The BOSS 351 was a '71 model year only engine I believe.  Not sure if they also sold them through Ford's parts counter.  I'm sure there were at least some service replacement engines and parts built, but it was a fairly rare engine in a body style that still is not terribly popular.  Some view these things as a performance bargain.  Not sure I agree given the cost of modern parts vs. their performance potential.  30-40 years ago things were different. 

A buddy of mine built one of these as a stroker for a guy 20 years ago.  He said it made great power.  I think it went out to 393 cubes.  He put a roller cam and rockers in it too. 

To identify it: block casting number would be D0E-L (same as a 351 C, BUT is machined for 4 bolt mains, and these do not have screw in core plugs like a BOSS302)).  Head casting number is D1AE-GA  Factory intake casting number is D1ZX-DA.  These engines had unique rods, crank, pistons (domed), and balancer (2" thick vs. 1" for regular 351C). 

As far as what its worth, well, its worth the most to a guy with a BOSS351 that needs an engine, particularly the guy that has the car it came out of (if that still even exists).  To a regular performance guy its probably worth a little more than a typical 351C because you can say its a BOSS, but maybe not.  At its core its a 4V 351C with some unique parts.  They were solid lifter engines stock, but a modern hydraulic roller cam would run circles around that outdated setup.  The value in these things seems to be mostly in the unique parts (intake distributor, carb, etc.).  If that stuff isn't included or was replaced with generic performance parts I'd say its worth at most a couple grand.  The thing a lot of folks don't understand is that rare and valuable are not synonymous.  Its definitely rare, but the 351C market on its own is small (at least in the States, I hear the Ausies love the Clevelands).  To me its about as interesting a shop conversation piece as the 390 I've had under a workbench since college, and you see how far I got on building that and dropping it in my '67. 
 

This kid was telling me their engine is "based" on a Cleveland. Most everything on it is after market
BUTT-MAN does that puppy roll !!!
It woiuld look good wedged into your show-stopper.....
6sally6

Last edited by 6sally6 (8/22/2024 1:50 PM)

Well I finally got a picture of the said Boss 351C engine.  Suppose to be a 500 ho build by Blue Oval in Brookpark Ohio.  I'm not sure what that means and I don't recall ever hearing anything about Blue Oval when I lived there.  Other than I know the engine plant is there.   This is what my buddy said about the engine which is coming from his friend that owns the engine.

So the motor exists, I saw it today.  However his mom has used it to store stuff on it.  He will be in the house for the next three weeks and I will go over and help unbury it and roll it out for more photos.  He has the dyno paperwork but that is also probably buried.  It is apparently a blue oval built Boss engine built in brook park.  500 hp and was last ran in a jaguar race car.  Supposedly only around 1250 built.  I don’t know what most of that means or what it takes to rebuild an engine like this but I am sure you do.  I will follow up with photos.  By the way we will be down there in June.

BobE wrote:

I agree w/TKO’s response from a few months ago.  I’d suggest feeling out the market for this engine, or even a Boss 351 club on the web, or Facebook.  Unless you have specific plans for the engine it may just sit for another long time.

 
Actually me and my son were thinking of putting it in the 70 fastback I'll be building for him.  That will be a year out or more before I can start that project.   Who knows my son may change his mind and want the new 7.3 Godzilla put in it.

TKOPerformance wrote:

I think there are probably far cheaper options than either of those engines that make just as much power and are easier to install.  If cost were no object I'd build the 390 I have into a 445 stroker with aluminum heads an 8 stack EFI.  I just can't justify it though when a stroker 5.0 will make just about the same power for less than half the cost. 

 
I agree but like it was mentioned before, there's that cool factor.  I've never been an FE fan but it recent years I've grown to appreciate them and even follow a facebook fe group.  I've only ever put one fe together and it was a cross bolt block.  That's all I remember about it.  I was very young and didn't know a lot about the older ford performance stuff.  The guy I worked for then had 19 Shelby mustangs.  I traveled to a lot of swap meets with him too.  I learned a lot at his shop.

RTM wrote:

TKOPerformance wrote:

I think there are probably far cheaper options than either of those engines that make just as much power and are easier to install.  If cost were no object I'd build the 390 I have into a 445 stroker with aluminum heads an 8 stack EFI.  I just can't justify it though when a stroker 5.0 will make just about the same power for less than half the cost. 

 
I agree but like it was mentioned before, there's that cool factor. I've never been an FE fan but it recent years I've grown to appreciate them and even follow a facebook fe group. I've only ever put one fe together and it was a cross bolt block. That's all I remember about it. I was very young and didn't know a lot about the older ford performance stuff. The guy I worked for then had 19 Shelby mustangs. I traveled to a lot of swap meets with him too. I learned a lot at his shop.

That's a really cool life experience you got to have.  Barry Rabotnick, who a lot of folks regard as THE FE guru who's still alive made a good point about the FE in one of his books.  He said that the reason they fell out of favor was that Ford never really made street performance versions of them in any real numbers, and that because the really good ones were designed for racing Ford was the one making all the hop up parts.  This led to an aftermarket never really developing for them.  By the time Ford stopped using the FE in the mid '70s all the good performance stuff was mostly used up, or expensive, so guys moved on to 385 series engines, or just stuck with hopping up traditional small blocks.  This led the FE to fade into a semi-obscurity, where everyone knew what the storied FEs had done, but no one really considered them for much beyond a restoration in a car which already had one.  Even then those cars were typically worth considerably more than a small block equipped car, so modifying them was seen as heresy.  Today you can build an FE any way you want and any part you'd need is readily available, BUT as demand is still not what it is for a SBF the cost of parts is considerably higher. 

There is the cool factor, but what really distinguishes a BOSS351 from any other small block externally?  To me, the cool factor fades when you have to tell people what it is.  You look under the hood and the spark plugs go through the valve covers and people immediately take notice.  If it were me, I'd grab a 5.8 roller block and throw a set of Cleveland aluminum heads on it and get the same thing without a bunch of hard to find parts.  You could even stroke that thing to a 427.  Just my opinion. 
 

We have never discussed price and hadn't done so because I had no idea of what he really had other than what he had told me over the phone.  I'm referring to the owner of the engine.  Seeing this picture I'm glad we haven't talked money yet.  If I recall it's been sitting for more than 10-15 years so who knows what kind of shape it's in on the inside. 

Maybe part of the cool factor for me is not having the ability to own any rare ford performance engines.   I had to sell the boss 302 that was in my project when I bought.  It was the only way to afford to buy sheet metal for it.  I couldn't at the time afford to keep it.  Now do I need something like that just to sit around, no.  The 351C boss would be put to use and I do have a thing for keeping stuff old school.  I'm not a fan of modern engines in vintages muscle cars. I have to explain my current engine now to everyone so the boss would be no different.

There's always that option to sell it and put the money to a 351w 408 build.   I'm a long ways away from making any sort of decisions and I haven't even made an offer yet.  But it's exciting chasing done some cool old ford stuff.  It'll be interesting to see what kind of paperwork he actually has on the engine.

Rudi wrote:

It might be just me but when I look at the picture of the engine it appears to have been rode hard and put away wet.
I sure would have a more detailed inspection before purchasing.

 
I'll take my little bore scope and some tools with me to look inside of the cylinders.  Either way, if it's a real 351C Boss engine and the price is right, I'll buy it.

I would look at it as needing a complete rebuild, and frankly I'd use the bore scope just to try and determine IF that's even a possibility without major machining costs.  If there's rust in the bores, or its locked up I'd walk.  Ultimately most any block is salvageable, but the cost of having to sleeve cylinders, etc. makes the proposition less and less attractive.  I'm trying to remember the reason claimed for the engine being out of a car and in storage, but think about it for a minute.  If you had a 500HP world beater of an engine would it be sitting in a corner covered with junk and rat turds if it still ran right?  Yeah, me neither.  I'm reminded of those famous words we've all probably heard when looking at an old car that's been sitting for Lord knows how long: ran when parked.  Let's be honest; that's a lie in terms.  If it ran WHY was it parked?  No one parks a running, driving vehicle and just lets it sit there forever. 

If the price is right, the price is right.  If the price is wrong, the price is wrong.  I've always tried to live by the idea that the wrong part for the right price is still the wrong part, and vice versa.  Its definitely an interesting piece of nostalgia.  I just find it odd that if he wasn't going to use the engine why did he just let it sit for all these years?  I would have turned around and sold it immediately to help fund the Jag project.  Not trying to poo poo the deal, I just know how these things go sometimes.  We get so caught up in the quest that sometimes we need a voice of reason to get our brain reengaged when our heart has taken  over.  I'm definitely curious what you find out regardless of whether or not you decide to try and buy it or not.  It shows that at the very least cool stuff is still out there waiting to be found.