highly modified Ford 390 FE

[localcrew]

I had a '76 F250 with the 390 4V & C6 tranny. Motor got tired so I just tweaked it a bit. Headers. Edelbrock Performer Plus intake & matching camshaft. New Holley 600 cfm carb. K&N air filter. Really woke that motor up. The throttle response was like "Right Now!" Still got 10 mpg though. Nice truck.

[390merc65]

ford also had the super duty gas v8's in 401 ..477 and 534 but that is another story

[390merc65]

ppl get this wrong all the time..technically ford does not use the term small or big block ..ford use's engine family's to determine what it is actually ..but yes i even use the terms big or small block .and actually the 385 series [370,429,460] engines are fords last big block ..both the F.E and M.E.L. engines came out in 1958 ..the M,E L was replaced with the [385] series motor , but the F,E lasted till 1970 in cars and 76 in trucks .then the modified to over in trucks

[marine390]

that is alot of activity over the big block series.........I like to think of the FE as the first generation of big blocks and the 385 series as the replacement.....but in reality the damn modifieds replaced the FE......no one really cares they are both big blocks I wish i would have built a 385 series instead. I could of made alot more power with less money stuffed into something that just sits in the backyard.....anyone want to buy the FE?

[CumminsAttack]

@marine390 I'm actually looking for a built 390 for my 67 Shelby. How much we talking?

[slowscort]

@marine390 no sorry i have a 385 series maybe buy a 350 gm small block?

[ivcruiser]

you made a false statement, i corrected it, you've emailed me 4 times now , WHO'S got nothing else to do? what makes you think im upset? just accept correction and quit acting like you know what your talking about. You asked a question YOU didnt like i thats really that simple.It does not make the other person wrong. accept it and please leave me alone.

[christmascreature13]

@ivcruiser Thank you for correcting me Professor Ford. I don't know how I would get through life without you. Just one last question. You say engines are designated small block/big block by their bore and stroke, how do you explain the big block 318 Dodge had in the '60s?

[ivcruiser]

by FORDS standard! look it up, a 352 and 390 ARE BIG BLOCKS by there bore and stroke. DONT compare a chevy 350 and since it is a small block well so must a 352 /390 there are not ..they are big blocks, what? did you think that a 460 was Fords ONLY big block?!

[christmascreature13]

@ivcruiser WOW! It's just astonishing how you can get so worked up and upset over a simple comment that everyone else obviously understood since you are the only one complaining. Do you have nothing better to do with your time???

[ivcruiser]

A Ford 390 FE IS a BIG BLOCK!...sheesh

[flyingelephants54]

that is the same year as my truck haha same engine too

eventually im planning on doing a full engine rebuild on it

[sean55719]

excellent lope but wheres the chrome headers to go with it?

[marine390]

@sean55719 that shit is a waste of money......i havent seen a brand yet that doesnt turn colors after a while....i deem that only for people who have show cars and not daily drivers

[ChevorletC10]

@marine390 you can buy coated headers..they shine nice at the car shows and last good too

[FoMoCoForever]

@sean55719 Chrome sucks at dissapating heat also. Save the chrome for the trailer queens!~

[christmascreature13]

What was so horrible about this 390? Sounded damn nice to me. And as far as FE blocks go, they are cheaper to build than a big block and can make just as much power if you know what you're doing. I have a mildly built 390 in my '76 F-150 and it eats up most anything on the street.

[ivcruiser]

@christmascreature13 A ford 390 FE IS a BIG BLOCK!

[christmascreature13]

@ivcruiser So what is a 460 then???? Do we call that a monster block if FE's are the big block?

[ivcruiser]

@christmascreature13

you misunderstood me, you mentioned that a " 390 was cheaper to build than a "big block" ..a 390 and 352 ARE big blocks!

[christmascreature13]

@ivcruiser By whose standard? Granted, they are physically bigger than a small block, but they are smaller than a 460. Therfore, they cannot be considered THE big block. More of a medium block.

[seapeddler]

California is a more picky place I guess.

[Hotrodx199]

you can't beat a 390, it's fords best engine. Hell the whole ford FE line up was the best thing ever and the worst thing they did was drop it.

[marine390]

@Hotrodx199 I did a lot of research on why the line up was stopped...I do believe the motor was damn near indestructable and ford couldnt sell parts for it because they never really broke anything...and to keep up with the changing times the damn modified came out

[Hotrodx199]

@marine390 My dads 76 F250 has a 390, and the 3-4 years he's had it, the only thing he replaced was a water pump, and 2 starters i do believe. Other then that, change oil 3000 miles, and turn the key and go.

[Hotrodx199]

@marine390 Also these motors are fairly expensive to rebuild, but they were also heavy motors. But it's worth every dollar to rebuild these because you dont ever have to buy parts for them.

[seapeddler]

@marine390 How well did it do on the emission tests?

[marine390]

just put it this way it pays to know people.......and its a 72 and in missouri i could run open headers if i wanted

[critchley3819]

@Hotrodx199 The FE is a legand they are one of my favourite American engines in fact all the best cars in the whole world where USA built at the moment Im rebulding a FT391 for a 59 retractable, I also have a passion for Yblocks, I dont think there will ever be a time for cars again like the 50s 60s. Im 58 now and cant seem to stop playing around with Fords They are my life I keep saying that this is my last one but I cant help myself

[bigblockford557]

@Hotrodx199 Sorry bud but i have to disagree. To some old hot rodders it may be fords best engine, but times have changed and when it comes to making HUGE power,,,,,,,,fe = no can do. Go to an adrl race or something with some serious race cars. All badass sbf's or sbf's with yates heads and of course big block fords.

Not one fe to be found nor will it ever be found.  Go to a truck pull. All the ford trucks that came WITH fe's from ford....there gone and a big stroker 460 takes over.

[Hotrodx199]

@bigblockford557 Well i agree, they had some hot 390s back in the 60s, but for building it for racing, i would not recommend the 390. It's a too heavy, and parts are expensive. You're better off with a 351 if you're going to build a powerful motor. I mean you can get some power out the 390, but not very high compared to like a 351.

[PT37]

what are you gettin to the gallon? lol my dad had a 390 an got about 8 miles per gallon. now he put a 460 in an hes gettin about 12-15 lol

[marine390]

0 right now I dont drive it at all.........but when i was driving it prolly 5 maybe 6 goin down hill

[Hotrodx199]

@PT37 My dads 390 2V stock with just a 2 1/2" exhaust and with air cleaner lip flipped with NP435 4 speed gets 13-16 mpg going about 60 with 4:11s. Our 87 F350 has a carb'd 460 with a C6 and 4:11s and it got 10 mpg up hill, down hill, pulling a trailer, or driving on the freeway. 

[67madness]

Nice Pulley set up! Nice brackets and PS pump. Whole engine is nice!

[bad66chevelles]

man that sounds freakn awesome i want a 390 sooo bad 4 my 58 ford edsel

[marine390]

Its for sale...im tired of the FE series im goin 514 next round 5 grand motor and trans if your interested

[agh1948]

@marine390 Do you still have the 390, and is it still for sale?

[marine390]

@agh1948 It is still for sale........I dont have time for it and it just sits in the truck in the back yard.....

[bigblockford557]

@marine390 Now heres a guy whos goin with the times. 390 will always be old reliable. but when it comes to eating big block chevys. You need a 460.

[marine390]

@bigblockford557 It took me forever to decide what i was gonna do next but i wanted to do something different. I was gonna go 460 but its not crazy enough for me. Then i was gonna do a 7.3 powerstroke but after pricing some of that shit I backed out. Then i compared 460 parts to a 5.9 cummins and it came out pretty close the truck is heavy and I want to be different so im gonna pimp out a 5.9 and put in it

[bindinglines]

@bigblockford557 Yeah or a cross-bolt 406 block! Bullet proof emeffer.

[Cowtownaz]

Sick truck. I've got a '72 just the same, minus the upgrades. Runs like crap so first thing will be the carb and MSD. Accumulators are common I hear cuz the stock oiling system isn't the greatest. What heads are you running on it? And do the C-6 trannies mate right up? And are you running your cam advanced any?

[marine390]

i have the edelbrock aluminum heads on it.....I never bought a cam dial to play with the advance on it so its just straight up........prolly would have helped a little but the bottom end is stock it runs good but its getting tired its been hot rodded for about 70000 miles.. Im done with the FE series im selling this motor and going with a procharged 514

[bjhump94]

@marine390 The 385 series is a good dependable engine but they are really heavy!! A 557 pump gas engine would be great in this ride!!!

[bjhump94]

Another good running 390! what heads are on it?

[390MUDDIN]

What intake manifold, carb and headers are you running? Good work on your rig btw.

[marine390]

edelbrock performer rpm ........750 edelbrock carb and hooker pro comps

[390MUDDIN]

Haha! Those are the almost the exact items I was looking to pick up from jegs this week. So, was it a pretty quick and easy install on everything? Pretty good power increase over all?

[marine390]

it seemed like no matter what i did to it i was never happy.....but i guess thats the gear head in me it can always be done again and better the next time but i think it did a pretty good job as an upgrade

[390MUDDIN]

Haha... well thats the infamous grease monkey curse. lol. Yeah man... I'm right there with you. If I even think I can get any aspect of my truck to perform better, I will. And people wonder why most of my free time and money goes into my truck, but somehow is never finished.

Ordered some hooker comps. last night, and I've already called to see if they've been shipped :).

Post some new vids if you get the chance.

-take it easy man.

[marine390]

i would post some videos but all it does now is sit in my garage and is eye candy im going 514 next year.......make sure you cut the flanges on the hooker headers in between the pipes and maybe you will get a good seal ......the damn FE is nortorious for header leaks

[390MUDDIN]

Hey thanks for the tip man... I'm sure it'll be loads of fun getting a tight fit! You getting the 460 and buildin it yourself, or ordering a crate?

[marine390]

always build it myself......i can get more power and spend less money those crates are a gimmick for people who have to much money

[Hotrodx199]

So my dad has a 390 in his 76 ford F250. My dad uses it to haul an Allis Chalmers HD3 dozer around sometimes. Would swapping to a 4 bbl carb give anymore power/torque? Is there any other way that we can get useable power for a towing rig? Dad doesn't want to change the cam out, because currently he is able to take corners at 10 mph and leave it in 4th gear. With a cam he couldn't do that.

[marine390]

actually they have torque and rv cams out there that are good from idle to around 5000 rpm i had a crane in my first motor and it did wonders for the torque compared to the stock cam

[Hotrodx199]

On dads old 74 ford crewcab he had a 390FE with a edelbrok 4bbl carb and an RV cam. He said that he can't take 10 mph 4th corners in the crewcab like he could with the 76. And climbing hills you would have to rev the crap out of it and pick up a gear because all the torque is at a higher rpm range due to the rv cam. He has a stock cam in the 76 and i don't think he will change it out.

[Hotrodx199]

These were probably the best motor ford built. We have 1 in our 76 ford F250, haven't spent a dime on it, runs good although it still has 2bbl carb. It needs like a 600 cfm 4bbl. Now i think if you take a 429 crank and drop it in a 390 you get a 410 merc i believe. You get more torque because of the stroke it has.

[1972FordF100]

No No a 429 is a different series motor and will not match up to an fe motor. To get a 410 you would get a 428 (max cid from a fe you can get stock) crank and then you'd get a 410 out of it.

[Hotrodx199]

yeah that's what it was a 428 crank

[calfropingfordman]

probably a 428 crank cause the block is the same

[lebeaunix]

hi guys, i got a question i got a 1966 galaxie with 390 in i have the boring 2barrels if i want to switch to a 4 barrels in do i need to change the motors head? lot of people said that to me

[marine390]

it just depends on what your looking for......open the exhaust up a lil more and put a 600 on it.....shouldnt hurt a thing

[jamesmrmechanic]

i have burn up pistons with a 600, i have run a 390 for 13 years 4 of those years on a drag strip. i have run various carbs on it from edlebrock to holley q-jets 2 barrels and 4 barrels, if you change to a 600 the extra air flow will overcome the incoming fuel and you'll risk melting pistons due to a lean situation, so i would recommend a 750 holley or a modified 600 if your stuck on that cfm.

[bronco302EFI]

to go from 2barrel to 4 barrel all u need to do is change the 2 barrel intake manifold to a 4barrel intake manifold. now changeing the heads would do the motor better, but its not needed.

[blooddonor70]

just get a low rpm 4 bbl intake and go with it!

[eraseyouu]

Well here's my set up. 66 Galaxie hard top. 390 with gt 390 high rise heads. Holley 750 4 barrel. Edelbroch performer intake. Hooker super comp headers. Msd distributor+6a box. Blaster 2 coil. Keith black pistons. 9.5/1 compression. RV cam. This is pretty reliable with tons of torque/decent top end. I should quit playing aroung and do the bigger heads/cam/intake though.

[timstime1970]

My father is a walking encyclopedia on the FE series,,,anything ya wanna know just ask,,,start out by working over the oiling system....from the factory they had a poor machining and with some dowel rod and a die grinder you can get it done..

[pedro956]

nice, very nice

[sabordobruin1]

the 390 is really one of ford's best engines

[logdog01]

They are the best i think. Too bad they stopped making them in 76. They made the 460 all the way up through the 80s and probably the 90s i think. Our old 87 F350 came factory with a carbruated 460 with a C6 tranny.

[duanedragon2]

Hoo boy, I would hate to pay for that things gas. (lol)

[wyojimmy44]

Laughing

Any one who worries about price of fuel does NOT have fuel in their veins.

I always laugh when folks ask me ' whats miles per gallon" in my 62 390 3 x 2 convertible. I wonder if they'd ask the lover of Pam Anderson the cost of her perfumes ?

[bigorangetrucker]

I love paying for the gas in my '68 galaxie 390 because I love driving it. Although I hope that gas doesn't skyrocket into space again this summer...

[AlvinAZ]

Cool Bump Side! :)

[torino390]

sounds real nice, who's pulley kit is that?

[marine390]

march serpentine setup

[M3Galaxie]

Sweet truck man. 11.40 1/4 is pretty nice. I'm curious as you your trans set up and rear end gearing. That cam sounds very impressive for the price.

[marine390]

TCI super street fighter C-6 3500 stall 4.56 gears definitly over revs when crossin the line

[codydale351]

gotta love the TCI super street fighter

[spacecalander]

great sound, what cam did you use?

[marine390]

edelbrock performer rpm 572 lift 296 dur

[FordManMT]

do you like that cam? im looking into the same one for my 390

[ugly4x4]

how much did all that cost?

[marine390]

I would say I got 8 grand in it all together you get to a point where everything you buy for it is $600.00 or more

[fox567801]

nice motor wat does it run in th 1/4 mile

[marine390]

11.30 - 11.40......not to bad for 2 tons

[40HudsonV8]

What kind of cam are you using? It sounds Great. What other mods have been done?

[marine390]

I pretty much ended up with the hole eldelbrock performer rpm package the cam is edelbrock with 572 lift 296 duration

harland sharp rocker rollers

hooker headers

tci superstreet fighter trans

3500 stall

msd pro billet

march serpentine pulleys

s shroud electric fan

th block is 30 over and still stock pistons and crank......thats the downfall of the motor

[DamnTheDoubleNickle]

hey... do you know where i can get some headers for my 75' High Boy... seems like all the headers i see are for 2 wheel drives. i have a 302 init now and cant find anyheaders to fit... i can only imagin what its gunn be like when i drop my 390Fe in...

thanks

[rawls3183]

Hi I have a 390 on my 67 fastback. Does a serpentine pulley help performance or is it just for looks?

[marine390]

they are underdrive so you gain a lil extra but more or less they are more stable than v belts and they look good

[jizzmonger]

Where did you get that ribbed belt set-up?

Nice

[marine390]

March has setups for the old fe........Its pretty damn expensive......I think it was 600 something but its worth it