I am looking at a motor on cl and the guy can t tell me if it is a 361-391? What should I be looking for # wise on the block

 

exactly the same as how you figure out the difference between a 360 and 390 measure the stroke .....3.5 inches is a 360 FE or 361 FT...... 3.78 is a 390 FE or 391 FT....... you cannot tell anything by the block numbers all you can tell by those is what year they were made but other than measuring stroke only other way is to look at the numbers on the crank but i doubt you would wanna do that..........

 

I talk to the guy selling the motor and he said that there is a reman sticker on it . He is sending me a photo of that . Can I from that # determine if it is a 361 or a 391?
I was looking around last night on how to measure stroke, and I found this

"The only way of differentiating between them, since there are no external markings to tell you what you've got, is to measure the stroke. Simply rotate the crankshaft around until the #1 cylinder is at TDC (top dead center) as indicated at the timing mark. Remove the spark plug and insert a wooden dowel into the cylinder until you hit the top of the piston and make a mark on the dowel. (Use the valve cover lip as a constant reference source.) Then remove the spark plug from the #4 cylinder (when #1 is TDC, #4 is BDC) and make another mark on the dowel. Then measure the difference."


CID STROKE
352 3.50"
____________
360
390 3.78"
406
____________
427
410 3.98"
428

 

360s are 3.50, same as a 352.
427s are 3.78, same as a 390.

The reman sticker is going to say something like "30-10-10" for .030 over and .010 under on the mains and rods.

 

This what he sent

 

d4 just stands for 74 on almost all ford parts the first letter is the decade(C being 60, D-70, E-80, F-90) and the number following it is the year (D1-71,D2-72, D3-73, D4-74, so on so forth) FE/FT engine displacements
Displacement............ Bore .................. Stroke
330 cu in (5.4 L) 3.875 in (98.4 mm) 3.500 in (88.9 mm)
332 cu in (5.4 L) 4.000 in (101.6 mm) 3.300 in (83.8 mm)
352 cu in (5.8 L) 4.002 in (101.7 mm) 3.500 in (88.9 mm)
360 cu in (5.9 L) 4.052 in (102.9 mm) 3.500 in (88.9 mm)
361 cu in (5.9 L) 4.047 in (102.8 mm) 3.500 in (88.9 mm)
390 cu in (6.4 L) 4.052 in (102.9 mm) 3.784 in (96.1 mm)
391 cu in (6.4 L) 4.052 in (102.9 mm) 3.784 in (96.1 mm)
406 cu in (6.7 L) 4.130 in (104.9 mm) 3.784 in (96.1 mm)
410 cu in (6.7 L) 4.054 in (103.0 mm) 3.980 in (101.1 mm)
427 cu in (7.0 L) 4.232 in (107.5 mm) 3.784 in (96.1 mm)
428 cu in (7.0 L) 4.132 in (105.0 mm) 3.980 in (101.1 mm)

 

Ford FE Engine Block Casting Numbers - FORDification.com
This sit is saying that it is a ft motor
It could be a 359,361,389,391,

 

What is the brass tag stand for/ identify?

 

The reman tag? If so:

The reman sticker is going to say something like "30-10-10" for .030 over and .010 under on the mains and rods.

 

I spoke to the guy selling the motor and told him how to measure to tell what size motor he has . He called me back tonight and told me he had just under 3.50" so I'm thinking it is a 359 or a 361

 

still a good motor but now you know what it most likely is.....on the plus side 210 hp @4000 rpm and 345 ft lbs @2000 rpm with 7.2-7.4 to 1 compression only 25 hp and 27 ft lbs less than 391 ..... if you want to make it run better, more power, easier exhaust workup, and be more efficient you can throw on even a stock FE intake and heads (notice have to be used together cannot mix FE and FT heads and intake) and it will bring that 361 right up to where the 391's power was and possibly even surpass it plus FE exhaust is easier to find and install in most vehicles..... and if you use headers you can basically just bolt on 20-40 hp

 

What would you get if you put fe heads and intake on a 391ft with dull exhast?

 

a slower rapping but torque 390 lol they don't rap up as quick since the extra heavy crank but it does produce more torque from what i have felt anyways...... they FT heads are more restrictive and have smaller valves plus have an extra exhaust hole thats not really needed IMO FT intake on left FE on right (this is why you can't mix and match FE and FT heads and intakes) FE's have bigger ports and bigger valves i would highly recommend 73 or newer FE heads since they have factory hardened valve seats plus with FE heads you can run headers as far as i know no one ever made FT headers ..... if you replace the heads and intake you still use stock FT dizzy (you cannot use FE dizzy in an FT due to size of oil pump drive rod and how it is machined internally)