Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Big and small block are GM terms and for Ford it's engine family or series. The 352 Ford belongs to the same FE engine family as the 332,360,390,406,410,427, and 428.
Some of my favorite engines are in the FE series, how good were the 429 and the 460 motors?
I have heard that the 360 motors get a bad reputation and some of the Ford fans didn't care much for the 360 motor.
I have forgotten all about the 410 motor, wasn't that engine only available from 1966-67 in the Mercury full size vehicles?
Aftermarket blocks open up a lot of possibilities that are not available with stock blocks. There are companies that are putting out 488ci SBC with close to 1000hp normally aspirated. The LS block can also be had in the LSX form. The block can handle up to 2000hp and the block is less than $2000.
My vote would also go to the SBC. They are the most universal engine in existence. There is no place that doesnt have parts for them and the parts are extremely cheap due to the shear volume. However even with everything on an SBC being cheap the motors themselves last forever, literally. They are efficient, durable, powerful and extremely versatile. An absolutely incredible motor!
In the late 70's I built a 351 Windsor up in a 1970 Cougar to
bracket race. I used a solid lift TRW(Crane) cam, 650 dbl pump
Holley, headers and a 9", 457 rear out of a later model Mustang
with a C4, medium stall converter and a fully manual B&M shift
body. It would run hi-13's, low 14's 'cuz it would spin well into
second gear. It was very, very hard to find hot rod parts for it
back then because the Cleveland was so preferable in any race
or hi-per application. I worked for a Ford magazine into '83, and all
the cars that got featured, Windsors were put in older 'Rods were
just cruising slow but looking cool was more important than speed.
My friends stock '70 Boss 302 would spank my Cougar at will though, with
consistent 13.3's totally stock. Very humiliating
I dont know anything about newer fords but some car people have told
me the Windsor is desirable now !!! Go figure !
Some of my favorite engines are in the FE series, how good were the 429 and the 460 motors?
I have heard that the 360 motors get a bad reputation and some of the Ford fans didn't care much for the 360 motor.
I have forgotten all about the 410 motor, wasn't that engine only available from 1966-67 in the Mercury full size vehicles?
The 429/460 engines are some of the best ever made. They made them for cars, pickups, medium duty and heavy duty trucks, industrial power units, boats and many other applications.
The 360 is a fine engine and reliable but underpowered when stock in a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. The 360 can be turned into a 390 by installing the 390s crankshaft or made into a 410 by using a 428 crankshaft. Yeah the 410 was only used for a few years by Mercury.
The 429/460 engines are some of the best ever made. They made them for cars, pickups, medium duty and heavy duty trucks, industrial power units, boats and many other applications.
The 360 is a fine engine and reliable but underpowered when stock in a 3/4 or 1 ton truck. The 360 can be turned into a 390 by installing the 390s crankshaft or made into a 410 by using a 428 crankshaft. Yeah the 410 was only used for a few years by Mercury.
I've always believed the 360 was an underpowered motor when stock for a 3/4 or 1 ton truck, I'm surprised the 360 was never available in the full size vehicles, I am never aware of the 360 can be turned into a 390 or a 410 motor by using the crankshafts, I've always been a major fan of the 429 motor and I'm glad to hear they were one of the best motors ever built
In the late 70's I built a 351 Windsor up in a 1970 Cougar to
bracket race. I used a solid lift TRW(Crane) cam, 650 dbl pump
Holley, headers and a 9", 457 rear out of a later model Mustang
with a C4, medium stall converter and a fully manual B&M shift
body. It would run hi-13's, low 14's 'cuz it would spin well into
second gear. It was very, very hard to find hot rod parts for it
back then because the Cleveland was so preferable in any race
or hi-per application. I worked for a Ford magazine into '83, and all
the cars that got featured, Windsors were put in older 'Rods were
just cruising slow but looking cool was more important than speed.
My friends stock '70 Boss 302 would spank my Cougar at will though, with
consistent 13.3's totally stock. Very humiliating
I dont know anything about newer fords but some car people have told
me the Windsor is desirable now !!! Go figure !
Those Clevelands and the winsor based engines with Cleveland style heads were and still are very tough high power combos. I've built plenty of Winsors and Clevelands, and my favorite is the 4" stroke crank in the Winsor style block with 4bbl Cleveland heads. Despite the bad rep of the 4 bbl heads, they when cammed right will waste anything else in the 350 inch range for power using factory style or even many aftermarket aluminum heads. I know my all iron 351C in the Maverick was a solid 10.60@ 121mph street legal ride and wasting high dollar 350 sbc's was pure fun on the street.
I've always believed the 360 was an underpowered motor when stock for a 3/4 or 1 ton truck, I'm surprised the 360 was never available in the full size vehicles, I am never aware of the 360 can be turned into a 390 or a 410 motor by using the crankshafts, I've always been a major fan of the 429 motor and I'm glad to hear they were one of the best motors ever built
You have to junk the intake and carb on the 360! I've had great success by putting the Edelbrock performer intake and the holley 1850 600 or 3310 Holley 750 on 360's. And put a shift kit in the C6 !!!! They become a completely new animal but still maintains excellent mpg and drivibility. I've also used the 600 holley 2 bbl which was a huge improvement over stock. My brothers 68 F150 still gets 19+ on the highway with his 360, 750 Holley, and performer intake, and old style 1 3/4" heddman Headers (new ones are only 1 5/8" O.D., Not worth the over priced money as they are no better than manifolds on the 2 trucks I've tried them, much to my disappointment considering the past success with 1 3/4" headers). But my brothers 68 is getting tired now (300,000+ miles, it should be!) So I have a 428 crank ready to put in it.
LOL if any of this were actually true but it isn't. There's nothing over rated about the sbc, it's a tried and true engine that obviously is still a winner across the automotive field (albeit have taken the backseat to the LS family of engines) or otherwise people wouldn't still be running them. And not only do you dis the sbc but also the LSX series engines which incorporates technology that surpasses pretty much any V8 engine built in the last 40 years. Wow.
P.S. I've owned quite a few sbc's. I've ran them hard, overheated them, you name it, I've done it, and I've yet to have one fail on me.
You clearly haven't run them as hard as I have run them. As for it's a winner across the automotive fields, go read the rules that blocks the other GM divisions engines from being run. Go build a stock car and just try to run another gm division's engine. You won't be allowed even if it is smaller. But that is because France Sr. (of nascar), along with Wally Parks (of NHRA) and Ed Cole was very good buddies, rules were made favoring the sbc, not because the other 350's from GM couldn't compete. And as with all racing the trickle down to local level followed. But that does not make the sbc the best engine. The only reason the aftermarket is so big for sbc's is you have to build them to keep up with anything else that is stock.
As for the ls series engines, I have built 3 of them and frankly, they are no better than the old engines in my experience for money spent. In fact they are quite expensive if done right to get the claimed power and stay together. The ONLY advantage to the LS series engines is the aluminum versions lighter weight.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
