Trying to hide the 351 again

J

junkyardjeff

Senior Member
When I dropped the 351 in my 55 I tried to hide it with Y block stickers on 289 valve covers and a original air cleaner converted to paper element,the baffles in the 289 valve covers hit the newer rocker arms so i had to tweek the baffles and the pcv did not fit right. Before I drove it to Florida in 2010 I installed aluminum valve covers and a chrome air cleaner which are coming off,I had issues with oil blowing out of the cheep breather cap since the aluminum covers were installed so I am going back to OEM parts. I picked up a pair of 302 mercruiser valve covers that have nothing stamped on them so I can put Y block police interceptor stickers on and go back to the look I originally had.
 
When I put a 460 in my '71 F100, I used the original air cleaner on it -- said it was a 360 :D
 
Hey, good idea. Then you could move the distributor to the back of the engine and change the firing order so it not only LOOKs like a Y-Block but SOUNDS like a Y-Block. Then again maybe not... :eek:
 
Its going to get a Y block again but will be in a couple years,just a little project to keep me busy this winter and get the 351 back to being easy to keep clean. Shiny parts on a motor are just too much trouble to keep clean being lazy.
 
Jeff, Just pulling your lariat. I have heard you mention before that you were going the reinstall a Y-Block. Just say it's a "312 Thunderbird Special". Plenty of those around that are something else.
 
I have a pair of the police interceptor valve cover decals so I am going to say its the rare police motor,if anyone mentions the front distributor I will tell them the police motors were being tested to see how the front mounted distributor would work in fleet service.
 
At least you're not trying to cover up one of "those other" (non-Ford) :eek: engines.

I've seen newer Ford engines that have been 'retro-dressed' and am thinking about doing something similar with a possible project.

I get a kick outta those tacky "looks like a Ford" rocker covers that are made to fit the "other" engines.

I still haven't figured out how to make a 302 look like a flathead :)
 
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I did see a SBC with T-Bird Aluminum Valve covers and with the rear distributor and similar layout of the exhaust ports it may trick someone. No one on here though, we're all experts...
 
I overheard one guy looking at the 312 in my car tell his buddy this was just another C##v but the exhaust manifolds were upside down. I was so at a loss for words I could not respond. I think there were flies going in and out of my mouth!
 
Just trying to make it look a little older,the valve covers arrived yesterday and have most of the paint off them but will have to wait until the rain stops to paint. I am also going to add a crankcase breather to the 55 air cleaner so it will have a closed pcv system,I am not a big fan of most pollution control devices but it will keep the motor from sucking in dirty air.
 
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Ole Don said:
I overheard one guy looking at the 312 in my car tell his buddy this was just another C##v... I was so at a loss for words....!
Click to expand...

Ha, yeah nearly same happened with me a year or 2 ago at a show. Poor dad telling his kid to check out the SBC in my '56... My fault, maybe I should make the engine make a bit more obvious:
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A few years ago, I rode up with a buddy to one of his high school (many moons ago) friends shop and he had a beautiful 57 FAIRLANE 500. He popped the hood and we stared down. The engine compartment detail was nearly flawless and I stood there gazing at a nicely detailed 312.

But something wasn't quite right. I finally realized I was looking at a 351W install. I looked back at him and he had this smile that was priceless.

He had detailed the 351 to appear as the original 312. The only give-away(s) was of course the distributor and its having open rocker covers instead of early SBF closed. He had put the THUNDERBIRD SPECIAL decals on the rocker covers and had painted them black.

He told us he had the car at numerous shows and it had even fooled old timers who swore up and down it was a Y.

I was thinking of detailing one even further with the closed rocker covers, early front cover and maybe even a DIS to rid the engine of the distributor. Have some up-swept shorty headers made up to cover that one detail.

Isn't that INTERCEPTOR decal for the 58 332/352?
 
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