Yeah, alot of guys here have 351Ws. They actually don't fit as well as the C! The taller deck and exhaust ports competing with the shock towers make for some drawbacks to the W. One big one being only small tube headers will fit.
maverick with 351C hello guys,i just bought a 72 maverick without engine,and i have a stock 351 cleveland,will the cleveland fit in the maverick without doing modifications??
you need to do some mods to your shock towers, i have a 302 in my mav. and headers are REALLY close to the shock towers, actually, theres a company that makes a piece you can install at your car for the shock towers spacing problem, here is the link: www.rrs-online.com check it out it has many other cool parts for mavs
That is the reason a Cleveland fits better than a Windsor. On a 302 and 351w, the exhaust exits the engine parallel with the ground. The pipes aim directly at the towers. On a 351c, the exhaust points down, so the pipes don't compete with the towers for space. You can squeeze 1.75" header tubes on a 302/351w and call them "big". However, they are actually small tubes compared to small blocks by other manufacturers. The 351c in a Maverick can use 'real world' big tube headers with 1.875" or 2" tubes if you so choose, like a comparable small block GM or Mopar.
Everyone always is wanting to try to cram headers in there too. You can run mid 12 second 1/4 mile times all day long with a stock 351C with manifolds and full exhaust. Even then, you don't have to notch the shock towers, but it does make your life easier.
