Ford small block engine

The Ford small-block is a series of 90° overhead valve small-block V8 automobile engines manufactured by the Ford Motor Company from July 1961 to December 2000.

Designed as a successor to the Ford Y-block engine, it was first installed in the 1962 model year Ford Fairlane and Mercury Meteor. Originally produced with a displacement of 221 cu in (3.6 L), it eventually increased to 351 cu in (5.8 L) with a taller deck height, but was most commonly sold (from 1968–2000) with a displacement of 302 cubic inches (later marketed as the 5.0 L).

The small-block was installed in several of Ford's product lines, including the Ford Mustang, Mercury Cougar, Ford Torino, Ford Granada, Mercury Monarch, Ford LTD, Mercury Marquis, Ford Maverick, and Ford F-150 truck.

For the 1991 model year, Ford began phasing in the Modular V8 engine to replace the small-block, beginning in late 1990 with the Lincoln Town Car and continuing through the decade. The 2001 Ford Explorer SUV was the last North American installation of the engine, and Ford Australia used it through 2002 in the Falcon and Fairlane.

Although sometimes called the "Windsor" by enthusiasts, Ford never used that designation for the engine line as a whole; it was only adopted well into its run to distinguish the 351 cu in (5.8 L) version from the 351 cu in (5.8 L) "Cleveland" version of the 335-family engine that had the same displacement but a significantly different configuration, and only ever used to refer to that specific engine in service materials. The designations for each were derived from the original locations of manufacture: Windsor, Ontario and Cleveland, Ohio.

As of June 2025, versions of the small-block remain available for purchase from Ford Performance Parts as crate engines.