The Ford big-block story centers itself around two primary engine families—the FE-series and
the 385-series engines. There is also the MEL-series big-block (meaning Mercury-Edsel-
Lincoln, displacing 383, 430 and 462ci) which will not be covered because it is not a
performance engine. Little, if anything of a performance nature is available for the MEL-series
engines. Similar in design to the 385-series big-block, the “MEL” was primarily a Lincoln
engine, although it did find brief application in the Thunderbird. The “MEL” was a large
passenger car big-block designed for low-end torque and quiet operation.
332/352/361
The “FE” (meaning “Ford Engine”—not “Ford Edsel” or “Ford Engineering”) series big-block
was introduced in 1958 as the 332ci V-8 with a 4.00-inch bore and a 3.30-inch stroke. The 332
debuted with the larger 352ci big-block. The displacement increase was accomplished by
stroking the 332 to 3.50-inches. The FE-series big-block was a hardy Y-block design that lived
in many different forms during its production life which ended in 1976. Use of the FE-series big-
block in passenger cars ended after 1971 with retirement of the 390. The 400M small-block
replaced the 390 for 1972 in passenger cars.
The 332 and 352 used the same 4-inch bore block. Early in production during the 1958 model
year, these engines had mechanical lifters, which means these early blocks were not designed
for hydraulic lifters. Hydraulic blocks were drilled with oil galleries to feed the hydraulic lifters.
Ford upgraded the 332 and 352 to hydraulic lifters to meet large passenger car standards of
the era. Few customers who purchased large passenger cars wanted the frustration of
periodic valve adjustment in an era where competitive vehicles had maintenance-free hydraulic
lifters.
A number of revisions occurred in the “FE” engine blocks to further improve quality and
reliability. It is important to pay close attention to casting numbers when searching for a
332/352 block. If date coding isn’t important to you, then look for the improved 1961 and up
block, which has deeper cylinder head and main bearing cap bolt holes. This gives the head
and main bearing cap bolts a deeper thread grip, which is important in high performance
applications. Because this block has the oiling passages for hydraulic lifters, you have a
choice of mechanical or hydraulic lifters.
59 Edsel and 1958 Ford Police Interceptors. The 361 had the 332/352’s 3.30-inch stroke.
However, it had a larger 4.05-inch cylinder bore—the same as the 390 to come later in 1961.
cross-section. The "FE" was born of
the Y-block approach with its long
skirts which cradle the crankshaft and
provide rigidity. Cross-bolted main
caps, not shown here, are unique to
late-1962 406s and all 1963 427s.
This illustration is typical of the
332/352/ 360/361/ 390/early 406/410
and 428.
The 360/390/410 are grouped together because they share the same basic block with the
4.05-inch bore. Increases in displacement come from increasing the stroke on the 4.05-inch
bore. The 390, introduced in 1961, is likely the most common of the FE-series big-blocks
because it found home in so many applications. Where the 390 differs from the earlier
332/352/361 is its longer stroke—3.78-inches. Two- and four-barrel versions of the 390 were
most common, seconded by the High Performance versions which made Ford a hit in 1961-62.
The 390-6V High Performance V-8 delivered a whopping 401 horsepower, thanks to six-barrel
Holley carburetion and improved heads. This engine has heavier main bearing caps and webs,
not to mention oiling system refinements which make the engine more reliable. Because the
1961-62 390 High Performance engine has mechanical lifters, it lacks the oil galleries common
to hydraulic lifter-equipped 332/352/ 361/390 engines.
There were many variations of the 390 besides those just mentioned—Police Interceptor,
Thunderbird Special, and the Special. There were also industrial, stationary and marine
versions. Each is distinctive, and each will be discussed later to help get you dialed into the
right combination of parts.
and the 428’s 3.98-inch stroke. Ford achieved 410 cubic-inches by fitting the 390 block with
the 428 crank. Keep this in mind for your 390 hop-up endeavors. Stroking the 390 with a 428
crank is easy.
A soul mate to the 390 is the 360 introduced in 1968, which has the same 4.05-inch bore with
the 352’s shorter 3.50-inch stroke. Otherwise, the 360 and 390 are virtually the same engine.
The 360 was used exclusively in pickup trucks while the 390 found use in both cars and trucks.
four-barrel carburetion and a generator.
Alternators didn't arrive on "FE" Fords until
1963 on some models.
service life. This is a 1967 vintage 390-4V
engine equipped with an alternator charging
system. Note the alternator mount cast into the
block for 1965 and later.
V-8, circa 1969.
The 406 came along in 1962 with the 390’s 3.78-inch stroke, but with a larger 4.13-inch bore,
thicker cylinder walls and heavier main bearing webs. Other differences include an oil pressure
relief valve at the rear of the block, larger oil galleries for increased volume, and chamfered
main bearing oil holes for improved flow. Toward the end of the 1962 model year, Ford cross-
bolted the 406’s main bearing caps for structural integrity under severe duty conditions.
Engine failure and marginal performance in NASCAR competition are what led Ford to the
legendary 427 of mid-year 1963. The 427, aside from the obvious cubic-inch advantage, has a
stronger, better lubricated block born of racing necessity. It was through Ford’s desire to win
that the 427 was conceived at all. The 427 has the 390 and 406’s 3.78-inch stroke with a huge
4.23-inch bore. But it is not the same block by any means. What makes the 427 better is the
block’s high-nickel content and stress-relieving during manufacturing. Stress-relieving of the
blocks during manufacturing was nothing more than the slow cooling of the iron casting after
the block was cast.
Dearborn, Michigan engine plant, where additional attention was paid to detail. Each 427 was
hand-built with high performance use in mind. The 427 block has a greater deck thickness to
successfully handle the horrific compression ratios. Like the last of the 406s, the 427 employs
cross-bolted main bearing caps and heavier main bearing webbing. Block construction like this
kept the bottom end together on the track, thrusting Ford into the winner’s circle worldwide
during 1963-67 since reliability vastly improved. The 427 Side-Oiler came along in 1965 as a
means for getting more oil to the main and rod bearings.
What’s nice about the 427 is Ford’s attention to improvements as a result of information
learned from the harsh racing environment. The best 427 blocks, for example, are 1965-66
vintage because they have all of the improvements—solid refinements to the casting that
netted Ford a better block. Finding good, undamaged examples of the era is the greatest
challenge.
the 427 SOHC is a single overhead cam big-block originally conceived for NASCAR racing.
NASCAR didn’t approve the Cammer for competition. However, the 427 SOHC did find its way
into drag racing. This engine has a unique FE-series block with special oiling holes. This block
is interchangeable with wedge heads. However, Cammer heads are only compatible with the
Cammer block.
Finding an undisturbed 427 block is both rare and typically expensive. Because this block
takes the cylinder bores to the limit at 4.23-inches, it can only be bored out to a total of 4.26-
inches—that’s a .030-inch overbore limit. If the block has already been bored .030-inch, it must
be sleeved. Overboring beyond .030-inch will put you into the water jackets. Unique to the 427
is a steel-forged crankshaft, although cast cranks were also used. All other FE-series big-
blocks (except the FT) had nodular iron crankshafts.