Engine ID
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,613
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From: Coal country
Engine ID
You have 2 possibilities for original engine: 360 and 390. Be advised that most FE motors magically join Cinderella and turn into 390s on sale day. Unfortunately, they re-pumpkin themselves back into 360s (or 352s) the day after. You'll need to check the stroke to make sure.
Here's the easy way to check the stroke without removing the head. Get a straight 12 inch piece of white electrical house wire or coat hanger wire. Get a magic marker. Remove the number 1 and number 8 spark plugs. Turn the engine over until the timing mark is at TDC. Put the wire in the number 1 spark plug hole with wire resting on the top of the piston. Make a mark on the wire even with the lip on the valve cover. Now move the wire over to the number 8 cylinder and mark the wire again, at the lip. Measure the distance between the two marks.
For those that don't know: 3.98 is the stroke for the 410 and 428 engines; 3.78 is the stroke for the 390, 406 and 427 engines and 3.5 is the stroke for the 352 and 360 engines.
Do if you have a stroke of about 3.75 inches, you have a 390. If it is 3.5, you have either a 352 or a 360.
Most likely, if the engine is original, you have a 360.
Here's the easy way to check the stroke without removing the head. Get a straight 12 inch piece of white electrical house wire or coat hanger wire. Get a magic marker. Remove the number 1 and number 8 spark plugs. Turn the engine over until the timing mark is at TDC. Put the wire in the number 1 spark plug hole with wire resting on the top of the piston. Make a mark on the wire even with the lip on the valve cover. Now move the wire over to the number 8 cylinder and mark the wire again, at the lip. Measure the distance between the two marks.
For those that don't know: 3.98 is the stroke for the 410 and 428 engines; 3.78 is the stroke for the 390, 406 and 427 engines and 3.5 is the stroke for the 352 and 360 engines.
Do if you have a stroke of about 3.75 inches, you have a 390. If it is 3.5, you have either a 352 or a 360.
Most likely, if the engine is original, you have a 360.
