I agree with your statement, except that a 360 is a detuned 390, it is not detuned, but has less stroke, therefore less torque of which is what is important for towing. Put that same 360 against a 390/406/428 and you will see the 360 panting profusely. The 360's best attribute is its durability.
When it comes to a FE, they love a longer stroke, that is why a 410 and 428 are such good engines. Aftermarket stroke kits really wake up our FE engines.
The best engine is a subjective statement, because we all have opinions, and yours is just as good as mine.
All is good.

 

I had always thought the 360's were dogs in terms of power, a close friend of mine had a 74 250 highboy back in the early 80's,and it wasnt much for acceleration. of course,back then,1974 vehicles in Ca. were subject to smog restrictions,so that couldnt have helped! when his 360 went belly-up,the shop where he was going to buy a rebuilt gave him the option of a 360 or 390 at the same price,and even with emissions,the 390 was noticeably stronger! Im currently the proud owner of 2 late 60's to mid 70's F250 highboys(i dont specify exact years,because there heritage is somewhat unclear) one has either a 390 or larger(trying to check stroke length by yourself leaves enough room for error) with factory 4bbl manifold,4bbl. holley.... and the other, prev. owner said was a 360,ive only looked close enough to see 352 on block,its an FE. its got a 2bbl motorcraft carb. neither one have smog,both have 4 spds,and they both have what appear to be freshly rebuilt engines.

 

If they have been rebuilt, then you could have a diamond in the ruff. You never know how far some engine builder took those engines until you tear them down and look. I have seen many 390 (4.05) bore engines bored out .080 to 4.13 and are good to go. Some can and some can not. A good way to check to see if someone has put a 3.98 stroke in a FE is to look at the flexplate and see if there is a weight welded to it. 410/428 engines were externally balanced unless some engine machine shop balanced it internally, which normally did not happen because of the cost.
If you have a choice to build a 360 or a 390, go with the 390.
Same or better mpg and more power. What I have found over the years is the more cubic inches on our FE's the better mpg because they do not have to work as hard. Of course if you are racing them, then mpg suffers.

 

Cool, but you still didn't tell me what you're working on. :/

Compression test and new plugs are a couple I left out, BTW.

Thin skin or not, I've got to tell you something Ech...
You strike me as someone that puts out minimal effort. :/

Is that true?

If so, that makes me the second laziest butthead on this forum
and I thank you for that boost up from the bottom! :)

LOL :)

jowilker sez: "...Hook a 5,000 lb trailer behind an equal setup FE360,
a 351M, or 351W and you quickly will see who the dog is, cause the
360 will be leading the pack with either of the other two laging back
with their tongues out.
A 360 is a detuned 390 but it is still one hell of a truck motor. IMHO"
John

YeeeHaaaw! :)

Thanks John, someone finally said something good about our dumb ol'
360's! :)

I bought a Ford -dog- because the Fords at work didn't break down.
The Chevy's were more fun to drive etc. We've prob'ly all heard it...
"When it's running, my Chevy really runs good! :)"

I decided I wasn't going to hot-rod around in my Ford pickup instead
I was going to rely on it to get me and my dune buggy and/or dirt bikes
from point A to point B and back.

And it's done that for 33+1/2 years. :)

At 148K I drove it to Willcox and pulled the engine and had it rebuilt.

I didn't drive it 'til it broke danggit.

Alvin in AZ

 

max, This is still a Ford truck site and there were no 406s, 410s, or 428s installed in a Ford truck. There were mostly 352s & 360s with a small amount of 390s scattered in. By your standards a 460 will do better and it was installed in Ford trucks.

Don't know where you come from but it has been accepted on this site for many years that detuned is accepted for the destroked 390.
Ford was like everyone else in the early 70s they were fishing for a way to achieve new emission standards set by the government.

While I agree we all are welcome to our opinions, yours doesn't rise above mine.


John

 

John, it is obvious that you did not read my post six posts ago. Below read what I wrote.
Also you did not read my other post which said:
What I have found over the years is the more cubic inches on our FE's the better mpg. (A 460 is not a FE).

I wrote:
The best engine is a subjective statement, because we all have opinions, and yours is just as good as mine.
All is good.

Also detuned is really not a word, but what part of the world thinks the 360 is in a lesser tune than a 390?
Maybe, you are enjoying your weekend and could not read my comments.
Anyway, I hope all is well with you.

 

Cool. :)
It's "jump all over Max day"? :)
If that's the case...
Max, just shoot me if any FE I ever own has a stinkin flex plate attached to it. ;)

And a 360 -could- be considered a de-tuned 390 in the fact that the compression
ratios for 360's are low. Sad but true. :/ Some have stated here it takes some
after market parts (or other swapped out factory parts?) and/or some machining
to "fix" that. :/

Too bad about the compression ratios with one hand but maybe longevity on the
other? [shrug]

For me tho, since my pickup has (of course!) spent most of it's time/miles on
freeways and other highways the shorter stroke seems easier on it (true or not,
it at least seems/feels that way;).

A 410 with Mercury covers would be my favorite FE to own, but then I have this
"mostly buzzing down the freeway" fact nagging at me the whole time. :/

Yes, my pickup's been off road more than most (I'd guess:) and I special ordered
it without any chrome and even without a radio antenna because I knew that
stuff would just end up getting ripped off by mesquite and creosote bush. :)

No kidding on that last one. :)

Alvin in AZ
ps- no need for a radio when you've got an FE! ;)

 

Hey Alvin, I have to agree with you on most of what you wrote.
Some 360's came from the factory with 390 pistons that made the compression ratio even lower. Granted the 360's main reason for being a dog is because of the CR, they can be awakened by aftermarket pistons. Still the best solution to the low horsepower is to stroke the 360 and make it a 390.
You kids can "jump" on me all you want, I have big shoulders, and you know what I say is the truth. I am sure that I have made mistakes and will do some more in the future, but I have been messing with FE engines for more years than some have been born. Again, that does not make me right all the time, and I am always learning more from some of you. If you want to call a 360 a"detuned" 390 then why not call a 390 a "detuned" 428?
Some kids who come to this website to learn about FE engines, do not have the knowledge yet to know if what is written is correct or not. So when they read about a 360 being a "detuned" 390, they might believe it.
So we have a choice, write the truth or write misinformation. Each of us has that choice.
End of lecture.
I also want to add, each of us has our favorite engine, and the 360 can be said to be one of the most durable engines ever made, and would therefore be considered a favorite engine.

 

"De-tune" is not the word I would choose to describe a 360. The 360 is not a 390: the stroke is different. In my mind, that makes it a different engine. (Almost said motor, LOL)

I have seen the word used as a verb while talking about the same given engine. For example, I knew of a guy who owned some "EYEtalian" sports car. The thing ran like a scalded dog. For him to renew the plates, he would have to have an emissions test. To pass emissions, he would take the car to a mechanic who would "de-tune" the engine to pass the smog test. After the smog test it went directly back to the shop for it's performance tune.

Maybe you would say the guy had his engine re-tuned for the smog test. He called it "de-tuning", probably because his well paid mechanic called it "de-tuning".

The other example, that I won't take the time to cite, is reading how "smog" engines were "de-tuned" to lower tailpipe emissions. This "de-tuning" might involve changing the valve events, ignition timing, and compression ratio.

Thus, a "de-tuned" 390 was still a 390, not a 360.

My fingers hurt, I'm stopping now.

 

[QUOTE=Hypoid;6435230]"De-tune" is not the word I would choose to describe a 360. The 360 is not a 390: the stroke is different. In my mind, that makes it a different engine. (Almost said motor, LOL)

I have seen the word used as a verb while talking about the same given engine. For example, I knew of a guy who owned some "EYEtalian" sports car. The thing ran like a scalded dog. For him to renew the plates, he would have to have an emissions test. To pass emissions, he would take the car to a mechanic who would "de-tune" the engine to pass the smog test. After the smog test it went directly back to the shop for it's performance tune.

Maybe you would say the guy had his engine re-tuned for the smog test. He called it "de-tuning", probably because his well paid mechanic called it "de-tuning".

The other example, that I won't take the time to cite, is reading how "smog" engines were "de-tuned" to lower tailpipe emissions. This "de-tuning" might involve changing the valve events, ignition timing, and compression ratio.

Thus, a "de-tuned" 390 was still a 390, not a 360.

My fingers hurt, I'm stopping now.[/QUOTE


Very well stated.

 

i think this post kind of went off topic haha! but it is interesting!

 

Just to play Devil's advocate,assuming 360 is just a de-tuned 390,wouldnt that mean conversely that i can re-tune,up-tune,tune,a 360 into either a 390,428,etc? sounds kinda like alchemy.....kinda went off-topic,would be a polite understatement! Hey,ech0sh4y,on your f150,do those tires have "wanna Be" in white letters or did you go the stealthy black sidewall look, i havent seen the Wanna be brand out here,is it a private label, or perhaps a chain,like Kragen or Autozone? Have a great weekend, Bob

 

Yassirr! Like herding rabbits with a flashlight! LOL

 

Ahahaha

 

i agree about the 360 i own a 69f100 360 v8 i put a set of heddmann headers
new oil pump, dist , all powered by a 2 barell carb with a 3 speed just love the engine its no sleeper !!!!!!!!!