theskytoucher wrote:I would stick with the 360 just cause you already have everything to there you dont have to buy engine stands mounts bell housing stuff like that!!! And the 360 is gonna be the best truck motor out of the three! The only thing is the fuel mileage is gonna be a little less than the other two!!!
With you all the way Troy! go with the brute FE POWER!
Ok, I'm narrowing it down now. I found a 300 sick in the "for sale" forum and am considering it. It is in Idaho about 200 mi. from me. Most of the machine work is done and most of the bearings and the gasket kit is there, $400. However, I found a complete rebuild kit for the 360 on line for $388! Of course I have to pay all the machining costs as well. I'm still on the fence about this one! I'm sure I'd like the 360 for the power but I kinda like the idea of the truck having the "original" six in it.
Rednecks, white trucks and Pabst Blue Ribbon beer!
I'm alittle late to the party but I've driven both incarnations of 300 straight 6s Carbureted and MPFI There is most definitely a big difference between carbureted and EFI if they are both stock. My uncle and for that matter my Grand Father and Mother have all had the Carter 1 Barrel Carbureted variation, where as I bought my 87 F150 with a 300 EFI with a C6 Auto and the performance difference stock engine for stock engine is impressive. there will be undoubtedly folks that will be quick to attack my performance figures to them I say your entitled to your opinion I'm entitled to mine Having said that that going with HP the stock 1 barrel carbureted 300 in the 80s F series had 118HP roughly and my 87 EFI 300 had right at 165HP thats a real,noticeable Difference right there and I can say this cause I had both I'm not just pulling it out of my butt. EITHER of those two motors have enough torque to pull some serious SH!T!!!! the EFI Variant again Has more. NOW I sound like I'm advocating that the 6 is the better option. well let me tell you this I'm about to buy an 1968 Ford F100 Ranger with a 360Cid V8 with a 3 on the tree 3 speed manual transmission(Stick) I'm LOOKING Forward to having the 360cid Big Block Ford Edsel V8 with a stock power rating of 215HP and 327Ft Lbs of torque possibly more than that I've read else where that they had around 375Ft Lbs of Torque ,which is considerably more than my 300s 265Ft Lbs and it's the more powerful EFI Version. and to give you more to think about with the same exact Block you've got now, your current 360Cid you have now with a Crank,Pistons,and Rods Change and overbore if you want. you could have a 390-410-428-445-448-450-or 451 all those displacements are possible with the same block you've got now the difference being the rotating assembly..030 over with a 4.25" Crank would get you a 445Cid .040 over a 448Cid .050 over a 450Cid .060 over a 451Cid again using the block you have now. with Standard bore of 4.05" and a 410/428 3.98" Crank you could get a 410 or with a 390s 3.78" Crank you'd have a 390. Thats alotta potential in that motor you've got amigo you said yourself fuel economy is not your biggest concern you can get well over 550HP out of that block it's all in what rotating assembly you have and the other regular variables. Heads/Compression Ratio/Exhaust setup/Cam Choice/intake and Carburetor choice/and ignition choice. There you go food for thought OH and for the Record the 360 you have now has low compression and a 3.5" Stroke Crank
I've owned and driven 2 352s, 2 360s & 3 390s. I like the 352, it's a good engine, IMO the 360 is gas-hungry & gutless. (at least for an FE) I say the guys who like their 360 have never owned a good 390.
My '69 Ranger had a 360 when I got it. I junked it and put in a stout/stock 390, well-tuned Qjet carb, C6 tranny and 2.75 rearend gears. 2100 rpm @ 70 mph and still plenty of pulling power. I won't tell you the gas mileage it got 'cause you would'nt believe me. My old '65 f100 (my first vehicle) with a '68 car 390, mild cam, Qjet carb, 3 speed standard and again, 2.75 gears, would come across the quarter line @ 93mph in 2nd gear. Man I miss that truck
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
— John Wooden
Brokenarrow wrote:I've owned and driven 2 352s, 2 360s & 3 390s. I like the 352, it's a good engine, IMO the 360 is gas-hungry & gutless. (at least for an FE) I say the guys who like their 360 have never owned a good 390.
My '69 Ranger had a 360 when I got it. I junked it and put in a stout/stock 390, well-tuned Qjet carb, C6 tranny and 2.75 rearend gears. 2100 rpm @ 70 mph and still plenty of pulling power. I won't tell you the gas mileage it got 'cause you would'nt believe me. My old '65 f100 (my first vehicle) with a '68 car 390, mild cam, Qjet carb, 3 speed standard and again, 2.75 gears, would come across the quarter line @ 93mph in 2nd gear. Man I miss that truck
Yeah but but the thing is amigo you essentially threw out a 390 and put another one in it's place.....a 360 IS a 390 the only difference is Stroke Rod length and piston height you could have just as easily kept the block that was configured as a 360 and swapped in a 3.78" Stroke Crank Shaft and the Rods and Pistons that went with it. both the 360 and 390 are the SAME block both are 352 Castings and both have a 4.05" Bore but the 360 has lower in the cylinder Pistons and a 3.52" Stroke thats the only difference between the two. Hopefully somebody got that motor you junked and converted it to a 390 or 410 because all three are the same block but the 410 uses the 428s 3.98" Stroke Crank
Keep in mind you can stroke a 360 ALOT if you want more tourqe for pulling/towing. Stock 360 has a 3.5" stroke. What makes a 300 six pull nice is the 3.98 stroke witch is exactly what a 410(428 crank in a 360/390 block) has for stroke. I run a 67F250 with a 352 but plan on a 390 upgrade when body is done next year. Presently in Afgahnistan.
Yeah but but the thing is amigo you essentially threw out a 390 and put another one in it's place.....a 360 IS a 390 the only difference is Stroke Rod length and piston height you could have just as easily kept the block that was configured as a 360 and swapped in a 3.78" Stroke Crank Shaft and the Rods and Pistons that went with it. both the 360 and 390 are the SAME block both are 352 Castings and both have a 4.05" Bore but the 360 has lower in the cylinder Pistons and a 3.52" Stroke thats the only difference between the two. Hopefully somebody got that motor you junked and converted it to a 390 or 410 because all three are the same block but the 410 uses the 428s 3.98" Stroke Crank[/quote]
Oh I know the difference. Keep in mind that this was 25 years ago. FEs were pretty easy to come by. I wish I still had some of the stuff I sold for junk iron back then The engines themselves we sold to the rebuilders for cores.(If they would still turn over by hand)
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
— John Wooden
ok I agree with the vast majority of opinions here but theres still the misconception that when a person says 360 or 390 or for that matter 410 they are talking about different blocks and different engines. the reality is if you have either of these displacements you have the others aswell if you change out the Crankshaft,Rods,and Pistons that is the ONLY literally ONLY difference between a 352/360/390/410 They all use the same block a 352 had a slightly smaller bore at 4.00" Bore by 3.50" Stroke a 360Cid is the same Block you can look at the casting on the block it'll say 352. but anyway a 360 is the same block with 4.05" Bore by 3.50" Stroke, a 390 yet again Same Exact engine block same 4.05" Bore but with a 3.78" Stroke, a 410 Same Exact Engine Block same Bore with a 3.98" Stroke Crank, all these displacements are made with the Same exact engine block Fellas
This is a Ford forum, I don't think there is a misconception. Several people have said the 360 is a "slug", or a gas-hog, and for an FE it is. It has lower compression than the other FEs therefore less power. If you raise the compression by using different pistons, do a little head-work, and add a mild cam, you can get much more power from a 360. And yes, you can build a monster FE from pretty much any 352 block but it gets very expensive . (FE= Frikking Expensive)
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
— John Wooden
the point is still being missed there is in essence No 360/390/410 it's all the same engine block there is No difference between any of the three displacements interms of the engine block. the only difference is internal. a 360 IS a 390 and a 390 is a 410 and a 410/360/390 are all 352s it's the same engine block casting the only difference is the internals the fixation on the 360 being low compression is overlooking the reality of it. all a 360 is, is a Destroked 390. to make my point even clearer you could buy a 410 and make it a 360. you could buy a 360 and make it a 410 you could buy a 390 and make it either of the other two displacments ford used the same engine block for all those displacements it is literally the same engine with different stroke cranks installed and in the case of the 360 different pistons aswell resulting in the piss poor compression.
ETA: I'm not being or trying to be an A$$hole just trying to clarify this issue. cause I've read about more than one person throwing away a 360 perceiving it to be a quote on quote turd when in actuality had they rebuilt it with the proper crankshaft/Rods/Pistons/and associated bearings and wrist pins they'd have had the same 390 that they went and shelled out money for thinking they'd bought a different engine (***when in reality it was the same exact engine they threw away difference being it had the 390 Rotating assembly already installed***)without the expense of buying the new block
Nothing sucks gas worse than a 351, not even a 360. Since it has a 360, stay with that or other FE. But don't write that tired FE off too soon. 4 years ago I figured I would drive my 390 for a few months and replace it when it died. It leaked like a sieve out of the rear main, had a weak clutch and no oil pressure. Almost 40,000 miles later and it is still the same, leaking oil and no oil pressure. The clutch does slip a little easier now though.
Great ideas have always encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds.
yep depending on Finances I'd either get a 4.250" Scat Stroker Crank and make a 445-448-450Cid Stroker or just drop a 3.98" Stroke 410/428Cid Crank and make your 360 a 410 or bore it .030 over and make it a 415Cid
willowbilly3 wrote:Nothing sucks gas worse than a 351, not even a 360. Since it has a 360, stay with that or other FE. But don't write that tired FE off too soon. 4 years ago I figured I would drive my 390 for a few months and replace it when it died. It leaked like a sieve out of the rear main, had a weak clutch and no oil pressure. Almost 40,000 miles later and it is still the same, leaking oil and no oil pressure. The clutch does slip a little easier now though.
Back in the early '80s a guy gave me an old racecar (bomber) with a froze-up 352 in it. I freed it up with marvel mystery oil and put it in my '65 f100. Rear main leaked bad, zero oil pressure at idle, it had been rode hard. I drove it for about 6 months 'til I bought a '69 Galaxy for $200 with a sweet 390 in it. I drove the truck under the hoist and held the 352 flat on the floor just trying to blow it up on a bet. (I was young and dumb) After 10 minutes of this It slowly lost rpm and died. The next morning after it cooled off it started right up, sounded like he77, but it would run. When I tore it down the rods were purple and 6 rod bearings were literally beat completely out of the rods. I put it back together and sold it for $35 as a rebuilder. After that I decided nothing was tougher than a Ford FE. I did have a wrist pin rub into the water-jacket in a 390 one time. You ain't lived 'til you've heard a big-block hydraulic-lock at 5 grand She came from together real quick.
"Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are."
— John Wooden
One of the best running stock FEs I ever owned was a 74 highboy 360 with 100,000 on it. We towed the stock car all over with it and I also used it to tow cars for my shop. I also owned a new 74 highboy with a 360 that was a real terd. I don't see any reason to swap out the rotating assembly to get more cubes if it is just street driven. The 360 can be woke up pretty easily. Some of them were slugs but a lot of 390s were too.
The 300 is the best engine Ford ever put in a truck in my opinion. I am in the process of pulling a decent running efi 351 to put in a warmed up 300. Even stock, side by side a 300 would generally out pull a 360. They are much easier to work on, respond to many inexpensive improvements and get better mileage. When I get my next one built, it will displace my 390 in the crew cab. The only downside is the sound. Nothing sounds as good as a gas V8 and a loud 6 banger is downright pukey sounding.
Great ideas have always encounter violent opposition from mediocre minds.
With you all the way Troy! 
The engines themselves we sold to the rebuilders for cores.(If they would still turn over by hand)
the point is still being missed there is in essence No 360/390/410 it's all the same engine block there is No difference between any of the three displacements interms of the engine block. the only difference is internal. a 360 IS a 390 and a 390 is a 410 and a 410/360/390 are all 352s it's the same engine block casting the only difference is the internals the fixation on the 360 being low compression is overlooking the reality of it. all a 360 is, is a Destroked 390. to make my point even clearer you could buy a 410 and make it a 360. you could buy a 360 and make it a 410 you could buy a 390 and make it either of the other two displacments ford used the same engine block for all those displacements it is literally the same engine with different stroke cranks installed and in the case of the 360 different pistons aswell resulting in the piss poor compression.
After that I decided nothing was tougher than a Ford FE. I did have a wrist pin rub into the water-jacket in a 390 one time. You ain't lived 'til you've heard a big-block hydraulic-lock at 5 grand 
