You're right, it's a lemon. I'll give you my address so you can get rid of it. Really though, the 410 is basicly a 390 with a 428 crank and rods. If you are having problems finding parts (pistons and rings will be the hardest to find) try Kanter, I know they have the stuff. I'm sure there are other places that supply 410 parts. Most of the other stuff should be standard 390/428 stuff.

in all actuallity they will produce more spank but it still doesnt dignfy the price. you really wont see any diffence in any thing that using a stock ignition system. for the price a peice of mind id just use a good ole set of auto lights and use the extra change on some beer. besides youll need somthing to drink while bashing those knucks with changing them out.
j

it will seek a path of least resistance, a single path. If it can give you a broader spark, there might be some benefit. You can make a spark plug that looks like a porcupine, but the spark will only follow one 'quill' at a time.

Plasma is plasma.

Some racing plugs have a no-electrode design that allows the spark to hit a couple different targets, but they are designed that way only because the motor runs so hot it's melt the protruding anode (or whatever the heck you wanna call the bendy-electrode).

When electrons jump the gap from the electrode to the anode, the only thing required is that some fuel/air be found in that gap so ignition can begin. As long as the turbulents of the chamber force some fuel/air mix between the gap, you're gonna bombard the fuel and air with electrons which will energize the molecules into a plasma state, allowing combustion to begin.

The big question then becomes: Does the split-gap create a better fuel/air mix in the gap? Nope.

To spin some anti-advertisment on the topic (I'm just making it up as I go along): The split electrode allows the spark to follow two different paths from the electrode to the anode, reducing the energy contained within each plasma trail, thus reducing the chance of combustion. The single electrode of a common spark plug concentrates all the spark energy into one large plasma trail which stands a better chance of igniting the fuel-air mix.

It's all BS. Just use regular plugs and you'll be running as good as possible.

JMO,
Shoe.

I found an article, for what it's worth!
http://members.aol.com/carleyware/library/boschsp.htm

Most likely it is a small crack in the oil passage to the heads on one bank. This has been a fairly common problem on FE blocks. The fix is to ream the hole to 5/16" all the way to the cam bearing and press in a snug fitting tube with sealant and trim to the block deck. Some people have recommended using a hollow pushrod from a 240/300" 6 cyl. Any good machine shop can do this for you.

n/m

i usually put my ring gaps 180 degrees from each other and on the line with the wrist pin. since most pistons are cam ground with the wrist pin at the widest point the gaps remain stable(my opinion). you will get other opinions though.

Usually go with what the piston manufacturer specifies.

Otherwise, a "standard" alignment is to stagger the compression ring gaps approximately 1-1/4" from the "front" notch, or pin "centerline". Gaps towards the front of the engine, I usually put the top ring towards the inside of the engine, with the second ring towards the outside. Oil rings are the same way, but facing the back of the engine, and the rails are staggered 1-1/4" from "center" while the expander-ring is centered.

This works great for standard duty, daily use, and is the way they came from the factory.

For performance, however, there could be dozens of different opinions, as well as manufacturers specs to think about.

The "S" intake (in 2V and 4V form) is NOT a 390GT intake. It is used on the 390GT only because it's what Ford had laying around, and Ford didn't wanna pony-up the bucks to stick a nice PI intake on the motor as it should have.

The "S" intake is an all-new "equal runner" design, made to assist the FE in passing emissions in 1966 and later. It borrows some lessons learned while designing the 427MR (and by extension: lessons learned with the 427HR intake), but it only borrows features which aid combustion efficiency (aerodynamics and balance between cylinders) and NOT any of the performance elements. The "S" intake was stuck on the 390GT as well as on Country Sedans and any other FE they were building from 1966 and later. The "S" intake is the FINEST mild cruising intake ever designed for the FE. It offers excellent airflow velocity characteristics, promoting fast starts, the smoothest idle, and quiet strong acceleration. It ain't a racing intake by any measure. It should sell for $50.00 tops, because about half the FEs made since 1966 had them (in either 2V or 4V form) and they never wear out or break.

The "T" intake (2V and 4V) is identical to the 1958-65 FE iron intake, except it interited shrunk runners at the last inch or so where it blends to the "new-for-1966" emissions heads, which have smaller "velocity" runners and needed to have the 1965 intake runners modified to flow properly. Except where it blends to the head, the "T" intake is identical to the 1965 iron intake. Again, because about half of all FEs since 1966 got this intake, it should sell for $50.00 tops.

I'm not gonna look-up the intake part number, but assuming you have an iron 2V or 4V intake in that C5 piece, it's just the standard FE intake (Ford called it the "Dual Plane") - a design that lasted from 1958 through 1965, with changes in the road-draft tube, oil filler, carb flange angle, vacuum holes, and thermostat hole diameter about the only variables you'll find.

JMO,
Shoe.

if it's still in the original truck, the 5th #/letter in the VIN.

Most common 361 2V code was E.
Also, K (64-65), W (68-on propane 2V and 4V)
and 5 (various years/low compression, heavy duty, and/or export)

Most common for 391 4V was F.
Also, 9 (64-65), X (68-on propane).

My book does NOT show a 391 2V, so if it's a 4V theres a good chance it's a 391.

Aside from that, I don't think it will be easy without checking the stroke. 359, 361, 389, and 391 all have 4.05 bore, so all consequently used the same blocks, and there's almost 2 dozen different casting #'s.

Maybe there are parts ON the block that were different from 361-391, but someone else will have to help you there.

Hope this doesn't confuse you more.

Ford muckety-mucks decreed that for 1969, all 390s would lose Thermactor, thus forcing only mild cams in that displacement. Thermactor was expensive and added no selling value to the car, so it was decreed in writing that only the 427 and 428 displacement FEs would be sufficiently profitable to have Thermactor for 1969. The emissions-laden 427 was layed to rest by the newly hatched 428SCJ brainstorm after 1969 cars were rolling and before any 1969 427s were built.

The 390IP is the same as a 1968 390-4V station wagon motor, except it got the more restrictive "unibody" exhaust manifold which held all Fairlane/Mustang 390s back, and it also got a neat looking free-breathing air cleaner and a 600 CFM Autolite carb instead of the 470ish CFM Autolite on the 4-barrel wagons. It also got 4-barrel compressioned pistons (10.5:1).

The basic 390IP is very sturdy, as are all 1964-71 390s. It only needs a cam and valve springs, and a (compatible!) header or CJ exhaust to wake up. On the intake side, adding a CJ (iron), 428PI (alum), Ed 427, or Ed RPM intake would take it to the realm of being a street terror.

Hookers don't work with this head. Only some FPA headers port match properly. Anyhow, you may not be interested in making it look non-stock, so CJ exhaust manifolds (orig or repro) would be VERY WISE. Save the tiny 390 "unibody" exh manifolds for "originality" purposes only.

Shoe.

I just picked up a 1958 Edsel 361 block two weeks ago, and it shows no signs of allowing any special overbore.

I'm rather certain an FE 332 will not sucessfully bore that far out unless you are willing to keep engine speed below 2500 RPM, run a really mild cam, and are willing to pony-up the bucks for appropriate offset boring (the "bucks" comes into play when the machine shop starts charging extra because of how slowly they must bore when some walls thin-out to .050") and an extra-capacity radiator.

Some people just plain dig overboring blocks. More power to them (so to speak). I prefer to keep the cylinders strong, because I'll blow by them (so to speak) with the extra horsepower and RPM made due to non-flexing, well sealed cylinders. Paper-thin cylinders eat lotsa horsepower due in part to poor ring sealing, and to greater friction during flex, and also to much greater heat loss to the cooling system.

Remember: 427 blocks have great difficulty being bored more than .030" over, and these blocks are designed with about 0.122" of water jacket between the cylinders (sand core limits, I think) with minimum .090" walls specified at stock bore (draft takes up the balance - someday I gotta measure the draft angle). I'm guessing the 332/352 block will likely have 0.300"+ of water between the cylinders at the parting line of the mold (about 2" below the cylinder deck). This is easily measured with a drill bit when the core-plugs are popped-out.

Remember also, the 427 inverts the parting line to move the "weak" area of the cylinders below the ring travel area, the 332/352 didn't need to. Later 427 blocks also went to "cloverleafing" the cylinders to improve transmission of headbolt clamping forces to the main bearing webs and also to stiffen the cylinders.

I'm just guessing. I've never seen a 332/352 FE block from early 1958. If you learn otherwise, please tell us.

Shoe.

#.

...if you don't have to worry about unibody exhaust clearances any 1965-earlier FE head is basically a CJ head with an extra cc or two in the combustion chamber and no restrictive thermactor bosses cast into the exhaust runner.

Seriously, CJ heads are just an emissions-compatible version of the 1958-65 FE head found on 332, 352, 361 Edsel, and 390 motors. The 427LR/428CJ head is even cast for regular FE valves but the valve bowl is cut to fit the larger CJ valves.

Also, search out F600-F900 trucks with FT 361 or FT391 engines from 1964 to 1978 for nice HD blocks which might be something special if they aren't filled with rusty rain water (a winter freeze will crack a rain-filled block) or driven to the grave. These'll sometimes go out to 4.19" if you get the heavy cylinders with minimal core shift.

The FTs forged steel crank is fun stuff, too, once it's modified at the snout and flywheel flange to be compatible with FE stuff.

You WON't find any 428's sitting in those boneyards. Old car boneyards KNOW what cars came with what engines, and the good stuff has been pulled already. That's not a problem if you know where to look in the yard to find the cheap performance goodies which remain relatively plentiful.

Shoe.