Geez.....i worship the Ford gods..........and even i'll say NO. But if it's all ya got then what the hey!!
i am not sure but i got it for free, thought it might be cool if you can get the old hop up stuff for it but if they **** then i wont
Well, I'll go against the trend (naturally! ) and come back by saying that it's still just an internal combustion engine. Sure, it has pretty lousy displacement for it's weight, and the bore/stroke ratio isn't the most favorable...but it's still a very rugged design that will handle the addition of speed parts and a little "enthusiastic driving" now and then! With a good dual pattern hydraulic cam, aluminum 4v dual plane intake manifold, Holley 750cfm vacuum secondaries carb, headers and maybe some clean-up work in the ports, it'll move out okay. Ignition can be anything from stock factory single point, to dual point...to factory or aftermarket electronic. (360 truck engines from the mid 70s had factory electronic ignitions, and those parts will fit your 352). The motor is FREE...it's a time proven strong foundation, and it'll respond to basic performance mods just like anything else! If you want a race motor, p*** on it. But if you just want a fun cruiser with a little more "ooomph", then it would make a pretty cool "alternative powerplant"! Dressed up right with any of dozens of valve cover options, air cleaner designs and detailing, it could be pretty interesting!
Theres nothing really wrong with the 352, just that the 390/406/427/428 were bigger and better. But if you want the look of a FE in your hot rod, and it runs then go for it. There is plenty of speed and dress up gear available, and you can always change to a 390 later on. Keep it mild and keep the revs down and it will be fine.
A lot of FE blocks up till the end in 76 had 352 cast into them. Check the bore and stroke to be sure, if its short stroked its either a 352 or a 360. Almost all the goodies that bolt onto the 332-428 will also fit the 352, with the exception of large valve heads and accosiated intakes. DO NOT under estimate the potential of the little FE, although it is small in cubes and just as heavy as its big brethern, the short stroke lends itself to higher RPM's than the big brothers, with the exception of the high end/high rpm 427's. As with any engine better flow, good builing and shaving the weight, the 352 can supprise you. In a light car with the right build it can be a lot of fun if not a all out screamer. There are a lot of FE combinations out there that make great H.P. and the 352 was the beginning of the ford performance gains in the late 50-early 60's so if you use the knowledge gained over the years to wring out the FE, it will give strong results in even the little 352, just remember to use a cam and head work that works for slightly higher rpms rather than the grunt of the later FE's. As with most engines the real benifit will be in matching the head work, cam and ignition to the potential/use of the engine. The 352 will never crank 425 horses or steady 9grand on the tach like a good 427, but it will raise hell when prepped right. Oldtin
I'm with Hack. Slap some of the standard speed parts on it and put it in a light car and it'll go just fine. And it's hard to argue with free. You should find out what displacement it really is by taking a spark plug out and measuring the stroke. If it turns out to be a 390 or bigger then some of the guys here would likely change their vote. 3.98 stroke = 410 or 428 3.78 stroke = 390, 406, or 427 3.50 stroke = 352 or 360 3.30 stroke = 332 (first year of the FE in '57)
FREE is great. One quick note. See if it has stock timing chain, if it does swap it before you run it. They had utter **** plastic coated gear pulleys that fell to pieces into the timing chain cover with any age on them. Throw a double roller in it, a nice cam and go.
...and dump the 800# intake manifold. not that bad of a design, just heavier than hell. they don't even need bolts to hold 'em down they're so ****ing heavy might see if you can scrounge up some gt heads,too.
http://www.fordfe.com/ Best FE talk out there. These guys are serious about these things. I've got a 352 in my '65 Gal-o-vert. I plan on a mild cam, Performer RPM, headers, and cruise the snot out of it. 352s will supposedly go big inch with the right parts. Have fun!
[ QUOTE ] The 352 will never crank 425 horses or steady 9grand on the tach like a good 427, but it will raise hell when prepped right. [/ QUOTE ] What he said! While not as large as 390 or 427, the little 352 is still a good motor. Back in the day, there was a two-tone green '58 two door post with a blueprinted 352 and Cruiso running around up here. Can't remember which Stock cl*** he ran it in, but he had the whole back wall of his garage covered with trophies he won with it at Arlington and Mission. After it was sold to a later owner, it became a real sleeper on the street. Don't feel bad about starting with a 352, 'specially when the price is right.
I knew I'd herd about the 352 being a strong little fellow before so I dived into my motors manual and found this.... 1958 T-bird 352....cranked out 300 hp at 4600 rpm with 385 lb ft of torque at 2800. The engine had a 10.2 compression ratio. Bill Burnam thought a lot of this engine and slid one into his 29 roadster. He usta love to tell stories of embar***ing the ricer sports cars and german factory hot rods on interstate ramps.
If ya got a good runnin one, leave it as is, install and enjoy until you can or even want to change. I had a 59 Ranchero with 352 and automatic. It ran good, but I got enthralled with a GT390 engine I'd come across and brought home. (Out of a low mileage wrecked Mustang.) Since I was still driving the 'Chero with the stock 352 dual pipes only change from factory - when the 352 carb started acting up, I swiped the carb off the 390 and stuck it on. No other changes made. Darned thing really ran and the simple carb swap pretty much woke it up. Left it like that until I got the stick shift stuff and slid the 390 in. That was a good runner as well, but the 352 did surprise me.
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