Ford fe 360 300hp low $ in frame rebuild

[dv7508]

To all the nay sayers, it can be done. Is it optimal, no, but I did it all for less than $800, of course discounting my labor. If it makes you feel better, call it a 352 bored .110 over. The 360 get a bad rap. A few minor tweaks can make a respectable engine.

My 1967 f100 2wd, LWB, originally a 352, 3 spd w/OD converted to a C6, 3:50 gears. S intake w/3310-3 Holley 750, and some unknown brand of long tube headers. I dropped an older FOMOCO 1968 360 after nylon timing gears stripped and did bad things to #1 rod bearing in the 352. Engine ran good, typical low oil pressure, but after a year developed a knock that intensified when I shorted the #3 plug, was convinced of bad wrist pin bushing (more on that later). Bought a .010/.010 390 crank off evil bay, and away we go.

I pulled intake by myself (ouch), and heads/headers in the truck. Surprisingly, no ridge in the cylinders. Noticed it had been bored .060 over, #7 sleeved, 372ish cu in. After careful thought, I dropped the pan. YES the oil pan WILL come off without jacking the engine whatsoever. Butterfly airgun on the pan, ratchet wrench on the oil pump, drop pump into pan, less than an hour. Took a look see. #7 connecting rod was visibly bent. Piston was .010" down in the hole further than the rest. Source of the knock??? More on that later. Went ahead and removed a rod cap and according to the fingernail-o-meter, no scarring on the journal. Paid $250 w/freight for 390 crank and short rods, made rash decision to "rebuild" engine in frame. Sold crank and rods for $450 on evilbay. Wen on shopping spree:

Speed pro h395p flat pistons with mahle moly rings $125. King main and rod bearings $75 (360 crank was marked .010/.010 but APPARENTLY was ground again to .020/.020). Why King? Why not? I bought into the hipe about alecular (aluminum) vs. lead babbitt. In a real rebuild, prolly would have chosen the 3/4 groove FM. Found a Holley Street Dominator intake on evil bay $185. Xe262h Comp cam sold under the General Kineticks label $125, Cam marked Comp as well as box (although Cam card showed .003 more lift on intake valve, IDK. Duration @ .050 218/224 .513/.521 lift. NOS OE Ford hydraulic lifters. NOS OEM Ford steel shim head gaskets set, which included intake gaskets, rubber valve cover gasket (threw into the trash), valve guide seals, thermostat gasket, and prolly other stuff, $65, evilbay. Obviously, took a chance on cam bearings.

Heads are c1ae, visually looked fine, one time had new OE looking valve springs, hardened seats, held gas, so did a clean up and 3m scotch bright resurface. Heads had been cut .020" previously. Block, surprisingly, had been cut .030. That prior machine work improved, but did not fix quench (still .080" in the hole). No one makes a cast (hyper) piston with OE piston pin height. They all assume big rebuild see are resurfacing everything, and most do, so slightly lower height to control compression. Many forged have the correct height, but not in the budget. After cc the combustion chambers, 72cc avg, calculating all the previous machine work, steel gaskets (.020+/- compressed) and using Diamond 's seemingly very accurate compression calculator, arrived at 8.7:1 static comp. With the xe262h 2, dynamic should be over 7.2. Nothing spectacular, but this is a daily driver, and a massive improvement over 7:1 station with the thick blue fel-pro .050 head gaskets that were there prior.

Honed cylinders, washed the block inside with 190 proof rubbing alcohol. The connecting rods I took out of engine had press fit wrist pins, obviously not OE procedure. Threw those rods in the trash, and used the ones out of my 352. Bushings were plenty tight. Reassembled engine, still in frame in the parking lot of my Alternator/Starter shop. Installed melling HV oil pump $45 Pep Boys , w/ ARP driveshaft $20. Used fancy crush proof Normal oil pan gasket $30. 1 1/2 hrs. to install oil pump and pan, with no jacking of the engine WHATSOEVER. Buttoned up the heads and intake. Intake should have been machined to match heads, but did not. Purchased crush proof valve cover gaskets $20, fancy good looking fabricated valve covers from China, $100.

Got it all back together, 3 weeks off an on, from start to finish , with a Cub Scout trip to the USS Yorktown in between. Time for engine break in. Hit the starter, engine no hit. No compression on most cylinders. WTH???. I bought shorter push rods (nonadjustable) that were .030 shorter to compensate for thinner head gasket. Still only 30-60 cranking psi. Shimmed the rocker stands a total of a WHOPING .075" to get 155 psi. Cranked engine: snap, crackle, pop, then fired up. Ran 2000-2500 rpm for 15 min, then I heard the knock (more on that later). Cranked back up, ran another 15 min, got the headers glowing red and engine temp about 240°, should have had a helper with a water hose on the radiator, but no known damage done. Let it cool down, set timing, and took it for a spin (still has a knock).

Overall, very pleased. Xe262h is torquey. With a longer stroke, I suspect power behind g lower, but with the small single plane intake and 3.5" stroke, takes off like a rocket at 3500 rpm-5000rpm, then it's done. Torque begins about 2500rpm and meets HP around the 3500 mark.

I ended up ditching the tried and true Holley 750 for one of the new fangled "Holley" street demon 625 cfm. I liked the idea of smaller primaries like a quadrabogg, metering rods like a Carter, and a big ole secondary. Added a 1" cheapo spectre 4 hole carb spacer. Ended up cutting the section separating the secondary holes to match the 3rd barrel secondary. Cut 1 1/4 PVC pipe on the lathe and inserted in the holes for the primaries in the spacer to match the 1 3/8 bore of the venturi. Gained nearly 1" vacuum at idle and sharper response. Modified spacer gained on the bottom end and the top end based on the butt-o-meter, or at least it did in my mind.

According to Comp Cam quest, which I'm sure is inflated 10-20%, and is only as good as what you enter in, my combination using the crappiest head flow numbers (did have 2.03 intake valves) and 8.5:1 compression , small single plane intake: 321.5hp @ 3500rpm, 459ft/lbs. @ 3000rpm. The rpm of max power seems to be on spot, 459 ft/lbs. of torque is rediculos. I firmly believe 300 HP (as compared to my wife's 284 hp 2016 Toyota), and upwards of 400 ft/lbs of tq. (or 500 hp w/ my 3/4 race cam, as the "experts" say). It will break the 275/60/15's loose at will (remember 3.5:1 rear gear) in second gear at 3500 rpm. Still only 7-8 mpg.

Could I (should I) have done a few things differently, of course, but it was the best $1200, (including the carb, the real Holley would have been fine) I ever spent. Lots of fun. If it had a limited slip, could be dangerous.


Oh, and the knock, the flex plate was cracked all the way around the crank flange.... Would have noticed, if I would have pulled the engine. Why it got louder when I shorted #3 plug, I'll never know. Bent connecting rod was not even an issue.

PS:. For best driveability and performance, initial timing is set at 26° VTEC, yes 26° . No ping on 87, yet I run 89 for insurance. Total timing is 40° all in by around 3000rpm. I'm pushing it, but the vacuum advance (ported) is way low. 40° total should not be that extreme, remember, I still have only .080" of quench, or lack there of. No the crank pulley has not slipped, and is accurate. Yes, I like the street demon, but not as easily adjustable as a 4160, but doesn't need much.

[sargentrs]

Great write up and thanks for posting the experience!

[67 hoopty]

Glad it all worked out and you have a good running engine. But it sure seems like it would have been a lot easier and faster to have just pulled the motor.