Technical Ok, Ford FE gurus let’s talk

From what I gather all Ford Fe’s have deck height of 10.17….so the stack height on a stroker 445 cid would be….

2.125 crank shaft stroke in half.
6.7 rod length
1.33 compression height shelf piston.

= 10.155 stack height.

Deck the block to 10.16 and leave the pistons .005 in the hole.

 

I know it has been said you may want to stay away from Survival Motorsports, he had are money for a long time before we got are parts.
May want to check with BBM for heads and intake.
Have your block sonic tested before any machine work.
Spend the time to get the rocker arm geometry correct.
If you have the block 0 decked plan on having the intake cut to fit.

 

Love those Mercury valve covers!! ^^^

 

Who is BBM?

 

https://www.bearblockmotors.com/

 

Thanks. They need to hire a web designer. Their website sucks.

 

Sure has some pretty pictures
All kidding aside they were easy to work with and got are parts out the door fast.
We also used Mad Dog Headers and they did us good in a timely manner.

 

Be careful with serious hp. upgrades. There was a reason for the cross bolted main block to be used.

 

Most builds , unless you get real crazy on horse power, won’t need the cross bolts. But the 427 cross bolts do make for a solid bottom end!




Bones

 

We started with a 428 that has the 3 web mains.

 

That was an endurance racing item, really only needed if running at 6500+ RPM for hours or all-out racing. For street/drag as long as you're not adding forced induction or a big hit of nitrous the 'standard' blocks will live. The 428 CJ/SCJ motors did just fine with 2 bolt mains and cast cranks. Premium rods on the other hand should be used if really turning up the wick.

 

I paid 75.00 for a complete 69 Torino Cobra . 428 SCJ , Big Spine Top Loader , 4.30 Detroit Locked N case , oil cooler and all . The Cobra looked like it was sitting on the tracks and hit in the rear by a loaded banana train .

Mine had a side winder , and cap screw connecting rods .
All those parts into a 67 GT Fairlane at 17 years old , I was in tall cotton . Not many HS kids had a Chebbie that wanted any of it .

 

So, is there anything to look for as far as castings go? Do they crack or have any inherent design flaws I should look for when buying a core?

 

Oh snap... I just may have to slap a FE into my old Ford...

 

I looked for a complete 352/390 or 429/460 for my car in 2015. I saw one nice 390 in a '64 galaxie... not for sale at the time.

 

If you're going to go with an OEM accessory drive system, I would look for something complete, '70's pickups with AC will give you that. As far as weak spots go, blocks that have been run hard will tend to crack at the oil passages in the main webs. All of the blocks will have the extra ribs along the pan rails for the main saddles from mid '67 on up, and I'll guess those are way more plentiful than the earlier blocks. As mentioned before, unless you're running the World 600, the cross bolted blocks aren't necessary, are expensive, and really sensitive to core shift and cylinder wall thickness. Unless you need one, I would also pass on 406 and 390 Hi Po blocks, due to cost and the pounding they may have already taken, and I would also be wary of CJ and other large valve OEM heads for the same reasons.

 

I am actually hoping for a 360 block. Those are super plentiful around here and cheap. Of course now that I am looking for one......they will all be worth their weight in gold.

 

Yes, look for a block that has the “ mirror 105” cast in the front! They are known for just a little less core shift and have the “ web” in the mains area, that James was talking about. These are the latest FEs cast, in the seventies.
Also 1964 and back FEs only have one set of engine mounts. 1965 and up have two sets of engine mounts…might make installation easier.
Also, while looking , look for a 428 block! Some non 428 blocks can be bored to 428 bore ( 4.130) but most can’t!
If it is just a block, look down the front water passage and if you see “428” , it can be bored to 4.130+ , but a Sonic check would be in order! Also sometimes you can see the 428 in the freeze plug holes. This is o important if you want a 428+, but also makes for a good 390 based engine.
But don’t spend a lot of time looking for these engines, they are some what rare.
You can use a 391 truck block, they are usually thick walled engines , you have to buy a bushing to reduce the size of the disturbtor hole. And for all practical purposes the block is all you can use on a 391.
These are some of the things to look for! But any 360/390 block will work just fine. Do not use a 352 block.
If you can score a 428 block, you can build a 462, instead of a 445, for about the same money!
Also, most all 428s have a “A” or a “C” sand scratched in the bell housing area.
The ribbed block is usually a good one to build, not because of the ribs, but it is usually one of the later blocks. It also shows the two sets of engine mounts.
The other picture shows the triangle lower water ports that extend below the head bolts holes , that can indicate a 428 early block or a later 390 block!




Bones

 

I don't see many 428 blocks around here....Everything on CL and FB Marketplace is a 390 though, even 352's and 360's.

 

Don't totally walk away from 352s. The early motors ('58-62) weren't thinwall cast so can take a much larger overbore compared to the later blocks. There are credible reports of boring these all the way to the 428 bore size safely. Yeah, you won't have the later motor mount bosses and will need to install a cam thrust plate (easy!) but most guys will ignore them, being 'only' a 352.

The problem with the early HiPo blocks is they're all solid-lifters-only, not drilled for pressure oiling to the lifters.

 

Yep! They are getting scarce. Just showing you what to look for! Most of the time folks don’t know what they have! The 105 blocks are still plentiful. That’s the one I would go after! But while looking , keep your eyes peeled for 428s, you never know where they will pop up! I bought two junk trucks the other day and this engine was in the back of one!



Bones

 

Yep! I purposely excluded the 352, because not all were cast , thick wall, and finding the early 352 would be about as hard as finding a 428!
There are a lot of tricks to finding and determining FEs. I just mentioned the most common and easiest!
Also! The date code on an FE is near the Oil filter boss, if you need to determine the year of the engine.


Bones

 

I thought the 390s and 352s used the same block?

 

The outside dimensions are very similar, but the cylinder wall casting on the later 352s was smaller for the smaller bore 352. The early 352 were thicker. As with Ford, things change !




Bones

 

Lots of 390 have 352 cast into the block front drives side near oil pump .

Bones , I need to move near you , we’d have a good time Hot Rodin

 

Hell, yeah! I need someone to motivate me! Getting slow in my old age! lol




Bones

 

This I remembered late last night after posting, and is another reason to leave them to the resto crowd, along with most 427's. I believe '68 427's were the only year the only year for hydraulics, although later service blocks were probably drilled for them. 390 production ended in 1970, so be aware that none were produced afterward, and a lot of people think their 360 pickup motor is a 390.

 

I think the 390 was made all the way too '76.... I could be wrong....