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As a kid, the Ford Cleveland engine plant produced the 351-C engines. Which stood for 351 cubic inch engine, or (5.7 liters), manufactured in Cleveland plant #2. My dad had a Grand Torino with a 351-C and C-6 automatic transmission. Simply put, that was one butt hauling car. It was not fancy or full of hi performance options. It was a taxi cab model, A.I. fairly stock. The motor just had a lot of ‘git go’. So, if you had a 351-C you had a tire burner, if it was a 351-M (another article) then it was pretty tame, and the 351-W was a tame version as well.
Ford Motor Company’s Cleveland Manufacturing Site, consists of three plants: the Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 (opened in 1951); the Cleveland Casting Plant (1952) and Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2 (1955).
The whole complex sits on 365 acres of land. The plants take up a combined 5 million square feet.
Shortly after World War II, under the leadership of Henry Ford II, the reorganized Ford Motor Company made three strategic decisions that would greatly impact the city of Cleveland. They decided:..To produce a competitive line of cars with more powerful overhead-valve engines, to greatly increase their manufacturing capacity, and to build new plants outside of the Detroit area.
The strategy would require that a new engine plant and foundry be built away from Detroit. When the company’s intentions became known in the late 1940s, five states and hundreds of communities attempted to attract the project.
For over three years, Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 has been undergoing a massive facility redesign and modernization effort with the complete tear out of the 5.0L line and the installation of an all-new assembly line as well as block, crankshaft and cylinder head machining lines.
Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2 produced the 1969 and up Cleveland 351 V-8 (also known as the Boss 351). 1996 was the last year of the 351 CID engine of any sort.
This was a great engine, it served Ford and it’s customers for a long time. Ford also sold more pickups than anyone else at that period of time, so many 351’s were made. With the popularity of used Ford engines and
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Very cool. I live near that plant. Interesting to know its history