whats up guys I have a 76 w/ a 360. I am on a budget and I have already installed a edelbrock intake and 600 carb and I was wondering how much difference i am going to notice if I install a high performace cam and a set of headers on an otherwise stock motor. Will it be worth my time and $$$$$.
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"If it was easy everyone would do it"
Without a compression increase and a cam to take advantage of the headers, intake and carb, you are throwing your money away. Better yet either find a 390 or convert your engine to a 390. The difference is night and day. Then your intake, carb and headers will have something to work with.
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Bear 45/70 Gimp Racing
“There are only two things stopping you, common sense and fear! And not much of the latter.”
For a little bit of a kick, put a pre-72 timing set in it. The cam timing is way off on the 1972-and-up 360's. That is, if someone else hasn't already done it.
The real question is, looking at that motor, has anyone already done work to it, and possibly put different pistons in it?
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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.
I dressed the motor up myself...It came out of a junkyard truck.Now what has been done to it I don't know.
when did ford start using the fe family I know they stopped in 76.
I also need a timing cover any help on that
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"If it was easy everyone would do it"
i dressed the motor up myself...it came out of a junkyard truck.now what has been done to it i don't know.
When did ford start using the fe family i know they stopped in 76.
I also need a timing cover any help on that
*****1958******
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Bear 45/70 Gimp Racing
“There are only two things stopping you, common sense and fear! And not much of the latter.”
If you were to go with headers 'n cam, a short-duration, high lift deal with a non-smog straight up timing set would help pump up the dynamic compression and make quite a difference- if you run much duration at all, it just makes the low-compression engine that much more breathless- so don't expect to have both power and a rumpty-rump sound, a long cam will give it more athsma
I think with a 360 your better off controlling the backpressure for tourque, Straight up time set from cloyes is cheap. Then not too much carb and not too much exhaust paying attention to exhaust pipe size. You would be better off with a smaller carb and good 4 hole spacer. But if you have too much carb a open spacer will tame it down. The spacer will actually increase the flow as the carefully sized exhaust draws air all the way from the carb to the tail pipe (scavange). It will not be a 390 but you can get nice performance out of it and much better gas mileage. I have the new pertronix 3 and it made a big differance also. It sounds good too.
Any way it's what I found. Here is some 360 home work................................
You can't work a 360 like a 390. By the way my last MPG which was mostly interstate (75 to 80) and some punching around town not being careful was just over 15mpg. But I stayed with the stock Ex manis, still had the 2100 1.21v carb with tall 2 hole spacer, striaght up timeset, 2.25" primary pipe to the H pipe (2") then 2.5 inch glass packs with 2" tailpipes behind the rear tires dual exhaust. I also have a real cold air intake. I am adding a 2v 1.33v 2100 and taller spacer.
I don't know about backpressure with the 360 - I had a stock one with 1 7/8" long-tube headers on it, with a very unrestrictive dual exhaust, and it had plenty of torque.
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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.
I don't know about backpressure with the 360 - I had a stock one with 1 7/8" long-tube headers on it, with a very unrestrictive dual exhaust, and it had plenty of torque.
If you were to go with headers 'n cam, a short-duration, high lift deal with a
non-smog straight up timing set would help pump up the dynamic compression
and make quite a difference- if you run much duration at all, it just makes the
low-compression engine that much more breathless- so don't expect to have
both power and a rumpty-rump sound, a long cam will give it more athsma
I chose the Comp 252/252 straight up.
(didn't know nuthin', hmmm... still don't)
How does the 252/252 compare to what you have in mind?
Which Comp cam would choose to do what you talk about there? :)
I chose the Comp 252/252 straight up.
(didn't know nuthin', hmmm... still don't)
How does the 252/252 compare to what you have in mind?
Which Comp cam would choose to do what you talk about there?
Anybody?
Alvin in AZ
I think he was saying a 360 only has lungs that are so big. Pushing more than it can breath drops the little bit of compression thats left, droping all the power. 360's seem to run better with the stock or close to stock equipment. A bigger cam will give you lumpity lump and big pipes will sound loud and mean but at a price. A 600 cfm 4 barrel can flow enough for a 300 hp+ motor 2 1/4" exhaust pipes can flow enough for up to a 300 hp motor. At best with careful application you may get 250hp out of a 360 but a nice 250 with high torque at low rpm. Add a nice ignition,
A stock cam, straight up time set, careful exhaust to maintain that dynamic compression Gene was talkin about and a carb sized for the airflow range your working with and you have what it's got. But in a rig like yours nice and cool lookin. I am not railing you at all what you pick works for you. I admire the work your putting into it and can't wait to see the color you pick. My vote was a real pro flat black job. Good job!
Good luck!
Oh and PS all this is just my "opinion" others are sharper than me.
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