The engine was designed as a successor to the Ford Y-block engine. Production began in 1961 for installation in the 1962 model year Ford Fairlane and Mercury Meteor. Originally produced with a displacement of , it eventually increased to a maximum displacement of , but was most commonly sold with a displacement of 302 cu in (later marketed as 5.0 L), with engines of that displacement offered from 1968 until 2000. From the mid-1970s through the 1990s, the Ford Small Block engine was also marinized for use in smaller recreational boats.