else out there a little faster, especially the new Mustangs. Not sure what the cost differences is, but unless you have an big budget or already have a 429 or 460, I think I would go with the 351C. Just my humble opinion, but I'm sure others would disagree. Heck, when people see my 73 Convertible they "think" it is fast, even though it has its original 250 straight six in it!