I have a 1962 Mec Monterey here in the UK with a baked 352. Looks, like it's been filled with bad oil all it's life and has signs of having overheated, shrunk pistons, blown head gasket etc. Here's an idea of what i'm dealing with: I've decided that by the time i've paid to have this dipped, cleaned up and rebuilt etc, i might as well just drop in a replacement motor, as the car is really only going to be a driver. I've been offered a complete running and serviced 390 unit, with all ancilliaries and a C6 trans, from a 1968 Galaxie for a very good price. Sorry if this is a daft question but will the 390 simply bolt up to my Merc'O'Matic trans and use the same mounts etc as my current 352? Do they also have the same throttle linkage etc? I'm guessing installing the C6 would be a bit more of a 'project' as the MOM is a 2 speed, so would be looking to keep this to one side in case it packs up. Thank you
All engines used to look this way back in the days of asphalt based domestic crude, and this was normal and not necessarily bad oil. Brent crude these days as well as synthetics has changed this. Later oils can clean a lot of this up and carry it to the sump to plug the oil pump inlet screen.
To be honest the damn thing fired up and ran, even though the head gasket had failed and water was breaching nearly all cylinders, the bottoms of the pistons were steamed. Problem is it looks like this happened a LONG time ago and peeping through the holes in the top there i can see rust pitting over the cam surfaces. I'm pretty sure this should be condemned but i keep hearing stories of cases far worse being resurrected, one guy even tells me that if rebuilt it would be stronger due to annealing . But how far do I want to take this motor when for 500 sheets i can buy a decent 390 with a C6 and have it up and running with a few nights work...
390 would be plug and play, all accessories will work. All FE's are pretty much identical save, crossbolted mains on some blocks (some 406/410, 427's etc). They're almost all stamped "352" on the driver side front (below the head), even 427's so don't be alarmed if it is. As far as rebuild vs. buying a used one, wither way would be fine. I'm sure yours is salvageable, FE's are near indestructible (except for maybe 427's due to cyclinder wall thickness, no real overbore capability).
Buy the 390 and be happy. If someone wants the 352 it can be rebuilt so it might have some value to someone. On this side of the pond, no. 352s are not very desirable and there are more around. But in England someone with an old Ford might be glad to get it.
How many miles indicated on this motor? The coolant you see in the cylinders here is what couldn't be drained from the block and heads with the radiator drain. Ever think about cleaning this one up a bit and some new head gaskets to see how it runs. May surprise you by saving a bank roll. The newest FE would be well over 30 years old, and 390 or 352 they are subject to stress cracks in the main webbing and heat cracks in the heads. Personally, I'd either keep it a numbers correct classic, or swap in something much more modern and reliable like a 351W to a 460, and like stated earlier.......use the C-6. Tom S. in Tn.
The mileage is coming up to 45,000 on the clock. And this type of car isn't the sort of thing that can be driven every day over here anyway, it will be stored away for 6 months and it will only travel 2000 miles per year in the time it's in use, so the prospect of having an engine that will last say another 10,000 miles might see a regular daily driver good for just a year, but it would see me good for 5 years + ! But what worries me is the the fact it has obviously overheated at some point. The gasket has clearly blown in a number of places and the surfaces between the cylinders show water marks, as do the internals. The pistons also seem to be a tiny bit wobbly, but this may be normal. maybe with new head gaskets and a scrape up it might last another 10,000 miles, but could it be a ticking time bomb? Windsors are in abundance over here so that may be an option
Here's what I would do: Spend the 500 quid on the 390 and C6, swap them in. That way you'll have a proven, reliable setup and won't have to worry about the "time bomb" aspect. Then check the casting number on the "352" block and make sure it really is a 352, and not something more desirable. If it's just a garden-variety 352 or 390, you'll be fine and can just get rid of it, but if it (for whatever reason) is a 410 or 427 or something more valuable, you'll kick yourself later for having gotten rid of it. Just my two cents.
Are you sure it's a 352 ? I'd first measure the bore & stroke. 352's have a 4.00 inch bore & 3.50 stroke. 3.78 stroke is a 390 crank.
From what I can find, you can't tell what the displacement is from the numbers. Sorry about that. Looks like you may have to crack it open and measure the stroke. From what I can find you could have a 390, but it's hard to tell for sure. The difference between the 352 and 390 lies in the stroke.
make sure there's no main crossbolts, bosses for cross bolts or verticle "ribs" on the sides od the block. If it has any of these, it's something worth keeping.
Not to throw a spanner in the works here,but,dont the early FE's have a 2 bolt engine mount whereas later ones have 3?
Bore and stroke???? <table class="wikitable" align="right"><caption>FE engine displacements</caption> <tbody><tr> <th>Displacement</th> <th>Bore</th> <th>Stroke</th> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>332</td> <td>4.000 in (101.6 mm)</td> <td>3.300 in (83.8 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>352</td> <td>4.002 in (101.7 mm)</td> <td>3.500 in (88.9 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>360</td> <td>4.052 in (102.9 mm)</td> <td>3.500 in (88.9 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>361</td> <td>4.047 in (102.8 mm)</td> <td>3.500 in (88.9 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>390</td> <td>4.052 in (102.9 mm)</td> <td>3.784 in (96.1 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>391</td> <td>4.052 in (102.9 mm)</td> <td>3.784 in (96.1 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>406</td> <td>4.130 in (104.9 mm)</td> <td>3.784 in (96.1 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>410</td> <td>4.054 in (103.0 mm)</td> <td>3.98 in (101 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>427</td> <td>4.232 in (107.5 mm)</td> <td>3.784 in (96.1 mm)</td> </tr> <tr align="right"> <td>428</td> <td>4.132 in (105.0 mm)</td> <td>3.98 in (101 mm)</td></tr></tbody></table>
How well was it running and why was the head removed? 45K mi was typically about half life for one of these beast in daily commuter service here on US roads with US fuels and lubricants of this cars vintage. Again, don't get disturbed with the black sludge. It's asphalt that naturally got cooked out of the oil with normal use, and actually I've seen far worse by the hand full under intake manifolds. Is the mileage or anything known about the 390? It could very easily be worse than this motor with worn rings, bearings, and valve guides, and not to mention a stress crack in the main web, or heat crack in an exhaust valve seat. Minimal power difference between the 2 until CJ options found on 390 or 428 are used. I could be proven incorrect, but by looking at the photo again, it appears this 352 has medium riser intake port heads, and entirely possible to be larger and far better flowing than low riser found on most later FE's that had lower compression ratio's as well. This is a land cruiser and not a tire burner isn't it? Don't give up on that 352 too soon. With only the photo posted here to go on, I can not see any notches in the block between cylinders, and all appears quite indicative of dozens I've torn down in years past. My opinion (for what that could possibly be worth) would be, pull the other head, then raise the car and remove the oil pan. Inspect bearings and oil pump (especially hex drive) carefully. If ok, clean everything completely and correctly reinstall with proper torque and new gaskets. But, if bearings and pump found worn, remove pistons and inspect further for cracks on skirts and condition of rings. Tear heads down and check for burned seats, and worn guides, but for limited <2K mi/yr use, I would not go crazy even if there were minor heat cracks in an exhaust valve seat or 2. Clean, reseat, knurl guides if necessary and reinstall. Clean carburetor, tune-up with points & plugs, and with a good battery, you should be good for much more than !0K miles for well under $500. Option #2; pull the pan and inspect for piece of mind, but then get a few gaskets and put it all back together as is. With a tune-up and clean carb, who knows how many years it will run as is. Tom S. in Tn.
True mate, but the later blocks are compatible with the '62 mounts, no worries! The only real issues are checking the fit of the trans cross member and the driveshaft. Should be pretty easy.
It originally fired up and ran OK (from what i could make out), but the oil was old and tired and a bit milky and didn't want to run it up too hot so it was only going for a few seconds really. So i did an oil change with the intention of running a flush through it, fired it up, ran for 2 minutes and then checked the oil again and it was basically white. Drained the lot and it was obvious there was a head gasket gone. I've taken off the other side now and same on both sides, you can see where the seal has broken, it's more evident on the actual gasket. For the head gasket to fail so dramatically i am assuming at some point in it's life it has been cooked
I recall once seeing intake manifold gaskets on an FE deteriorate over time and fail causing quick coolant leaks to the crankcase, much like the problem on newer GM's. What was the condition of these gaskets? Typically, coolant leaks to the crankcase are from cracks in the block or heads, but are slow leaks. White steam out the exhaust indicates coolant in the cylinders like a head gasket. Oil in the coolant and radiator is always a crack in the lifter or cam bearing area of the block, but neither of these apply to this situation. If this motor was hot enough to cause the head gaskets to fail, there should be other evidence in the cylinder heads and crankshaft bearings, but the oil sludge apparent here is quite typical. At the minimum, I'd remove the oil pan to do a flash light inspection there and base my future decision on the results found. If it were only head gaskets, I'd clean it, inspect for flatness, reinstall, and enjoy the ride. Wish I could advise more. Tom S. in Tn.
If it belonged to a hillbilly he would put a new gasket in, change the oil and drive it for another 100,000 miles. Old American V8s are a lot less finicky than the engines you are used to. It would still be easier to put in the 390. Don't junk the 352, if anyone wants it they could likely put it back in commission with minimal work. By that I mean, a thorough cleaning, new rings, valve grind, and possibly new bearings. There are American companies that sell rebuild kits.
The 390/c6 combo is a bolt-in swap. Save the 352 for "playing around with" out in the garage, or , sell it on ebay.
i had a '68 truck 390 sitting out in the backyard for four years under a tarp that i replaced a '59 352 with. if i'd had a C6 attached to it, i'd have used that as well. these old bigblocks were designed to withstand amazing amounts of neglect and abuse... for every owner that spent an hour on the weekend checking the oil,coolant, tightening belts, etc, there were ten that never checked a damn thing.... and nine out of ten of those engines survived, perhaps not happily, but they kept on running. and that one engine that failed got the blame instead of the lazy-ass owner... BTW didn't Mercury use 390's instead of 352's? check that stroke.
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