Settle something for me...390 vs 400.

[cbxer55]

One of my first cars was a 1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400. Small block 400, Muncie M22 Rock Crusher trans, 4.11 gears. That thing would still chirp shifting into 4th gear. No smog, no ac, no nothing. Just motor, dual snorkel air cleaner assembly with boots on the snorkel that sealed to two long hood scoops. Had to clean the air cleaner all the time, bugs, leaves, etc.

 

[superj]

i have nothing to add. i have only driven a 70 something lincoln towncar with a 460, the old company 80s f250s with the 351, and my old 65 mustang with the 68 302 in it.

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

One of my first cars was a 1970 Pontiac Firebird Formula 400. Small block 400, Muncie M22 Rock Crusher trans, 4.11 gears. That thing would still chirp shifting into 4th gear. No smog, no ac, no nothing. Just motor, dual snorkel air cleaner assembly with boots on the snorkel that sealed to two long hood scoops. Had to clean the air cleaner all the time, bugs, leaves, etc.

Wrong kind of 400...

 

[cbxer55]

Wrong kind of 400...

I know. But I felt since the discussion was on 60s and 70s, motors, that is was barely on subject. At the time, I also had a 78 Trans Am with a 455. The 70 with the 400 was much more bad-ass than that clunker 455.

 

[superj]

my step mom had a trans-am with the 455 also. it was a smokey and the bandit ta. i was still in elementary school so this was mid 80s. i know the back seat sucks for 3 kids to sit in because someone is sitting in the middle which is not a seat.

 

[ekrampitzjr]

I worked on a bunch of FE's and 351m/400's. The FE was great but it hung around too long, in 75 and 76 we had a bunch of trouble caused by the worn out equipment they were built with- sand holes in the cylinder bores so coolant would slowly leak into the oil, sloppy crank machining causing poor bearing fit, excess oil consumption for example but they ran good. They were hard on gas but no one complained and most all of them leaked oil.

As another member noted, the FE first appeared in the 1950s for the 1958 model year, though for the time it had what was considered a thinwall casting. After the 1971 model year, the FE/FT engines appeared only in trucks through 1976.

The worn-out equipment you mention in the last FEs is probably true. It also appears that Ford used whatever parts it had on hand to build those last ones toward the end to use parts stockpiles. Years ago I read an account of someone rebuilding a mid–1970s 390 from a pickup. When the writer tore it down, he claimed that particular engine actually had been built at the factory with a mixture of pistons from different versions of that engine: some heavy-duty FT pistons, some FE standard pistons, etc. Take that for what it's worth, but that probably helps explain the oil consumption.

 

[pjtoledo]

for the adventurist crowd not afraid to cross breed

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Check out how this Ford 400M engine was able to put out over 500hp with Ford, Chevy, Mopar, and Aftermarket products.

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[lil_Blue_Ford]

So my dad had two 460s, an 89 and a 94. The 89 had an oil consumption issue from day 1 and at about 30k they (Ford) “rebuilt” it. Thing ran like a champ after that, I drove it for about 40k miles for work. It was starting to drink oil when it was sold. The 94 never ran as good and at 100k it started drinking oil and was parked when it was drinking over 2 quarts per 100 miles. I have the truck now and tore into it to find the valve guides are SHOT. Apparently it’s a common problem with the 460. I have a suspicion that they used valve guides for leaded gas which are softer than guides for unleaded, or so I’ve been told.

 

[97RangerXLT]

140

Naturally Aspirated version, right?
AJ

 

[rubydist]

Both the 390 and 400 have a lot of potential, and both were fairly sad from the factory. imho, the 400 has more potential than the 390. A guy I know, Tim Meyer has spent his career focusing on 351/400 engines in his machine shop - you can search TMeyer and see some of what he has done.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Both the 390 and 400 have a lot of potential, and both were fairly sad from the factory. imho, the 400 has more potential than the 390. A guy I know, Tim Meyer has spent his career focusing on 351/400 engines in his machine shop - you can search TMeyer and see some of what he has done.

I really wanted to build a 400 for my LTD...mainly for the torque potential (i could keep my 2.50 rear gears and still have decent highway manners...but also have some giddyup around town)....not to mention being different and not just doing the standard "dump a 460 in it".


But....i think ive decided to build the windsor instead.

 

[Blmpkn]

Naturally Aspirated version, right?
AJ

Hell yeah, the single cammer too.

Peak torque at a mere 2800rpm.. she's a monsta' bub.

 

[19Walt93]

As another member noted, the FE first appeared in the 1950s for the 1958 model year, though for the time it had what was considered a thinwall casting. After the 1971 model year, the FE/FT engines appeared only in trucks through 1976.

The worn-out equipment you mention in the last FEs is probably true. It also appears that Ford used whatever parts it had on hand to build those last ones toward the end to use parts stockpiles. Years ago I read an account of someone rebuilding a mid–1970s 390 from a pickup. When the writer tore it down, he claimed that particular engine actually had been built at the factory with a mixture of pistons from different versions of that engine: some heavy-duty FT pistons, some FE standard pistons, etc. Take that for what it's worth, but that probably helps explain the oil consumption.

I took a lot of FE's apart and never found anything like mixed pistons. In the 70's and 80's in New England Ford remans were built by a company in Mass called RMP- we figured that stood for Re Manufactured Poorly- and they turned out some real crap. Oil leaks at startup were common and one 302 clattered like loose solid lifters, we found lifters from a 240/300 that were physically too short. By the late 80's we gave up on them and found a dependable source for low mileage used engines.
When I retired in 2017, RMP had been a Ford Authorized Distributor for reman parts- engines came from Fred Jones- and they no longer rebuilt stuff themselves. They did a good job as a distributor.

 

[rusty ol ranger]

Peak torque at a mere 2800rpm.. she's a monsta' bub.

The 2.9 peaks at 2600....just sayin

 

[85_Ranger4x4]

The 2.9 peaks at 2600....just sayin

And it has built in water injection!