Start your engines.

I am now about to delve into the ‘murky’ world of Australian Ford engines. I am going to say up front that the information here has been gleaned from some years of following the Falcon GT scene through the Falcon GT Club of Australia to whose members I gratefully acknowledge their assistance and wisdom. Mistakes that appear here are most probably the result of me misinterpreting what I have been told or read. If there is anything glaringly wrong, please get in touch and point out my mistakes and I will correct it.
With the above in mind, I make no apology with starting off with the 351 ci Cleveland engine, as fitted most effectively to the Falcon GTs, but which also survived until 1982, Australian built and powering Australian Fords of many types. While the U.S. version of the 351C existed in factory vehicle production for only 5 years - 1970 to 1974 - the Australian ‘version’ ran from 1972 to 1982, nearly three times as long, and as such the Cleveland could be regarded as more Australian than American. Its popularity down under has spawned a thriving industry of tuners, machinists and performance parts suppliers providing many services at reasonable cost in comparison with those in the U.S. where the 351C is regarded as ‘rare’ and ‘exotic’ and the willingness of suppliers to provide support and parts is thus restricted by the engine’s perceived rarity, especially when compared with its Windsor equivalent, an engine that has a long history in the U.S. bringing availability, ubiquity and cheapness to the forefront.
More details tomorrow.