Question-hey steve i hate to be a pain, im getting the ball rolling on this rebuild, you suggested i try to get some lowend power out of the cleveland. i just purchased the cam and lifters. the cam is from 1,000 to 4,000 rpm does that sound like a range i would need?------------------------
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hey steve thanks for the reply do you have any suggestions on how to get low end torque fom the cleveland and should i use the 1970 closed chambered heads?-------------------------
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i have a 79 f150 shortbed i have a 72 351 cleveland in it. i also have a set of 69 or 70 closed chambered heads for it. would this be a motor to rebuild , or should i just change everything including the transmission over to a 460. can i get the power out of the cleveland ??
Answer -
Cletus-
Sure, Clevelands can make a ton of power, but they tend to make it higher in the rpm range which isn't where trucks need it. Trucks need torque and they need it down low since they're so heavy. A 460 would be ok...but they're VERY heavy. I'd stick with the Cleveland and try and build it for as much low end torque as possible. After that the top end power is just icing on the cake. Hope this helps.
Steve
Answer -
Cletus-
The 70 heads should work fine. Low end torque depends heavily on the intake, cam, and exhaust. For the intake, I like the Weiand Stealth (if they make it for the 351C) because it's an excellent balance of low and mid range power. Really any low or medium rise dual plane intake will work well. Just stay away from high rise or single plane intakes since they tend to promote top end power and sacrifice low end. For cams...anything marketed as a truck or 4X4 cam should produce really good low end torque. Just about any company offers them so it shouldn't be hard to find one. Comp Cams has a really good tech feature on their site that I've been told is a big help. When it comes to exhaust, don't go too big. I'd keep header tube diameter in the 1 5/8" range and the exhaust pipes around 2 1/2". You might also take this time to have the heads ported and polished with a 5 angle or radius valve job. Every little bit will help. Hope this helps.
Steve
AnswerCletus-
The cam sounds like a good choice. Another thing I forgot to mention that you might keep in mind for the future is a set of rear end gears. I don't know what you have in your truck right now, but if you can live with a slightly higher cruising rpm a set of higher rear gears is a HUGE help to heavy autos like trucks. They won't actually add horsepower, but just make more use of the power that's already there.
Steve
