Both the Ford 351 Windsor and Chevy 350 small block V8s need no introduction — they’re pretty much ubiquitous in the aftermarket scene. While forum users are almost always fighting over which past-era Detroit V8 is the better pick, the truth, although a bitter swallow for Ford and Chevy fans, is that there’s no real winner.
Before you start throwing hands, allow us to explain. You have to realize that both engines (in stock spec) are incredibly similar, or at least close enough, when it comes to displacement and just about everything else. Ford’s 351W (short for Windsor, Ontario, where it was built) displaces 351.9 cubic inches, while the Chevy 350 stays true to its name, displacing exactly 350 cubic inches. That’s 5.8 and 5.7 liters, respectively, for those across the pond.
Both engines also feature a cast-iron block and an OHV (overhead valve) design with two valves per cylinder. Additionally, they share a similar bore size at 4 inches and only slightly different stroke lengths, with the small-block Ford V8 sporting 3.5 inches, while the 350 measures in at 3.48 inches. This shouldn’t be a surprise, as both V8s are essentially from the same era of Detroit one-upmanship — the 351W started production in 1969, whereas the 350 Chevy was first introduced in 1967.
Spec talk and differences
Since both Ford and Chevy used the engines in several of their products, from cars and vans to sports coupes and trucks, power figures can vary depending on the application. But in its available crate-engine format, a factory-supplied base Chevy 350, although not as powerful as some of its other Chevy small-block cousins, is rated at 333 horsepower and 381 pound-feet of torque, which is awfully similar to an aftermarket-sourced base 351W’s 300 horsepower and 377 pound-feet of twist.Â
There are, however, more noticeable differences. Season 3 of Engine Masters pitted two mostly stock versions against each other in a head-to-head comparison, where the ATK-supplied Windsor featured a symmetrical port design, different from what’s seen in the 350. The Ford 351 had a longer deck height of 9.5 inches, while the Chevy’s came in at 9.02 inches, translating to the 351 being a tad heavier than the 350.
Also, the Ford features a longer 5.95-inch connecting rod, while the Chevy gets 5.7-inch items, which, coupled with the longer deck, means the Windsor V8 gets more piston compression height. Configurations used in the episode saw the Chevy 350 running close to 9.2:1, while the 351 Windsor had an almost 9.5:1 compression ratio.
So, does this mean the Ford is superior? Or, is the Chevy somehow better? Let’s put it this way, there isn’t enough of a difference in performance for most people to notice. There’s barely anything separating them, at least when it comes to street applications, which can’t be said about the Chevy and Oldsmobile 350 V8s. What may come across as a longevity concern is perhaps the Chevy’s exhaust port design leading to excess heat buildup. But that’s about it.
