Converting FT Block to FE Setup
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Converting FT Block to FE Setup
The Ford FE engine family consists of the following engines:
The FT engine family consists of the following engines:
FT engines have a single front mount that attaches to the steel timing cover.
The 330FT was standard in some 500 and 600 series trucks, and the 361FT was optional. F700-750-800 series are generally 391's (and are usually called a 391HD), though the 361FT was standard in some larger series trucks (700 and 800 maybe), and the 391 was optional. A 389 is pretty much the same thing under a 2V carburettor.
Most 330's, 361's and 389's came with a 2V Holley, and the 391HD came with a 4V Holley, all governor carburettors. They have a tall tach-drive governor distributor and the truck-only steel front timing cover and dual thermostat housing.
A 330 has a bore of 3.875" and a 3.50" stroke. A 361 has a 4.05" bore and a 3.50" stroke and the 391 has a 4.05" bore and 3.79" stroke.
359FT and 389FT were special fleet engines. U-haul was pushing to reduce costs, so Ford defined a low-cost formula for creating FT engines in special fleet applications sometime around 1973. The result was an engine with a cast iron crankshaft instead of the FT steel crank, and a governor installed (on all?) which reduced the redline about 500RPM below the governed 361FT and 391FT engines to prevent any opportunity for warranty issues resulting from the less robust crankshaft. The lower RPMs resulted in less horsepower output and longer life. U-haul bought them in quantity, and the rest is history.
FT/FE Parts Interchangeability
FT full-sump oil pan and special pickup, which works great on 2WD F100-350 or lifted 4x4s.
About the only things that are directly interchangeable are the connecting rods, lifters, rocker arm assemblies, pushrods, valve covers and oil pan. The steel timing chain cover and water pumps are different and won't interchange.
The rods, though they may have the truck number forged into it, are the same as 390/410/428 car rods, and are thus very desirable for econo-performance builds. 4-ring pistons use short connecting rods, 3-ring engines use long rods (later engines).
361s got the same block as the 391. The 391 prizes are the block, crank, and rods. The 361 only offers a block.
Block
The FT blocks are heavy-duty units and are virtually identical to the FE except that the distributor pilot hole is larger to allow for the 5/16" hex oil pump driveshaft. This means you'd have to install a bronze bushing in order to use a standard distributor with the 1/4" oil pump drive shaft, but there are bushings readily available (from Ford or the aftermarket).
You might also need to install a plug where the air compressor (for the air brakes) drains into the block. (The drain is low on the right side near the center of the block skirt.)
There is a very good chance the 361/391 FT block has the heavy cylinders which allow eventual boring to 428 numbers (including 428 +.060 overbores. The 330FT engine generally bores out to make a great 390 block, but it cannot be heavily overbored like most of the 361 and 391 blocks.
Block markings
Ribs on the block only means it was cast after 1971, nothing more. The "C" or "CX", etc, on the back of the block is also period-specific, as is the "428" marking on the floor of the FT in the water jacket. Same with 427 text markings or cross-bolt nubs.
The term "105" replaced the former term "352" as the standard FE casting mark in about 1973. The "105" simply means it was cast at MCC (Ford's Michigan Casting Center). This does NOT indicate it has heavy cylinder walls, but it probably does have reinforced main bulkheads, since by 1973, most all FEs would only see pickup truck duty, and none would see the easier duty of cars.
Cylinder Heads
The FT heads have the exhaust crossover setup completely different from FE units. (If you take the exhaust manifold off there will be 5 holes instead of 4.) The FT heads have 10 exhaust manifold bolts per head, whereas a car or light-duty truck engine has 8 exhaust manifold bolts per head. These heads are small-valve low-compression units that are unique to the FT series.
Intake/Exhaust Manifolds
The FT intake manifold will fit an FE, but you'd have to plug the FE cylinder head's exhaust crossover passages because they don't come close to lining up. It's debatable on whether it's worth the effort.
That exhaust crossover on the FT heads doesn't go into a port. Deleting it would be fairly easy and that will allow any FE intake to be used. It feeds straight through the head from extra holes in the center of the exhaust manifold, so if you have headers that passage is open and you only need to plug it at the intake manifold face to keep oil from leaking out or dirty air getting into the crankcase.
The distributor mounting hole in the intake manifold is the same size and location as an FE unit.
The exhaust manifolds are a ram's-horn design that will physically bolt up to an FE, but they contain an exhaust crossover port which would have to be welded shut to use on an FE engine. However, you might run into a side clearance problem when trying to use these on a smaller vehicle, since they angle out quite a bit.
Crankshaft
FT's have a forged steel crank with a 1-3/4" crank snout, while passenger car and light-duty truck FE's have a 1-3/8" snout, and therefore used a different balancer and pulley setup. (The dampers of the 361/391 will be counterweighted.) On a 391 crankshaft the first two counterweights (closest to the snout) will be in line with each other; if they are offset from each other about an inch, it's a 330HD-361. The 330MD wont have the large crank snout, and it wont be steel; 330HD and 361 engines will, and have a full-circle rear flange with no indexing notches or half-moon cutouts.
If trying to identify a crankshaft that's already removed, set it on it's rear flange and look down at the #1& #2 journals. If it looks like 'Mickey Mouse ears' or a hat it's a 361. If the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th journal is rounded or smooth, it's a 391.
The 391 crank is actually .002" longer in stroke than the 390/406/427 crank. The 390/406/427 is a 3.784" stroke +/- .004" tolerance. The 391 is 3.786" stroke +/- .004" tolerance. When rounded, the the 390/406/427 is sometimes shown to be 3.78" stroke and the 391 is sometimes shown to be 3.79". It's best, however, to carry strokes to three decimal places.
To use the FT crankshaft in an FE block, the FT crankshaft's snout will need to be turned down to fit the standard FE timing cover that that you will need to use for your application. In addition, the crankshaft snout will need to be shortened, as some (or all) were longer to accommodate industrial accessory drives like air compressors for air brakes. After the end of the crankshaft is cut, you'll need to re-drill the balancer bolt hole and cut a new key-way.
The rear of the FT crank is also different...the pilot hole is larger, as is the area to support the flywheel. Both require custom machining to be happy with passenger car applications. The flywheel centering flange is too tall and will need to be shortened. If you are going to use an automatic you need to have a reducing ring machined so the converter will fit in the end of the crank.
Be sure and have the assembly balanced as it may take heavy metal to come in.
While the 361-391 truck motors are externally-balanced like 410s & 428s, you can't use 428 flexplate on a 391 truck without re-balancing the whole engine. These have more counterweighting, as there were 4-ring pistons in many FT's, and they weigh more. Also, the placement of the counterweights is different for every stroke crank. You could make it work, but custom balancing is still required.
- 332
- 352
- 360
- 390
- 406
- 410 (Mercury)
- 427
- 428
The FT engine family consists of the following engines:
- 330MD (Medium Duty) - FE block with FT heads; pretty uncommon
- 330HD (Heavy Duty)
- 332
- 359
- 361
- 389
- 391 engines
FT engines have a single front mount that attaches to the steel timing cover.
The 330FT was standard in some 500 and 600 series trucks, and the 361FT was optional. F700-750-800 series are generally 391's (and are usually called a 391HD), though the 361FT was standard in some larger series trucks (700 and 800 maybe), and the 391 was optional. A 389 is pretty much the same thing under a 2V carburettor.
Most 330's, 361's and 389's came with a 2V Holley, and the 391HD came with a 4V Holley, all governor carburettors. They have a tall tach-drive governor distributor and the truck-only steel front timing cover and dual thermostat housing.
A 330 has a bore of 3.875" and a 3.50" stroke. A 361 has a 4.05" bore and a 3.50" stroke and the 391 has a 4.05" bore and 3.79" stroke.
359FT and 389FT were special fleet engines. U-haul was pushing to reduce costs, so Ford defined a low-cost formula for creating FT engines in special fleet applications sometime around 1973. The result was an engine with a cast iron crankshaft instead of the FT steel crank, and a governor installed (on all?) which reduced the redline about 500RPM below the governed 361FT and 391FT engines to prevent any opportunity for warranty issues resulting from the less robust crankshaft. The lower RPMs resulted in less horsepower output and longer life. U-haul bought them in quantity, and the rest is history.
FT/FE Parts Interchangeability
FT full-sump oil pan and special pickup, which works great on 2WD F100-350 or lifted 4x4s.
About the only things that are directly interchangeable are the connecting rods, lifters, rocker arm assemblies, pushrods, valve covers and oil pan. The steel timing chain cover and water pumps are different and won't interchange.
The rods, though they may have the truck number forged into it, are the same as 390/410/428 car rods, and are thus very desirable for econo-performance builds. 4-ring pistons use short connecting rods, 3-ring engines use long rods (later engines).
361s got the same block as the 391. The 391 prizes are the block, crank, and rods. The 361 only offers a block.
Block
The FT blocks are heavy-duty units and are virtually identical to the FE except that the distributor pilot hole is larger to allow for the 5/16" hex oil pump driveshaft. This means you'd have to install a bronze bushing in order to use a standard distributor with the 1/4" oil pump drive shaft, but there are bushings readily available (from Ford or the aftermarket).
You might also need to install a plug where the air compressor (for the air brakes) drains into the block. (The drain is low on the right side near the center of the block skirt.)
There is a very good chance the 361/391 FT block has the heavy cylinders which allow eventual boring to 428 numbers (including 428 +.060 overbores. The 330FT engine generally bores out to make a great 390 block, but it cannot be heavily overbored like most of the 361 and 391 blocks.
Block markings
Ribs on the block only means it was cast after 1971, nothing more. The "C" or "CX", etc, on the back of the block is also period-specific, as is the "428" marking on the floor of the FT in the water jacket. Same with 427 text markings or cross-bolt nubs.
The term "105" replaced the former term "352" as the standard FE casting mark in about 1973. The "105" simply means it was cast at MCC (Ford's Michigan Casting Center). This does NOT indicate it has heavy cylinder walls, but it probably does have reinforced main bulkheads, since by 1973, most all FEs would only see pickup truck duty, and none would see the easier duty of cars.
Cylinder Heads
The FT heads have the exhaust crossover setup completely different from FE units. (If you take the exhaust manifold off there will be 5 holes instead of 4.) The FT heads have 10 exhaust manifold bolts per head, whereas a car or light-duty truck engine has 8 exhaust manifold bolts per head. These heads are small-valve low-compression units that are unique to the FT series.
Intake/Exhaust Manifolds
The FT intake manifold will fit an FE, but you'd have to plug the FE cylinder head's exhaust crossover passages because they don't come close to lining up. It's debatable on whether it's worth the effort.
That exhaust crossover on the FT heads doesn't go into a port. Deleting it would be fairly easy and that will allow any FE intake to be used. It feeds straight through the head from extra holes in the center of the exhaust manifold, so if you have headers that passage is open and you only need to plug it at the intake manifold face to keep oil from leaking out or dirty air getting into the crankcase.
The distributor mounting hole in the intake manifold is the same size and location as an FE unit.
The exhaust manifolds are a ram's-horn design that will physically bolt up to an FE, but they contain an exhaust crossover port which would have to be welded shut to use on an FE engine. However, you might run into a side clearance problem when trying to use these on a smaller vehicle, since they angle out quite a bit.
Crankshaft
FT's have a forged steel crank with a 1-3/4" crank snout, while passenger car and light-duty truck FE's have a 1-3/8" snout, and therefore used a different balancer and pulley setup. (The dampers of the 361/391 will be counterweighted.) On a 391 crankshaft the first two counterweights (closest to the snout) will be in line with each other; if they are offset from each other about an inch, it's a 330HD-361. The 330MD wont have the large crank snout, and it wont be steel; 330HD and 361 engines will, and have a full-circle rear flange with no indexing notches or half-moon cutouts.
If trying to identify a crankshaft that's already removed, set it on it's rear flange and look down at the #1& #2 journals. If it looks like 'Mickey Mouse ears' or a hat it's a 361. If the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th journal is rounded or smooth, it's a 391.
The 391 crank is actually .002" longer in stroke than the 390/406/427 crank. The 390/406/427 is a 3.784" stroke +/- .004" tolerance. The 391 is 3.786" stroke +/- .004" tolerance. When rounded, the the 390/406/427 is sometimes shown to be 3.78" stroke and the 391 is sometimes shown to be 3.79". It's best, however, to carry strokes to three decimal places.
To use the FT crankshaft in an FE block, the FT crankshaft's snout will need to be turned down to fit the standard FE timing cover that that you will need to use for your application. In addition, the crankshaft snout will need to be shortened, as some (or all) were longer to accommodate industrial accessory drives like air compressors for air brakes. After the end of the crankshaft is cut, you'll need to re-drill the balancer bolt hole and cut a new key-way.
The rear of the FT crank is also different...the pilot hole is larger, as is the area to support the flywheel. Both require custom machining to be happy with passenger car applications. The flywheel centering flange is too tall and will need to be shortened. If you are going to use an automatic you need to have a reducing ring machined so the converter will fit in the end of the crank.
Be sure and have the assembly balanced as it may take heavy metal to come in.
While the 361-391 truck motors are externally-balanced like 410s & 428s, you can't use 428 flexplate on a 391 truck without re-balancing the whole engine. These have more counterweighting, as there were 4-ring pistons in many FT's, and they weigh more. Also, the placement of the counterweights is different for every stroke crank. You could make it work, but custom balancing is still required.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Nov 2004
Posts: 140
Likes: 2
From: Monroe, WA
The Ford FE engine family consists of the following engines:
The FT engine family consists of the following engines:
FT engines have a single front mount that attaches to the steel timing cover.
The 330FT was standard in some 500 and 600 series trucks, and the 361FT was optional. F700-750-800 series are generally 391's (and are usually called a 391HD), though the 361FT was standard in some larger series trucks (700 and 800 maybe), and the 391 was optional. A 389 is pretty much the same thing under a 2V carburettor.
Most 330's, 361's and 389's came with a 2V Holley, and the 391HD came with a 4V Holley, all governor carburettors. They have a tall tach-drive governor distributor and the truck-only steel front timing cover and dual thermostat housing.
A 330 has a bore of 3.875" and a 3.50" stroke. A 361 has a 4.05" bore and a 3.50" stroke and the 391 has a 4.05" bore and 3.79" stroke.
359FT and 389FT were special fleet engines. U-haul was pushing to reduce costs, so Ford defined a low-cost formula for creating FT engines in special fleet applications sometime around 1973. The result was an engine with a cast iron crankshaft instead of the FT steel crank, and a governor installed (on all?) which reduced the redline about 500RPM below the governed 361FT and 391FT engines to prevent any opportunity for warranty issues resulting from the less robust crankshaft. The lower RPMs resulted in less horsepower output and longer life. U-haul bought them in quantity, and the rest is history.
FT/FE Parts Interchangeability
FT full-sump oil pan and special pickup, which works great on 2WD F100-350 or lifted 4x4s.
About the only things that are directly interchangeable are the connecting rods, lifters, rocker arm assemblies, pushrods, valve covers and oil pan. The steel timing chain cover and water pumps are different and won't interchange.
The rods, though they may have the truck number forged into it, are the same as 390/410/428 car rods, and are thus very desirable for econo-performance builds. 4-ring pistons use short connecting rods, 3-ring engines use long rods (later engines).
361s got the same block as the 391. The 391 prizes are the block, crank, and rods. The 361 only offers a block.
Block
The FT blocks are heavy-duty units and are virtually identical to the FE except that the distributor pilot hole is larger to allow for the 5/16" hex oil pump driveshaft. This means you'd have to install a bronze bushing in order to use a standard distributor with the 1/4" oil pump drive shaft, but there are bushings readily available (from Ford or the aftermarket).
You might also need to install a plug where the air compressor (for the air brakes) drains into the block. (The drain is low on the right side near the center of the block skirt.)
There is a very good chance the 361/391 FT block has the heavy cylinders which allow eventual boring to 428 numbers (including 428 +.060 overbores. The 330FT engine generally bores out to make a great 390 block, but it cannot be heavily overbored like most of the 361 and 391 blocks.
Block markings
Ribs on the block only means it was cast after 1971, nothing more. The "C" or "CX", etc, on the back of the block is also period-specific, as is the "428" marking on the floor of the FT in the water jacket. Same with 427 text markings or cross-bolt nubs.
The term "105" replaced the former term "352" as the standard FE casting mark in about 1973. The "105" simply means it was cast at MCC (Ford's Michigan Casting Center). This does NOT indicate it has heavy cylinder walls, but it probably does have reinforced main bulkheads, since by 1973, most all FEs would only see pickup truck duty, and none would see the easier duty of cars.
Cylinder Heads
The FT heads have the exhaust crossover setup completely different from FE units. (If you take the exhaust manifold off there will be 5 holes instead of 4.) The FT heads have 10 exhaust manifold bolts per head, whereas a car or light-duty truck engine has 8 exhaust manifold bolts per head. These heads are small-valve low-compression units that are unique to the FT series.
Intake/Exhaust Manifolds
The FT intake manifold will fit an FE, but you'd have to plug the FE cylinder head's exhaust crossover passages because they don't come close to lining up. It's debatable on whether it's worth the effort.
That exhaust crossover on the FT heads doesn't go into a port. Deleting it would be fairly easy and that will allow any FE intake to be used. It feeds straight through the head from extra holes in the center of the exhaust manifold, so if you have headers that passage is open and you only need to plug it at the intake manifold face to keep oil from leaking out or dirty air getting into the crankcase.
The distributor mounting hole in the intake manifold is the same size and location as an FE unit.
The exhaust manifolds are a ram's-horn design that will physically bolt up to an FE, but they contain an exhaust crossover port which would have to be welded shut to use on an FE engine. However, you might run into a side clearance problem when trying to use these on a smaller vehicle, since they angle out quite a bit.
Crankshaft
FT's have a forged steel crank with a 1-3/4" crank snout, while passenger car and light-duty truck FE's have a 1-3/8" snout, and therefore used a different balancer and pulley setup. (The dampers of the 361/391 will be counterweighted.) On a 391 crankshaft the first two counterweights (closest to the snout) will be in line with each other; if they are offset from each other about an inch, it's a 330HD-361. The 330MD wont have the large crank snout, and it wont be steel; 330HD and 361 engines will, and have a full-circle rear flange with no indexing notches or half-moon cutouts.
If trying to identify a crankshaft that's already removed, set it on it's rear flange and look down at the #1& #2 journals. If it looks like 'Mickey Mouse ears' or a hat it's a 361. If the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th journal is rounded or smooth, it's a 391.
The 391 crank is actually .002" longer in stroke than the 390/406/427 crank. The 390/406/427 is a 3.784" stroke +/- .004" tolerance. The 391 is 3.786" stroke +/- .004" tolerance. When rounded, the the 390/406/427 is sometimes shown to be 3.78" stroke and the 391 is sometimes shown to be 3.79". It's best, however, to carry strokes to three decimal places.
To use the FT crankshaft in an FE block, the FT crankshaft's snout will need to be turned down to fit the standard FE timing cover that that you will need to use for your application. In addition, the crankshaft snout will need to be shortened, as some (or all) were longer to accommodate industrial accessory drives like air compressors for air brakes. After the end of the crankshaft is cut, you'll need to re-drill the balancer bolt hole and cut a new key-way.
The rear of the FT crank is also different...the pilot hole is larger, as is the area to support the flywheel. Both require custom machining to be happy with passenger car applications. The flywheel centering flange is too tall and will need to be shortened. If you are going to use an automatic you need to have a reducing ring machined so the converter will fit in the end of the crank.
Be sure and have the assembly balanced as it may take heavy metal to come in.
While the 361-391 truck motors are externally-balanced like 410s & 428s, you can't use 428 flexplate on a 391 truck without re-balancing the whole engine. These have more counterweighting, as there were 4-ring pistons in many FT's, and they weigh more. Also, the placement of the counterweights is different for every stroke crank. You could make it work, but custom balancing is still required.
- 332
- 352
- 360
- 390
- 406
- 410 (Mercury)
- 427
- 428
The FT engine family consists of the following engines:
- 330MD (Medium Duty) - FE block with FT heads; pretty uncommon
- 330HD (Heavy Duty)
- 332
- 359
- 361
- 389
- 391 engines
FT engines have a single front mount that attaches to the steel timing cover.
The 330FT was standard in some 500 and 600 series trucks, and the 361FT was optional. F700-750-800 series are generally 391's (and are usually called a 391HD), though the 361FT was standard in some larger series trucks (700 and 800 maybe), and the 391 was optional. A 389 is pretty much the same thing under a 2V carburettor.
Most 330's, 361's and 389's came with a 2V Holley, and the 391HD came with a 4V Holley, all governor carburettors. They have a tall tach-drive governor distributor and the truck-only steel front timing cover and dual thermostat housing.
A 330 has a bore of 3.875" and a 3.50" stroke. A 361 has a 4.05" bore and a 3.50" stroke and the 391 has a 4.05" bore and 3.79" stroke.
359FT and 389FT were special fleet engines. U-haul was pushing to reduce costs, so Ford defined a low-cost formula for creating FT engines in special fleet applications sometime around 1973. The result was an engine with a cast iron crankshaft instead of the FT steel crank, and a governor installed (on all?) which reduced the redline about 500RPM below the governed 361FT and 391FT engines to prevent any opportunity for warranty issues resulting from the less robust crankshaft. The lower RPMs resulted in less horsepower output and longer life. U-haul bought them in quantity, and the rest is history.
FT/FE Parts Interchangeability
FT full-sump oil pan and special pickup, which works great on 2WD F100-350 or lifted 4x4s.
About the only things that are directly interchangeable are the connecting rods, lifters, rocker arm assemblies, pushrods, valve covers and oil pan. The steel timing chain cover and water pumps are different and won't interchange.
The rods, though they may have the truck number forged into it, are the same as 390/410/428 car rods, and are thus very desirable for econo-performance builds. 4-ring pistons use short connecting rods, 3-ring engines use long rods (later engines).
361s got the same block as the 391. The 391 prizes are the block, crank, and rods. The 361 only offers a block.
Block
The FT blocks are heavy-duty units and are virtually identical to the FE except that the distributor pilot hole is larger to allow for the 5/16" hex oil pump driveshaft. This means you'd have to install a bronze bushing in order to use a standard distributor with the 1/4" oil pump drive shaft, but there are bushings readily available (from Ford or the aftermarket).
You might also need to install a plug where the air compressor (for the air brakes) drains into the block. (The drain is low on the right side near the center of the block skirt.)
There is a very good chance the 361/391 FT block has the heavy cylinders which allow eventual boring to 428 numbers (including 428 +.060 overbores. The 330FT engine generally bores out to make a great 390 block, but it cannot be heavily overbored like most of the 361 and 391 blocks.
Block markings
Ribs on the block only means it was cast after 1971, nothing more. The "C" or "CX", etc, on the back of the block is also period-specific, as is the "428" marking on the floor of the FT in the water jacket. Same with 427 text markings or cross-bolt nubs.
The term "105" replaced the former term "352" as the standard FE casting mark in about 1973. The "105" simply means it was cast at MCC (Ford's Michigan Casting Center). This does NOT indicate it has heavy cylinder walls, but it probably does have reinforced main bulkheads, since by 1973, most all FEs would only see pickup truck duty, and none would see the easier duty of cars.
Cylinder Heads
The FT heads have the exhaust crossover setup completely different from FE units. (If you take the exhaust manifold off there will be 5 holes instead of 4.) The FT heads have 10 exhaust manifold bolts per head, whereas a car or light-duty truck engine has 8 exhaust manifold bolts per head. These heads are small-valve low-compression units that are unique to the FT series.
Intake/Exhaust Manifolds
The FT intake manifold will fit an FE, but you'd have to plug the FE cylinder head's exhaust crossover passages because they don't come close to lining up. It's debatable on whether it's worth the effort.
That exhaust crossover on the FT heads doesn't go into a port. Deleting it would be fairly easy and that will allow any FE intake to be used. It feeds straight through the head from extra holes in the center of the exhaust manifold, so if you have headers that passage is open and you only need to plug it at the intake manifold face to keep oil from leaking out or dirty air getting into the crankcase.
The distributor mounting hole in the intake manifold is the same size and location as an FE unit.
The exhaust manifolds are a ram's-horn design that will physically bolt up to an FE, but they contain an exhaust crossover port which would have to be welded shut to use on an FE engine. However, you might run into a side clearance problem when trying to use these on a smaller vehicle, since they angle out quite a bit.
Crankshaft
FT's have a forged steel crank with a 1-3/4" crank snout, while passenger car and light-duty truck FE's have a 1-3/8" snout, and therefore used a different balancer and pulley setup. (The dampers of the 361/391 will be counterweighted.) On a 391 crankshaft the first two counterweights (closest to the snout) will be in line with each other; if they are offset from each other about an inch, it's a 330HD-361. The 330MD wont have the large crank snout, and it wont be steel; 330HD and 361 engines will, and have a full-circle rear flange with no indexing notches or half-moon cutouts.
If trying to identify a crankshaft that's already removed, set it on it's rear flange and look down at the #1& #2 journals. If it looks like 'Mickey Mouse ears' or a hat it's a 361. If the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th journal is rounded or smooth, it's a 391.
The 391 crank is actually .002" longer in stroke than the 390/406/427 crank. The 390/406/427 is a 3.784" stroke +/- .004" tolerance. The 391 is 3.786" stroke +/- .004" tolerance. When rounded, the the 390/406/427 is sometimes shown to be 3.78" stroke and the 391 is sometimes shown to be 3.79". It's best, however, to carry strokes to three decimal places.
To use the FT crankshaft in an FE block, the FT crankshaft's snout will need to be turned down to fit the standard FE timing cover that that you will need to use for your application. In addition, the crankshaft snout will need to be shortened, as some (or all) were longer to accommodate industrial accessory drives like air compressors for air brakes. After the end of the crankshaft is cut, you'll need to re-drill the balancer bolt hole and cut a new key-way.
The rear of the FT crank is also different...the pilot hole is larger, as is the area to support the flywheel. Both require custom machining to be happy with passenger car applications. The flywheel centering flange is too tall and will need to be shortened. If you are going to use an automatic you need to have a reducing ring machined so the converter will fit in the end of the crank.
Be sure and have the assembly balanced as it may take heavy metal to come in.
While the 361-391 truck motors are externally-balanced like 410s & 428s, you can't use 428 flexplate on a 391 truck without re-balancing the whole engine. These have more counterweighting, as there were 4-ring pistons in many FT's, and they weigh more. Also, the placement of the counterweights is different for every stroke crank. You could make it work, but custom balancing is still required.
-There were also 361 FE and a 330XD FT engines.
-I would love to here more about 361/391 HD FT engines special ordered in small F-series (100-350) chassis that is a new one. It is my understanding that the only small F-series trucks (100-350)to get an FT engine were the U-haul fleet F350 based trucks that were special ordered with the 330XD FT engine.
-Very few 361/391FT blocks can safely support an .080" overbore let alone a .140" overbore. Only the very few FT blocks that were cast with 428 water jacket cores and the associated rear bulkhead scratch marks can do this (up to 4.19" bore). I used to search for these in the '90's and early '00s and of the several dozen engines/blocks that I looked at only 3 had a rear scratch mark and raised "428" cast into the water jacket floor.
Last edited by wsu0702; Apr 30, 2021 at 01:58 PM. Reason: Error correction
Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 79
Likes: 3
Great info thanks for sharing that. I do have a few minor comments/questions:
-There were also 361 FE and a 330XD FT engines.
-I would love to here more about 361/391 HD FT engines special ordered in small F-series (100-350) chassis that is a new one. It is my understanding that the only small F-series trucks (100-350)to get an FT engine were the U-haul fleet F350 based trucks that were special ordered with the 330XD FT engine.
-Very few 361/391FT blocks can safely support an .080" overbore let alone a .140" overbore. Only the very few FT blocks that were cast with 428 water jacket cores and the associated rear bulkhead scratch marks can do this (up to 4.19" bore). I used to search for these in the '90's and early '00s and of the several dozen engines/blocks that I looked at only 3 had a rear scratch mark and raised "428" cast into the water jacket floor.
-There were also 361 FE and a 330XD FT engines.
-I would love to here more about 361/391 HD FT engines special ordered in small F-series (100-350) chassis that is a new one. It is my understanding that the only small F-series trucks (100-350)to get an FT engine were the U-haul fleet F350 based trucks that were special ordered with the 330XD FT engine.
-Very few 361/391FT blocks can safely support an .080" overbore let alone a .140" overbore. Only the very few FT blocks that were cast with 428 water jacket cores and the associated rear bulkhead scratch marks can do this (up to 4.19" bore). I used to search for these in the '90's and early '00s and of the several dozen engines/blocks that I looked at only 3 had a rear scratch mark and raised "428" cast into the water jacket floor.
Questions regarding use of FT391 block
- if just using the short block for a stroker build
1- what should I do about distributor? I have the old truck dizzy, can that be rebuilt or the larger bushing part used? Or do I need to have someone fabricate a bushing?
2- if I get a 4.25 crank stroker kit, will I then be able to use a standard FE Timing cover and water pump?
3- if I have to use the old cast iron Timing cover, will I have issues with pulleys, fan belts, power steering hook up? (Currently running fe 390 block with power steering belt and an alternator belt)
To the OP and moderator, consider putting FT to FE conversation info in the front page/hyperlink info....good stuff!
Thanks!
Super Moderator
Joined: Apr 2004
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The distributor bushing is: c4tz12367a
But I can't find any for sale, everything is an old reference. You may have to have one made.
If you have the old distributor, you could use it--might have to change the gear, or you can use it and the new FE size as the pattern for the bushing OD and ID
Any stroker crank for an FE will use the standard FE timing cover, water pump etc
You can keep the old iron cover for nostalgia or in case someone needs it.
But I can't find any for sale, everything is an old reference. You may have to have one made.
If you have the old distributor, you could use it--might have to change the gear, or you can use it and the new FE size as the pattern for the bushing OD and ID
Any stroker crank for an FE will use the standard FE timing cover, water pump etc
You can keep the old iron cover for nostalgia or in case someone needs it.
Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 79
Likes: 3
The distributor bushing is: c4tz12367a
But I can't find any for sale, everything is an old reference. You may have to have one made.
If you have the old distributor, you could use it--might have to change the gear, or you can use it and the new FE size as the pattern for the bushing OD and ID
Any stroker crank for an FE will use the standard FE timing cover, water pump etc
You can keep the old iron cover for nostalgia or in case someone needs it.
But I can't find any for sale, everything is an old reference. You may have to have one made.
If you have the old distributor, you could use it--might have to change the gear, or you can use it and the new FE size as the pattern for the bushing OD and ID
Any stroker crank for an FE will use the standard FE timing cover, water pump etc
You can keep the old iron cover for nostalgia or in case someone needs it.
Appreciate it!
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Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 79
Likes: 3
The distributor bushing is: c4tz12367a
But I can't find any for sale, everything is an old reference. You may have to have one made.
If you have the old distributor, you could use it--might have to change the gear, or you can use it and the new FE size as the pattern for the bushing OD and ID
Any stroker crank for an FE will use the standard FE timing cover, water pump etc
You can keep the old iron cover for nostalgia or in case someone needs it.
But I can't find any for sale, everything is an old reference. You may have to have one made.
If you have the old distributor, you could use it--might have to change the gear, or you can use it and the new FE size as the pattern for the bushing OD and ID
Any stroker crank for an FE will use the standard FE timing cover, water pump etc
You can keep the old iron cover for nostalgia or in case someone needs it.
https://stores.precisionoilpumps.com...butor-bushing/
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Cross-Country
Joined: Jul 2014
Posts: 79
Likes: 3
5th Wheeling
Joined: Nov 2025
Posts: 42
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The rear of the FT crank is also different...the pilot hole is larger, as is the area to support the flywheel. Both require custom machining to be happy with passenger car applications. The flywheel centering flange is too tall and will need to be shortened. If you are going to use an automatic you need to have a reducing ring machined so the converter will fit in the end of crank
Tuned
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 284
Likes: 6
From: Clover, SC
he is talking about the shoulder on the crankshaft flange that the flywheel or flexplate centers on. The FT crankshaft has a much taller shoulder. Probably if you are going to use a manual flywheel set up it wouldn’t matter, but if you’re going to put a flexplate on it and bolt a torque converter to it then that shoulder needs to be shortened, otherwise the torque converter will not move far enough forward to bolt to the flex plate correctly.
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