[DeTomaso] windsor motivation?

[Cullen McCann]

Good Morning,

 

I have no doubts this has been discussed repeatedly for decades, but
remember I'm new and you never know when opinions change or information
becomes more current. While im straightening out the metal on the car I have
plenty of time to think about the future, and I'm starting so far from
scratch on my car I have the opportunity to do just about anything without
"backing up". I have no concerns about Cleveland's, but when I was looking
at precision proformance's site I noticed the 180 degree systems on
special.for a Windsor.and it says..."More and more people are putting
Windsor motors in their Panteras these days, and the demand for 180 degree
headers for this application was so large that we had to make some.."

 

So, indulge me, lets pretend for a moment that I had to build a motor from
scratch, I have no loyalty to Cleveland's in particular, but no problem with
them either..so what is the motivation for the Windsor swap? I assume the
obvious,  that the motor is similar displacement, lighter because the block
itself is smaller..(?) ...does the ZF bolt right up to the same bellhousing
pattern? The aftermarket support SEEMS to me to be larger for the
Windsor..heads, cam selections..etc.

 

I will say that I have had several 351 Windsor's in various projects in
years past. The most current of which is in my Cobra replica and it's a
beast. It was a cakewalk to get 500 reliable horsepower.no effort required,
wasn't even that expensive and you still get an eagle crank, forged rods,
predictable block integrity, less apt for core shift stuff.forged pistons
and tough as nails. There is dozens of readily available induction
solutions.natural aspiration or otherwise.so what's the pros and cons?

 

Thanks as always for your thoughts and perspectives.

 

Cullen