Thread: Why?????

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ok guys the forum has been quiet for a few days so i figured i would spice things up a little bit with, yep u guessed it another question!
ok here it is the million dollar question
why is the 352 called a big block? its only 1ci bigger than the 351.
do any of the other FE motors come from the same block?
also my new ford has a 352 can i get any performance out of it at all? im not looking for huge numbers just something with a little get up and go to it
here are my plans:
holley 4160 600cfm
headers
intake (edelbrock of some sort got any sugestions?)
and a exhaust system of some sort dont really care as long as it sounds good i like Borla the best
all i want is a daily driver that will beat most of the smart ass kids around here.

From what ive been told all the fe blocks are big blocks,ive also been told the 352 and the 390 are the same block,i know there is a forum just for fe blocks on this site

Its called a big block because of its physical size - not necessarily because of its displacement. All FE's (including the 352) started in 58 with the 332. Lots of different displacements over the years, including some oddball sizes used just for the Mercury.

isnt the 406 made from a 390 block?

I'm thinking that they were all just out trick or treating...as soon as they quit eating the candy they'll be back posting like crazy again hahahaha

Chevy mixed their big block and small block sizes as well. The first big block was a 396, but the largest production small block was a 400. When the 400 did come out, I believe GM bored out the 396 to make it a 402 as to avoid the confusion of a big block that is smaller than a small block. And the biggest big block of all, tied with the tall deck 427 was the tall deck 366 which was also the smallest. Instead of using shorter connecting rods to make room for a 4th piston ring, GM just raised the deck height of the block, making it taller and wider than passenger car big blocks so it was the biggest on the outside but the smallest on the inside.

Where do 348's and 409's fit in the mix?

The 332, 352, 390 were big blocks not only in size. Remember, Ford was selling 292 and 312 Y-Blocks in the '50's when the 332 and 352 were brought out.

Well, the 348 and 409 were bigger than any of the small blocks at the time. I thought this was about big blocks that were smaller than small blocks.

The term is relative. Most of these designations are more so racer jargon than factory. I dont remember the big or small term until the 70s. I think some of it was done because of guys not knowing a 351 from a 352.

The 406 was a new block casting at the time not a overbored 390. It has a 4.13 bore and a 3.78 stroke. Thicker cyl wall cores were used in casting for the bigger bore. Production ran from 62 1/2 till 63 1/2 until the 427 was released. It was also the first FE to have crossbolt mains on a few select blocks. Most of these went to the NASCAR guys although rumor has it a few slipped out to the public.

G.

G.

Tyler--the 410 was built from a 390 block, it has the same 4.05 bore with a 427 crank. The 406 has the bore of the 427, with a 390 crank. Lots of Canadian pickups sold as 390's had leftover 410's in them! Had a few myself, wondered why they had more power than expected.

Originally posted by R Pope
Tyler--the 410 was built from a 390 block, it has the same 4.05 bore with a 427 crank. The 406 has the bore of the 427, with a 390 crank. Lots of Canadian pickups sold as 390's had leftover 410's in them! Had a few myself, wondered why they had more power than expected.

The 410 was the same bore as a 390, but it didn't use the 427 crank. 427 crank was the same stroke as a 390, 3.780", 410 used a 3.980" crank, same as used later in the 428.

Here's a chart from Stan Weiss.....
http://users.erols.com/srweiss/tablersn.htm

thanks guys that answers alot of questions. my dad told me that in the 60s and the early 70s if you said big block or small block people thought you were talking about a chevy. also what do you guys think is my 352 worth putting any money into or should i just buy a 390. all i want is a cool daily driver that can hold its own and whoop up on all the ricers. is this a possibility with the above mentioned add-ons?

Originally posted by NTFDAY
Where do 348's and 409's fit in the mix?

Red-headed stepchildren