For sale: 1969 Super Stock Coupe AMX AMC

All XW Falcon GT and GT-HOs were fitted with a 351ci V8 engine, being either:

1. The Windsor V8 (fitted up to February 1970). The engine was named after the production plant from which it was derived in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

2. The Cleveland V8 (fitted from around January/February 1970 onward). The engine was named after the production plant from which it is derived in Cleveland, Ohio, USA.

Despite sharing the same cubic capacity, the Windsor and Cleveland engines were substantially different units. The means of differentiating each has been outlined below:

 Air cleaner:

• All Cleveland engines came with a polished open element air cleaner, whether or not the cars were fitted with an automatic or manual transmission.
• Windsor powered GTs had two different air cleaners fitted. Vehicles fitted with a 4-speed manual transmission had the same open element air cleaner as applied to all Cleveland engines. However, automatic engines were fitted with a large blue air cleaner box without the open sides. This air cleaner box is of a design shared only with the ZC Fairlane (if optioned with a 351ci 4V engine).

Block:

• The engine blocks shared the exact same block length, cylinder bore spacing (being 4.38 inches), the same block deck height, conrod length, cylinder head bolt pattern and crank to cam spacing. However, the Cleveland block was slightly narrower than the Windsor, and was also heavier than the Windsor at 254kg (vs 213 kg for the Windsor).

Cylinder heads:

• The Cleveland block had canted / tilted cylinder heads, with splayed valves set at slightly opposing angles to one another. The heads appear bigger / wider than the Windsor heads, and had “4” cast into the corner of the heads (see image). The casting confirmed the heads are US-specification 4V chamber heads (as opposed to the 2V heads available on lower specification engines).
• The Windsor block was fitted with heads that were thinner and had parallel valve stems (and smaller valves as a result).
• The Cleveland had 2.19 inch intake valves and 1.71 inch exhaust valves.
• The Windsor had 1.875 inch intake valves, and 1.6 inch exhaust valves.

Valve / rocker covers

• The Cleveland engines have more square shaped rocker covers secured by 8 bolts each, and those rocker covers are wider than the Windsor’s covers. The Cleveland covers also had a dimple in the front outer corner, and “Power by Ford” stamped into the top face.
• The Windsor engines had more rounded covers, secured by 6 bolts each, and like the Cleveland had “Power by Ford” stamped into the top face.
• The 351 Cleveland engines built in the U.S. and shipped for export acquired the letter ‘C’ in front of the ‘K’, and this is what appeared on the paper tag (on the front of the passenger rocker cover) on engines fitted to Australian vehicles. The ‘C’ stood for ‘Canada’, as engines built for Canada could be exported to Australia without import duty being charged, as both were Commonwealth countries. The ‘CK’ engines are otherwise identical to their US counterparts. On the Cleveland’s this will be:
  • CK608 A1 70-1 = manual transmission, D block, 4V heads; or
  • CK609 A1 70-1 = auto transmission, D block, 4V heads.

• The Windsor engines had a tag “K208-SA” on the front of the passenger side rocker cover.

Inlet manifold:

• The Cleveland has a dry inlet manifold (i.e., no coolant passes through the manifold). Instead, coolant passes across the engine in a cast extension to the front of the engine block.
• The Windsor engine had coolant passages which passed between the heads through the inlet manifold casting.

Timing chain and water pump locations:

• Windsor: The timing chain is mounted forward of the block face, with the water pump mounted on the timing chain cover casting. Therefore, on the Windsor the top radiator hose connects to the engine block / thermostat horizontally, on the front of the inlet manifold.
• Cleveland: At the front of the block the casting extension created for the coolant extends forward to include the timing chain cavity. The timing chain cavity has a flat plate which is bolted over it, and the water pump is bolted onto that plate. Therefore, on the Cleveland engine the radiator hose connects to the engine block / thermostat vertically, on top of the casting extension piece.