This is a copy of a Report I did on the FE with some recent additions
Fords best high performance engine for the 60's was the FE or Ford/Edsel. During it's 15+ year lifespan, this series made numerous confusing changes. What were these changes and how does it affect parts interchange between engines in this series?
The FE's production started in 1958 with the 332 and the 352. The FE's design is a heavy Y block design with these engine's often weighing over 700 pounds. All FE blocks have the same basic construction. If the bore is big enough the FE heads from any engine will work on any FE block. The FE ended production in 1976 with other engines taking over in the place of the FE starting in 1968 with the 385 series V-8
The FE was a surprisingly simple engine. All FE and FT cranks have 2.7488 inch Main bearing and 2.4384 inch rod bearing journal diameters. Aside from bore and stroke changes only two major changes affected the FE blocks, engine manufactured before 1964 used a narrow .456-inch thrust bearing whereas later engines used a larger .535-inch flange on the thrust bearing. The other change was involving camshaft retention in the block. When the FE began production in 1958the cam was held in position with the thrust exerted by the distributor-drive gear this design allowed the cam to move in the block causing rapid wear. The remedy was to install a plate on the front of the block to hold the cam a certain depth in the block, this plate is called a thrust plate.
Engines used in passenger cars and pickups are referred to as FE engines: 332, 352, 360, 361 Edsel [not to be confused with the 361 Industrial engine], 390, 406, 410, 427 and 428. All FE's had similarities the 332, 352, 360 all used a connecting rod with a length of 6.54-inches from center-to-center. But only these have different bore diameters. The 390, 406, 410, 427, and 428 used a shorter rod with a length of 6.488 center-to-center.The shorter rod is however a more desirable rod due to it's beefier design as opposed to the longer rod. Also all FE crankshafts except the 410 and 428 are balanced internally, the 410 and 428 need weight added outside the engine but can be made internally balanced. All FE blocks have the same bore spacing, deck height and basic external dimensions.
The 352:
The 352 started production in 1958 and was offered originally only in a solid lifter application, which was soon changed to hydraulic lifters. Starting in 1961 the block was drilled an tapped for 1/4-inch longer bolts then counter bored 1/4-inch this was used on all FE blocks. It reduced block distortion and provided a more stable block. The 352 has a 4.00-inch bore diameter and a 3.5-inch stroke and was rated up to 360 horsepower. Interestingly the 352 has the same bore and stroke as the more common 351 which actually displaces 352 ci .Why Ford chose to call the later engines 351's is for ford to know only evidently. The 352 was in production from 1958 until as far as I know 1967.
The 360:
The 360 was only available in Ford Pickups. It began production in 1968 to replace the 352. It shares a similar 3.5inch stroke as the 352 but has the bigger 4.05inch bore of a 390. The 360 has a identical block to the 390 and can easily be converted into a 390 by adding a 390 crankshaft rods and pistons. In some 360's (those from F100's) it will also be necessary to convert the exhaust valve spring retainer because the 360 exhaust retainer was of a rotating design. The 360 was produced from 1968 until 1976. 1975 and 1976 are preferable in some ways due to a non-points distributor. I've also heard that some later '75 and '76 360 and 390's have a hardened exhaust valve seats.The engine I am building is a 360 which is promising to be quite the little engine for a pickup.
The 390:
The 390 is the most common FE it started production in 1961 after Ford was let back into racing. The 390 went through few changes. Mostly oiling route changes for the 390 H.P. and 390 P.I. which was only available with solid lifters because the block could not feed oil for hydraulic lifters. The 360, 390 and 410 all have 4.05-inch bores but the 360 and 410 stroke varies at 3.5 and 3.9844 respectively. The 390 is the most common of the three and uses a 3.78-inch stroke. The 1961 Super High Performance 390 was rated at 401 horsepower with three two barrel carburetors. The 390 H.P. was only available in 1961 and 1962 in 375 horsepower and 401 horsepower, the 390 H.P. featured thicker main caps and webs along with larger and more refined oil galleries.The 390 has been the workhorse for many vehicles from pickups as s 8:1 compression farm truck up to the 390GT which was made famous from the movie Bullit. And also was the engine for some of the first big block FACTORY Mustangs.This engine is also one of the most versatile. It can easily with proper parts selection bring quite a smile to any owner. Some 390's have been known to live for over 400,000 miles with relatively mild wear. And the 390 can be hopped up for any vehicle. From mild rebuilds for 4x4 pickups to Full Throttle rebuilds for Mustangs of Fairlane and Galaxies.
The 406:
The 406 was Ford's first real all racing engine. Running 11.4:1 compression the 406 was offered with a single 4 barrel for 385 horsepower, or with the 3-2 barrel setup for 405 horsepower. The 406 broke Ford into the mystique of 400 inch plus engines with the .080 inch overbore on the 390 H.P style block. The 406 started a new section of performance with it cross-bolt main bearing caps which were designed because on long NASCAR tracks the caps would move under high stress conditions. Cross bolting was achieved with special main caps on the 2-4 mains. There was a bolt that was then sent through the skirt of the Block into the caps and with a spacer in between this fix was virtually indestructible in racing. The 406 had a 4.13-inch bore and 3.78-inch stroke. Along with the regular FE block dimensions.
The 410:
The 410 was a relatively short lived engine that was put into mercury's it combined a 428 crank shaft with a 390 block. This obviously produces a very tourqey engine which would be well suited in any street car. To make one would utilize the long stroke of a 428 with the ease of finding a 390 block and custom piston manufacturers can make forged 410 pistons by using a 428 pin height with a 390 bore.
The 427:
Ford's best high performance engine was the 427. This engine was THE best when it came to Ford power. With the high-performance and racing applications of the 427, there were many changes to the heads during production. It came in 5 different levels of engine tune. This Engine was produced from 1963 until 1968 in passenger vehicles. Not all 427's were put in passenger vehicles. Some 427's such as the Tunnel Port and SOHC were only offered as crate or accessory packages and were never put in a production vehicle.
Three of these levels of tune are referred to a riser. Which In general terms, a riser is simply the vertical distance from one level to the next. The Medium-Riser has a 2-3-inch higher rise at the carburetor mounting pad than the Low-Riser. The High-Riser has an even steeper rise, 2-3-inch more than the Medium-Riser. So the riser simply refers to the angle of the intake port in relation to the head.
The first is the Low-Riser or L-R. The L-R was offered in late 1963 and 1964 In 1968 the L-R was again offered. The 427 L-R was given cast combustion chambers P.I. style rods, a high nodular cast iron crankshaft, and with the exception of 1968, a solid cam and adjustable rocker arms. The intake port dimensions were 2.34-inch by 1.28-inch with 2.08-inch intake and 1.60-inch exhaust valves. The L-R head is very similar to the 428 Cobra Jet head with only small variations. Such as exhaust bolt hole patterns.
The next was the High Riser or H-R. The H-R was only offered for 1963 1/2 and 1964. The [H-R] was the head with the tallest intake port opening, 2.78 inches tall compared to 2.06 on the Medium-Riser and 2.34 on the Low-Riser and CJ. All cars that received this engine had to have a special tear-drop hood scoop to clear the carburetors. The tear drop hood scoop also aided in engine compartment ventilation instead of feeding air for the engine. This engine received machined combustion chambers, that would help prevent detonation due to smoother chamber walls, its special heads and light weight racing valves, along with a cast iron crankshaft, stronger connecting rods, and high compression pistons along with a choice between one or two 4V or 4 barrel carburetors.
The next engine was the Medium Riser [M-R]. This engine was offered from 1965-1967. It featured the side-oiler block. The M-R was the most used 427 and also the least commended engine despite its high reliability and power. The medium Riser 427 is the most common and most rated against. As example the new Edelbrock Performer RPM FE Heads are rated against none other than the Medium Riser head.
The next two 427's were both options that could not be bought in regular production vehicles. The first is the Tunnel Port [T-P]. The Tunnel-Port 427 heads and manifold became available as a option in 1968. These heads have huge round straight shot intake ports. The T-P moved the intake ports to a position that required the pushrods to be run through small tubes in the middle of the intake port. Although the ports have a pushrod right in the middle of them this design offered enough of a benefit at high RPM to make for a more efficient design.
The T-P had elliptical intake ports that measured 2.34-inch by 2.17-inch. The Round ports tend to wire draw the mixture also reduced the bends that tend to separate the fuel from the air. The T-P's have 2.25-inch intake valves in a fully machined combustion chamber. With 14:1 compression this engine in NASCAR trim had upwards of 620 horsepower.
Finally the most powerful and exotic engine was the 427 SOHC
Aluminum heads with hemispherical combustion chambers and opposed valves actuated by roller rockers riding on a single camshaft located in the center of each head. The SOHC was never put into a regular vehicle and was only offered as a over-the-counter option for $2500. The well design of the SOHC made it so powerful that competitors protested to racing associations and within two years had the engine factored out of competition. The SOHC used a special side-oiler block. With 12:1 compression this motor with one 4 barrel Holley made 616 horsepower @7000 rpm and 515 lb-ft of torque @3800 rpm.
Two different 427 Blocks were made the side-oiler and the center-oiler. The center-oiler is similar to the regular 390 H.P. oiling system. However the side-oiler was Fords block of choice for high performance engines. The side oiler was developed for the SOHC 427. The side-oiler worked by copying the oil pattern to the first main bearing on all main bearings by means of a oil passage down the left side of the block. The diagonal passages drilled through the left side of the block connect this side gallery with the rest of the oiling system This system ensures that the main and cam bearings receive oil pressure directly from the oil pump. The center oiler fed the front main bearings first and allowed the other mains to take what was left over. Thereby providing only one bearing with direct oiling unlike the side oiler which provided all bearing a source directly off of the oil pump.
Because of the large 4.23-inch bore on the 427, problems arose. To deal with this the 427 was cast on a special line. Two feeler probes were inserted through core holes to water jackets to align two cylinders. This aligned the block better allowing for more consistent cylinder wall thickness. In 1966 the cylinders were strengthened by increasing the thickness of the cylinder walls at the outside corners. This helped to strengthen the block and helped prevent cylinder wall failure.
This special locating method was used because the FE has a 4.63-inch spacing between bores. Assuming a near perfect casting took place minimum cylinder wall thickness was limited to .110-inch which left .180-inch for the coolant flow. Recent improvements in high performance blocks could have been used to siamese the cylinder walls making a even stronger block .The 427 was highly spoken of frankly you cant improve upon [the 427] factory performance like you can with other stock engines because the 427 was designed and built for high performance. The 427 had a 4.23-inch bore and a 3.78-inch stroke.The same stroke as a 390. As a side note since not all 427's were given steel cranks a 391 industrial crank can be machined to give either a regular 390 or a 406/427 a steel crank.
The 428:
The 428 marked the end of development of the FE engine line. The one cubic inch difference between the 427 and the 428 was accomplished by a drastic change. The 428 used the 406's 4.13-inch bore along with a 3.98-inch stroke instead of the 427's 4.23-inch bore and 3.78-inch stroke. These square dimensions of the long stroke 428 should immediately identify it as a more tame version of the big block, and so it was. It was designed for more utilitarian use than the full race 427, and it provides lots of pulling power all through the RPM range. The top of the practical 428 line was the 428CJ it had its own cylinder heads, 10.7:1 pistons, police Interceptor connecting rods with stronger 11/32-inch rod bolts. A 428 SCJ or Super Cobra Jet was also offered this engine had stronger Le-Mans style rods a different method of balance and other small accessories such as a oil cooler.
The 428CJ answered the call for a reliable, street high performance engine[it] is quite a docile street performer low in cost. it is a high volume regular production engine that can turn in amazing performance right off the showroom floor. The 428SCJ was the improvement on the 428CJ it basically made the engine more durable.
Fords best high performance engine for the 60's was the FE. During it's lifespan, this engine made many confusing changes. What has been shown is that to build a good engine in this series of engines involves little more than putting together the right combination of parts.
Links:
V8 Engine Workshop --This has to be THE best site I've seen for info on any Ford engine a definite two thumbs up.
Currie Enterprises-- Makers of a variety or rearends for most rigs, available in any configuration you can imagine, definitely money well spent to have a bulletproof rearend for your rod.
Pro Stock Engineering-- They make some mighty wicked FE and other Ford engine stuff, the site has been down lately, but it's definitely worth trying, you'll drool at the parts for sure.
Blue Thunder Auto-- Want some hybrid 385 series heads? 460 with BB Chevy ports, very good idea, lots of neat stuff.
Edelbrock-- Makes aluminum heads for most ford engines, but not the Cleveland, 385 series, and the Y-block, A wide variety of intakes though.
Galaxie Club-- oooooh pictures of every year of Galaxie, very nice.
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