help with my 352?? please

Randy Brintle JR · Post by **Randy Brintle JR** » January 2, 2009, 6:01 pm

I was wonderin if u guys could help me out with my 352 in my 66 F-100 i was wantin 2 know a few tricks and/or mods i can do 2 get a little more juice out of it!!! thanks

don morris II · Post by **don morris II** » January 2, 2009, 7:43 pm

4 barrel & duel exhaust for starters

Bill W · Post by **Bill W** » January 2, 2009, 7:57 pm

Hey Jr, Welcome to the site. You can use a 390 crank in it, (if you can find one), a hotter spark is good,
any mods you would do to any other engine will work for the 352.

Good luck with it.

Randy Brintle JR · Post by **Randy Brintle JR** » January 2, 2009, 8:09 pm

i got duals on it already! got a 2 barrel on it rt now it seems 2 have good throttle response! but i will try a 4 barrel and see what kinda luck i will have with it!!!! thanks Don

Randy Brintle JR · Post by **Randy Brintle JR** » January 2, 2009, 8:12 pm

Thanks Bill! glad to join yall! i heard some things bout using 428 heads and crank 2 make a stoker! is that correct???

don morris II · Post by **don morris II** » January 2, 2009, 8:33 pm

JR a 390 is a good swap for hp and will bolt right in

Randy Brintle JR · Post by **Randy Brintle JR** » January 2, 2009, 8:44 pm

YA! thanks for the ideas! i was wanting 2 keep the truck mostly stock and original! the 352 came in my 66 when it was new. im tryn 2 go for the (sleeper) look with a lil more power out of er!!! But on the other hand i do know where i can get a 70 model 4x4 with a stout 390 in it pretty cheap! thanks again Don

Randy Brintle JR · Post by **Randy Brintle JR** » January 2, 2009, 8:47 pm

Oh by the way if thats ur grey pickup in that pic (nice)

4x4 is more my speed but ill play with what i got LOL

Johnny Canuck · Post by **Johnny Canuck** » January 2, 2009, 8:54 pm

FE engine is the base.. you can work up from a 352. 390 rotating mechanism will get ya some hot power.
check this out for combos
http://www.woodyg.com/fairlane/finfo/fecidcombo.html

6166 Junkyard Dog · Post by **6166 Junkyard Dog** » January 2, 2009, 9:10 pm

This will work like one said 390 crank... bore it .40 = stock 390 pistons etc.. but how bout this 3" pipes out of the exhaust, then crossflow it as well to balance it out + pick a good flowing muffler,, MSD Box then gap the plugs wider,, windage tray on bottom end,, polish and port heads on intake and exhaust side,,, 1 inch spacer plate under the carb electronic ignition,, turbo charge it,, if using headers separate the tubes so bolting each one separate exahust side to get good fit ,, exhaust leaks can rob power,, different intakes can hurt you or help 428CJ Good,, aluminum ones are light weight so that helps.. match intake gaskets from intake to heads so no restrictions are there........ Buy one of those books on How to Rebuild your Big Block Ford shows all the FE'S with some hidden tricks in there

Randy Brintle JR · Post by **Randy Brintle JR** » January 2, 2009, 9:16 pm

thanks junkyard dog!!!!

DCarr · Post by **DCarr** » January 2, 2009, 9:56 pm

Welcome from ElCajon!

Randy Brintle JR · Post by **Randy Brintle JR** » January 3, 2009, 12:09 am

Thanks DCarr glad 2 be apart of yalls club!!!!

DV65CustomCab · Post by **DV65CustomCab** » January 3, 2009, 8:46 am

Okay, responses are all over the map. Let's not confuse the poor lad.

There is a big difference between optimizing what you have and building substantially more power. They also carry two very different price tags!

The 352 can obviously be swapped out with any bigger displacement FE with no drama and no difference in appearance. The 390 is probably the most commonly available choice, or you can install the lower end rotating assembly during a rebuild to make your own. Anything else that involves machining or substantial new/custom parts like pistons, roller rockers, etc is going to be a very expensive path to go down. Unless you plan on racing at the strip, I'd stay away from the temptation of shiny race parts.

Cheapest: optimize what you have. Make sure the current engine is healthy and properly tuned. Plugs burning clean? Timing set at the correct advance? Pertronix ignition will replace your points for a hotter spark and better reliability, and installs unnoticed in your stock distributor. Spending a couple hundred having a good tuner dial-in your truck on a dyno may do more than you expect.

Headers are a tough one. On the one hand, there's no doubt they flow better than the stock manifolds. On the other, they are a maintenance PITA between leaks, fried and difficult to remove starters and general expense of purchase. No perfect solution here, IMO. Dual exhausts, yes. That's why we have V8s, to hear the rumble, right?

I would not be in such a hurry to toss the 2bbl. The stock carb on these is around 500 cfm. Measure the throttle plates on the bottom of the 2bbl, then compare them to, say, a 600 or so cfm Edelbrock 4bbl. The primaries are nearly the exact same size! You get zero gain during normal driving from the expensive carb and intake upgrade. Okay, so you get the secondaries you don't now have...but they try to dump fuel into an engine that really isn't set up to take the extra. To gain from this upgrade, you really need to do a cam at a minimum, and now you're changing the whole scope of what the engine will do.

Also note that the stock 4bbl FoMoCo intakes actually flow as good as or better than most a/m aluminum intakes.

So what is the ultimate goal? Quicker acceleration? Higher top speeds? Gearing in both the rear and the trans have a huge effect on this and any super-built motor may not give the desired results if you are running a final drive that does not do what you'd like. Bigger tires will also have an effect on acceleration. The non-existent aerodynamics of these trucks are also a factor.

And then there's tuning for HP vs torque, which in a truck I always believe torque low in the power band is the answer.

Don't just throw parts at it expecting it to get way faster. You've got to research and develop a real plan of attack to get useful gains for your dollar, especially when you talk about an engine with not-so-cheap parts like the FE.

Post by **Greg D** » January 3, 2009, 10:27 am

If you upgrade to a 4bbl get a vacuum secondary carb. It will open the 2 rear barrels a little slower and help not load up. It may still require some tuning to get it right though.

wyatt · Post by **wyatt** » January 4, 2009, 2:08 pm

Welcome aboard Randy,
Here is a sight I browse a lot for information. They have a few good links also. I have never ask any questions but I'm pretty sure they will have some good answers for those with questions.
I have a 352 that's been bored 30 over. My son has done a few other things to it such as a bigger cam and electronic ignition and a 4 barrel. I do know from experience that you can only put x amount of gas into an engine. I am running a 750 edelbrock on mine right now. Personally I think a 600 will be more than enough. I am going to go with a 600 Holley in the near future. Sometimes you gotta experiment a bit too.
Good luck with you FE and check out the attached site.
http://groups.msn.com/TheFordFEGarage
Hope this helps.
Listen to these guys on this site too. They seem to know something about about these old trucks. You would think they were Ford guys or something

Wyatt

Randy Brintle JR · Post by **Randy Brintle JR** » January 4, 2009, 2:19 pm

Hey thanks Wyatt ill give a few different things a shot and see what happens i appreciate your help!!!

tarps3 · Post by **tarps3** » July 9, 2009, 2:25 pm

Randy

I just sent you a PM.
I've done many of these mods to my '66 too.