Learn about Ford's FE engines and why they are among the greatest offerings by the Blue Oval!

this week we're going to cover one of the greatest engine series of all time Fords Fe from the 332 from 1958 to the last 390 and 1976 they're all here so sit back relax and submerge yourself and everything Fe during this video now let's get [Music] started the Ford FE engine is arguably the most versatile and popular engine series ever made by the Ford Motor Company or for that matter any other manufacturer this engine was originally designed as a 332 cubic in power plant with the forethought that it could be easily and greatly expanded by using the same basic cylinder block architecture but using different cranks and other internal components they were built by the millions to Power Ford cars for Ford light and heavyduty trucks edsels and mercuries sold in the North American Market between 1958 and 1976 the Fe was first developed to replace the Y block engine the first overhead valve designed since the Flathead v8's discontinuation in 1953 this new engine fully dressed weighed less than many other manufacturers offerings at the time there are several versions of the origin of Fe and what it stands for most likely it's Ford edel since when this power plant was first available in 58 only the Ford and lower series Edsel lines would use it the upper series edsels Lincoln and Mercury all had their own engine series they were known internally at Ford as the Mel engines Mercury Edsel Lincoln displacements were 383 410 430 and 462 cubic Ines another story is that Fe meant Ford engine our favorite but perhaps the least plausible but most creative is that Fe represents iron as the 26 symbol on the Periodic Atomic elements chart there were several heavyduty designs specifically for use in heavy trucks and bare or cabin chassis models used for things like school buses these were referred to as ft or Ford truck by Ford Engineers basically engines identified as a 330 a non- Edsel heavy truck only 361 or a 391 are all FTS there are many differences that are too numerous to mention here but their designs are for severe Duty low RPMs and tons of torque Fe were originally designed without a positive crank case ventilation system or at least like most of us know them today with the valve cover mounted breather oil filler caps originally the backs of the intakes on many of them had a simple Road draft tube that went straight down past the firewall later the hole where the tube was now had a plate with a nipple and a hose was run from there to the carburetor to combust any unburned crank case gases finally oil caps with breathers were fitted and the intake mounted plate was eliminated many performance versions of this engine series utilized a mechan mecal can shaft and stiffer valve springs than their non hypo counterparts every performance oriented Fe engine also tends to use premium fuel the Fe was an engine that with the proper engineering of new and different cylinder heads cam shafts rotating engine internals Distributors intake manifolds and carburation exhaust manifolds and exhaust systems and cooling system componentry to name but a few could be used used in every possible combination that Ford Motor Company built vehicles for along with various transmissions and Axle gears meant that everything from basic commuter transportation to farm trucks to garbage trucks to race cars into watercraft would all be able to take full advantage of interchangeability and the ongoing development and constant Improvement of this at the time modern power plant with the proper mixing and matching of different parts both vintage and modern means that today's en Enthusiast can build a reliable engine that's streetable with numbers in the 4 to 500 horsepower range by the mid 1970s the Fe had been powering countless vehicles for nearly two decades Ford Engineers had been working on a replacement for a while but beginning in 1968 a select few models received the 385 engine series that would eventually replace it along with the 385s Ford had also designed the smaller 335 series of engines using the same basic engineering and design principles the last Fe was installed in a passenger car in 1970 and light duty pickup truck in 1976 by now both the 335 and 385 engine series along with the Windsor type V8s had replaced the Aging Fe in a few short years the Dearborn engine plant that produced these legendary engines was completely retooled to produce the allnew force cylinder 1.6 L engine introduced in the Ford Escort Ford's new world car beginning in 1981 now follow along as we give you the basic information for each cubic inch displacement and their variance more information can be found online specifically casting numbers cam specs compression ratios and much more if you're old school there are many excellent paperback reference books on the market as well but some may require ire some searching since they may be out of print now in our research we discovered the Fe Enthusiast Forum where tons of info is readily available from people who know them intimately without a doubt this will be the best and most up-to-date information available about these iconic Ford engines and we'll link them below 332 cubic inch this was the first basic Fe available in 1958 and 50 9 ford brand cars same Year's smaller Canadian Edsel cars and wagons and any exported 58 or 59 Ford or Junior Edsel car or wagon with a two barrel carb they were rated at 240 horsepower and with a four barrel they were rated at 265 earlier 1955 to 59 heavy duty Ford trucks and Industrial engines also used 332 cubic inch displacements but these were not fees incidentally the edzel exclusive 361 designed for the smaller series Rangers Pacers and wagons debuted on September 4th 1957 on what was dubbed eay when the edel was first introduced to the public with great Fanfare it was actually the first FE engine sold to the public the 332 was available about 2 months later exclusively in any Ford car except the Thunderbird but it was not the first 352 cubic in this engine was offered as a Workhorse for Ford's light and medium duty trucks as well as various Ford and Mercury cars from 1958 until 1966 this was the first cubic inch displacement that Ford used to show how fees could be built for strictly utilitarian use or with the proper modifications could power police interceptor equipped models and even race cars as well in summary they left the Deerborne plant with anywhere from 208 to 360 horsepower this was only the beginning of what was to come for this awesome engine series 360 cubic in this engine was one of several Fe that were designed specifically for use in light duty f-s series trucks these were found under the hoods of countless Ford f100s to F350 built from 1968 until 1976 only available as a two barrel carbed equipped engine they were rated at 215 horsepower until 1971 then from 72 to 76 the power rating dropped to 196 horsepower thanks to the SAE standard of now reporting net horsepower instead of gross 361 cubic in as mentioned mentioned earlier this engine was exclusive to the Ford based edels for 1958 specifically the ranger the Pacer and the station wagon models by 1959 this motor was optional for both Edsel series which were now all based on similar Ford models both years Engineers assigned a horsepower rating of 303 to these four barrel carb power plants you may be wondering why the valve covers on the 58s are identified as e400 that was the foot- PBS of torque rating for this engine reached at 2800 RPMs as a side note the larger series Edsel Corsair and citation models in 1958 used the 345 horsepower Mel series Ford exclusive 410 cubic inch engines and were identified as e475 on the valve covers this torque rating was reached at 2900 RPM if you don't know the m engines are all V8s an acronym for Mercury edel Lincoln and consist of a Mercury exclusive 3 383 an edel exclusive 410 a 430 which could be had depending on the application as a two or four barrel engine and the Lincoln exclusive 462 they were available from 1958 until 1968 390 cubic in of all the Fe engines available over over the years none is more prolific than the 390 it first hit the scene in 1961 and immediately was offered as a generic two barrel version or a four barrel equipped engine and then as a high- performance police interceptor putting out 375 horsepower and with the dealer installed Tri power induction system 401 horsepower man that version of the 390 sure made those big Fords and Merks fly in 196 2 Ford assigned this engine its own VIN code M and it was available as a turnkey car right from the factory almost all of these high- performance 60 through 62 full-size cars were mandated with a manual transmission but the best Ford had at the time was a column mounted three-speed a four-speed came along midyear many earlier cars are retrofitted to take advantage of another gear however these Borg Warner buil gearboxes were not up to the task of handling the kind of power and torque these various performance fees were capable of the bulletproof Ford built top loader was still a ways out first seen in limited numbers beginning in late 1964 by mid 62 Ford debuted the 406 also based on the Fe design platform most Gearheads ordered one of these and forwent the various 390s after just one One calendar year the 406 was gone replaced by the legendary 427 but the 390s performance days were not behind it not even close for enthusiasts that wanted a hypo engine with a full factory warranty the 390 police interceptors were a great option available through 1965 these solid lifter engines produc 330 horsepower without any trouble with the Ford and Mercury intermediates redesigned for 1966 to now accept an FE engine both makes offered buyers a GT version good for 335 horsepower it even looked like a special engine with a standard Chrome dress up package it came with they were carefully marketed to position themselves in the lucrative and booming muscle car market the next year the Mustang would also be able to take a big block engine to compete with the large cubic displacement Mills of the new for 67 Chevrolet Camaro and Pontiac Firebird and others Ford sister division Mercury would also introduced the cougar that year it was available with a 390 High Performance Engine from the beginning over at Chrysler some of their bbody intermediates could be optioned with a 440 or the even then iconic 426 Hemi what a great time to be a car nut huh curiously by 1967 his hypo 390 was now rated at 320 but was still available only in GT models from both camps 1968 would see five more horsepower added to this power plant now called the Thunderbird special V8 at Ford and Marauder 390 GT at Mercury both were available in most models if the car was a GT the VIN code was s and the engines included a chrome dress up package P AG another 394 Barrel could be ordered for most other models without the Chrome and different generic components the final 390 GT engine could be ordered in 1969 in any two-door model particularly the more performance oriented models in the Mustang it was available with a shake or scoop if a buyer checked off the right option no 390 would be seen in a pony car or intermediate Ford product in 1970 this year the only Ford and Mercury model Passenger cars with the 390 only had a two barrel car making 265 horsepower the new for 71 Cleveland design-based 400 or the 429 were now slated as Replacements however the 390 carried on in this light duty f-s Series pickup truck line until the end of 1976 so after 19 years of continuous development and refinement the ubiquitous FE engine was finally retired but that didn't mean it'd be forgotten no sir re these engines have a huge and loyal following even to this day and the aftermarket has stepped in since then to continue providing new and better intakes cams and valve trains every imaginable internal part cylinder heads of both cast iron and aluminum and so much more because most fees can interchange parts getting impressive performance from one is easily done many are still participating in competitive events and many are still driven daily we know the Fe will live on forever just as the Flathead Ford V8 has 406 cubic in available for only one calendar year but two model years in 1962 and three this Fe was strictly a Performance Engine it was available in both full sizee Fords and their Mercury cousins that is all except station wagons the 406 could be ordered with a single four barrel Holly carb putting out an underrated 385 horses pair it with that sexy looking Tri power intake setup and now you're in control of a still underrated 405 horsepower both versions used aluminum intakes Holly carburation a solid lifter cam shaft and free flowing short cast iron headers with a performance exhaust system teamed up to get the combustion gases out quickly the rest of the dri Trin consisted of a manual transmission first as a column mounted three-speed and a few months into production a Borg Warner built T10 floor mounted fourspeed became available as a mandatory option all sending power to a 9-in rear axle with performance gearing in most cases by now Ford's total performance era was was in full swing and most dealers would install a Detroit Locker in the rear to instantly hook up all that power many people claim these blocks are cross bolted but we've never seen this having owned different 406 cars of both years anybody know for sure well leave it in the comments below 410 cubic in this is an interesting engine because of how it was created as mercury only powering the entire full full size lineup including wagons either as standard equipment depending on the year and model or as an option only used for two seasons beginning in 1966 it was essentially a 390 block with a 398 stroke from using a 428 crankshaft instead of the 390 427 stroke of 378 rated at 330 horsepower at 4600 RPMs it required premium fuel it's a very popular combination even today for people building off-road pickups or other applications requiring tons of torque all used cast iron intake manifolds with an Autolite 4100 series carburetor the coolest feature was those beautiful Mercury inscripted pen rope valve covers which were first seen in 1965 on the Mercury Marauder 390s 427 cubic in the Fe based 4 27 cubic inch engine was always intended to be a race only engine the ones that ended up in street cars were detuned to be manageable for everyday use but they were still quite uncivilized no power accessories or air conditioning could be ordered until the 1968 Mercury Cougar GTE got a hydraulic cammed four barrel version all were cross bolted so the blocks could endure constant high RPMs and heavy use in competition the 427 would conquer every form of Motorsports throughout the world and pro themselves to be one of the greatest race engines from any company of all time but there were many different additions of this engine due to constant development for racing so let's go through them one by one the 427 debuted Midway through the 1963 model year available is a 410 horse single four barrel or the top dog dual quad Mill rated at 425 horses both with a mechanical cam shaft and a four-speed transmission initially they were only available in full-size Fords and mercuries because of their design they were known by enthusiasts as low Riser engines the street cars continued to be equipped like this but in 1964 after Ford had seen some success racing various cars with this engine the year before things got a bit crazy at the blue oval drag race only galaxies Fairlanes and Mercury Comets would utilize a 427 highriser engine essentially gaining this nickname by their cylinder head and intake manifold design all of these drag cars had fiberglass hoods with a teardrop shaped hood scoop to clear the highriser 427 and they were available with a four-speed or an automatic these cars were very successful in their various classes and sent the competition looking for new power plant to continue to compete against them 1965 loomed on the horizon and the Ford Motor Company was now Allin with their total performance Mantra the ultimate 427 was now available through any dealers parts department because these engines were just too radical for Street use we're talking about the 427 single overhead cam design or camer they dominated NASCAR after they hit the tracks in early 65 but they were outlawed almost immediately but Ford used them in various drag and funny cars and they were unbeatable every time they rolled up to the Christmas tree to this day if a car has this special engine which is easily identified by those gorgeous valve covers and wide engine span crowds will gather even the non Ford guys pay this engine the utmost reverence there's nothing in the world that looks or sounds like a camera at the same time Ford had improved their basic 427 overall design and altering the way all the internals received lubrication was at the top of the list this quickly became known as a side Oiler or medium Riser because of the topend parts now being used this new design went on to gain even more success on the street and the track further development for various types of racing but NASCAR dominance and in particular evolved in the tunnel Port design called this because the intake manifold and cylinder heads these were high RPM engines and probably wouldn't run well at all on the street none were ever offered for this purpose the medium Riser was offered in many different cars during the 1965 to7 era both for Ford and Mercury availability was limited to specific models so only twood door cars got these engines exceptions were wagons all unibody convertibles and GT models like the Fairlanes and Cyclones all were equipped with top loader 4-speeds the final 427 was a D- tuned hydraulic cam Mercury Cougar GTE hardtop that got this 390 Horse version but this time was available with all the options that cougar buyers and many others demanded a C6 autom automatic was now the only transmission Choice power everything disc brakes up front several audio packages were available and so much more all that is except air conditioning however dealers are still able to install it after the car arrived from the factory this year was a turning point in the muscle car market where more and more buyers wanted a car with better than average performance but they also wanted all the Creature Comforts too but there was still a sizable group of enthusiasts that only wanted performance and cars were available for them too this large variety made this well at least to us the most fascinating few years of the muscle car era it would essentially end in 1971 428 cubic inch the 428 first made the scene in 1966 powering many large Fords Thunderbirds and big mercs too for municipalities that ordered police cars this option of ordering the heavy duty Interceptor package included this engine research shows it was available in only big Fords and Marcs with a police package until the end of 1970 all used four barrel carbs and reached their Peak horsepower of 360 at 5400 RPM while posting torque numbers of 462 at 2800 RPM this Police Package 428 was also the motivation for Carol Shelby's first big block Mustang called the GT500 in 67 the following year Ford built a legendary muscle engine they'd call the Cobra Jet for those customers that wanted to go fast for short distances the drag pack option would also later be available there's a ton of different 428 so let's start at the beginning because the Thunder ther bird was a huge sales success in a category that it had single-handedly created in 1955 the personal luxury car buyers continued to expect more options and more power the new for 66 Thunderbird V8 was rated at 345 horsepower at 4600 RPMs it's curious to see that this rating varied from year to year of availability and model but not by much that inaugural year it was optional on any Thunderbird or full-size Ford or Marc however only the sporty new 667 L hard tops and Convertibles were standard with this new 428 included with this exciting new package were host of options like power front disc brakes and special ornamentation to name to next up in the succession of the 428 FE engine is the new for 67 Shelby GT500 Shelby needed a big block street car to offer his potential customers because the muscle car field was now exploding with higher horsepower offerings from every one of the big three Ford had redesigned the Mustang for 1967 to accommodate an FE engine in that case and the case of all new Mercury cougars the 390 GT engine was the top dog so what else was done by the Snake Charmer to the 428 police interceptor under that fiberglass hood of the GT500 well the most obvious was the addition of an aluminum dual quad intake manifold sporting two 600 CFM holes and cast aluminum Cobra style rocker covers a hotter Cam and better exhaust than the 390 Pony cars of that year also helped the Shel pump out 360 horsepower only 2048 were ever sold Ford identified quality control issues at the Shelby fac facility most due to poor fitting fiberglass components so after that model Year's production was completed all future production moved to Ionia Michigan to AOS Smith under Ford's watchful eye for 1968 the gt500s would go back to a single four barrel Holly and identify the 428 cars as Cobra GT500 Carol Shelby was by now out of the picture this year a convertible in both GT 350 and 500 trim could be ordered as well horsepower was not reduced at all despite more conservative induction a milder cam shaft and quieter exhaust to name a few production issues were now largely under control at a Smith and in retrospect the final production numbers were rather disappointing the Fastback sold 1,140 units while its drop top counterpart racked up a mirror 402 but the good news was coming for performance enthusiasts when Ford released the 428 cobrajet option in April of 68 all would have Ram Air no matter what Ford built car they were in for this midyear introduction Cobra Jets could only be had in the pony and intermediate lines of both Ford and Mercury this option was not well publicized so very few were ever sold at Shelby the marketing people would differentiate it from the the previous police interceptor 428 by renaming this model the Cobra GT500 KR or King of the Road only 933 fastbacks and an additional 318 Convertibles were ever built during this abbreviated model year some Cobra Jets ended up between the shock towers of the 68 Mercury Cougar GTE when there 427 began being phased out for 19 1969 the cobrajet would power many of Fairline Torino Ranchero Mustang montigo cyclone and couger along with the gt500s in fact two new budget muscle cars were now available the Ford Fairlane Cobra and the Mercury Cyclone CJ 428 both were standard with the non- ram a Cobra Jet and a four-speed transmission but they also came with a huge option list which many buyers took advantage of to personalize their cars many models offered Ram Air as a separate option and sometimes the super cobrajet or scj became an option it was also known as the drag pack option and included many heavyduty engine components an engine oil cooler and a steeper 391 or 430 axle gear by 1970 the Ford built intermediates would be powered by other non-fe engines but the Mustangs and cougars would retain Ain this iconic cobrajet motor for just one more year well that concludes our overview of the legendary Fe engines many are still available at wrecking yards enthusiasts have also hoarded them in great numbers and the aftermarket is even producing all aluminum 427 based blocks and every part needed to build your own vintage or modern Street or strip Terror let us know in the comments which Fe is your favorite or which Fe powered cars you've owned or currently own we appreciate you watching today see you next week when we'll be bringing you a stunning and freshly restored 1960 Cadillac convertible until then please be careful out there

Channel: If This Car Could Talk

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Id: eDlIlfbBgsA

Length: 30min 44sec (1844 seconds)

Published: Fri Jan 26 2024