[updated:LAST EDITED ON 20-Apr-02 AT 11:40 PM (EST)]what is the difference in horsepower torque and rpms of a 390 two barrel and a 360 two barrel with both of them being stock.
Other than the bore what differences do a 390 and a 360 have. I read on an earlier post that someone was trying to find out information on their truck and on their door jam it said that they had a 390 but when it was looked up in a book they found out they had a 360. Plus the tag on the manifold said that they had a 360. Well all this time that i have owned my truck I thought that I had a 390 because of the door jam but then i looked on the tag and it said a 360. Which should I believe, and why the heck is it like this.
thanks
brad

 

Confusing isn't it? My 70 Sport Custom also had the 390 door tag and the 360 distributor tag, but I know my in a 360. My door tag rates my motor at 170hp at 4100 rpm, I also have a figure of 215hp at unknown rpm. The 390 shows to be at around 255hp for a 70' model motor. I don't know what year your looking for but maybe that will help. The 360 has a 4.05 x 3.50 bore, and the 390 has a 4.05 x 3.78 bore. Other than the crank and different head combinations mostly the two will interchange alot of parts. Most everyone I have talked to about my 360 said to get rid of it and get a 390, or upgrade the heads and oiling and get a 390 crank. If you do plan to keep the 360 I know that the 352,360,390,428 all share alot of parts, so if you are looking for performance or aftermarket parts don't let the 360 being left out fool you. All in all I like the 360, simply because I have two trucks with them in it. One running one not, one will be souped up one will be stock. I hope I have helped you out some, let me know if you need more help.

 

Also, I will add to Curtis's post that to convert a 360 to a 390 you will need different connecting rods. The 390 uses shorter rods. You MAY also need new pistons. If the 360 has it's original pistons they are a "full skirt" style and CANNOT be used with the 390 crank. The skirt will contact the counter weight. Boom! The 390 uses "slipper skirt" style pistons for clearance.

The reason I know these things is because my 360 block is at the machine shop right now getting turned into a 390!

Good luck,
Lee

 

Just so we're clear, the 360 and 390 have the same bore (4.05"). In fact, the blocks are identical in every respect. The heads and manifolds (intake and exhaust) are also the same. That is why it is impossible to distinguish the two externally. The ONLY differences between the 360 and 390 are in the rotating assembly. The 360's crankshaft has a shorter throw (1.75" vs. 1.89"), its connecting rods are thinner and longer (6.540" on the 360 vs. 6.488" on the 390), and its pistons are taller and, as noted above, have full skirts whereas 390 pistons have slipper skirts. Your truck's VIN and door plate will tell you what engine originally came in your truck, but unless you're the original owner, that don't mean much. I have yet to come across a 67-72 that hasn't had the original engine replaced or rebuilt at least once. If you want to know what it is, you need to measure the stroke. A 3.50" stroke means it is a 360, and a 3.78" stroke means it is a 390.

Any performance part that will work on a 390 will also work just fine on a 360.

In terms of power difference, the 390 in truck form and the 360 are pretty close. The 390 generates roughly 40 more horsepower, and makes it at a little lower rpm due to the stronger torque curve from the longer stroke.

 

Thanks you all very very much for all of the great information. The reason I wondered was because I just bought my 1969 F100 in January and was told that the engine was a 390, so I was pretty happy about it. Plus I was told that the truck was all original and that it was never redone.(there are the marks of inevitable wear but for the most part it was really taken care of) It only has 114 thousand miles on it. It was pretty depressing last night when I found out that you are supposed to look at the tag on the manifold and having never done this I found it to be a 360.(not that 360s are bad motors It was just that up until then I was glad to have that little bit of edge on everyone elses Ford truck at school) But now that I know that they are the same engine except that Ford bored one out and changed a few parts I can simply do the same to my engine and call it a 390. I guess 390s and 360s have sort of the same relationship as the Chevy 305 and 350.
Thank you all again for all of the responses,
brad

 

>But now that I know that they
>are the same engine except that Ford bored one out and
>changed a few parts I can simply do the same to my engine
>and call it a 390.

O.k., let's do this one more time. THE 390 IS NOT A "BORED OUT" 360. Both have identical 4.05" bores. Rather, the 390 is a "stroked" 360. The additional 30 cubic inches of displacement result from the longer stroke. Thus, the blocks are identical in all dimensions. If you want to make a 390 out of a 360, you need to replace your crankshaft, connecting rods and pistons. You do not need to bore it out.

By the way, if it is the original engine, the VIN will tell you whether it is a 360 or a 390. If the 4th digit is a "Y", it came from the factory with a 360. If it is an "H", it came from the factory with a 390.