Thread: Gasket for a 351 Cleveland

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Komisarz57: Okay, first of all make sure that they didn't sell you a 351 Windsor head gasket instead of a 351 Cleaveland head gasket. I don't know whether your running 2-barell head or a 4-barell head, there are some different head gaskets for these heads but, they dont talk about the differences. Okay, McCords has a head gasket for the Cleaveland 2- barell (#6850M). Fel Pro makes head gaskets for it and these are all different thicknesses and, in my book,FORD PERFORMANCE, it shows you how you should drill a 5/32 inch hole in each gasket to relieve pressure from steam that canbuild up and cause premature gasket failure. This is recomended for street cars, circle tracks, and extended high R.P.M. use. You might want to buy this book. Like the other guys told you they probably sold the wrong head gasket. I have a 351 Cleaveland in my garage that I'm working on too.
On the passengers side of the car at the rear of the engine you should find an I.D. number. It should start out with a D if it is a Cleaveland, they were only made for 3 1/2 years from 1970 to 1973.If the number on the block don't start with the letter D and then 0 thru 3 then you don't have a cleveland. and boss 302 didn't start in prodution till 1969 to 1970.and that was the earliest that the cleveland style head was produced.Fords intake manifold gasget is a pan that go's under the intake and is made of stamped steel and it keeps the heat away from the intake manifold this is what I'm useing.If the stock intake manifold is on the motor you can use the number off that, to I.D. the motor instead of the block.
hope this helps some!

Vegas