I've recently purchased a 75 highboy with the original 360 in it. I'm in the middle of doing a 3G swap, installing all new wiring from centech, HEI dist and adding shorty headers. I can have the local NAPA do a valve job for a reasonable price. They bake them and paint them also. I have a seal and gasket kit also.

So, question is...do/should I remove the intake manifold and have it cleaned up and painted also. I was wondering if removing the heads ment I have to remove the manifold first. So a little disassembly advise would be helpful. I have the Christ FE book so I have the specs. Just need some insight.

Thanks!

 

Remove the intake first, and while you're at it replace the cast iron with an aluminum one. The book has good information on tear down and reassembly. Keep everything in order. Good luck.

 

You ain't really looked at that engine yet, have you?

 

With a 360 an a 4X4 you do not gain much with a Alloy intake. when you step up to a 390 (longer stroke crank same block) and bump up the CR then you make use of the aftermarket intake. But in that 360 power level your not going to be moving enough air.

 

Thanks for the advise. I'm going to look at a craigslist add today. The guy has a 399 crank still in the bag from the machine shop, 390 pistons & rods. He has a 360 that spun one main bearing and a used edelbrock intake. I think I might try to have a engine built with those parts then swap it for my 360.

 

Check those pistons. They may be the pickup spec pistons, which are really flat top with valve relief pistons from the 410. The compression height will be 1.67" (in that area). Those give you 10.5 compression on top of the 428 crank, but only mid 8s if that on a 390 crank as they end up .100 or better down the hole.

If you are going to all the trouble to rebuild it, might as well put a little more squeeze in it and make a little more power for the same or less gas.

The 360 piston (which is the car 390 piston, flat top or dish, from '66 on) will give you 9.5ish compression.

Serving suggestion.

 

This may be a little off topic but I'm in need of some info as to the valve seats on my 390 .030 over and with all the text info on this post this looks like the right place to ask this question ??/ I rebuilt my 1971 390 back in the early 90's it sets in a V-Drive flat bottom It probably has 60 some hours on the rebuild ??/ The question I have is and I've heard it both pro & con on using unleaded fuel with these heads as to possible conflict with the valve seats getting pounded out when using unleaded ( premium ) fuel ??/ any input would be helpful ??/

 

When using unleaded fuel you need the hardened valve seats. The lead acted like a cushion and now that's been removed. There have been one or two people that have said you don't need hardened valve seats. Trust me you do. Barely saved two engines just in time that didn't have them. Since installing the hardened seats, no problems. If I remember correctly, someone chime in if I'm wrong, the 74 and up engines had them.

 

There's hardened and hardened. Meaning an insert vs. surface. I saw the ones on my 74 360 and they were worn as they are a hardened surface. I had my guy install hardened seats which will last. The OP will probably also need some valve guides replaced at the same time. I did all of mine rather than ones here and there.

 

Agree 100%. Much cheaper to do them all at once than piece meal. Piece meal is like putting bandaids on a gunshot wound instead of a tourniquet.

 

So I was talking to a friend of mine and he's pretty nolageable about engines ??/ He's opinion on the subject of hardened valve seats for a Ford FE 390 was indicating that ford still made a FE either 352 or 360 after 1975 that were engineered for unleaded fuel ( Hardened seats )??/ And he also indicated that the possibility of them bolting up to a 390 FE might work ??/ Any body have any info on this as VS or VERs Combustion chambers and runners for comparison ??/

 

Not sure what your friend is knowledgeable in, but if he thinks the 352 was produced into the '70s, he isn't very knowledgeable about FE motors.

The "D2TE" heads, with the "D2" part indicating a 1972 revision, and all subsequent FE heads had hardened seats. These were installed on 360 and 390 pickup engines. Crank, rods and pistons, and for some 390s a 4bbl intake, are the only differences in engines from that time.
D2 heads are the same spec as C8AE heads, with a chamber of approximately 68 to 72 cc, although some report 74cc. The only way to know is to measure them yourself.

352s were last produced in 1967. The 360 replaced it in model year 1968 in pickups only. No 360s in cars. The last car to have an FE was in 1971. Pickups kept the 360/390 until 1976, and Uhaul managed to hang on to some version of FE/FT until 1978.

Your 360 should have D2 heads on it.

 

So any D 2 FE head is good to go for unleaded fuel is that correct ??/ Is there any stampings on these heads to indicate that they are if fact D 2 Heads ??/

 

D2TE and a bunch of other numbers are cast into them.

They are good as long as the hardened seat is not worn or ground out of them.

 

HOLD ON JUST A SECOND!! Just because it is a D2 head, DOES NOT make it good to go. The hardened valve seat was just an induction hardened area that was not real thick. A valve job or two can go right through it and end up in the "soft" cast iron of the head