Ford FE engine
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The Ford FE engine was a Ford V8 engine used in vehicles sold in the North American market between 1958 and 1976. It was intended to fill the need for a medium-range displacement engine in Ford's lineup of available V8's. It supplemented Ford's line-up of V8's which at the time included a small block (Y-block), a medium block (the new FE) and the prestige big block (the MEL engines). In the ongoing development of Ford V8's, the Y-block was soon supplanted by the new Windsor engines (221, 260, 302, 351 cubic inches) in the early 1960's and the MEL was replaced by the 385-series engines in the late 1960's (429, 460 cubic inch versions). Some claim "FE" is an acromyn for 'Ford-Edsel', while others insist the name meant simply 'Ford Engine'. A careful search of the FoMoCo Engineering archives by currently employed engineers shows that the earliest references to the engine group made reference to 'Ford/Edsel and very soon that was shortened to F/E. Ultimately the designation was simplified to FE. Another engine family, the MEL, stood for "Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln".
A related engine, the Ford FT engine, was used in medium and heavy trucks from 1964 through 1978.
In all discussions of Ford V8 engines, it is extremely important to understand that Ford, unlike its competitors at the time, did not have just small block and big block engines. Ford engines generally came in three size ranges, sized to best suit the application.
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Usage
FE series engines powered most full-size Fords, some mid-size and performance models, and many Mercurys from 1958 until 1971, and pickup trucks from 1965 through 1976.
Specific models that used FE engines include the later, large-engined AC Cobra, high-performance Ford Mustangs between 1967 and 1970, many Ford Galaxies including racing cars, some Ford Fairlanes, Ford Thunderbirds until halfway through 1968, and many others.
Both engine families saw use in industrial as well as automotive applications.
Description
The FE and FT engines are Y-block designs—so-called because the cylinder block casting extends below the crankshaft center line, giving great strength at the cost of weight. In these engines, the casting extends 35</sub>⁄8 in (92 mm) below the crankshaft center, which is more than an inch below the bottom of the crank journals.
All FE and FT engines have a bore spacing (distance between cylinder centers) of 4.63 in (118 mm), and a deck height (distance from crank center to top of block) of 10.17 in (258 mm). The main journal (crankshaft bearing) diameter is 2.749 in (69.8 mm).
Generation 1
332
The smallest big-block Ford was the 332 (of 331.8 in³ (5.44 L) true engine displacement) with a 4.0 in (101.6 mm) bore and 3.3 in (83.8 mm) stroke. It was only used in Ford-brand cars in 1958 and 1959. A two-barrel version produced 240 hp (179 kW), while a Holley four-barrel output 265 hp (198 kW).
Applications:
- 1958-1959 Ford cars
- 1958-1959 Ford Courier
- 1959 Edsel Corsair (called "Express V8")
352
Introduced in 1958, the Ford 352 (of 351.9 in³ or 5.77 L displacement) was the replacement for the Y-block series. It was simply a stroked (to 3.5 in or 88.9 mm) version of the 332. Rated from 208 hp (155 kW) (2-barrel carb) to over 300 hp (224 kW) (4-barrel police interceptor models). This series of engines were all known for excellent torque and durability. These engines usually weighed over 750 lb (340 kg). Bore of this version was 4 in (102 mm), with a 3.5 in (89 mm) stroke.
Applications:
- 1959-1960 Ford Thunderbird
- 1959-1966 Ford cars (optional)
- 1959-1960 Edsel
- 1961-1962 Mercury cars
- 1958-1960 Ford Courier
- 1965-1967 Ford F-Series
360
The 360 (of 360.7 in³ or 5.91 L displacement) was used in the Ford F Series trucks and pickups. It is basically a destroked 390 with a bore of 4.05 in (103 mm) by 3.5 in (89 mm) stroke. The 360s were known for having sluggish performance because of the truck camshaft, mostly noticed by F100-F350s. Use of a standard 352/390 cam for use in passenger cars along with carburetor and distributor adjustment gave it the same kind of performance as the 352/390 car engines. First introduced in 1968 and phased out at the end of the 1976 year run. Rated at 215 hp (160 kW) at 3600 rpm (2-barrel carb, 1968).
361
The 361 was used in the 1958 Edsel Pacer and Ranger, sold as the "E-400".
390
The 390 in³ (of 389.6 in³ or 6.4 L true displacement) engine, with a bore of 4.05 in (103 mm) and stroke of 3.78 in (96 mm), was the most common FE engine in later application. It was used in many Ford cars as the standard engine, as well as many trucks. It was a popular high-performance engine too; although not as powerful as the 427 and 428 models, it provided good performance, particularly in the lighter weight vehicles, and was in much greater supply.
Generation 2
406
The 406 engine used a new 4.13 in (105 mm) bore with the 390's 3.78 in (96 mm) stroke, giving a 405.1 cubic inch (6.64 L) real displacement, rounded up to 406 for the official designation. The larger bore required a new block casting with thicker walls but otherwise very similar to the strengthened 390 HiPo block.
The 406 was developed purely for racing and was sold to the public only to meet racing targets. It was available for less than two years before it was replaced by the 427.
The increased power of the 406 led to a problem with the crankshaft main bearing caps working loose under racing conditions. This was remedied by cross-bolted mains — where the main bearing caps were not only secured by bolts at each end coming up from beneath but also by bolts coming in from the sides through the block.
As usual, after identifying a weakness, Ford fixed it quickly, the 406 was a powerhouse and a great racing engine. Many Ford enthusiats beef up their 406's with 457 Stroker blocks, 427 Tunnel Port intakes and heads, and 428 SCJ crankshafts. Some 406's are capable of 540 hp (403 kW), and 622 lbf·ft (843 N·m) of torque.
410
The 410 engine, used only in 1966 and 1967 Mercurys, used the same 4.05 in (203 mm) bore as the 390 engine, but with the 428's 3.98 in (101 mm) stroke, giving a 410.1 cubic inch (6.72 L) real displacement. The standard 428 crankshaft was used, which meant that the 410, like the 428, required external balancing. A compression ratio of 10.5:1 was standard.
427
Ford's 427 in³ (7.0 L) V8, introduced in 1963, was a racing engine pure and simple. It was developed for NASCAR stock car racing, drag racing, and serious street racers. The true displacement of the 427 was actually 425 in³ (6,965 cm³), but Ford called it the 427 because 427 in³ (7.0 L) was the NASCAR maximum size. The block was made of high nickel content iron and was made with an especially thickened deck to withstand higher compression. The cylinders were cast using cloverleaf molds—the corners were thicker all down the wall of each cylinder. Forged pistons were employed (the only production Ford big-block with such) and forged rods inherited from the 390 Hi-Po.
Two different models of 427 block were produced, the 427 top oiler and 427 side oiler. The top oiler version was the earlier, and delivered oil to the cams first and the crank second. It gained something of an undeserved reputation for insufficient crankshaft lubrication under heavy abuse. When under extremely hard acceleration oil in the pan would tend to slosh back. This was remedied by Ford later by including a factory windage tray under the main bearings. The FE engine was Ford's main race engine in the mid-1960s and as such was under constant engineering scrutiny and subject to frequent design updates based on extreme racing experiences. The side oiler block, introduced in 1965, sent oil to the crank first and the cams second. In street use the two blocks are equivalent. Today, the premium aftermarket aluminum replacement block uses a top-oiler system.
The engine was available with low-riser, mid-riser, or high-riser intake manifolds, and either a single four-barrel carburetor or a double four-barrel setup on an aluminum manifold for highest performance. The twin four-barrel setup with the high-riser induction system is estimated to have delivered over 500 hp (373 kW); Ford never released an official power rating. Other models were rated at over 400 hp (299&nbs
427 SOHC
Image:Ford 427 SOHC Thunderbird.jpg Image:Hotrodsohc427.jpg The Ford Single Overhead Cam (SOHC) 427 V8 engine, familiarly known as the Cammer, was developed by Ford Motor Company in 1964 to recapture NASCAR dominance from the Chrysler Hemi engine.
The engine was based on the ultra high performance 427 side-oiler block, in the Ford FE engine family, providing race-proven durability. The block and associated parts were largely unchanged, the main difference being use of an idler shaft instead of the camshaft in the block, which necessitated plugging the remaining camshaft bearing oiling holes.
The heads, of course, were entirely new, cast iron with hemispherical combustion chambers and a single overhead camshaft on each head, operating shaft-mounted roller rocker arms. Valves are larger than those on Ford wedge head engines, stainless steel, with sodium-filled exhaust valves to prevent the valve heads from burning, and dual valve springs. This design allowed for high volumetric efficiency at high engine speed, ensuring enormous power. Unlike the Chrysler Hemi design, the spark plugs are not centered in the combustion chamber, but are near the intake valves for easier accessibility.
The idler shaft in the block in place of the camshaft was driven by the timing chain and drove the distributor and oil pump in conventional fashion, with the same practical limit of about 7,000 rpm for the stock oil pump (a maximum of 20.5 US gallons (78 L) of SAE 40W per minute at 70 psi (480 kPa). An additional sprocket on this shaft drove a second, six foot long timing chain, which drove both overhead camshafts. The length of this chain made precision timing of the camshafts a problem at high rpm and necessitated a complex system of idlers.
The engine also had a then-state-of-the-art transistorized ignition system, running 12 amperes of current through a high voltage ignition coil.
All these engines were essentially hand-built, with racing in mind. Combustion chambers were fully machined to reduce variability. Nevertheless, Ford recommended blueprinting the engines before use in racing applications. They were rated at 615 hp (458 kW) at 7,000 rpm with a single four-barrel carburetor, and 657 hp (490 kW) at 7,500 rpm with dual four barrel carburetors. Ford sold them via the parts counter, the single four-barrel model as part C6AE-6007-363S, the dual carburetor model as part C6AE-6007-359J for $2350.00 (as of October, 1968). Weight of the engine was 680 lb (308 kg).
Ford's plan was cut short, however; although Ford sold enough to have the design homologated, NASCAR effectively legislated the SOHC engine out of competition through rule changes, and the awaited 1965 Ford SOHC vs. Chrysler Hemi competition at the Daytona 500 season opener never occurred. The engine found its niche in drag racing, however, powering many A/FX Factory Experimental Mustangs, and becoming the basis for a few supercharged Top Fuel dragsters.
428
Image:Ford FE 428 Police Interceptor.jpg
The Ford 427 was a great race and performance engine, but it was simply impractical to manufacture economically for street use; it required tighter tolerances during manufacture than Ford's regular engine plants could deliver. In addition, it was not really suited to driving all the accessories, such as air conditioning, required for a regular production series powerplant. Therefore, Ford went back to the drawing board to create an engine with fundamentally the same displacement (7.0 litres) but cheaper, with no requirement to withstand the punishing treatment given to race engines.
Standard 428 in³ FE engines were fitted to Galaxies (badged simply as '7 Litre') and Thunderbirds in the 1966 and 1967 model years.
428 Cobra Jet
The 428 Cobra Jet, launched in April 1968, was a version of the 428 FE engine built for performance rather than cruising smoothness. Not a true racing engine, but it was sufficient for street use or amateur drag racing. The 428 Cobra Jet could be made on a regular production line, not requiring the exacting tolerances required by the 427. The 428 Cobra Jet has greater low-end torque than the 427, thanks to its longer stroke.
The Cobra Jet used a beefed-up version of the 428 block with an extra main bearing webbing and thicker main caps than the standard block. The engine was underrated at 335 hp (250 kW) at 5200 rpm. The 428 Cobra Jet actually produced 400 to 410 hp (299-306 kW).
428 Police Interceptor
Similar to the 428 in the Thunderbird and 7 Litre, except with an aluminum intake, rather than cast iron.
428 Super Cobra Jet
Very similar to the 428 Cobra Jet, but used high-performance pistons and the heavy 427 "LeMans" style connecting rods with capscrews instead of bolts for greater durability. The 428 SCJ was provided with an engine oil cooler and was standard with the Drag Pack and certain rear end gear ratios. Also underrated at 335 horsepower (250 kW), the motor was more powerful than the Cobra Jet, producing over 410 horsepower (305 kW).
Replacement
With the 428 the FE series block had been taken to the extremes of its capacity; no more growth was possible. The FE advances in engine technology had allowed its use across 3 different decades. These advances included its use of a thinwall casting process that made the engine much lighter in installed applications than the equivalent-displacement engines of Ford's competitors, its use of nodular iron for its crankshafts which produced a much stronger casting than the malleable iron, used in GM's crankshafts for instance. Its shaft-mounted rocker system and wedge combustion chambers were also leading edge designs.
In the late 1960s however, fueled by the FE's success in the horsepower wars and the escalation it caused, Ford decided that a new plateau in displacement needed to be reached. With that goal in mind, it reviewed its entire engine family. The 335-series engines, commonly referred to as Cleveland engines were designed to replace the small block Windsor engines, with the new small displacement block beginning at 351 cubic inches (5.75 L). The medium range of displacement needs was to be met by the 400M engine which was a Cleveland-style block with a raised deck allowing it to use a longer stroke crankshaft and displacing 400 cubic inches (6.55 L). The 385-series engine was to replace the MEL line in large cars and trucks. These began to be fitted to cars starting in 1968. The FE engines were gone from Ford cars by 1972 but lingered in trucks into the mid-1970s. In the late 1970s the Dearborn Engine Plant that produced these engines was completely retooled to produce the 1.6 L engine introduced in the Ford Escort in 1981.
In the late 1980s when both Ford and GM revamped their V8 offerings, many of the FE's designs were incorporated in the new engines, including the deep skirt, cross-bolting of the mains and thinwall casting.
References
External links
- [http://www.fordclassics.com/enginespecs.html Short descriptions of Ford
overhead valve V8 engines]
- [http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=51 FE V8 Discussion
Forum. Very knowledgeable group.]