Well, I can say for myself that I have built 3 FE's so far and liked the challenge involved. The last one I rebuilt was a 390 and that was a lot of fun. Took it down to a bare block, pressure washed it all up real good and threw some primer and paint on it. There were a few things on the last one that I never really worked with, but I was real meticulous in making sure it was right and it turned out good. It's now in a 77 F-150 and it runs strong! Now that I have 3 FE's under my belt, It's good to know I have some knowledge of rebuilding since I own a project truck. I've also helped a co-worker/friend rebuild his 87 Toyota 22RE engine and will be helping another co-worker/friend rebuild his 1200cc VW engine from an old Bug. I also have a 360 engine sitting in my shed and been thinking of all the possibilities and fun I could have with that...
I have built maybe 4-5 FE's and right now have 4 running FE's at my place, 1 -360, 2 -390s and a 428.
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Allen D
1966 F-100 4x4 with 390 GT engine
1990 Areostar 2wd XLT ext
1980 Bronco with 460
1964 Galaxie 500 with 428
Oregon Chapter Member: To join the Oregon Chapter, click HERE
Kind of a lot... probably over a hundred.
Of course most of them are customer motors these days....
Gene has me beat though...
In the shop right now:
One 527" (not a typo) SOHC - not dyno'd yet - mine - but could be your's ( )
A 433" High Riser - 735 HP - mine for my car
A 429" short block - Genesis
A 447" complete stroker 390 - 490HP
A 505" genesis based medium riser - 747HP
A couple 462" 428 based strokers
A 429" Pond block with TWM injection - 525 or so HP (can't remember)
A near stock rebuild 428CJ
A couple misc 390s in various states of distress...
An aluminum Pond block that'll become a SOHC someday
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The builder of the highest horsepower Pump Gas FEs
1 352 6,000 miles on it so far,
1 390 all ready to assemble for a year now (lazy ass syndrome ???)
1 414-418 or? we'll see where it ends up. Baked, rattled and rolled so far, bore & parts pending final outcome.
3 390s. One was for someone else, it's still tooling around somewhere
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- art k. - Moderator for the Superduty, V10, and FE forums
'01 F250SD SC SB XLT V10 4x4 auto 3.73 Warn hubs Volant CAI, eBay headers and y-pipe - 5-star custom tunes on SCT X3
'97 Cougar XR7 30th Anniv Edition 4.6L
'74 F250 Highboy FE390 deceased! I've been wrong before, I'll be wrong again. Just wait and see.
Wow...some of you guys must live and breathe FEs. I've done lots of engines, but only 3 FEs, so I am going to digress a bit from the original question and state:
How many mistakes have I made building FEs?
Only two I know of:
1/ Had the main bearing caps all torqued down and then realized I forgot to install the rear main bearing seal. At least I caught it before going much further.
2/ Forgot to install the retainer washer on the oil pump drive shaft. Fixed that later on when I removed the oil pan to remove split-pin pieces due to a dist drive failure.
If I think hard enough, I may remember others, but at this moment, that seems like it.
Note: The only thing I don't like about FEs are those rear bearing cap side-seals, in particular, the "nails".
Well, kinda hard to say exactly. Refreshed the race car 428 quite a few times over the years. Throw in the 428CJ in the pickup and the 390 in the galaxie? Can't say how many times.
All three are in running condition presently.
Ya, the side seals can be a beach, but I have a way to do it and pretty painless and never leaks. I grind the rubber til they slide in easily. Install cap, slather silicone on rubbers, slide them in, then install nails. 20 yrs and never a leak, there. Lord knows I can't seem to keep valve covers dry very long. Then again, it's NOT an FE if it doesn't mark it's territory.
1/ Had the main bearing caps all torqued down and then realized I forgot to install the rear main bearing seal. At least I caught it before going much further.
2/ Forgot to install the retainer washer on the oil pump drive shaft. Fixed that later on when I removed the oil pan to remove split-pin pieces due to a dist drive failure.
Note: The only thing I don't like about FEs are those rear bearing cap side-seals, in particular, the "nails".[/quote]
LOL I think I have made a few of these mistakes as well. The "nails" has me confused though.
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How many FE engines have you built?
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