XB GS stripe

At the rear:



A close up look at the form of the stripe at the front. Note also the ‘351’ engine identification.

XA GS - the final installment

Various colours of stripes were available. Four door saloons could have the XA GS stripe in black, gold, silver or orange, and on two door hardtops, in black or gold.

With the availability, in cars but not utes or vans, of a 260hp two barrel version of the 351ci Cleveland V8, the GS again offered an alternative to the GT. Indeed, with the escalating values and appreciation of the GT models, many collectors are turning to the GS, and finding that their predecessors fully appreciated their worth and the fact that with a few simple bolt on parts - manifold and four barrel carburettor - they could be excellent junior GTs.

All of the XA Falcon range could be fitted with the Option 56 ‘driving lights’ grille which was standard on the XA GT. It would seem that the take up of this option on XA GS’s was not as great as that for the same offering on the XB model. However, unlike the XB the XA GT style bonnet was not part of the GS package, nor was it an option on the range.

XY GS

Once again the GS Rally Pack was available on the XY model. In addition to being available on the Falcon 500, Futura and Fairmont sedans, it was also now an option on the Falcon 500 and Fairmont wagon also.

The actual GS options remained the same including the GT dash featuring speedometer, tachometer, odometer, oil pressure, water temperature and fuel gauges, but some other items crept onto the general option list, most notably a sunroof and a stereo radio/tape player. For performance enthusiasts, the most important option was now a 250hp two barrel carburettor equipped Cleveland version of the 351ci V8. It may not have rivalled the 290hp GT, but it really wasn’t too far off now.



This is a lovely XY GS in Onyx Black showing the GS stripe terminating in the GS badge and the chromed XR/XT GT lookalike wheel covers





Here are close ups of the stylised GS badge and of the wheel cover.

Winged sump mark 2

With the cancellation of the Phase4, Ford still wanted to be able to use the winged sump in their race cars, but had to prove it was a factory part, so they fitted them to production cars. This fitment appears to have been a bit hit and miss, as popular speculation says they were not just fitted to GT’s, but also to ordinary 351-equipped Falcons, and even F100 pickups. What can be stated as fact is that the winged sump was not part of the RPO83 option, as fitted to late - August/September, 1973 - XA GT’s.

Here is the original ‘4 dot’ headed, square block, CK617 engine being removed from an RPO83 car.



No wings.

Engine schemes 2

The XD and XE engine, both 302C and 351C had black painted blocks and silver rocker covers and air cleaners.



While it could be easy to dismiss the later Clevelands as fitted to XD and XE’s as mere shadows of their former selves, and not worth much merit, we actually find that they can throw up as much controversy as the earlier U.S. versus Australian engines, or 4V versus 2V. Welcome to the world of ‘Nascar’ blocks and ‘pillow’ blocks.

Engine schemes

It is worth pointing out too, that from the XW to the XC, all of the Cleveland engines had their blocks painted dark Ford Corporate Blue. Four barrel equipped cars also had their rocker covers painted Ford Blue - as seen in most of the photos above - but two barrel carb’d 351C’s as fitted to XA and XB’s had their rocker covers painted orange, as seen below.

Air cleaners 7

The ‘second’ type of airc leaner, introduced for 1973, superficially appears to be the same as that used on 1973 US 351C-4V engines, but a look at these photos shows that, in comparison with the XB air cleaner immediately above, there are some noticable differences.

Air cleaners part 5

Th previous types contrast with the later air cleaners which had provision for the larger concertina type of heat riser, but which does not seem to have been fitted to many -if any - XA and XB cars. This is in stark contrast to the Cleveland fitted in cars sold in in the U.S. where the concertina pipe was extensively fitted due to their tighter emissions laws. This is shown in this photo of a 351C in a 1971 Mustang.



This is the early XA air cleaner with belled end, a carryover from the XY, what we could call, the ‘first’ type.

Lots more air cleaners

This is the XY shaker air cleaner with shaker removed.

XY 351’s, both two barrel and in non-HO GT guise came with provision for the small hole steel heat riser tube which can be seen in some of the photos above, but is easily seen in the photo below.

Air cleaners continued

ZD Fairlanes used the same air cleaner base as XY’s but with the top used on the earlier 351Windsor engines in XW GT’s and ZC Fairlanes.



And XY 351C 2V Falcons used the same air cleaner.

Air Cleaners

Air cleaners fitted to 351C’s are another area where there should be hard and fast rules, but there appear to be some strange variations. Here is what I think holds true.
351Cleveland powered XW GT’s came with an open element air cleaner, whether the car was equipped with a manual transmission or an automatic.



And the air cleaner read ‘351 High Performance’.

Roker covers 4

However, it seems that the ‘second’ Cleveland type, the chamfered corner rocker cover also came with the larger, rounded corner edge to the raised box around the ‘Powered by Ford’ stamping.

This is the 351CJ version. Note the ‘4 dot’ heads.



Later Australian covers, fitted to later XB’s manual trans equipped cars, most automatic equipped XB’s and all XC’s dispensed with the ‘Power by Ford’ and only had the ‘Ford’ logo.

Rocker Covers 2

The ‘second’ style rocker cover was introduced with the ‘square’ block and it has a much more pronounced chamfer to the front corner.





While it is generally accepted as a rule of thumb that it was only the ‘square blocks that had this cover, there is some evidence to show that a few ‘D’ blocks also were fitted with these ‘second’ type rocker covers.

When Australian manufacture of the 351C started, this was the rocker cover that they initially produced.

Rocker Covers

This is an original XY GT with a ‘D’ block and the ‘first’ style rocker covers with the small dimple in the closest corner of the cover. These rocker covers were supplied on all of the imported ‘D’ block 351C’s, whether they were 4V or 2V.





A 351C 2V from the ZD fairlane brochure.

Cleveland engines part 15

This 351C in a September, 1973 LTD Landau also has the Australian style open chamber heads with nothing cast in the corner.



By way of comparison, and as an aside, here is a U.S. 351C 2V engine in a 1973 Mercury Cougar convertible.

Cleveland engines part 14

Later Australian 351C’s, like this 1974 XB GT, had Australian ‘square’ blocks and Australian cylinder heads with no casting mark.







Note this June, 1974 XB GT has the the third type, or Australian, rockers covers, as described later, and the location of the engine/VIN stamping on the block - on the vertical face of the timing chain block extension.

Cleveland cylinder heads

To fit 351C engines, it is generally accepted that there are seven types of production Cleveland heads that you may come across, five U.S. and two Australian.

They are:-
U.S. 4V Closed chamber with a ‘4’ cast in the corner
U.S. 4V Open chamber with a ‘4’ cast in the corner
U.S. 4V Closed chamber with a ‘4’ and a ‘dot’ cast in the corner
U.S. 2V Open chamber with a ‘2’ cast in the corner
U.S. 2V Open chamber with a ‘2’ and a ‘dot’ cast in the corner
Aus 2V Open chamber with nothing cast in the corner as fitted to Aus 351C
Aus 2V Closed chamber with nothing cast in the corner as fitted to Aus 302C

To take them in turn.

The U.S. 4V closed chamber head with the ‘4’ casting is the head fitted to the CK608 and CK609 engines installed in XW and XY GT’s. These heads were fitted to imported ‘D’ block engines.

The U.S. 4V open chamber head was not fitted to any Australian Ford.

The U.S. 4V closed chamber head with the ‘4’ and ‘dot’ casting is the head fitted to the CK617 engines installed from mid 1972 XA through to end of 1973 XB manual transmission equipped GT’s. It has a slightly larger chamber than the ‘4’ only casting with a resultant half a point compression drop in C.R. These engines were imported ‘square’ block engines.

The U.S. 2V open chamber head with the ‘2’ casting is the head used on the CK601 and CK604 engines in XY’s and ZD’s. These were imported ‘D’ block engines.

The U.S. 2V open chamber heads with the ‘2’ and ‘dot’ casting in the head were used on the CK614 engines fitted to late XY’s and ZD’s. These engines were imported ‘square’ block engines.

The Aus 2V open chamber head with no casting mark is the head fitted to Australian built 351C’s fitted to XA’s through to XE’s with both four barrel and two barrel carbs.

The Aus 2V closed chamber head with no casting mark is the head fitted to Australian built 302C’s fitted to XA’s to XE’s with two barrel and four barrel carbs. It has the smallest chamber size of any of the production Cleveland heads.

‘D’ block or the ‘square’ block

The terms ‘D’ block and ‘square’ block apply to differences in the casting of the engine block. The ‘D’ block is the earlier casting, in fact the initial casting of the 351C block and the ‘square’ block is the later one. How much later is open to conjecture. ‘Square’ blocks would appear to have been available in the U.S. in 1971, and there is some evidence to show that the ‘square’ block appeared in automatic XY 351C 2V’s as early as May, 1971, and in manual XY 351C 2V’s in December, 1971. It does appear that XY 351C 4V engines continued with ‘D’ blocks. What can be said though is that no XW or XY GT came with a square block, and that all Australian built engines are patterned after the ‘square’ blocks.

The ‘D’


The ‘D’ can be seen on the cast extension on the front of the block, adjacent to the petrol pipe.





Compare with the later square block.

Cleveland engines part 8

Some of what the descriptions mean will be explained below.
Regarding coil tags, and by way of comparison to the previous one, here is the tag for an early XY GT.



This shows that it is a:- ‘351C’, engine; ‘70’, model year; ‘1’, first version; ‘A18’, 18th of January engine build; and ‘CK609A1’ engine code. This is a ‘D’ block code.



As a check, here is the block from that engine showing the casting numbers:- ‘DOAE-J’, is the ‘D’ block casting and - not too well reproduced - under it is the casting date, ‘9M13’, 13th of December, 1969.
t was mentioned above that in the US they changed to engine code stickers in February, 1973. This is what they looked like, and note they were on the drivers side - in Australian terms - front face of the rocker coverand not the pax side.

The Cleveland story continues

We will start not quite at the beginning because I do not have a photo of a XW GTHO Phase 1.5, but with a Phase2.



Pretty impressive, but what do we look for?
The first 351C’s were all imported from the U.S. and as such conform to how the Americans were building and tooling for their engines. So, firstly, Ford had a policy of giving their engines an engine code number. This should not be confused with the practice of assigning an engine code letter to the vehicle’s data plate or VIN. For example, 351C’s with four barrel carb’s fitted to GT’s used the letter ‘T’ on the compliance plate. The engine code number was a number assigned to a production batch of engines and is used to describe the engine in some detail, especially if it is used to identify the engine to a parts counter.
U.S. 351C’s used a code system that started with the letter ‘K’, and followed it with a sequential set of numbers running from 600 to 632. For example, ‘K625’ was the Boss351, and ‘K610’ was a ‘M’ letter code, 351 2V engine. I will not run through the whole list of U.S. engines, but instead concentrate on those that reached Australia. These were:-
K601, K604 and K614 which were 2V, two barrel carb engines as fitted to XY Falcons and ZD Fairlanes.
K608 and K609 which were 4V, four barrel carb engines fitted to XW and XYs.
K616 and K617 which were 4V, four barrel carb engines fitted to XA and early XBs.