360 FE basics?

[bigjay]

Hey guys, bieng the total NEWB that I am, I have no idea what the 360 FE in my 1968 f250 2wd is all about, what am I looking at as far as a powerplant, can I make good street power with this and still maintain reliability? what does "FE" mean? All im looking for is a 14 second ( high 13's wouldnt hurt ) truck that i can drive every day, so basically, ignition, intake, carb, full exhaust, cam? does anyone have a proven combination for these motors? thanks guys, take care!

Jay

[fordman]

fe is a ford engine of the sizes of 352 360 390 406 410 427 428. the acutally meaning of the abbrviatetion of fe is up in the air some say it means ford enigne some say it means ford edsel others say it means nothing.

as far as building a fast engine for track time the 360 is a pulling workign motor ford famrs and hauling loads. it cna be built up but isnt the best to build it back to a 360. it would be best to change outthe crank rods and pistons to make the enigne a 390. and then you can get more power. to do what you are looking to do.

[SteveC]

[bigjay]

Thanks for the info, sounds like i might be better off waiting a bit and going for my alternate plan of a 5.0 motor/tranny swap from an 88'+ fox body, I may be happier with the end result and wont be trying to make the 360 do something its not meant for

[DuckRyder]

We've discussed this sort of thing a great deal im the past and it is a matter of opinion, but here is mine:

A 5.0 is a terrible truck motor, it is not even a very good hot rod truck motor... For what you can buy the parts to convert the truck to a 5.0 you can convert the 360 to a 390 and start out with an extra 88 cubic inches.

A truck, particulary an F250 is heavy, you need torque to get it moving and small blocks aren't about torque.

FWIW, YMMV and all that...

[bigjay]

The lack of torque is one of the drawbacks i had thought of, a friend of mine built a 91 fox body with a bunch of summit parts, with a gt-40 intake and a 347 kit it was hovering around 380lbs, i suppose thats not really great for a big heavy truck but it sure mnade that fox fly . i keep forgetting that the 360 is a big block ( refer to the pic in my sig ) i would liek to learn more about the 390's potential, if thats a proven method im all for it, im not one to try and re invent the wheel, i want something that has worked for others. if that ends up bieng the route i go, i can always look into a gear vendor for my overdrive needs. thanks for the info!!

[miner3do]

The 360 is basically a mix of a 351 and a 390 its a different motor for sure not really the best. i have to agree that making it a 390 is your best bet stalk your looking at about 280hp a mild build you could prolly push 325 why put a newer 5.0 in a older truck. just my opinion keep the old style motor in your old truck

[bigjay]

The 360 is basically a mix of a 351 and a 390 its a different motor for sure not really the best. i have to agree that making it a 390 is your best bet stalk your looking at about 280hp a mild build you could prolly push 325 why put a newer 5.0 in a older truck. just my opinion keep the old style motor in your old truck

Wow, i had no idea they made that kind of power in basic form, i was thinking they were in the low 200 hp range, guess im not taking into consideration that these things were meant to haul and pull stuff, therefore had to make SOME power to get anyone who wanted to use them for that purpose to buy them. I would be more than happy with a mid 300hp daily driver, if i focus the build on making good torque i think it will have all that i would ask of it, all i want to do is slap a few unsuspecting lsx gm trucks around

as a secondary question, is the c6 a good tranny? should i work with it and go for the gear vendor when i get to the point that i am looking for an overdrive? I would want to go with a mild 2k-ish stall (depending on my cam choice) is there alot of aftermarket support for the c6 when it comes to things like stalls and mild build ups? thanks again guys!

[fordman]

the c6 is the best of the ford automatic transmissions.

[DuckRyder]

O.K. first off a 360 is not "basically a mix of a 351 and a 390". It doesn't share one single part that I can think of with a 351 of any sort.

A 360 block and a 390 (or 410) block are identical. All that you must do in change the rotating assembly. (which you would also have to do to make a 5.0 a 347)

I'm a little short on time right now, but read up on making a 410, serching my post should get you some results. Also take a look at survival motorsports and their stroker rotating assemblies...

The C6 is a very good transmission, it is very strong and reasonably inexpensive to rebuild. The downside is that it is heavy.

[convincor]

Go to Comp cams web site and down load there cam selector. http://www.compcams.com/camquest/default.asp
Run the numbers as a 390 then as a 410.
The 390 with Edelbrock head, Flat top pistons, dual plain intake comes in at 462HP @ 5000 and 479ftlbs torque @ 4000...And that's making that torque from 2500 thru 4000rpm.. You'll never do that with a SB.
The 410 would give you more torque, but at a cost. Cranks going run $600. Pistons $600 a set then you still need to balance the assemble. Another $3-400. At that point you may as well do a 4.25" stroker and get 445cu.in. http://www.survivalmotorsports.com/FE-Engine-Kits.html
If building on a budgit, spend the money on the heads. That's where you'll make power..My

[F100builder]

The 390 with Edelbrock head, Flat top pistons, dual plain intake comes in at 462HP @ 5000 and 479ftlbs torque @ 4000...And that's making that torque from 2500 thru 4000rpm.. You'll never do that with a SB.

I beg to differ. It can be done but it costs $$$. My 351W that I bored and stroked to a 396, makes 457HP and 483ftlbs and the torque is 400+ through the same RPM range. Longer strokes mean more torque for sure. I would shy away from the little 302 with its smaller journals and weaker rods unless you plan on replacing the entire rotating assembly with stouter aftermarket stuff. It has been said that these trucks are kinda heavy. They're certainly no Fox bodied car!
Now, a 360 is basically a de-stroked 390. The bores are the same. The 390 can be bored to displacements far exceeding 410 cubes using the 390's crank. Not all can be bored to a 427's spec (Shelby's infamous Cobra) but some may depending on how centered the bores are from the factory and the thickness of a particular block's cylinder walls (must X-ray). A 428 can be made a little easier as it has a smaller bore than the 427 but a longer stroke. Here, you must use a 428 crank and damper as the 410 & 428 were EXTERNALLY balanced.
You definitely need to research the FE's some more as I am surely no expert and forget more than I retain but I'm positive you can be happy with a real mild build. I would recommend Big Block Ford Engines by Steve Christ which is a rebuild manual for FE's & FT's and High Performance Ford Engine Parts Interchange by George Reid. It tells you what mixes with what for all Ford motors from 221 c.i. to 460 c.i.

[Hawkrod]

The 390 with Edelbrock head, Flat top pistons, dual plain intake comes in at 462HP @ 5000 and 479ftlbs torque @ 4000...And that's making that torque from 2500 thru 4000rpm.. You'll never do that with a SB.

I beg to differ. It can be done but it costs $$$. My 351W that I bored and stroked to a 396, makes 457HP and 483ftlbs and the torque is 400+ through the same RPM range. Longer strokes mean more torque for sure. I would shy away from the little 302 with its smaller journals and weaker rods unless you plan on replacing the entire rotating assembly with stouter aftermarket stuff. It has been said that these trucks are kinda heavy. They're certainly no Fox bodied car!
Now, a 360 is basically a de-stroked 390. The bores are the same. The 390 can be bored to displacements far exceeding 410 cubes using the 390's crank. Not all can be bored to a 427's spec (Shelby's infamous Cobra) but some may depending on how centered the bores are from the factory and the thickness of a particular block's cylinder walls (must X-ray). A 428 can be made a little easier as it has a smaller bore than the 427 but a longer stroke. Here, you must use a 428 crank and damper as the 410 & 428 were EXTERNALLY balanced.
You definitely need to research the FE's some more as I am surely no expert and forget more than I retain but I'm positive you can be happy with a real mild build. I would recommend Big Block Ford Engines by Steve Christ which is a rebuild manual for FE's & FT's and High Performance Ford Engine Parts Interchange by George Reid. It tells you what mixes with what for all Ford motors from 221 c.i. to 460 c.i.

Just a couple of points, no 390 block can be bored to 427 specs although a small percentage can bore to 428 specs (and a 428 can't be bored to 427 specs acceptably either). Also George Reid's book is garbage. It is full of mistakes and misinformation. He is a bufoon who copied info from other people and did not verify it so he printed false info just to make money off of unsuspecting people. Do a quick search on FordFE.com for info on either of these two issues. Hawkrod

[willowbilly3]

My 2 cents. A 360 will respond to mods the same as any other engine. I have seen 360s with aftermarket cam/intake/carb/headers that really cranked out good torque, way better than any stock 390 ever did.
Also I consider the C6 a power sucking pig. By various estimates it robs somewhere from 30 to 70 horsepower. 70 I doubt but I have seen magazine dyno tests that substantiated the 30. I personally won't give up one of my pedals for the cost of 30 hp.

[sideoilerfe]

My 2 cents. A 360 will respond to mods the same as any other engine. I have seen 360s with aftermarket cam/intake/carb/headers that really cranked out good torque, way better than any stock 390 ever did.

I agree. My stock 68 360 is not a slug. It is also not a hot rod but it tows reasonably well. I too have seen impressive 360's.