Installing Headers on an FE
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2010
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From: Knoxville, TN
Don't worry, we all learn sometime!With it still being outside the truck, if you really want to find out whether it's a 360 or 390, you could pull the oil pan and measure the stroke (the distance between the top and bottom of piston travel - it's also twice the distance from the centerline of the connecting rod bearing to the centerline of the crankshaft main bearing). If the stroke is 3.5", it's a 360; if it's 3.78", it's a 390 (both of those two would have a 4.05" bore).
I'm not sure if it matters for the header question, which it looks like has already been answered, but if you just want to know for your peace of mind, that's probably the surest way to find out. If you had the heads off, I'd measure from the top, but I wouldn't pull the heads just to measure: pulling the oil pan is easier.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2010
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From: Knoxville, TN
Here's a reference with all the bore/stroke combinations for the FE engines: FE Block -- The Ford V-8 Engine Workshop
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Here's a reference with all the bore/stroke combinations for the FE engines: FE Block -- The Ford V-8 Engine Workshop
Cargo Master
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,388
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From: Northern California
Using a thin wooden dowel, measure the stroke through the spark plug hole.
390 should be about 3-3/4"
360 will be about 3-1/2"
Some of the suggestions as to the easiest way to do this are absurdly difficult compared to this approach.
390 should be about 3-3/4"
360 will be about 3-1/2"
Some of the suggestions as to the easiest way to do this are absurdly difficult compared to this approach.
Posting Guru
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,761
Likes: 8
From: Knoxville, TN
On an OHC engine, with the spark plug up top (and if he were sure of the bore), that would've been my first recommendation. I don't have direct experience with the FE in particular to know whether it's possible to get a dowel vertical enough to make a good measurement with their spark plug geometry or not. If it is, then yeah, that's definitely easier. Thanks!
Cargo Master
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 2,388
Likes: 138
From: Northern California
The bore is the same on the 360/390. Stroke is the only difference.
The FE uses a rather fat spark plug. While the dowel won't be perfectly straight up and down, its close enough to determine whether it's one engine or the other. Just make sure the piston comes all the way up and then all the way down when measuring.
To the OP... And all others concerned... This information is all available on this site and many others. All it takes is a simple search to find just about anything you need to know on these engines.
The FE uses a rather fat spark plug. While the dowel won't be perfectly straight up and down, its close enough to determine whether it's one engine or the other. Just make sure the piston comes all the way up and then all the way down when measuring.
To the OP... And all others concerned... This information is all available on this site and many others. All it takes is a simple search to find just about anything you need to know on these engines.
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