330 FT to FE heads?
 

Hello all. My dad just picked up a 1966 f600 with the 330 ft engine. It has a pretty nasty exhaust manifold leak on the passenger side. Taking a close look today, it has a crack in the head at the front exhaust port. Rather than trying to repair the head, I was thinking of swapping the ft heads out for some FE heads. I know that that intake would have to be swapped too, but that would give us the chance to put a 4 barrel carb on it. Would I be losing much low end torque with that, and is it actually possible to swap the whole top end like that?

It depends on the 330 - if it's an MD or HD.

Take come pics, especially of the exhaust manifolds.

The problem comes in when it's an HD and the distributor hole in the intake is different.

A small 4bbl carb with smaller main venturis than the 2bbl would actually help low-end-torque and drivabilty (and maybe gas mileage). Gotta be careful that you're not going to lose compression though, depending on the chamber volume in the heads.

Another thing to think about is how the truck will be used after this. Heavily loaded, a set of FE heads with normal valves and seats might not last as well as a redone set of 330 heads.

Here are some pictures. You can see the crack in one of the pictures. According to my VIN, it looks like its a 330 md. Fourth digit is a C.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...485e4e525f.jpg
https://cimg3.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...1e5acd311a.jpg
https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...36a09cc7c2.jpg
https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...fee4f226e8.jpg

FE sized valves may not work in a 330's small bore.

Good point.

Also, those FT exhaust manifolds will not bolt up to an FE head, and who knows where the exhaust will wind up with FE manifolds versus motor mounts, steering, etc.

I think you're better off replacing that one head with a 330MD head and be done with it.

There was one FE manifold with a similar outlet to the FT piece, but that was a driver's side part only. And didn't point straight down like the FT's. Block hugger headers would be the closest thing to the FT's, IF the larger FE valves didn't interfere with the 330's bores. Seems I recall the 330's had a 3.70-ish bore combined with the 3.5" 352 stroke.

So I might have access to a 361 from a 1970s louisville. Would the heads from that be the same as my dads 330/ would they swap over? Come to think of it, could I just swap the whole 361 in place of the 330?

361 will slide right in

Didn't the md and hd have a different timing cover and water pump, have heard there was a light duty 330, and it had the same water pump as an fe. His has that fe pump, so maybe ld 330, or perhaps a fe with already md-hd heads and intake? Also heard the ld took the same flywheel as an fe.

They both used the same heads. IN addition to the waterpump and timing cover, the cranks were different too, the HD had a steel crank. The MD used the 352/360 FE crank.

In an F600, both engines would use the front cover/bell mounting system. The 361 should come with it's own front cover, eliminating any issues with the crank size. (I think the MD used a bushing in the same cover anyway) 361 should bring its flywheel over with it too. And you're done.