azjay wrote on 02/14/08 at 05:56:50:valve angles, total lift, combustion chamber shape, etc. determine interference or not. the ford 2.3l ohc is a non-interference design, as the is the 2.0l. if the valves are open at STOCK lift, the pistons will not contact them, while rotating the crank and not the cam. if you mill the head, change the cam for more lift, you change the rules. the savage IS an interference design, if the cam chain pops, internal parts will run into each other.
Not much of a Ford fan after about 1959... But I did have the opportunity to do a timing belt on a friend's Pinto with the 2.3L as a teen back in the 70s. I was pretty sure it was a "non-interference" design since the belt let go on the Pinto when the engine was revved up real tight.
As I recall, it only took about an hour or less to change the belt on those.
I guess over a few decades that little 2.3L reached almost legendary status. I recall that they got 212HP out of it in the "Turbo T-Bird." And there were several spec racing classes in both autos and boats based on the little beast.
As I previously mentioned: the Chrysler 2.0L and 2.3L (made by Mitsubishi IIRC) of later years would go: Bang! Clank, clank, clank... if you let the belt give way on them. Very not-cool.