A few old school builds....

[frankenfords]

Very cool to see some 'traditional' builds, thanks for sharing Brent.

The truck 352 was rated at 208 horsepower from 65-67, and was the top dog in truck line up. I'd bet somewhere just south of 200hp.

Curious to know what heads that engine has? Interestingly, of the 352's I've seen, in 66 Ford kept the earlier 'low riser' style intake port for both car and truck applications, while the 390's all got the new head design with short intake ports. Head casting numbers I have seen have been C6AE-R and C6TE-_, whether car or truck. In 67, truck 352's had the small port heads just like the car 390's.

That 352 might have a 2BBL intake with low riser sized ports as well, and that carb might be a big venturi version. A;; trival information, I suppose, but still curious to see what numbers that old work horse puts out.

[blykins]

The heads are C6AE-R's....another reason I bought this engine. 

It cracks me up that most people are responding about the 352...hahaha  I love the underdogs too. 

[garyv]

I really like the " old school" type stuff.  Seems everyone has a big stroker motor.
Wanted to do something a little different with mine. My 66 Fairlane is just an old school hot rod. Nothing more.
Kind of built like what Ford did with their factory cars.
The whole build was basically designed around the Tunnel Port heads. Once they were flowed we discussed the
options. I wanted to stay with a "stock" Ford stroke, flat tappet cam and a rotating assembly that would let it
rev. I think what Brent has come up with will let us achieve our goal.
I see that Brent's 352 has gotten the attention of a few. Will be interesting to see what he
comes up with for it. I'm sure when he's done with it it won't be a grocery getter.
garyv

[Drew Pojedinec]

of course everyone is into the 352.
Same reason we all are in love with Cody's truck with 390.....

any idiot can write a check for a 482, stuff it in a mustang and tear around with it.  Takes a real idiot to keep up with him in a 76 f100 with an iron headed 390 that was built in the garage.

Fe's by nature are a more grass roots type engine.  This is the same reason that Nascar was cool in the 60's, you could see yourself in that car, it was real.

[mmason]

I was just reading the last post by Drew and suddenly realized "Hay, he is talking about me!". It might make a nice license plate though, "Idiots487"

[ScotiaFE]

of course everyone is into the 352.
Same reason we all are in love with Cody's truck with 390.....

any idiot can write a check for a 482, stuff it in a mustang and tear around with it.  Takes a real idiot to keep up with him in a 76 f100 with an iron headed 390 that was built in the garage.

Fe's by nature are a more grass roots type engine.  This is the same reason that Nascar was cool in the 60's, you could see yourself in that car, it was real.

So all of us that have a 482 are idiots?

[blykins]

I wouldn't get too upset about it.  Drew's next statement is that it takes a bigger idiot to hang it out with a 390....

If you know Drew, he's not pointing fingers, or trying to insult....that's just his lingo.  His email address begins with "ringworm" if that helps you understand him better.  He's a good guy.

[Drew Pojedinec]

I'm the idiot that historically speaking, puts a $8,000 engine in a $1,000 truck.
If any of us were sane, we'd all be driving prius's like the rest of the soulless masses.  If power was the issue, we'd all be stroking 460's into the stratosphere like everyone else.  So yes, I think we are all nuts/idiotic, we chose to take the harder path.  My reason for loving Fe's is "cuz they sound cool"

My comments are more self deprecating than anything else.... I always point a finger home first.... not my fault ya'll are standing too close :-)

(puts on bumper sticker that says "ThunderBucket" and parks way too close to Mmason)

[jayb]

I'm the idiot that historically speaking, puts a $8,000 engine in a $1,000 truck.
If any of us were sane, we'd all be driving prius's like the rest of the soulless masses.  If power was the issue, we'd all be stroking 460's into the stratosphere like everyone else.  So yes, I think we are all nuts/idiotic, we chose to take the harder path.  My reason for loving Fe's is "cuz they sound cool"

My comments are more self deprecating than anything else.... I always point a finger home first.... not my fault ya'll are standing too close :-)

(puts on bumper sticker that says "ThunderBucket" and parks way too close to Mmason)

I smell a good thread hijack here.  Why do we love our FEs?  As Drew says, if we were chasing the most HP and wanted to save money and stay Ford, we'd be building 460s. My reasons are:

1.  They came in the coolest production cars ever (427 Cobras, 67-70 Mustangs, 66-69 Fairlanes/Torinos, 64-69 Galaxies, etc.)
2.  They have a great racing pedigree (GT-40, 427 Cobra, Thunderbolts, LW Galaxies, CJ Mustangs, M/T 69 Mustang funny cars, etc.)
3.  They are an attractive engine, with options like the pentroof valve covers, factory 2X4 setups, etc.
4.  No engine sounds better than a solid lifter FE with open headers.

A 460 can't make any of those claims.  They are attractive from a power and cost standpoint, but the FE's history gives it a soul that a 385 series engine can't match.  What do you guys think?

[jayb]

So all of us that have a 482 are idiots?

I must be a bigger idiot than you, Howie, 'cause I've got some 500"+ motors 

[Drew Pojedinec]

Jay,
I hate to toss around a label like "idiot"  but I can think of no other term for a fella that has changed what, 400-500, FE intake manifolds for fun.
You sir are the king.  In this case it isn't a bad thing, heck I admire you and most of the other here as much further advanced than my own pitiful attempts.

On another note...  I have a 500hp 429 in my 63.5 Galaxie.  It is a superb engine.  If I had a 300hp 390 in the shop right now I'd probably swap them   The engine does anything I'd want it to do, but it just doesn't *feel* right.  That isn't a normal line of thinking, is it?

[Heo]

I like to look of the FE and what other
American Engine have won the lemans.....
(well the sbf i guess but thats later)

maby Its with Engines as with women if they look
good they are more expensive to  maintain

[BH107]

I smell a good thread hijack here.  Why do we love our FEs?  As Drew says, if we were chasing the most HP and wanted to save money and stay Ford, we'd be building 460s. My reasons are:

1.  They came in the coolest production cars ever (427 Cobras, 67-70 Mustangs, 66-69 Fairlanes/Torinos, 64-69 Galaxies, etc.)
2.  They have a great racing pedigree (GT-40, 427 Cobra, Thunderbolts, LW Galaxies, CJ Mustangs, M/T 69 Mustang funny cars, etc.)
3.  They are an attractive engine, with options like the pentroof valve covers, factory 2X4 setups, etc.
4.  No engine sounds better than a solid lifter FE with open headers.

A 460 can't make any of those claims.  They are attractive from a power and cost standpoint, but the FE's history gives it a soul that a 385 series engine can't match.  What do you guys think?

I like where this is going...

For me, it's how I was raised. These engines were in cars 25 years before I was born. But growing up we only had Fords, and my dad has had the donor car for his Thunderbolt clone since I was 7. I remember working on it with him before I was 10. Then having kids caught up with him and he set the project aside. Now 20 years later we are working on it together again. I still remember when he picked up the 427 for it.

As for me personally, I'm partial to the 406 and 427 because they were a HiPo only engine. They weren't just a performance variation of a standard engine. They never came in a production truck. If you look at others like the 460 based engines, or numerous others, they were available in almost anything. A guy can say his drag car is 460 powered, and the guy next to him says "hey thats the engine I have in my motorhome." But if you say it  427 based, well that is something special.

I also like my FE engines because they are unique. At any given car show you may only have a handful there, and maybe not any that have been really built.

[turbohunter]

For me it's the first engine I was really aware of because it was in my dads brand new 1965 Pickup.
The racing history built on that.
And Jay's point of the sound is right on. There is no engine that sounds better.

[falcon428]

From one Idiot to all the other Idiots my love for the FE started with my first pickup.  I liked the 390 so much more than the next 2 trucks with 302's.  Then  I got a chance to hear a few at the drag strip and fell in love with there sound.  It's been an addiction that there is no cure for ever since. 

I don't even want to think what  a 460 based motor would do with what I'm getting ready to spend on my new FE build.  It's a full on IDIOT of a build with a Shelby block based centrifugal supercharged, EFI monstrosity with the help of Blair.  More to come on that later.

I do have a few cars that need a few of these so called old school builds.  Also have a 428scj that's an older rebuild with stock type parts that I need to find a car to put it in someday. Get it out of my bedroom.