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Featured Folks Of Interest The Baddest 352 on the planet.

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by Jeff Norwell, Dec 17, 2025 at 6:34 AM.

  1. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 15,303

    Jeff Norwell
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    Not my words... but a great story on a often forgotten Ford FE.
    Yeah... you can do a 390,428 and build a stroker. or look for the unicorns.....406 or 427.

    But still today... a 352 or 360 can be found cheap,... and build a street Monster.

    I just enjoy this gentleman's work and explanations.
    This vid is just an overview.. there is an entire series on the build.


    Here....

     
  2. corncobcoupe
    Joined: May 26, 2001
    Posts: 8,840

    corncobcoupe
    SUPER MODERATOR
    Staff Member

    Couple of big drinkers on top.
    Built with fuel mileage in mind...... Haha...ahhh no.:)
     
  3. lothiandon1940
    Joined: May 24, 2007
    Posts: 32,457

    lothiandon1940
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  4. 1952henry
    Joined: Jan 8, 2006
    Posts: 1,595

    1952henry
    Member

    Nice. This guy knows FEs.
     
  5. Paladin1962
    Joined: Mar 10, 2025
    Posts: 228

    Paladin1962

    Had a 352 in a '65 Country Sedan, single 4v, cruiseomatic; that sum***** could definitely move! Keep your foot off the loud pedal and it might get 14mpg
     
  6. RMR&C
    Joined: Dec 26, 2009
    Posts: 4,946

    RMR&C
    Member
    from NW Montana

    Wow! Sounds pretty good at 7k rpm! 352's get no respect. I love mine.... tho it's no where as stout as that one
    20250507_172503.jpg
     
    34 5W Paul, Sharpone, rod1 and 13 others like this.
  7. 57 Fargo
    Joined: Jan 22, 2012
    Posts: 6,210

    57 Fargo
    Member

    Now if only it wasn't a Ford....:)
     
  8. 57 Fargo
    Joined: Jan 22, 2012
    Posts: 6,210

    57 Fargo
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    I actually have what I think is a 352 or 360, I’ve never bothered to check. It’s beside a Y block that I’m unsure on displacement as well!o_O
     
  9. 57 Fargo
    Joined: Jan 22, 2012
    Posts: 6,210

    57 Fargo
    Member

    In retrospect @Jeff Norwell i should have brought them with me and left them at your house.
     
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  10. Spooky
    Joined: Mar 3, 2001
    Posts: 2,532

    Spooky
    Member

    352's are widely ignored.

    When introduced in 1958, they were a 300 hp engine with a police interceptor option.
    Then Ford dropped the hammer in 1960 with the 360 horse 352.

    upload_2025-12-17_8-59-4.jpeg
     
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  11. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 15,303

    Jeff Norwell
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    Hahahaha
     
  12. bchctybob
    Joined: Sep 18, 2011
    Posts: 6,041

    bchctybob
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    Interesting series of tests, thanks for posting. Nice to see the smaller FE get some attention. Got some good power without the $1500-2000 stroker expense.
     
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  13. 57 Fargo
    Joined: Jan 22, 2012
    Posts: 6,210

    57 Fargo
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    Shows how much I know, mine must be a 360, it’s out of a ‘67 F-100, apparently the 352 was gone by then, at least according to google
     
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  14. 1952henry
    Joined: Jan 8, 2006
    Posts: 1,595

    1952henry
    Member

    I had an OT 67 highboy with the 208 2V 352. That beast had torque. Side step clutch and it would twist the rear leaf springs.
    Just finished tearing apart a 428 for my neighbor, so he could take it to the machine shop. Love those engines.

    would be fun to build a 360hp 352.
     
  15. Didn't Ed Prout from Connecticut win "A" stock at the Nationals with a bright red 1960 Ford with a 360 HP 352 , inch FE ?
     
  16. Paladin1962
    Joined: Mar 10, 2025
    Posts: 228

    Paladin1962

    Also had a '65 F-100 with a 352 4v and cruise; blew it up on Christmas Day 1993. It never knocked or gave any warning, just gave up on me. Good looking truck and I should have just swapped in the '65 Mercury 390 I had on hand.
     
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  17. finn
    Joined: Jan 25, 2006
    Posts: 1,497

    finn
    Member

    I recall the 67 F series still had the 352. The 360 came the next year, in 1968.

    The 360 got a bad rep because the piston was way down in the hole to drop the compression ratio. Last thing you want in a truck engine is detonation, hence the low cr. The driver often can’t hear it, or ignores it, and destroys the engine. A true truck engine has low enough compression that it never happens, as long as timing is set to factory specifications.

    Don’t know if the 352 truck versions suffered the same way, although I suspect they did.

    The two barrel 352 had a two barrel carb until 1964, when they all got four barrels in the cars. Trucks got the 352 from 1965-1967, with a 2 2 barrel.

    the 62-63 two barrel cars weren’t much, if any, faster than the lighter 289 in the same ch***is, from what I recall.
     
  18. 1952henry
    Joined: Jan 8, 2006
    Posts: 1,595

    1952henry
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  19. stuart in mn
    Joined: Nov 22, 2007
    Posts: 2,803

    stuart in mn
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    All FE engines pretty much look the same, so you can tell people your 352 is a 427 and most won't know the difference. ;)

    Interestingly, in the first dyno run in the video his 352 made 208hp, which is right at the factory rating for a 1966 pickup.
     
    Last edited: Dec 17, 2025 at 2:55 PM
  20. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 36,020

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Back in the mid 60's a cl***mate in trade school and the best bud of one of our members had a 56 Ford two door wagon that he had put a strong running 352 in that suprised a lot of rigs in street races in it's time. our member Hedders (who hasn't shown up as checking in for years but used to check the cl***ifieds daily) rescued him untold times and drug the car home with a broken transmission and the owner pretty well ran local wrecking yards out of Ford 3 speeds before he put a 4 speed in it.
     
  21. slowmotion
    Joined: Nov 21, 2011
    Posts: 3,684

    slowmotion
    Member

    The old man had 2. A '58 Fairlane, then a 60 Galaxy, both 2dr HT's. Both P.I.'s IIRC but I was a little ****. I remember his buddies all oogling over the engines. I know they pinned me back in the seat many times!
     
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  22. RmK57
    Joined: Dec 31, 2008
    Posts: 3,148

    RmK57
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    Would have liked to have seen them bump up the compression to 12-12.5. Probably could have made another 20 hp doing that.
     
  23. 57 Fargo
    Joined: Jan 22, 2012
    Posts: 6,210

    57 Fargo
    Member

    Well then anyone want to buy a 427?:D
     
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  24. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 15,303

    Jeff Norwell
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    Every Car manufacturer made engines that were innovators and then got regulated back to the Nosebleeds.
    Chevy and the 307 and the 305
    Pontiac and the 326
    Mopar and the 318
    etc,etc,etc,...........

    None of them are bad..... they just were pushed into the bleachers and made to function for Mom and Dad.....

    I just like under-dogs.... they can surprise you.
     
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  25. bobss396
    Joined: Aug 27, 2008
    Posts: 18,752

    bobss396
    Member

    Ted Wells was the 352 master in the late 1960s. He even made his own intake manifolds.

    I wish I had an old issue of Car Craft, it had a great article on his 1954 Ford. IIRC he was from Oregon or Washington.
     
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  26. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 15,303

    Jeff Norwell
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member


    Did a search and lo and behold. the mag and info was right here on the Hamb.

    A very interesting read, albeit a full race car.. but interesting info to say the least.
    This place has so much info on whatever you need. searching is the Key.. it always knocks me out.


    Ted1.jpg Ted2.jpg Ted3.jpg Ted4.jpg Ted5.jpg Ted6.jpg Ted7.jpg Ted8.jpg
     
  27. milwscruffy
    Joined: Aug 29, 2006
    Posts: 4,184

    milwscruffy
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    I can't help but wonder if it is like SBC's where it costs no more to build a 400 than a 265, yet you get the extra cubes and torque. Could be why the 352's have been somewhat ignored.
     
  28. 409 Bob
    Joined: Aug 20, 2008
    Posts: 79

    409 Bob
    Member

    Great video,
    When I was in Palm Springs in 1969 a friend had a Galaxy with a 352 that I would swap with my '55 Chevy on different days for fun. it would really go.
    Bob
     
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  29. Jeff Norwell
    Joined: Aug 20, 2003
    Posts: 15,303

    Jeff Norwell
    MODERATOR
    Staff Member


    I completely agree.
    the issue is that the 390's and 428's have become expensive... I certainly wouldn't want a 390 or 428 with a rebuild starting at 40 over... heating issues after that.. the early (64,65) are a thicker cast block...or so it seems to be.
    so a 352,360 is a much cheaper alternative to start....
    Any vintage engine to build is costly.....
     
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  30. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 17,104

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Gee I thought this was going to be about a SBC with a 4” bore and 1/2” arm like was done in 1957 by Howard Johanson and Keith Black. A hot rodders dream engine…a 352.
    I also read some where when GM was going to make a bigger SBC than the 327 they shortened the stroke to 3.48” so as not to confuse GM owners with a Ford engine.
    Funny when guys started putting 400” cranks in the their 350’s the suddenly got a MOPAR engine.:rolleyes:
     
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