I would love comments and suggestions about this build. I am a rookie so I want to make sure I am not making any mistakes before I start putting the motor together. The motor is going in a 1972 F100 4x4 that is currently stock with a 360. I pulled a motor out of a bone yard 71 F250 camper special. I measured the stroke before I pulled it and thought it was a 390 but obviously I made a mistake because when I got the heads off it was a 360. Anyway, I decided I didn't want another 360 so I am building a 410.

I have had the truck since 2000. It was my daily driver for 4 years but now it is just a toy. I never use it to tow or haul as I also have a 1992 F350. It will be used for mild to moderate 4 wheeling, but not mudding. Also maybe some wintertime travel or when I just feel like driving it (no racing). It has 33's on it now and I like that look so it will probably keep those (not lifted, I think 3.7 rear gears).

Here are the build details:
eagle specialties 428 crank (I couldn't find a reasonably priced original)
ford short rods - reconditioned
sealed power cast 410 pistons (381np) 1.66 comp dist
sealed power moly rings
comp cams XE262H and lifters (more on this below)
d2 heads - reconditioned
felpro gaskets
headers - not purchased yet leaning towards Hedman, unsure about dual exhaust
4v intake manifold can't find an s code locally might buy an edebrock
4 barrel carb, open to suggestions - sounds like from numerous old posts 600 cfm is the way to go, although I think Barry R's book says go bigger.

My machinist recommended that cam but I am not convinced he knows what he is doing with FE's (I will spare you the details). My truck is a toy so daily driving manners aren't the most important thing and it never tows so torque isn't the most important thing either.

Remember I am a rookie and I know it; so I am happy to consider all ideas.

 

I have a very similar build, it's still on the engine stand waiting to go into a 75 F100 4X4. 416 CI, slighly cammed, stock S intake. I've went with a Autolite 4100 from a 64 390 manual transmission, phenolic 1" 4 hole spacer. Rebuilt the carb but not tested. Good luck and keep us informed on your progress.

 

It sounds like you're on the right track. There are affordable original 428 cranks out there it just takes some looking. Here's one Ford 428 Crank

600-670cfm is all the carb you'll need. If you're going to be doing much offroading I'd recommend one of the carbs made for that like the Edelbrock Thunder series or Holley truck avenger. Otherwise you could have issues with stumbling when at extreme angles (up and down hillls).

That's not a bad cam choice for your setup really. You said you don't want to race so that means not a whole lot of time at high rpms. On the street torque is what you feel, especially in a heavier vehicle, in the seat of the pants dyno. If you want something a bit more aggressive you could consider the XE274H, 268H from Comp or another brand with a similar grind. I wouldn't recommend going bigger than the xe274h, and even that has a slightly higher rpm range which may or may not be what you want (1700-5600 meaning beneath 1700 it has no power and will likely stall if you try to drive it there). Another option is to have a cam custom ground. I'd recommend Ken at Oregon cams. It's not much more expensive at all and I have never heard one complaint about them.

I do wonder what makes you suspicious of your machinest knowledge of FEs though. That is one of the biggest things to get right. Get someone who knows what they're doing with an FE! Nightmare stories abound from builders who are rookies with FEs.

The S code intake would be fine along with the T and C4xx castings for the cheaper ones. You could also keep an eye out for a CJ or PI intake. They'll cost more but they perform much better. For aftermarket options I'd say a Performer or maybe F427 should fit your build and operating range. I have a Performer for sale, if you're interested let me know.

Headers are a bit up in the air as far as brand goes. Mostly personal preference. The main thing is that you have them. The stock logs are terrible.

I would do some reading on oiling mods commonly done to FEs. Read more here Ford FE oiling mods, what's necessary?

Standard practice for me is to install a double roller timing set as well. It's a very cheap upgrade. You may also consider some form of electronic ignition. You can get a Pertronix kit for your points distributor you currently have, find a Duraspark from a later model, or try an aftermarket dizzy. Some people have had good luck with the Pertronix and some haven't. Whichever you decide on I would recommend one with a vacuum advance. It helps with partial throttle response and gives better mpg. You don't want it burning through your wallet for gas if it doesn't have to.

Also I always go with ARP rod bolts at the least.

That's my opinion on the build anyway. Let me know if you have any questions.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The info is very helpful. I don't have time tonight but that oiling mod link has much more info than I have seen so I will need time to digest it. I did try to measure the stroke before I pulled the motor. I put it at TDC and measured #1 and #4 cylinders but I think I had the stick at an angle which increased the distance enough to fool me.

When you mentioned ignition I remembered that I did put a pertronix kit and new coil in it about 10 years ago when it was my daily driver. I definitely will move that to the new motor. The cam recommendations were helpful, thanks.

The machinist is ordering my timing chain and gears, I will make sure it is a roller chain.

I really struggle with my current carb setup which I think is stock. I live in the mountain west and I really struggle to get the choke working well. Always on too long or not long enough. Part of the problem might be that the current motor is pretty shot. It probably only runs on 5 or 6 cylinders until it is good and warmed up. Are newer carbs with electric chokes more reliable and easier to maintain or should I find a stock version?

Sleepy, I might be interested in that performer, how does it perform compared to stock 4v intakes?

Thanks again for the information.

 

It sounds as though you're building the engine yourself? That's cool. I've got Barry's book as well, and it inspired me to build my 390 into something more. Unfortunately, funds are low right now. I agree with Sleepy on the machinist. I've read lots of stories where the budget was completely blown by someone not experienced with FE's. If you have the original dizzy, I would replace it with a rebuilt one and reinstall your pertronix. They are cheap and good insurance for getting your timing correct. Good luck.

Kurt

 

Yes, I plan to build it myself. The machinist is balancing the rotating assembly but I am doing the rest. I wanted his help picking the cam but as he was talking about the cams he was recommending I looked down at the catalog and saw that he was recommending a cam in the 429/460 section. Then when he switched to the FE section and picked a cam, he struggled to explain why he had chosen that one over the other ones. He also couldn't tell me which cams would require changes to the stock valve train, which was one of the reasons I wanted his advice.

Kurt, I also have Steve Christ's book which is more of a step by step manual. I have been following it as closely as possible. I don't think I would be able to do this project without that book. I will look into the distributor rebuild. After paying 500 dollars for the crankshaft, a few more for a new distributor seems easy. It looks like it is about 50 dollars. Thanks for the help.

 

comp cams, and every other cam makers website will tell you what springs, retainers, valve locks, etc you need.
They will also tell you coil bind and installed height. You don't need anyone else for that :-)

 

check out the lunati cam kits , i put one of these in my budget home 390 build ,in hindsite i should have gone one step higher on cam . but she runs good and strong and smokes the 275/60/15 with ease . so i am happy
my cam was the 256/ 62001 i wish i got the 268/62003 kit oh well

 

Well once you get it all together and ready to fire you're going to want to start it with a known good carb. You want as little troubleshooting as possible on break in. I've been seeing peoples reports of the stock 4100 1.12 not actually flowing 600cfm on the flow bench, more like mid 500s. If anyone here knows for sure chime in! IMO I don't think I'd use it. Like I was saying if you plan to be doing some offroading, I would be looking for a Edelbrock 1825 or a Holley 0-90670. I've always been a manual choke man myself so I'm not much help for fine tuning an electric choke.

According to Jay Browns book (which is great for comparing intakes, exhaust, as well as providing info on oiling, etc. FE Power - Dedicated to Building and Racing the Ford FE Engine, 390, 427, 428, SOHC) on a 410hp engine the Performer made 16ftlb/25hp more than the "S". A little more tq a little less hp gain vs the "T".
The CJ and PI make 10-15ftlbs less but 15hp more than the Performer. These are all peak numbers btw.

Lunati makes some good grinds. I think the 62003 is the largest I would go. I'd lean more towards the 62002 though. Cam companies will have all the spring and lifter info available. I would just get the cam/lifters/springs in the kit they offer. Any of the cams you're looking at getting will need new springs. Stock springs (are probably worn out for one) have a max lift of around .505", pretty small.

Keep us informed and good luck!