Got a chance to buy a 72? F100 (although the back of my mind says F250 camper special) with a 2bbl FE 390. Main question is what can I do with this engine? I'd want to put a manual trans behind it. Cheap and easy method to that? Any Challenge spending level mods to do to it?
I’d be interested in the truck if you keep the motor. I’m just about finished rebuilding a 73 360- which is a destroked 390- they’re simple motors.
There is some popular magazine around here that has a ramp truck, with articles that will be very useful to you.
Gasboat Motiveparts or something like that.
Ive never seen one that holds oil in the valve covers. Every one ive seen leaks.
And they made a 406 tri power.
All i got.
Fair amount of heads, cams and intakes out there. Oiling systems are a bit weak. Valvetrain is also a weak spot, because they use a shaft-mount system that leaves the end of the shaft unsupported. There are aftermarket kits to fix that, but really only crucial with RPM and high spring pressure. They were a solid workhorse engine and a slightly-above-par performance engine
Norma66 has a build thread on his 1966 Galaxie, there's some good information in there: https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/build-projects-and-project-cars/norma-1966-galaxie/132261/page1/
Make sure it's a 390, by 1972 a lot of pickups had a 360 FE. Changing over to a manual shouldn't be terribly hard, other than rounding up all the parts needed. Any F-100 up to 1979 can be used as a parts donor. You'll have to choose what transmission you want - pickups would have come with a three speed on the column, a heavy duty four speed (with a 'granny' low gear), or later on there was a four speed overdrive that was based on a Toploader transmission but they weren't very durable - a friend bought a F-100 new in 1978 that had one, and he had to rebuild it three or four times; it kept eating bearings if I remember correctly.
The 352 in my 1966 F-100 doesn't leak oil, but I replaced all the gaskets.
Wikipedia has a decent page on the FE engine and all its variants. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_FE_engine
I'm no FE expert, and I haven't thought about them in years, but one thing that's really distinctive about them is the intake manifold. The manifold is really wide, overlapping the cylinder heads on each side.
If you replace the cast iron intake manifold with an aluminum aftermarket one, you'll remove a good bit of weight off of the engine.
If I remember correctly, they are also a skirted block. Pretty solid bottom end.
They sound amazing with a good exhaust!!
dculberson said:They sound amazing with a good exhaust!!
That they do.
grover said:I’d be interested in the truck if you keep the motor. I’m just about finished rebuilding a 73 360- which is a destroked 390- they’re simple motors.
I'm pretty sure if I buy it it'll just be cab, bed, and frame left but if you're interested I'd trade that for something useful.
At least I'm not hearing that they're a POS engine from you guys. First I need to pick up the project car then I'll see about getting the donor.
They are not a POS, but they are old and heavy, and the world has moved on. Having said that, the 427 side oiler in a Cobra is a 390s big brother, and they seemed to work ok.
I’ve owned two, both 352’s. I ran them hard and they never complained. One was in a 64 f100 with a 3 speed the other us in a 62 Monterey with a auto. They both were stock and moved pretty dang good for the weight. They are a old heavy design but there solid. They still make performance parts such as intakes and heads but there not sbc cheap.
In reply to Stampie :
I had a 390/2bbl in my 2nd car(70 XL convertible), and at the same time we also had a 77 Country Squire wagon with a 400M. The 390 was an absolute turd, while the wagon was a total sleeper.
I can’t tell you what performance potential the FE has, but if I were picking a vintage Ford V8 for a project that had any real performance aspirations, I’d start with something else.
Streetwiseguy said:They are not a POS, but they are old and heavy, and the world has moved on. Having said that, the 427 side oiler in a Cobra is a 390s big brother, and they seemed to work ok.
They're not all that heavy, surprisingly. The short block weighs similar to a 351W's. You can drop around 50-60lb by going to an aluminum intake manifold! And of course better heads.
The thing with FEs is that Ford kept screwing with the intake ports, so if you land a Ford performance head, you'd need the intake manifold that suits it. Also the rocker stands, those changed a bunch too. But the exhaust ports were pretty much all the same junk no matter the engine.
Stop buying stuff you’re supposed to be purging
In reply to Patrick :
I might be bulimic. I feel the need to buy more vehicles then purge.
Knurled. said:Streetwiseguy said:They are not a POS, but they are old and heavy, and the world has moved on. Having said that, the 427 side oiler in a Cobra is a 390s big brother, and they seemed to work ok.
They're not all that heavy, surprisingly. The short block weighs similar to a 351W's. You can drop around 50-60lb by going to an aluminum intake manifold! And of course better heads.
The thing with FEs is that Ford kept screwing with the intake ports, so if you land a Ford performance head, you'd need the intake manifold that suits it. Also the rocker stands, those changed a bunch too. But the exhaust ports were pretty much all the same junk no matter the engine.
Yeah, Ford and their goofy Hi-Riser/Medium-Riser/Low-Riser heads.
The FE was Ford's "racing" engine in the 60's. Well as far as stock car racing, oh and Le Mans too! These engines have been around long enough that any weaknesses have been identified and fixed, or can be. A 390 FE just needs better heads and the aftermarket sells "New" aluminum heads and matching intakes with single or dual 4bbl carbs. Making 400+ HP from a 390 FE is no big deal.
I really liked my 428 CJ FE. It had a great sound and abundant torque, but it was whole different animal compared to a 390 truck motor. It had better heads, intake and a rowdy cam. The intake was a huge heavy lump of cast iron. There is still plenty of aftermarket support. If you keep it well maintained and well fed, it is reliable engine. Do not expect much in the mpg, it is a big block 70's truck. If I babied mine I could hit double digits, but that was hard to do.
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