Big Ford power tips.....Part One

When you say "Big Block Ford" there's actually two engine lines-The "FE" series that includes the 352, 360 (   a truck engine ) 390,406, 427 and 428 that was used from 1961-76 in various cars and trucks. The other one is the 385 series-which is the 429 and 460 used from 1968 to 1997. Because of this, I think I'll break this into two separate posts so there's no confusion. Today I'll talk about the "FE" series and in a day or two we'll do the 385 series. Like I said the "FE" series was used in cars through 1971 and trucks through 1976. Of all the displacements they came in we are only concerned with two, The 390 that was used from 1963-76, and the 428 that was used from 1966-70. Here's why. The 352 is just as big and heavy and expensive to build as a 390 or a 428-but it's only 352 cubes. Honestly-if you can get by with only 350 cubes- Unless your restoring an early '60s T-Bird or Galaxie to the nth degree for concours showing-you'd be ahead of the game by getting a later-model 351W, or 351C . Their lighter,have more power,get better mileage and don't leak oil. The 360 was a weird offshoot of the 390-( I can't remember off the top of my head if it's a small-bore design or if they de-stroked it ) but it was only used in trucks and it had the dual attributes of no power and crappy gas mileage. The 406 was only built for a few years in the early '60's, and we all know 427s are moon rocks. This leaves the 390 and the 428.  # 1. Bottom end. The "FE" bottom end is very tough which is why they were used in trucks for so many years. As long as you keep rpm's under 6.500 you'll be fine. # 2. Cylinder heads. I'm going to go against the usual here-unless you have or are restoring a 428CJ Mustang or Fairlane-forget the factory heads. Get the aluminum Edelbrocks which are patterned after the CJ heads, and will drop 100 lbs off the nose of your car as well as giving you a huge hp boost. I say this because 99% of the 390's out there ( That weren't hi-perf versions in a Mustang, T-Bird or Fairlane) had 2bbl carburation and small-valve heads. If you have a 428 out of a Mustang, T-Bird or Police interceptor-by all means use it-they have the good heads stock. Otherwise I'd use the Edelbrocks on them too.  # 3. The same goes with intake manifolds-99% of the 390 engines came from the factory with a 2bbl, and the intake weighs over 100 lbs! Get an Edelbrock Performer or Performer RPM and matching carb. You'll gain a ton of performance and lose about 60 lbs more over your front wheels. 428CJ's came with an aluminum manifold and a 735 cfm Holley from the factory-but they are rare and priced accordingly. Unlike GM and Mopar-there just isn't a decent factory iron 4bbl intake for these engines. # 4. Cams. I really like Lunati's version of the 428 CJ cam; it seems to make more top-end than the other "Original Muscle" designs sold by Crane, Comp Cams, etc. It works great with an automatic and is really sweet with a 4-speed. The Edelbrock Performer and "RPM" cams are also excellent if you follow the guidelines on gears, converter recommendations, etc. # 5. Exhaust. The stock manifolds are very restrictive. Headers are practically a must-have with these engines if you want to get every ounce of power available. I know I've recommended more aftermarket parts for these engines than all the others combined; but the reason is-except for 4 short model years-1967-70-when they put them in Mustangs and Cougars-these were workhorse truck engines with 2bbl carburation and single exhaust designed to to pull heavy, sustained loads. Ford didn't develop performance parts for them, because the brass viewed them as a truck or "big car" towing engine. Like it or not-this is why a 396 Camaro, 400 Firebird, or 383 'Cuda will run off and leave a 390 Mustang in a drag race.  As for 428s-build one if you have one, or if it's already in the car your considering buying-but- save me the angry letters and copies of 12 second timeslips- stock or modified-these just don't have the power of a 440 Mopar or a 427 / 454 Chevy or even a 455 Pontiac or Olds. Don't believe it?  Car Life tested a 390 / 4-speed '68 Mustang just like the one Steve McQueen had in "Bullitt" ( That stunt coordinators Carey Loftin and Max Balchowsky added headers, an Edelbrock intake, a Holley carb, and a Mallory distributor to because in initial shooting the 440 Charger left it so bad, they couldn't even film it. After the mods-the Charger would still outrun the Mustang in a drag race, but Loftin and McQueen could stay close enough that they could film it and make the chase believable ) Any how-Car Life's stock 390 Mustang ran a 15.1 second 1/4 mile time, which was substantially slower than the 14.7 ran by a 400 Firebird ( with a TH400 and 3.36 gears ) and the 14.60 ran by a 396 Camaro. And these were BASE engines in the Camaro and Firebird-a 325 hp 400 in the Firebird and a 325 hp 396 in the Camaro. If they had tested a Ram Air III or Ram Air IV Firebird, or a 375 hp 396 Camaro the difference would have been much greater, and more embarrasing to Ford fans. Don't get me wrong-I have nothing against Fords. I'm just stating the irrefutable fact that the 390 was and is an off-shoot of the old "Y-blocks" of the fifties-it's a big, heavy, slow-revving truck engine, and no matter how much money you throw at it, it's not going to run as fast as the more modern Big-blocks from GM and Chrysler. Before you Ford fans start screaming editorial bias-I'll say it here about a Chevy-unless your restoring a late -50s or early '60s Impala-forget about a 348 / 409. They too are a big, heavy, truck engine design and with twice the money invested can't make half the power of a 1965 and later 396 / 427 / 454. Hell, they cant make as much power as a small-block 350 or 400 if it's built right!!  And I bet I don't get any Chevy fans crying foul, because I didn't say anything that wasn't true. Anyway-if your car has an "FE" in it and you want to keep it somewhat original-I gave you sound advice. If your looking for a Ford engine to build, your money is better spent on a 351W, 351C, or the 429 / 460 series. Their lighter, and will make twice the power for half the money. Mastermind