Ok I have a 1977 f150 4wd, its got a 360 in it and its currently sitting on 31" tires. In the future im gonna put a 4" suspension lift and 35"s on it. I was just wondering if the 360 was any good? Is it meant to go fast? Is it good in a 4x4 truck? I purchased it a couple months ago and im new to the older f150's where before i had an 89. Would it sound good with headers and dual exhaust? Right now its got duals on it and sounds pretty good, other than the manifold gasket leaking. What did it originally come out of you think? I would appreciate it if anybody could give me answers. Thank you! And heres a picture of it!

 

The FEs, of which the 360 is one, were only offered through the '75 model year, so your 360 isn't stock. You can search for a VIN decoder here that will tell you the factory installed engine.

That said, the FEs are fine motors. I've got a 390 in my own '77, which is what I'd suggest you consider doing to your 360. They're basically the same motor, though folks on here say the 390 is more superior to the 360 than her thirty cubs would otherwise suggest.

 

The 360 can be a very good motor if built right but it is alot easier to get more power with more displacement which is why alot of people either swap or convert their 360's into 390's or 410's. The 360 was never meant to be a race engine but it is still an FE, so it has potential for performance. I agree with Mr. Green about the VIN if you want to know the motor's history. Also 1976 was the last year ford offered the FE in their trucks.

 

Hello, 89 bigfoot
Pretty truck, these rust free body's are killing me.
There is a wealth of information on the fe and ft big block link on the main FTE page, towards the bottom. I'm no expert but here goes. The 360fe has a stroke of 3.5". The 390fe has a stroke of 3.78".
So, more displacement and increased compression as deck height are the same for both engines. In fact, I believe everything is the same in both(unmodified truck) engine blocks except for the rolling assemblies(crankshaft and rods). The car versions of these engines may be another story.
I expect more knowledgeable folks to weigh in here soon.
I had a perfectly good 390 in a 74 F250 4x4 It made good power, just kind of loped along down the highway and up the hills, no sweat. My son bought the truck from me, and with big dreams of better than 8 MPG and too much time on his hands, broke the truck down into it's component parts in my basement garage...This was around 2005.
Long story, short. I have that truck again, at least all the parts, and a 1976 F250 4x4 I picked up a couple of years ago, it has remained pretty much in one piece. The 76 has a the original 360. This engine runs plenty strong and gets ole 2 Ton Tessie down the road @ 65-70 just fine, no sweat. Im sure there is plenty more there if I wanted to push it. She don't have that easy going lope though.
That 390 in the 74 did not come in that truck, the block may have, but the rolling assembly came from another vehicle, the VIN calls out a 360 from the factory. I ain't no hotrod. If you want to hotrod and get loud and proud, I thing a lighter weight, thin walled, "special high grade cast iron block" 400 engine would suit you well, and be accurate for your year of truck. If you are OK with just putting around with low MPG (like me) stick with your 360. A lot of the guy's on here run 87 octaine gas without complaints. I burn the premium in my truck, telling the wife it's Highboy beer, with a Sea Foam chaser.

 

FEs were offered through '76. If it's a '77 , I believe it would have been originally equipped with 300-I6 or a 351M-V8.

Fast? It all depends what it is installed in. FEs were designed for torque. But high HP FEs can be had with balancing, a better valve train, oiling (hence, 427 side-oilers), and induction - heads, cam, and exhaust. Just remember however that your rig weighs in at over 4,000 lbs so dont' expect zero to 60 times in the single digits.

Click on "73" in my signature for a pic of my rig with a 4-inch lift on 35s. Shortbed!!

 

DEPENDABLE, and is AWESOME for TORQUE. LOOADS of performance potential, (same basic design as the legendary 428 Super Cobra jet, and the Shelby 427 side oiler) even a mild cam-headers-intake upgrade on a stock 360 will shock you with how much it wakes up.

A 390 crank and rods supposedly drops right in. Careful internet and swap meet shopping can net you great heads and intake. Many parts are interchangable from the heads up. CONS? an extremely heavy engine, and THIRSTY.

Personally, if you decide to keep it, Id just add a cam, aluminum intake, and carb, headers and an electronic ignition. Enjoy miles of trouble-free performance and single digit fuel economy.

 

2X with the performance upgrades cited above. When I bought my rig it had a 4bbl carb (Eddy 1406) and aluminum intake (a vintage Streetmaster) but still wore the stock manifolds through dual 2.25 tubes. Swapped to headers and a dual 2.5-inch exhaust system and it really woke up.

With a 4x4, yes although driving like a nun can eke out an extra two mpg.

My brother's 2wd 69 F100 (360-2v/C6/3.25 gears) got 15.7 mpg at 65 mph from SF to LA on I-5, a dead flat highway. That's dang good for an FE.

 

360/390 introduced in F100/350's in 1968, used thru the end of the 1976 model run. All FE engines have 5 valve cover bolts per side.

4th digit of the VIN is the engine code: H = 390 2V / M = 390 4V (1974/76 only) / Y = 360 2V

Only V8 available in 1968/76 F100/250 4WD's: 360 and all came with 2V's.

360/390 share the same block, the bore is the same (4.05"). 360 has a different stroke (3.50") than a 390 (3.78").

351M/400 introduced in F100/350's in 1977, have 8 valve cover bolts per side.

 

Howdy,Bill (N.D.)

If someone, like 89bigfoot for instance, wanted to identify or verify the origins of a 390 crankshaft, how could he do it? I measured the throw of my crank, but I still wonder what it came out of. Casting numbers? Someone wanting to stroke his 360 would need to know what to shop for.
You Sir, are a wealth of information. I've been cutting and pasting anything I find relevant to my application into a ever expanding digital notebook. Your postings must comprise 95% of the knowledge I have garnered here. Thank you, Bill. I would like to extend my appreciation to all who share their hard won, working knowledge of our trucks.

 

Ford FE Crankshaft Casting Numbers - FORDification.com

 

Thank You, Montana
When I noticed that Fordification pertained to mostly 67-72 model years, I kind of skedaddled out of there. My mistake.
I think you all know what I was really getting at with my question. My own damn crank! I'm afraid that I may be a bit stupid regarding forum etiquette, I don't intend to hijack someone's thread.
Hope you don't take offense 89bigfoot.
Well, it turns out hat my crank is stamped 2U, making it out of a 391. The pulley snout mikes out at 1.375", further delineating it as a forged crank, out of a heavy truck.
Wow, I had no idea. This crank would be a keeper, no?
All of the journals mike 0.010 under, according to the info from my Haynes. Fortunately all journals look to be in immaculate condition.
This truck has an interesting bit of history, and it is obviously a conglomeration of parts from several trucks. Seems to me like someone knew what they were doing. The polite thing to do would be to start a new thread as I attempt to sort this truck out.
Montana, you too have added a ton of good information to my clipboard, and I thank you.
89bigfoot, your truck is worthy of any (Ford) engine you decide to run with.

 

FORDification.net - The '73-'79 Ford Pickup Resource is for the 73-79 year pick ups.

 

Thanks, Montana_Highboy and Rottenstock.
Me and the guys in the shop got together and got our boss a picture at a farm store and had it framed to hang in his office, I forget the occasion.
I still get a kick out of the sentiment though.
It was a picture of a crusty, dusty old cowboy, with a disgruntled look and a far away squint in his eyes.
The caption read: 'There's a lot they don't tell you when you sign on with this outfit."
I see now that I have been wading in something, and didn't smell it till now.

 

KawKaw, not to rain on your parade but "Fordification" only has this half right, the good news is "2U" does indicate a 390FE crank, but it's not a 391FT forged steel crank.

All forged steel cranks will have the Wyman-Gordon "$" symbol forged into them (how apropos), not "2U".

The FT cranks also have a 1.750" snout, larger than the FE cranks 1.375" snout, although the FT cranks can be machined to work in a FE it's big $$$.

 

Wow, Montana. You are a wealth of information.
Well. I'm plenty happy to have the 390 crank I've got. While at Fordification, I tried to identify the block that came out of this frame & titled 74 F250 4x4. No luck there. best I could come up with was a plate that would have been attached to the mold with two slotted screws "3EY" or maybe "3ET",left hand side of the block, near the oil pump mount "105" is cast below this. This is probably no help.
Perhaps you could enlighten me as to what "Reinforcement Webs" would look like.
Thank you, Sir. You are a gentleman and a scholar.