360 vs 390 ford specs question

[madtom]

I'm a newbie, so go easy on me. The below chart comes from the "decoding your vin" page on this site.
It shows the 360 at 196 HP and 390 at 201 HP, is this true- only 5 HP between the two? I must be missing something.


"
1972 Ford Truck Engine Specifications
Engine Code No. Cyl. CID Horsepower Comp. Ratio Carb
A 6 240 121 8.5:1 1-bbl
B 6 300 165 8.4:1 1-bbl
G 8 302 154 8.2:1 2-bbl
Y 8 360 196 8.0:1 2-bbl
H 8 390 201 8.2:1 2-bbl

[Delta Bob]

I am pretty new here too, but, I think that there is the opinion that, if you are going to modify your motor for more hp, then the 390 has more of an upside than the 360 does.

[ThinLizzy13]

I don't have any experience with a 360, but I've had a few 352s (basically a 360) and a few 390s. Hands down the 390 is better regardless of hp/torque ratings. I got way better mpg and drivability out of my 390s than I did out of any 352s.

[madtom]

thanks for the replies. I guess what I was wondering was why the ford specs had them listed so close together? From my experience and everything I've ever heard the 390 is the clear choice, but I'm confused why ford makes the comparison less obvious. Maybe the numbers are a typo?

[Ohiotinkerer]

If I'm correct from what I have read the HP rating is only about 5 but the one that's important is the torque ratings between the two engines is only 1 fp - 376fp for the 390 vs 375fp for the 360. These trucks weren't built for what today's trucks are built for - our bumps were made for work because that's what people bought them for back then and pulling power was important - not to make a fashion statement like a lot of people do today. My opinion is that the HP difference doesn't mean as much as the torque ratings and actually with the compression ratio being a little lower in the 360 makes it a better engine due to the fact that the lower the compression the longer the engine is gonna last due to less wear and stress - that's if you are gonna use it like I'm gonna use mine - for hauling and pulling trailers. Engine choice just depends on what you're gonna use it for.......just my

But all of this depends on where you look also....seems to be a lot of conflicting info......

[MadJoe]

Ohio is absolutely right, what you plan to use the engine for is far more important than displacement. The 332, 352, 360, 390, 406, 410, 427, and 428 are all the same block (the Ford FE Big Block), just different strokes and bores. The 360, 390 and 410 all have the same bore (4.050"). This means if you have the rotating gear of any of these engines, they're interchangeable without modifying the block. So after 50 some odd years of existence, quite a few of the engines out there that say "360" on the air breather and info plates, could very well be 390s and the only way to tell is to measure the stroke (or 410's, but probably not very common and the external crankshaft balancer is a dead giveaway).

Anyway, enough about the history. 360's have beefed up internals and lower compression to make them better suited for heavy work (the reason they were only sold in trucks). 390s have lighter internals, and higher compression to increase efficiency (and give a small bump in power) for use in cars (and iirc they weren't offered in trucks until later when fuel economy started to become a thing). If plan to use your truck as a hobby, or light duty cruiser more than a workhorse, a 390 might be better suited for what you want. If you plan to pull stumps, tow monster trailers, and/or load the bed with tons of weight and use it for what it was meant to be used, leave it a 360 and slap a 4bbl on it (390 intakes are an exact fit and can be found on eBay and Craigslist fairly commonly), maybe a set of headers (this is debatable, some swear by them, others say they're unnecessary), but definitely make it dual exhaust.

Something else to consider, that I don't hear much said about around here, is that with its lower compression and beefier internals the 360 is perfect for turbo/super charging without needing to do much else (as long as you keep your boost within reason, obviously).

[Ranchero50]

Don't trust anything until you pop and plug out and measure the stroke with a pencil. There were far more 360's built than 390's but far more 390's in trucks / engine for sale.

Plus, don't get hung up on ratings. Both engine in truck form were low compression 4k max rpm torque builds. Kind of like the 4.6 / 5.4l engines in the newer stuff. Dogs but dogs that would pull under load without coming unglued.

360 truck pistons are 390 auto pistons so 390 rotating assy with 360 pistons nets car performance. It really is as simple as that, or not.

[Clunker]

For some reason, all of those numbers seem low to me. I thought the 360 was about 215HP and the 390 was about 255HP. Also, I thought the compression ratios were higher. More like 8.2 and 8.6, respectively. All of my online research suggests that the 390 is a better setup for any application. With the right rods, cam, heads, exhaust, intake, and carb, the 390 will give you better HP, MPG, and torque than any comparable 360. It just depends on how much you want to spend.

[tnlprt]

Ohio is absolutely right, what you plan to use the engine for is far more important than displacement. The 332, 352, 360, 390, 406, 410, 427, and 428 are all the same block (the Ford FE Big Block), just different strokes and bores. The 360, 390 and 410 all have the same bore (4.050"). This means if you have the rotating gear of any of these engines, they're interchangeable without modifying the block. So after 50 some odd years of existence, quite a few of the engines out there that say "360" on the air breather and info plates, could very well be 390s and the only way to tell is to measure the stroke (or 410's, but probably not very common and the external crankshaft balancer is a dead giveaway).

Anyway, enough about the history. 360's have beefed up internals and lower compression to make them better suited for heavy work (the reason they were only sold in trucks). 390s have lighter internals, and higher compression to increase efficiency (and give a small bump in power) for use in cars (and iirc they weren't offered in trucks until later when fuel economy started to become a thing). If plan to use your truck as a hobby, or light duty cruiser more than a workhorse, a 390 might be better suited for what you want. If you plan to pull stumps, tow monster trailers, and/or load the bed with tons of weight and use it for what it was meant to be used, leave it a 360 and slap a 4bbl on it (390 intakes are an exact fit and can be found on eBay and Craigslist fairly commonly), maybe a set of headers (this is debatable, some swear by them, others say they're unnecessary), but definitely make it dual exhaust.

Something else to consider, that I don't hear much said about around here, is that with its lower compression and beefier internals the 360 is perfect for turbo/super charging without needing to do much else (as long as you keep your boost within reason, obviously).

NO WAY NO HOW are the 332/352/360/390/406/410/427/428 the same block

While they may all belong to the same engine family and some may share the same bore

The 332 and the 427 are millions of miles apart

It is true that the cranks are a drop in swap
Most heads freely interchange but not all
427 Lemans rods will not clear the bottom of the cylinders on a 4.05 bore 360/390/410 block..So rotating gear will not freely interchange


The 360 has less beef in the lower end

The rods while longer than those of a 390 are skinnier where it counts ..and junk for most applications except for a truck engine

The cranks are made out of the same cast steel as the 390 and other cast FE cranks

The 360 does have lower compression ....Because the piston is .120 down in the hole

A longer crank throw increase the torque
just look at the difference between the 3/8 ratchet and a 1/2 inch ratchet


I will say it again in no way are the 360 internals better for boosted applications considering the skinny rods

[Clunker]

I think I found the info you were looking for. According to Wikipedia (so take this with a grain of salt), pickup compression and engine performance both dropped in 1972. In 1971, the F-series 390 used to have 8.6:1 compression, 255 HP, and 376 lb-ft. In 1972 it dropped to 8.2:1 and 201 HP, but torque remained at 376. The 360 suffered the same fate. It dropped from 215 HP to 196 HP, and 375 lb-ft to 327 lb-ft. There is no mention in Wikipedia that compression dropped from 8.4:1 in 1972, but I'm fairly certain it did, and that was the primary reason for reduced performance.

However, numbers do not tell the whole story. As Lizzy mentioned earlier, I have driven both 360's and 390's, and the 390 easily wins my vote for daily driver. My current 360 beats any 390 I have driven, but it's not really a fair comparison with all of the upgrades.