I started learning to work on cars in the late 1970s by helping my stepdad turn salvaged mid-1960s Chevy Chevelles into street-stock-class race cars. Throughout that period, I had my hands on a number of small-block Chevy V8s, including a fair number of 350 Chevy engines. While the late 1970s might have been among the worst years for production 350 Chevy engines, the race engines we used more closely resembled those from the early 1970s, a time before the required emissions changes brought the Muscle
Car Era to a halt.
The Ford 351W, one of three 351-cubic-inch V8 engines used by Ford, was built in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Windsor, located just across the Detroit River from Detroit, Michigan, is also the namesake of the Ford 351 Windsor, its name shortened to 351W much of the time.
Comparing a 350 Chevy to a Ford 351W is a little like comparing a Chevy Corvette to a Ford F-150; they're both good at their intended purpose. However, Chevrolet used the 350 in a wide variety of vehicles from trucks to Corvettes with horsepower ranging from 145 to 370 and up to 380 lb-ft of torque. While it's true that some models of the Ford Mustang featured a 300-horsepower 351W, it was never Ford's premier 351-cubic-inch offering.
Still, both the 350 Chevy and Ford 351W are similarly sized small block V8 engines. The good news is that they've each been blessed with upgrades through the years, as evidenced by the power delivered by their crate engine versions.
Read more: The 10 Best And Worst Engines Made By Major Automakers
As Crate Engines, The 350 Chevy Still Makes More Power Than The Ford 351W
I'm not saying that the Windsor is a bad engine. In fact, it has proven itself worthy of the considerable admiration it receives, especially under the hoods of some of Ford's coolest cars.
The Ford 351 Windsor crate engine doesn't have as much horsepower as the 350 Chevy in general, unless you're comparing equally-priced engines. Chevrolet and other crate engine suppliers provide a range of 350 Chevy crate engines with varying horsepower and prices. Ford no longer makes a 351W crate engine, but several suppliers offer remanufactured engines built with reclaimed 351W engine blocks and premium components.
ATK is one of the leading suppliers of 351W crate engines, and the ATK HP11C Ford 351W Complete Engine 385HP, priced at $7,163 (plus a $550 core charge), is a prime example of its 351W crate engine offerings. The ATK HP11C specs indicate it provides 390 horsepower and 420 lb-ft of torque, even though it has 385HP in its name.
The 350 Chevy ZZ6 EFI Turn-Key 420HP from GM Performance produces 420 horsepower and 408 lb-ft of torque. However, the ZZ6 EFI has a suggested retail price of $17,361.46 (currently on sale for $13,671.88). When comparing the two engines based on price, GM Performance has its SP350/357 Deluxe Crate Engine on sale for $7,618.95, reduced from $9,674.87. The SP350/357 falls behind the ATK HP11C with its 357 horsepower and 407 lb-ft of torque.
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Read the original article on SlashGear.
