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Ok, I’m a noob when it comes to engines so try not to laugh too much.
I’m trying to determine what size engine my truck has. I have an ’84 F150 with a straight 6. When I requested some information form Ford about the truck they said the engine type was “4.9L L6 1BBL HD OHV”. What does all that mean?
Oh, and don't feel bad about beeing a "noob."
That's what this board is for, and we have all been there.
Or worse, still doing it when learning new things!
I am pretty comfortable with FE engines, but I know very little about 385s, so I am a newbie on that subject, that's for sure.
4.9L is 4.9 litres or 300 cubic inches (aprx 61 cubic inches per litre)
L6 is for the straight 6 (I always thought it was an I)
1BBL is a 1 barrel carburetor (or 1 venturi)
HD (usually heavy duty, but I have never seen is associated with an engine)
OHV is overhead valve configuration, I don't think they have made a flat head since the 50's, so this is pretty much a given. (valves are on top of the combustion chamber).
No you have an 3.0 inline 6 cylinder. Small block engines are the 302 and 351W or 351C V8 engines.
CID - Cubic Inch Displacement
Hmmmm, ok so to say that my engine is a 302 CID is not the same as a small-block 302? Or should I just forget about 302 altogether?
The reason I'm asking is because someone asked me the other day what size engine my truck had. I said that I didn't know for sure but that I thought it was a 4.9L. And they said "well it must be a 289" or "301" or some 3-numbered combination like that. I wasn't really sure what they were talking about.
The mighty FE "Ford-Edsel" is a historic engine with legendary properties.
It was a very versatile and interchangeable engine. Introduced in '57, it was used in cars up to '70, and in trucks until '76.
Sizes included the 330, 352, 360, 390, 406, 410, 427 and 428. You may recognize the 427 as the highest winning engine in Ford's racing line.
The 352 and 390 was used in quite a few cars, and was used as the standard V-8 in trucks from '65 to '68, when it was replaced as the standard V8 by the 360. The 390 was offered as an option over the 360 in trucks beginning in '68.
The muscle car engines of 406, 410, 428 and 427 were offered or were made available as well.
It still commands a respectable following, and aftermarket parts are being made even more than before.
Check out more about the FEs on the FE forum here at FTE!
4.9 liters is close to 289 or 302, but both of those are V8 engines. The 302 is a bored/stroked (not sure which) 289 as a matter of fact.
The 300 is a six cylinder engine, in straight line
configuration, not a V shape. It has a longer stroke but a bigger bore than the 302, and as such isn't a performance engine but a workhorse engine instead.
The 300 six is well deserving of its reputation for longevity, durability and strength.
PS: There is no "small block" or "big block" designation in the Ford engine lines, although it is commonly applied to engines over 400 CID. The terms "small block" and "big block" are transgendered from the GM world. Nothing really wrong with them, but they are inaccurate designations when applied to Ford engines.
For example, the 428 and 429 are completely different engines, with nothing similar or interchangeable between them, yet the 429 is often called "big block" and the 428 is ignored. Even further, the FE engines actually weigh very close to the 385 series (429,460), yet are smaller in CID.
Last edited by banjopicker66; Apr 26, 2005 at 01:01 PM.
Most of the time small block vs big block v8 is a designation of the bell housing size with engines Ford or Chevy with the small bell housing bolt pattern called small block and engines with the large bell housing bolt pattern called big block. Really has nothing to do with classes of engines or size and weight of engines. 350 Olds and Buick engines were called big block because they used the large bell housing.
So my engine size is just a 4.9L straight 6, and to say that my engine is a 289 or a 302 is incorrect because it's not a V8. Did I get all that right?
I found a book called "How to rebuild small-block Ford engines". So you're saying that this title is actually an oxymoron because small-block doesn't apply to Ford.
Correct on the 4.9 just a 3.0 6cyl. The book is for rebuilding the small block ford 289 302 351 but gives good pointers on building engines in general and would be usefull if rebuilding a 3.0.
Blue, you have a 300 six. When you need parts or want information, you can use the terms 300, 4.9L, 300 six, or Ford big six, and they will know you have a 300 CID or 4.9L in-line straight six engine.
You are correct, you can't call it a 302 or a 289, because those are for V8 engines only.
And, as Ron pointed out, if someone told you it was a small block, they were using the GM term to designate what they think is a smaller engine.
This is great you are asking questions; don't stop. We are here to help unconfuzle you.
Does your 300 need to be rebuilt? Even if not, you will find a great deal of information specific to your engine in the 300 forum here on FTE.
Wow, there's a 300 forum? I didn't know that (mainly because I didn't know I had a 300). I can tell that my truck is getting to point where it's going to a lot of engine work. We have new emissions tests here in Chattanooga and I know it's going to need to be worked on just for it to pass. I would like to have the engine rebuilt but I would like to do as much of it as I can rather than taking it to someone. That's why I was asking about the engine size.
Thanks guys. You've given me a lot of information to go on.