Allright, quick question. Did ford ever make the 390 PI with hydraulic lifters?

I ask because one of my motors is built off of a C4ME-F block. Everything i've seen says this is one of the PI blocks but it most definitely has hydraulic lifters and everything i've seen says the PI only had solid lifters.

Did someone go through the effort of boring the oil galleries or was there a hydraulic lifter 390 PI?

Justin

 

A quote from the book,"How To Rebuild Your Big Block Ford" be Steve Christ;

"From 1961 to 1965, Police Interceptor engines recieved thicker main bearing caps and webs, but otherwise were the same as the standard 390. Police engines used solid lifters. The lifter galleries through the block were drilled, but the short passages connecting the lifter galleries with the main oil gallery were not."

I can't find a listing for your C4ME-F block in this book, but that really isn't that important. It would be easy to switch from solid lifters to hydraulic lifters with a drilled block, and it may have been done to swap in easier-to-maintain hydraulic lifters. Does your engine have the adjustable rockers, or the non adjustable hydraulic rockers? One more question, are your rocker shafts mounted with aluminum stands, or cast iron stands?

 

The motor has later heads with non-adjustable rockers. The rocker stands are cast iron.

I know the motor isn't an actual PI, but the block originally was.

Justin

 

I don't have my books here but I'm pretty sure the "F" block might have been the service block which came as a hyd block. If it was to be used for solid application the lifter galleys were simply plugged.

G.

 

Hang onto those stands if you sell the motor. They are kind of rare. I had a complete pair of adjustable rocker assemblies with iron stands from a '63 406 that I sold for $200. Not real intellignt on my part...

 

FFR428, thanks for the explanation of the block number. I never seem to remember the service/agricultural/industrial blocks floating around out there.

 

Glad to help. I'll confirm that next week when i'm home but I'm pretty sure that's correct. Ya those old iron stands are worth a pretty penny. I have a set of iron LR C2's I might sell or ebay. I sold my 406 to start on a 427 TP build and these were left over with a set of new Crane rockers I still have also.

G.

 

The iron stands fetch about $100 a set on ebay. Blocks were pretty much interchangeable, Ford never stuck to the plan with many engines. What one was built from, another might get a different block. The later, mid 60's PI motors had hyd lifters.

 

If you need or want ajustable rockers NAPA has them..i keep a couple spairs for when i break them...bill