Who did it........

[tesgt350]

Not sure if this has been talked about yet or not but...... WHO was the crazy guy that first decided to bolt a set of 351 Cleveland Heads onto a 302 Block?   

[JohnSlack]

Engineers at E&F did it. They did it in response to the issues with the Tunnelport 302. A 1968 team car was tested at Riverside with the 1968 Tunnelport heads, The Gurney Weslake heads, and another set of the future 351C heads to compare their performance. The Gurney Weslake heads actually came out on top. The 351C heads were 2nd, the 1968 Tunnelport heads were 3rd. Ford didn't want to go through with the Gurney Weslake heads as they were not interested in a not inhouse head being homologated for T/A racing.


John

[tesgt350]

Engineers at E&F did it. They did it in response to the issues with the Tunnelport 302. A 1968 team car was tested at Riverside with the 1968 Tunnelport heads, The Gurney Weslake heads, and another set of the future 351C heads to compare their performance. The Gurney Weslake heads actually came out on top. The 351C heads were 2nd, the 1968 Tunnelport heads were 3rd. Ford didn't want to go through with the Gurney Weslake heads as they were not interested in a not inhouse head being homologated for T/A racing.


John

Cool, thanks.

[pbf777]

Ford didn't want to go through with the Gurney Weslake heads as they were not interested in a not inhouse head being homologated for T/A racing.

      And part of this perspective was certainly the fact that the reworked for the "302C" application cylinder head could be had at a significantly lesser cost than that of the G.W. units.   

      Also, I know it's often voiced as the cause, perhaps utilized as the scapegoat or just simply the vocabularic identifier of a bad scenario, and although was probably less than ideal, but what ever is, particularly in hindsight, but don't everybody gang-up on the poor old Tunnel Port head as it sure has reap more than it's share of the blame for the failed '68 T.A. season.  But I also believe the failures of that years racing program was due to many factors, and often many not having anything to do with particular cylinder head in use.   

      Scott.

[98SVT - was 06GT]

I understood there had been a competition between the FE and SB guys chasing horsepower. In typical Ford management fashion the FE tunnelport guys got the nod because all they looked at was horsepower - not that the power was at 9 grand and the bottom end was not reliable at that limit. I'll just throw this out for comment on the Cleveland - ever notice how much the Cleveland head looks like the Chevy porcupine head? https://macsmotorcitygarage.com/inside-the-63-chevy-427-mystery-engine/  Chevy also tried a canted valve head on a SB - https://hotrodenginetech.com/1969-z28-canted-valve-302/  My uncle was a VP at Ford. He ran the Cleveland Casting plant during this era and my cousin worked at the engine plant when not in college - I wish I had thought to pick their brains about this time period.
What killed the tunnelport was very simple. After a couple races Ford insisted they assemble and provide the engines to the teams. These "assembly line" engines were not prepped and built to race engine standards (the same thing happened at LeMans in 65). One blew up on Titus during a pace lap. When it was back in the pits a Ford engineer got in Titus' face and accused him of over revving the engine. Titus grabbed the guy and stuffed him through the window. He pointed out the tattletale on the tach was at 4,200 when the engine blew. They were under orders by Ford not to open the engines but checking several they found some even still had casting sand in them.

[JohnSlack]

Ford didn't want to go through with the Gurney Weslake heads as they were not interested in a not inhouse head being homologated for T/A racing.

      And part of this perspective was certainly the fact that the reworked for the "302C" application cylinder head could be had at a significantly lesser cost than that of the G.W. units.   

      Also, I know it's often voiced as the cause, perhaps utilized as the scapegoat or just simply the vocabularic identifier of a bad scenario, and although was probably less than ideal, but what ever is, particularly in hindsight, but don't everybody gang-up on the poor old Tunnel Port head as it sure has reap more than it's share of the blame for the failed '68 T.A. season.  But I also believe the failures of that years racing program was due to many factors, and often many not having anything to do with particular cylinder head in use.   

      Scott.

Scott,
Correct on the Tunnelport 302 heads taking the blame, however unfortunately they got clobbered with the blame. At that point the Tunnelport engines were shipped out of Dearborn and the team was told to run them as-is, the teams were not allowed to be involved with their preparation and sadly the Dearborn engine builders were dropping the ball. Quality control wasn't up to racing standards. Part of the Tunnelport 302 engine problem #1.

In addition the engines had a front sump oil pan and the oil was staying in the back of the pan and the sump would go dryer and there wasn't sufficient oil to use. Tunnelport engine problem #2

The ports really are an issue that if more racers got to play with camshafts and valve springs probably could have been resolved. But nobody was allowed to play in that sandbox. Tunnelport engine problem #3

Valve spring material technology sucked back then
Tunnelport engine problem #4,

Want to keep going there was lots of blame but when Bud Moore got into the game with the singular goal ( remember he was not as involved with NASCAR during the 1969/1970 years) of winning the SCCA championship things changed.


John

[propayne]

Gurney stated in some interviews that he wanted to use the Gurney-Weslake heads on the Bud Moore prepared 1967 Trans-Am Cougars and that even tho testing proved they made more power Ford chose not to for the same reasons stated above.

- Phillip

[TA Coupe]

Here is probably the best article I have seen written on the tunnelport 302.

https://www.motortrend.com/news/hrdp-1305-the-story-behind-fords-iii-fated-1968-tunnel-port-302/

         Roy.

[Hov]

Hey, kudos to Eric English.

[C6ZZGT]

Hey, kudos to Eric English.

Nice guy that is local to me as well.