360 FE good engine?
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Joined: Apr 2013
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360 FE good engine?
I'm looking around for a 66 ford and found one with a 360. I realize 352s are what 66s came with, but this truck had a 360 installed. How is it compared to a 352 or 390 on hp and gas mileage?
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
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From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
The 360 is the last FE engine designed. There were darn few 390s ever installed in trucks although many are claimed to be since one can not tell any difference visually.
The 360 uses a 390 bore block with 352 rotating assembly. It was considered a dog when compared to the 390. It was an early attempt at the emissions world. While it aint a 390 it is still a pretty good truck engine. They are gas hogs, not fast revvers, but strong pullers. Aint no 302, or the like gonna pull what it will.
Don't be afraid to buy a truck with one in it.
John
The 360 uses a 390 bore block with 352 rotating assembly. It was considered a dog when compared to the 390. It was an early attempt at the emissions world. While it aint a 390 it is still a pretty good truck engine. They are gas hogs, not fast revvers, but strong pullers. Aint no 302, or the like gonna pull what it will.
Don't be afraid to buy a truck with one in it.
John
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 207
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From: Somerset County, PA
The 360 didn't come along until later ('72 or so?), so someone put it in there. Nothing wrong with that, as, basically, the 360 is a 390 block with a 352 crank. Except, for emissions purposes (I guess 
) Ford saw fit to lower the compression ratio to 8:1 or something equally useless, so the 360 never seemed to have the snort a 352, or, for sure, a 390 does. They're almost impossible to kill, tho.. I've seen a few with 200K on them, still chugging along.
Ford did some really strange things over the years, for reasons that don't seem to make much sense. We had a '76 F250 4wd/360 we bought new, and, naturally, decided to stick headers on it. When we took off the factory exhaust manifolds, I about passed out - the front and rear of each manifold pipe (#'s 1, 4, 5, & 8) were halfway blocked off. At first I thought it was just a bunch of carbon buildup, but, that's the way the manifolds were made.
) Ford saw fit to lower the compression ratio to 8:1 or something equally useless, so the 360 never seemed to have the snort a 352, or, for sure, a 390 does. They're almost impossible to kill, tho.. I've seen a few with 200K on them, still chugging along.Ford did some really strange things over the years, for reasons that don't seem to make much sense. We had a '76 F250 4wd/360 we bought new, and, naturally, decided to stick headers on it. When we took off the factory exhaust manifolds, I about passed out - the front and rear of each manifold pipe (#'s 1, 4, 5, & 8) were halfway blocked off. At first I thought it was just a bunch of carbon buildup, but, that's the way the manifolds were made.
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Townsend, MT
Put 351 piston in a 360 and you have a .050 over 352. Same as the 360, but with a little more compression. The best option is to use your 360 pistons with a 390 crank and rods. If you don't have the money, save up for later. You won't be sorry.
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Joined: Dec 2007
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This thread is relevant to my interests. The 'can't kill 'em' idea is what I'm looking for.
Decent fuel mileage while towing a 3K 5th wheel is what I'm after.
BTW I'm considering this for a '59 F100 with a T19, a Ranger torque splitter and 3.70 gears
Decent fuel mileage while towing a 3K 5th wheel is what I'm after.
BTW I'm considering this for a '59 F100 with a T19, a Ranger torque splitter and 3.70 gears
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Post Fiend
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Big Sky Country
You won't find that with an FE unless you consider 8-10mpg "decent mileage", an IL6 300 might be a better option, it too falls under the "can't kill em" category.
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