I do not know much about the FE engines, my uncle has an edsel engine e-475 in good condition from a wrecked wooden boat (this is the model, it is the torque rating also) i think the displacement is somwhere in the low 400 range, i am planning to use either a 429 or this "e-475" engine in a boat, i would like to know what the major differnces in these "fe" blocks were vs. the 385 series and which in your opinions are a better engine. info/opinions would be much apreciated, thank

-steve

 

>I do not know much about the FE engines, my uncle has an
>edsel engine e-475 in good condition from a wrecked wooden
>boat (this is the model, it is the torque rating also) i
>think the displacement is somwhere in the low 400 range, i
>am planning to use either a 429 or this "e-475" engine in a
>boat, i would like to know what the major differnces in
>these "fe" blocks were vs. the 385 series and which in your
>opinions are a better engine. info/opinions would be much
>apreciated, thank
>
>-steve
Never heard of the 475, but it sounds interesting.

The FE is the older engine and went out of production about 25 years ago. It has a great aftermarket support for blocks, intakes, headers, heads... but is a bit costly for some of the parts.

The 385 has great aftermarket support and costs less for most any part.

Both make excellent torque and can be built for nearly any usage but the 385 can probably do it a little cheaper. I went with the FE because it was already there and I did research and found that it would produce the power that I was looking for (damn nice looking engine too).

It's really going to be a toss up with slight edge to the 385 as the good FE stuff can get rare and expensive.

 

Never heard of an Edsel "e-475." The only FE engines that displaced in the "low 400" range were the 406, 410, 427 and 428. The 406 was the earliest, and the only one that I think may have been in production when the Edsel name was still in use. It has the 4.13" bore of the 428 with the 3.78" stroke of the 390 and 427. It was the original FE racing engine, and was built with NASCAR in mind. It was replaced in the early 60s by the 427 (same stroke, but 4.23" bore).

I'm thinking that you might have a "MEL" (Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln) engine instead of a FE. They are somewhat similar in design. The MEL is a 50s and early/mid 60s engine. It was offered in 383, 430 and 462 cid. The figures I've seen are 465 lb-ft @ 2600 rpm for the 430, and 485 @ 2800 for the 462. I'd think it's possible that you have a MEL 430. Check this link out for more info: http://members.tripod.com/lyc_42/fordv8/mel/mel.htm

I've never personally seen one, and they must be quite rare. They were certainly never used in trucks. The really odd thing about them is that the deck of the block is not square to the cylinders -- it is cut at an angle, with the space that results being the combustion chamber. The heads are perfectly flat (other than the valve reliefs). If you pull one of the heads, you'll know immediately if it is a MEL. If it is, I would recommend forgetting it. Finding parts for it will be nearly impossible.

If you pull a head and it looks like a normal engine (deck is square to the cylinders, combustion chamber in the heads), then measure the bore and stroke and post them here. We'll tell you what the displacement is and everything else you need to know about it (assuming it is really an FE).

 

Edsel engines can be confusing. In ’58 the large series Edsels (Corsair and Citation) had the E475 engine while the small series Edsels (Ranger and Pacer) had the E400 engine. The 475 and 400 signified foot pounds of torque produced, not displacement. The E475 was a MEL 410 engine and the E400 was an FE 361 engine. These were both Edsel-only engines. Here's a cutaway of the E475:

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=2629&.jpg


These are cool engines but very heavy and hard to find parts for. I would suggest for you the 385 series instead for your boat.

Barry

 

thanks for all the info, just talked to my uncle, he said he had the heads off it once, and it had the unusual angled heads on it, so yeah, it is that "MEL" block not an fe block, i think i will go with the 429 big block i was going to use, that way later if i want more power, or need a part i can get for less $$

 

Hey there, was cleaning up the hard drive and found a pic of the '58 Edsel E400 engine which is an FE 361. Check out the freeze plug on the front of the head and block.

https://www.ford-trucks.com/user_gallery/sizeimage.php?&photoid=3084&.jpg

 

SSvec, don't be too quick to give up on your MEL engine. The shop were I work rebuilt a 462 MEL for a customer with a lincoln and we got all the parts we needed without any trouble. Came in 3 days in one big box, the differance being that our FE stuff shows up overnight. You might check with Egge or Northwest for what you need. AND, if memory is working today.......doesn't the MEL have the same bellhousing pattern on the back as the FE ? Might be easier to put in an FE where the MEL was rather than a 385 series. DF

 

>Hey there, was cleaning up the hard drive and found a pic of
>the '58 Edsel E400 engine which is an FE 361. Check out the
>freeze plug on the front of the head and block.
>





http://www.fomoco.com/forumfe/reply.asp?ID=12127&Reply=12116 I just read a post about that....

 

none of my MEL engines have had the FE/FT bellhousing pattern. it looks the same, but is different.

My first car was a 1968 Lincoln with the 462 in it, I really like those engines,

any engine that makes a 5000lb car go 140 is a great engine in my book


(and I didnt realize the Edsel 410 was a MEL)