help please
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help please
Hey yall,
So my uncle is giving me a 1970 ford f250, sport custom, camper special, rear wheel drive(2 wheel drive) and he said that when he had baught the truck in 1970, the engine wasnt built right from the get go. He says that something is wrong with the valves. He has rebult the engine twice now and it still has the same problem. So i figured i would buy a used engine to get it running. The truck has a 360 in it already but after searching for that engine, it seems like no one has a 360 for sale. So my main question is, is there a different engine that will fit the truck. I believe it has a c-6 transmission in it im not quite sure. this is my first vehicle so im not looking for it to be in prestine shape, i just want it drivable for long distances and i dont have a whole lot of money. can someone please help. thanks
P.s. i hope the pics help
would the 351 or 390 fit in my truck
So my uncle is giving me a 1970 ford f250, sport custom, camper special, rear wheel drive(2 wheel drive) and he said that when he had baught the truck in 1970, the engine wasnt built right from the get go. He says that something is wrong with the valves. He has rebult the engine twice now and it still has the same problem. So i figured i would buy a used engine to get it running. The truck has a 360 in it already but after searching for that engine, it seems like no one has a 360 for sale. So my main question is, is there a different engine that will fit the truck. I believe it has a c-6 transmission in it im not quite sure. this is my first vehicle so im not looking for it to be in prestine shape, i just want it drivable for long distances and i dont have a whole lot of money. can someone please help. thanks
P.s. i hope the pics help
would the 351 or 390 fit in my truck
Last edited by jesseverm94; Mar 22, 2013 at 09:32 PM. Reason: adding more questions
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From: Atlanta, GA
Good news/bad news.
Bad: these trucks are huge gas guzzlers so while the truck may be cheap (free for you) and relatively inexpensive to repair and maintain, many people find the fuel mileage to be far too low for driving long distances on a budget.
Good: there are plenty of 360's for sale - check craigslist from time to time, just search for "360" in auto parts. I see 2-3 per week here in Atlanta.
What area are you from?
Bad: these trucks are huge gas guzzlers so while the truck may be cheap (free for you) and relatively inexpensive to repair and maintain, many people find the fuel mileage to be far too low for driving long distances on a budget.
Good: there are plenty of 360's for sale - check craigslist from time to time, just search for "360" in auto parts. I see 2-3 per week here in Atlanta.
What area are you from?
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i dont mind gas prices im more worried about parts being really expensive. i just want it drivable. and im in california and so far theres only one place that sells the engine rebuilt and they want a grand for it
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It would fit and I believe it would mate up to the C6, but there are some issues I think with motor mounts, wiring, and some other stuff. I am no expert (or even amateur) in this type of swap.
Hopefully someone else will chime in - but at the end of the day it seems like the easy solution is to find a readily available 360/390 to drop right in.
Hopefully someone else will chime in - but at the end of the day it seems like the easy solution is to find a readily available 360/390 to drop right in.
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2003
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If you find a used one and it's from a straight drive, be sure to remove the pilot bushing from the rear of the crankshaft before installing the motor.
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Cargo Master
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From: hinckley ohio
The C6 behind your engine will not bolt to a 351.A Fe block is what a 353,360,390,427 and 428 these are interchangeable.A 351M,400,429 AND 460 All take the same transmission bolt pattern.250,300,289,302,351W AND 351C are the same.You could look for a 79 and older truck to pull all the parts you need if you change from the FE.Other parts could swap over to power steering and the front end for power disc brakes
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From: Mddl A MexCans
OEM: Not right out door,this is a first to me, but possible. What does he say the problem is ?
The FE has a non adj valve train and must be setup right. It aint rocket science, but a monkey wont get it right. So, many shops screw it up as they think it's just like any other setup.
It also has oiling galleys that run through a rocker stand on each head. MANY people screw this up. They don't pat attention and place a non shanked bolt in the rocker assembly where 1 of 2 shanked bolts belong. Galling the rocker assembly to hell.
Geometry matters on an FE (EVERYWHERE) is was imo a Engineer's Dream Engine. And if you had simple math skills and common sense you were just fine. Then, along comes the crescent wrench'ers, and magically a square peg does find it's way into a round hole. Even an 0 tolerance design like the FE will run for years with all kinds of stuff half assed.
Makes me real curious what the status of the engine is. I think the issue with the engine may be very simple to correct but needs diagnosing.
Also in CA, SoCal-OC
The FE has a non adj valve train and must be setup right. It aint rocket science, but a monkey wont get it right. So, many shops screw it up as they think it's just like any other setup.
It also has oiling galleys that run through a rocker stand on each head. MANY people screw this up. They don't pat attention and place a non shanked bolt in the rocker assembly where 1 of 2 shanked bolts belong. Galling the rocker assembly to hell.
Geometry matters on an FE (EVERYWHERE) is was imo a Engineer's Dream Engine. And if you had simple math skills and common sense you were just fine. Then, along comes the crescent wrench'ers, and magically a square peg does find it's way into a round hole. Even an 0 tolerance design like the FE will run for years with all kinds of stuff half assed.
Makes me real curious what the status of the engine is. I think the issue with the engine may be very simple to correct but needs diagnosing.
Also in CA, SoCal-OC
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From: Simi Valley, CA
but there are some issues I think with motor mounts, wiring, and some other stuff.360/390 engines are plentiful here in CA / If the OP cannot find one, he's not looking very hard. Some people in today's world give up too easily .. the first place they try .. is the only place they try.
Since there's no rust issues here in CA, vehicles remain in use faaar longer than they do in the rust belt. Excepting TX, more Ford trucks of this vintage were sold new in CA than anywhere else.
These trucks came with a 2 year/24,000 mile (whichever occurred first) warranty. So if there was a problem with the engine from the get go, why didn't the owner take it back to a dealer and get it fixed?
Bob: 360 introduced in 1968, were only installed thru 1976 in F100/350's. NONE were ever installed in anything else!
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Since there's no rust issues here in CA, vehicles remain in use faaar longer than they do in the rust belt. Excepting TX, more Ford trucks of this vintage were sold new in CA than anywhere else.
Thats why I hate you CA guys
You can pick a whole truck up for what a hood or door costs in the north east and there just seems to be tons of those trucks out there thanks for clearing that up for me.
Thats why I hate you CA guys
You can pick a whole truck up for what a hood or door costs in the north east and there just seems to be tons of those trucks out there thanks for clearing that up for me.
Hotshot
Joined: May 2004
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From: The hills of No. Calif.
Depends on what part of Ca. I looked at a vehicle the other day that had sat in someone's driveway in Pacifica (SF Bay Area right on the coast, cold wet and foggy) for the last ten years. This truck was a 1994 and was already a rust bucket. When I was kid I lived in Tahoe, we had a lot of rust problems there as well from salt on the roads, etc. Rust-free California vehicles generally come from the Valley or the Desert, or So. Cal. coast...along the North Coast or in the mountains along the other side, you can get some major rust.
But on the original topic, as already stated FE engines are easy to find. I just a did a quick check of the Bay Area Craigslist and came up with quite a few, including several freshly rebuilt 390s. Not too many 360s though. My own 360 will be coming out soon in favor of an engine swap, I don't even know if I'll bother to try to sell it, since it's a 360 and not a 390 they're not as desirable so it may just go for scrap.
But on the original topic, as already stated FE engines are easy to find. I just a did a quick check of the Bay Area Craigslist and came up with quite a few, including several freshly rebuilt 390s. Not too many 360s though. My own 360 will be coming out soon in favor of an engine swap, I don't even know if I'll bother to try to sell it, since it's a 360 and not a 390 they're not as desirable so it may just go for scrap.
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From: Simi Valley, CA
On sale day, 360 engines magically become 390's! How many of these rebuilt 390's are actually 390's?
360's are far more common in 1968/76 F100/350's than 390's are. Only available V8 in 1968/76 F100/250 4WD's was the 360.
And 1961/64 Passenger Car only 390's cannot be installed in 1965/76 F100/350's as the bolt pattern for the rubber insulators is different.
No rust here cuz no snow. Last time it snowed here in LA LA Land: September 1949!
360's are far more common in 1968/76 F100/350's than 390's are. Only available V8 in 1968/76 F100/250 4WD's was the 360.
And 1961/64 Passenger Car only 390's cannot be installed in 1965/76 F100/350's as the bolt pattern for the rubber insulators is different.
No rust here cuz no snow. Last time it snowed here in LA LA Land: September 1949!
Hotshot
Joined: May 2004
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From: The hills of No. Calif.
Yes, but that's not to say that all those rebuilt engines came out of trucks, there were plenty of 390s in passenger cars built after '64 that will work in trucks. I don't have the production figures, I suppose you have them there somehwere in your library, Bill. And of course, in that case you're depending on the honesty of the seller (which on CL ain't always that great!) so it's probably best to check the stroke on any 390 engine you're planning to buy.
No snow in So Cal. maybe, but you've got salt air on the coast. I don't imagine it's as bad as it is up north where it's so much foggier and colder. I once saw a mid-60s Galaxie in SF that the owner had sanded all the paint off to bare metal and just let it rust, the crusty patina on that poor car has haunted me ever since...
No snow in So Cal. maybe, but you've got salt air on the coast. I don't imagine it's as bad as it is up north where it's so much foggier and colder. I once saw a mid-60s Galaxie in SF that the owner had sanded all the paint off to bare metal and just let it rust, the crusty patina on that poor car has haunted me ever since...
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2003
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On sale day, 360 engines magically become 390's! How many of these rebuilt 390's are actually 390's?
360's are far more common in 1968/76 F100/350's than 390's are. Only available V8 in 1968/76 F100/250 4WD's was the 360.
And 1961/64 Passenger Car only 390's cannot be installed in 1965/76 F100/350's as the bolt pattern for the rubber insulators is different.
360's are far more common in 1968/76 F100/350's than 390's are. Only available V8 in 1968/76 F100/250 4WD's was the 360.
And 1961/64 Passenger Car only 390's cannot be installed in 1965/76 F100/350's as the bolt pattern for the rubber insulators is different.
That being said, after about five minutes on craigslist a few weeks ago I bought a 68 Thunderbird Z code 390, 315 HP that had been stored in a barn, covered and protected since 1977, it had 57,000 miles when the car it came from was wrecked. The aluminum motor tag was still under the coil bracket bolt that identified it as being built in Jan 68 with a engine code of 343, Ford info confirmed it was what he had told me. I took it apart down to the bare block, it is for sure a 390 and the rod bearings were dated 11/67 with Ford logo on the back of them. It's going in my 72 F-250 4WD after being rebuilt. It's loosing 60 lb's by going back in with a Edelbrock Streetmaster Intake & Holley 4160, 600 CFM Carb
I just did a craigslist search for 390's and found three for sell within the Charlotte area and over 50 ad's for any kind of part you need.