Newbie Questions
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New User
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Newbie Questions
Just picked up a 72 highboy. PO says he believes it has a 390 but VIN decodes to 360. Where can I find numbers on the engine to tell for sure? Also, it has some of the old power assist steering on it. I have a ps box from a 76 F100 4x4. Has this swap been done or is there a better way? Is there a tech article on it? Looking to make this a tow rig for my 77 Bronco that I wheel. Thanks for the help.
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 3,613
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From: Coal country
The only way to distinguish the different FE motors is to check the stroke. All FE motors look the same on the outside - except the crossbolted 427s, and those are pretty rare.
Be careful here. You have uncovered one of Ford's greatest mysteries! 352s and 360s are indistiguishable on the outside from a 390. The plain and less than desireable 352s and 360s have an eerie and mystifying ability, a phenomenon not yet scientifically understood. They say there are unknown forces moving about in the vicinity of FE motors. You see, the night before sale day, these evil things, some impish, some brutish, all descend upon their intended victim - the FE doomed for SALE! These forces know not the effect of the work that they do, nor can they explain how they do it, it is so dark and fearful a thing. Using powers utterly unknown to mankind, these ghouls of the garage perform a mighty transmogrification! YES! IT WORKS! And the lowly 352 and the shortchanged but stout little 360 are transmogrified into the RADIANT and MIGHTY 390! However, the effect wears off during the first night after the SALE is completed, and the transmogrified ones revert to their former dull selves. Of course the powers used have only the 30-30 guarantee: 30 feet or 30 seconds, whichever comes first. Unfortunately, once you get it home your MIGHTY SUPER HERO 390 deflates to an underdog.
ppptthhpphptphpptphpthphtpthh. ppth.
(Research to capture this process to make it permanent without having to rebuild the poor things is ongoing, but efforts to date have been fruitless. It is rumored that the Mechanics' Engine Rebuilders Cooperative "MERCs" has interfered with the testing laboratories, believing the discovery will cost jobs, but no proof is yet forthcoming. Details at 11.)
Seriously.
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 spark plug. Turn the engine over until the timing mark is at TDC. Now, put the wire in the number 1 spark plug hole with the wire resting on the top of the piston. (Because the old timing dampers sometimes will slip, the timing marks may be off. Make sure the engine is at TDC in the Number 1 hole by rocking the crankshaft back a forth a bit. When the wire is as high as it will go, it is at TDC. Once you are sure it is at TDC, continue.) Make a mark on the wire even with the lip on the valve cover. Now rotate the crankshaft 180 degrees, until the wire is at its lowest point. Mark the wire again, at the lip, and measure the distance between the two marks.
Here are the specs: 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.
<tt><o></o></tt>
Be careful here. You have uncovered one of Ford's greatest mysteries! 352s and 360s are indistiguishable on the outside from a 390. The plain and less than desireable 352s and 360s have an eerie and mystifying ability, a phenomenon not yet scientifically understood. They say there are unknown forces moving about in the vicinity of FE motors. You see, the night before sale day, these evil things, some impish, some brutish, all descend upon their intended victim - the FE doomed for SALE! These forces know not the effect of the work that they do, nor can they explain how they do it, it is so dark and fearful a thing. Using powers utterly unknown to mankind, these ghouls of the garage perform a mighty transmogrification! YES! IT WORKS! And the lowly 352 and the shortchanged but stout little 360 are transmogrified into the RADIANT and MIGHTY 390! However, the effect wears off during the first night after the SALE is completed, and the transmogrified ones revert to their former dull selves. Of course the powers used have only the 30-30 guarantee: 30 feet or 30 seconds, whichever comes first. Unfortunately, once you get it home your MIGHTY SUPER HERO 390 deflates to an underdog.
ppptthhpphptphpptphpthphtpthh. ppth.
(Research to capture this process to make it permanent without having to rebuild the poor things is ongoing, but efforts to date have been fruitless. It is rumored that the Mechanics' Engine Rebuilders Cooperative "MERCs" has interfered with the testing laboratories, believing the discovery will cost jobs, but no proof is yet forthcoming. Details at 11.)
Seriously.
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 spark plug. Turn the engine over until the timing mark is at TDC. Now, put the wire in the number 1 spark plug hole with the wire resting on the top of the piston. (Because the old timing dampers sometimes will slip, the timing marks may be off. Make sure the engine is at TDC in the Number 1 hole by rocking the crankshaft back a forth a bit. When the wire is as high as it will go, it is at TDC. Once you are sure it is at TDC, continue.) Make a mark on the wire even with the lip on the valve cover. Now rotate the crankshaft 180 degrees, until the wire is at its lowest point. Mark the wire again, at the lip, and measure the distance between the two marks.
Here are the specs: 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.
<tt><o></o></tt>
Last edited by banjopicker66; Oct 7, 2006 at 06:15 PM.
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jun 1999
Posts: 24,552
Likes: 74
From: Creedmoor, North Carolina
JD, Welcome to FTE 
The Nations ol Ford Truck tech support truck stop.
I see you have encounterd John da banjo picker, always keep one eye on him when he is around.
Congrats on the find, it ought to handle your towing just fine.
John
The Nations ol Ford Truck tech support truck stop.I see you have encounterd John da banjo picker, always keep one eye on him when he is around.
Congrats on the find, it ought to handle your towing just fine.
John
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Originally Posted by banjopicker66
The only way to distinguish the different FE motors is to check the stroke. All FE motors look the same on the outside - except the crossbolted 427s, and those are pretty rare.
Be careful here. You have uncovered one of Ford's greatest mysteries! 352s and 360s are indistiguishable on the outside from a 390. The plain and less than desireable 352s and 360s have an eerie and mystifying ability, a phenomenon not yet scientifically understood. They say there are unknown forces moving about in the vicinity of FE motors. You see, the night before sale day, these evil things, some impish, some brutish, all descend upon their intended victim - the FE doomed for SALE! These forces know not the effect of the work that they do, nor can they explain how they do it, it is so dark and fearful a thing. Using powers utterly unknown to mankind, these ghouls of the garage perform a mighty transmogrification! YES! IT WORKS! And the lowly 352 and the shortchanged but stout little 360 are transmogrified into the RADIANT and MIGHTY 390! However, the effect wears off during the first night after the SALE is completed, and the transmogrified ones revert to their former dull selves. Of course the powers used have only the 30-30 guarantee: 30 feet or 30 seconds, whichever comes first. Unfortunately, once you get it home your MIGHTY SUPER HERO 390 deflates to an underdog.
ppptthhpphptphpptphpthphtpthh. ppth.
(Research to capture this process to make it permanent without having to rebuild the poor things is ongoing, but efforts to date have been fruitless. It is rumored that the Mechanics' Engine Rebuilders Cooperative "MERCs" has interfered with the testing laboratories, believing the discovery will cost jobs, but no proof is yet forthcoming. Details at 11.)
Seriously.
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 spark plug. Turn the engine over until the timing mark is at TDC. Now, put the wire in the number 1 spark plug hole with the wire resting on the top of the piston. (Because the old timing dampers sometimes will slip, the timing marks may be off. Make sure the engine is at TDC in the Number 1 hole by rocking the crankshaft back a forth a bit. When the wire is as high as it will go, it is at TDC. Once you are sure it is at TDC, continue.) Make a mark on the wire even with the lip on the valve cover. Now rotate the crankshaft 180 degrees, until the wire is at its lowest point. Mark the wire again, at the lip, and measure the distance between the two marks.
Here are the specs: 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.
<TT><O></O></TT>
Be careful here. You have uncovered one of Ford's greatest mysteries! 352s and 360s are indistiguishable on the outside from a 390. The plain and less than desireable 352s and 360s have an eerie and mystifying ability, a phenomenon not yet scientifically understood. They say there are unknown forces moving about in the vicinity of FE motors. You see, the night before sale day, these evil things, some impish, some brutish, all descend upon their intended victim - the FE doomed for SALE! These forces know not the effect of the work that they do, nor can they explain how they do it, it is so dark and fearful a thing. Using powers utterly unknown to mankind, these ghouls of the garage perform a mighty transmogrification! YES! IT WORKS! And the lowly 352 and the shortchanged but stout little 360 are transmogrified into the RADIANT and MIGHTY 390! However, the effect wears off during the first night after the SALE is completed, and the transmogrified ones revert to their former dull selves. Of course the powers used have only the 30-30 guarantee: 30 feet or 30 seconds, whichever comes first. Unfortunately, once you get it home your MIGHTY SUPER HERO 390 deflates to an underdog.
ppptthhpphptphpptphpthphtpthh. ppth.
(Research to capture this process to make it permanent without having to rebuild the poor things is ongoing, but efforts to date have been fruitless. It is rumored that the Mechanics' Engine Rebuilders Cooperative "MERCs" has interfered with the testing laboratories, believing the discovery will cost jobs, but no proof is yet forthcoming. Details at 11.)
Seriously.
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 spark plug. Turn the engine over until the timing mark is at TDC. Now, put the wire in the number 1 spark plug hole with the wire resting on the top of the piston. (Because the old timing dampers sometimes will slip, the timing marks may be off. Make sure the engine is at TDC in the Number 1 hole by rocking the crankshaft back a forth a bit. When the wire is as high as it will go, it is at TDC. Once you are sure it is at TDC, continue.) Make a mark on the wire even with the lip on the valve cover. Now rotate the crankshaft 180 degrees, until the wire is at its lowest point. Mark the wire again, at the lip, and measure the distance between the two marks.
Here are the specs: 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.
<TT><O></O></TT>
Seriously thanks for the help/welcome. Just for kicks, looked over the engine and there are 73 model parts on it, so maybe swapped. I'll measure the stroke, thanks for the tip.
Still curious on the steering.???
Logistics Pro
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 4,221
Likes: 17
Originally Posted by banjopicker66
Be careful here. You have uncovered one of Ford's greatest mysteries! 352s and 360s are indistiguishable on the outside from a 390. The plain and less than desireable 352s and 360s have an eerie and mystifying ability, a phenomenon not yet scientifically understood. They say there are unknown forces moving about in the vicinity of FE motors. You see, the night before sale day, these evil things, some impish, some brutish, all descend upon their intended victim - the FE doomed for SALE! These forces know not the effect of the work that they do, nor can they explain how they do it, it is so dark and fearful a thing. Using powers utterly unknown to mankind, these ghouls of the garage perform a mighty transmogrification! YES! IT WORKS! And the lowly 352 and the shortchanged but stout little 360 are transmogrified into the RADIANT and MIGHTY 390! However, the effect wears off during the first night after the SALE is completed, and the transmogrified ones revert to their former dull selves. Of course the powers used have only the 30-30 guarantee: 30 feet or 30 seconds, whichever comes first. Unfortunately, once you get it home your MIGHTY SUPER HERO 390 deflates to an underdog.
ppptthhpphptphpptphpthphtpthh. ppth.
(Research to capture this process to make it permanent without having to rebuild the poor things is ongoing, but efforts to date have been fruitless. It is rumored that the Mechanics' Engine Rebuilders Cooperative "MERCs" has interfered with the testing laboratories, believing the discovery will cost jobs, but no proof is yet forthcoming. Details at 11.)
<tt><o></o></tt>
Funny as heck, yet so very true!!!!
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
There isn't really a good way to go about the power steering conversion on that truck, since the factory box worked a drag link to the left knuckle, and the F100/F150 4x4 box ran a drag link to the right side knuckle. Anything you install will be custom, so find a box that will fit the frame, and go for it.
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Well checked it out today using banjo's method. Looks like I do have a 390. Now I'll sort out the wiring, put a batery in it, get it to cranking and check the compression.
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