390/4 speed in a 95 ranger

[craveman85]

i acquired a running 390 and 4 speed today from a 70's flatbed pickup. hopefully come springtime it will be going in my 95 ranger. anyone done a big block on here? anything i should look out for. oh the truck wont have inner wheel wells and the heater parts may be removed as well.

 

[Mac]

People have done the 460 BBF but don't ever remember anyone doing the FE swap, just not practical with all the other options out there like a 351 punched/stroked out to a 460.
Dave

 

[cammeddrz]

ask baddad4457 he has a big 390 chip on his shoulder, he thinks god cast them himself or something. from what i hear it is wider than a 460, therefore harder to fit than a 460

 

[bearsrngr]

They are a torque monster but they weigh a ton They are also taller than the 460 because of the cast girdle below the crank. Lose the cast intake for an aluminum to help shed some weight

 

[RangerFabWorks]

beware when a manifold gasket blows. figure on drilling the head out. and get the mannis milled. and spend the extra on the copper gaskets.

and low oil pressure is common on these. dont expect more than 10-15 at an idle.

 

[bobbywalter]

get er did

 

[craveman85]

well this swap wont be done till after winter. the engine and tranny were free. im not worried about if its going to be too high because im pretty much going to be going in a straight line anyways. if i could trade it for a nice running 302/5 speed i would. i put an add on craigslist but everyone wants to buy it outright.

 

[pillen140]

Bullitt ranger!

 

[craveman85]

well its a truck 390 so not quite but wouldnt be hard to make into the same hp rating. 255hp and 376tq should be at least enough to pass someone. a nice intake and a 4bbl with some headers and duals should put that to almost 300hp and a cam maybe 325

 

[bearsrngr]

Actualy late 60s 390gts were rated a 325hpwith 400lb torque. Through in a set of flat topps a mild cam performer intake and carb and you should see that no problem. The truck blocks had extra webbing in the block for the mains so don't be afraid of building it. Spending a little time on the heads with a die grinder is worth it too

 

[Mac]

Just wondering if you have verified the casting number on the block or heads? What series truck did it come out of? Even the experts can't tell the difference between some of the 390 and 428's, even with the casting numbers. I'm seeing only about 200 hp for a mid 70's 390 truck motor. That trans could have a first gear from 6.69 to a 3.52, nothing good for performance. I've got several good reference books here on the FE/FT motors. They were a tight fit even in the 68-69 Mustangs and Fairlanes.
Dave

 

[Teddyzee]

Don't all the FE's have the same number cast on the the front of the block? (forget, 352, 360, 380, whatever it is...)

 

[Mac]

Most of the FE's have '352' cast into the front drivers side where the head mounts and most FT's have a reverse '105' in that spot.
Dave

 

[bearsrngr]

The reverse 105 had the extra webbing in the main journal but were prone to crack in the oil passage that feeds the head resulting in oil inthe coolant. An easy fix is to install a roll pin (split side facing away from the water jacket) in the passage with some lock tight. Kind of crude but works Some of the large truck engines even had steel cranks but they had a larger snout and required a different ballancer and timing cover. You are right about the 4 speed, truck trans are deffinatly not desireable.

 

[craveman85]

it probably does have the granny gear. it was a 1 ton truck but im unsure of the year since the truck was crushed afterwards. (i got to play with the bulldozer) when i degrease the engine ill check the numbers but that wont happen for another week or so.