http://i14.ebayimg.com/01/i/000/95/3b/cfe4_12.JPG

This looks exactly 317 valve cover with two bolt center hold down.
I might be mistaken though


I used to own one of these 317 cid gear driven cam Y-blocks
that I built up for my 58 C600 mecanics truck. I tought it would
last longer an a 16,000 lb work truck than the 292's did because I kept
snapping their cast cranks, Never did locate a forged crank through all the
truck wrecking yards. Rebuilders always swapped in cast cranks when they
found a forged one lol.

 

There are two different 332's. FE and Heavy Duty truck. Completeley different engines. It looks like a HD302 or HD332 truck engine, which is based on the Lincoln y-block (317, 341, 368 car engine). Obviously that's NOT an FE or FT unless someone figured out a way to put the distributer in the back! The Lincoln Y and Ford Y valve covers look similar. The best way to tell them apart is the exhaust manifolds, but can't see them well in that picture.

 

I remember the HD big blocks having a longer crank snout, and crank was forged.
also longer timing chain cover to fit double-roller timing chain, and HD heads & valves.
HD distributor, but wasn't the block the same? So were the FE and HD engines really
completely different?

Not professing to be big block knowledgeable at all

 

There are both MD and HD versions for both engine families.
Lets put it this way. For 54 - 64, for medium trucks (500 - 800), the "Heavy Duty V8" (engine code D and up) was either the HD292, or ANY of the industrial Lincoln engines: HD302 or HD332 (available in 700s - 800s). HD engines had steel cranks. All Lincoln TRUCK engines are by definition "HD".
The "Medium Duty V8" (code C) was the MD292 - no steel crank, 2bbl, etc.
Both MD and HD 292s use the same block.
Both 292s and the HD Lincolns get called "Y" blocks.

From 65 - 70 something - "Heavy Duty V8" (engine code D and up) meant the HD330, 361, or 391 (called the "FT" family). All 361s and 391s are by definition "Heavy Duty" and have steel crankshafts with large snout, etc.
In '65 - 70 something, the "Medium Duty V8" (code "C") was the MD330. I don't know much about those, but someone said they don't have the large crank snout.
I believe FTs use the same block as FE car and pickup engines, but am not certain.

So what I was saying are completely different are FE/FTs (60s tech.) and 54-64 "Y"-blocks (50s tech). Trouble is, there was a 332 FE (car) engine, and a 332 Lincoln HD truck engine, and at the same time, no less (61-63 approx). They are not related, engine family-wise.

I had to sort this out years ago when I was working on a '59 T750 with a 332 (HD Lincoln). Thought I could bolt in an FE - found out otherwise.

 

Nice information, thanks I know some of this wasn't even pointed out in books.

I remember one day on the way home from work my 58 C600 had a crankshaft
anomaly (became two pieces) and subsequent loss of power. Coasted to side of the
road, I looked under the cab and watched a single camshaft lobe roll out of the giant
hole in the bottom right side of the pan. I had to laugh eventough I was SOL.

 

Just to add fuel to the conversation, I have a 292 HD engine in my shop at the moment. It has a steel crankshaft, ECZ connecting rods (those also fit the 312) and pistons with a higher deck height. The shorter ECZ rods with the high top pistons change the torque characteristics of the 292 and make it a good truck engine.