Ford To Shut Down Famous Cleveland Engine Factory


In 1951, Ford opened the first of two engine assembly plants in Cleveland, Ohio. In 1955 they opened Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2 to help produce engines for the popular Ford Thunderbird, and in later years it would assemble the famous five-point-oh V8 and Duratec V6 engines. But by far the most famous engine to come out of Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2 was the 1969-72 351 “Cleveland” V8.

And on Friday, the engine stamps and air tools will go quiet forever as Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2 shuts down for good, reports Cleveland.com. This inevitable conclusion is still sad to hear about, closing the book on an engine that became synonymous with an entire city.

The two Cleveland engine plants have produced motors for just about every Ford product, from commercial vehicles to passenger cars. Cleveland Engine Plant No. 1 was almost killed along with the pushrod 5.0 engine in the 1990’s, only to be spared the axe at the 11th hour. But there is no such miracle awaiting the workers of Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2. The 250 jobs will be added to a third shift at Plant No. 1., which will be building new EcoBoost engines for a variety of Ford vehicles.

Perhaps the most famous engine to come out of Cleveland Engine Plant No. 2 was the ‘69 to ‘72 351 Cleveland, which came with massive intake and exhaust ports on its famed 4V heads. This was a racing motor brought to the street, and was often referred to as the “big” small-block. Today a handful of companies still make modern versions of the 4V heads for small-block Fords. Yes, that were that good.

But as Ford marches forward into the future, modern manufacturing techniques and an adjusting market mean fewer assembly plants. Cleveland, it seems, needs only one engine plant, and that is all they are going to get. We’ll always have the memories.

About the author

Chris Demorro

Christopher DeMorro is a freelance writer and journalist from Connecticut with two passions in life; writing and anything with an engine.
Read My Articles

Hot Rods and Muscle Cars in your inbox.

Build your own custom newsletter with the content you love from Street Muscle, directly to your inbox, absolutely FREE!

Free WordPress Themes
Street Muscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

We'll send you the most interesting Street Muscle articles, news, car features, and videos every week.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Street Muscle NEWSLETTER - SIGN UP FREE!

We will safeguard your e-mail and only send content you request.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...


fordmuscle
Classic Ford Performance
dragzine
Drag Racing
chevyhardcore
Classic Chevy Magazine

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Subscribe to more FREE Online Magazines!

We think you might like...

  • fordmuscle Classic Ford Performance
  • dragzine Drag Racing
  • chevyhardcore Classic Chevy Magazine

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

streetmusclemag

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Street Muscle - The Ultimate Muscle Car Magazine

Thank you for your subscription.

Thank you for your subscription.

Loading