NASCAR technology for the street sounds counterintuitive, but in reality the realm of ultimate pushrod race engines holds the secret to rejuvenating one of the best head designs ever created for the small-block Ford: the Cleveland. That’s because prior to the release of Ford Racing’s magnificent clean-sheet FR9 race engine in 2009, Ford’s NASCAR program had overt muscle car roots. For the three decades preceding the FR9, the engines powering every Blue Oval racer were essentially 351 Windsor blocks topped with 351 Cleveland-derived heads.
Thirty-plus years is an extraordinarily long time to go between racing engine changes for a manufacturer, but you know what that gets ya? A lot of time sorting out and fine-tuning to create fully optimized engines. For example Carl Edwards, driver of the No. 99 Ford for Roush Fenway, finished the 2008 season with a series-high nine victories. Not too bad for a platform considered archaic by NASCAR standards.
That extended life also brought forth dramatically revised and near perfected versions of the original Cleveland heads, thanks to the efforts of Ford Racing, Roush Racing, and Robert Yates. The A351, B351, C302, C302B, C3, C3H, SC1 (Sprint Car 1), and finally the most radical, the D3. That last head was worked so well that it was used right until the FR9 bowed. Even cooler is the fact that all of them will technically bolt right onto any Ford Windsor or Cleveland small-block.
When NASCAR banned the use of canted valves on cylinder heads (the Cleveland’s signature design) in 1990, Robert Yates stepped in to revise the C302 head. The intake valve cant was removed and the angle was altered, but the traditional stagger arrangement remained. The new heads colloquially became known as “Yates.” Notwithstanding, Ford used recycled part numbers on some of the intake manifolds so there are Yates and C302 intakes that carry the same part number. That did lead to a bit of an issue with identification among those seeking the ultimate heads for their small-block Fords, since the pre- and post-Yates heads were quite similar looking to the untrained eye.
Of course all of those iterations were very specific application race parts designed for ultrahigh rpm use and regular maintenance. What the Ford world really needed was a head that took all of those lessons learned from decades of NASCAR competition, and put them into a street-friendly head—one that makes massive power, of course.
The foundation for Max Effort’s...
The foundation for Max Effort’s engine is Dart’s virgin 355-T61 aluminum block. The block uses scalloped outer water jacket walls to improve coolant flow around the cylinders to ward off detonation and promote consistent cylinder temperatures when run at extended high rpm. On top of that, the upgraded oiling system features a complete stock-type system, plus a low-restriction priority main oiling system with front and rear external oil pump feeds. Both of those benefits are especially important when on track. The block’s light weight will take important pounds off the nose to help make up for Max Effort’s heavy hideaway headlights.
That’s where Troy Bowen at Ford Performance Solutions (FPS) saw a gap. There were updated Cleveland-style heads on the market, and Cleveland-headed Windsors are nothing new, but he felt there was power left on the table. His first iteration, known as the Avenger XTC 351, worked well, but a newer version, dubbed the Avenger XTC-R, blends original Cleveland and the best bits of NASCAR design into a head. That brings everything full circle—street to race, and back to street. That’s perfect for a car like Max Effort that’s a little bit Pro Touring, a little bit road race, and touch of NASCAR thrown in for good measure.
The craziest part of this build isn’t the awesome power production; it’s that this combination we threw together is designed to run on premium 91-octane pump gas. Read on to see how FPS makes it happen.
Rather than stick to a puny...
Rather than stick to a puny 358ci like NASCAR, we opted for 438 torque-building cubes from an RPM-International 4.10-inch stroke 4340-forged crank with internal balance, .125 radius on all journals, and lightening holes in all rod throws. It’s also shot-peened, stress relieved and nitride hardened. Both small 302 2.249-inch and large 351C 2.749-inch main bearings are available, ours is a 351C.
Keeping the crank locked in...
Keeping the crank locked in place are Dart’s four-bolt billet steel main caps. The three center caps have splayed outer bolts for extra strength; the rear cap uses a standard one-piece seal.
Bowen opted for RPM-International’s...
Bowen opted for RPM-International’s Maxx-Pro billet I-beam rods, which are designed for light weight, but strong enough for sustained high-rpm use. Ours are 620 grams and use standard ARP 2000 capscrew bolts.
We filled the Dart block’s...
We filled the Dart block’s 4.125-inch bore with custom forged Cleveland-style pistons from Ross Racing, and Akerly and Childs rings using a .043 first, 1.5 second, and a 3mm oil ring. The pistons sit at zero deck.
There was only one area that...
There was only one area that required very minor clearancing for the 4.10-inch stroke. Bowen just touched the edges of the ARP bolt to gain the needed space.
To take full advantage of...
To take full advantage of the Dart block’s impressive oiling capacity and eliminate starvation fears while cornering, we stepped up to a two-stage dry-sump system and pan from Aviaid. These guys have been building competition and street oil systems since the ’60s and Aviaid pans and equipment were common on competition Shelby GT350s and Cobras, and even the Ford GT40s that won Le Mans.
The camshaft is a custom solid-roller...
The camshaft is a custom solid-roller from COMP Cams spec’d by Bowen with .673/.673 lift, 270/278 degrees of duration at .050, and a 111-degree lobe separation angle.
Since we want max reliability,...
Since we want max reliability, Bowen opted for COMP Cams’ Endure-X solid-roller lifters. These lifters are fully rebuildable and have COMP’s EDM oil injection technology, which makes sure that the bearing assembly receives a constant flow of pressurized oil. That coupled with tool steel axles make these ideal for high-rpm applications.
Fel-Pro PermaTorque MLS head...
Fel-Pro PermaTorque MLS head gaskets seal up the bores when the specific-length ARP studs (available through FPS) lock down the FPS XTC-R heads.