Do I go with a 390 or rebuild my 352 ??

[Rickslick]

That's the question. Move up to a 390 in my 65 or re-build the 352 ??
Does anybody know of a good engine re-builder in the San Diego,CA. area ??

[William-in-St George]

Been there done that. Easier HP and more junk yard parts is to simply upgrade to a 460. Litterally a bolt in swap with 100% ford parts. I have done this a bumch of times and now I only do 460/C6. Big fat easy to work on engines and they will make huge HP with minor tweaking. JMHO!

[banjopicker66]

Yep.
Yes.
Yessir
Absolutely!
460 is the way to go.
Fools rice burners.
Silences "Ford experts" that think it cannot be done.
Generates arguments over "But I thought '68 was the first year for a 460!!??"
(note: It was, '68 that is, but let some know-it-all wander by your truck at a show or something and insist it was a factory installation - it is that easy. In fact, doing it the factory way is the easiest way to do it.)
I wholeheartedly agree with William-No-Longer-In-Atlanta!

[Gritsngumbo]

Not that familiar with the FE engines. Does the 460 look the same as the 352? In other words would it sill look stock?

[banjopicker66]

Grits - Yes, a 460 installation is all stock in a '65/'66 Slick - it is all bolt-up parts.
However, this is not the case with the straight axle Slicks, '61 - '64. This installation will require the usual modifications to install later motors, but will also carry the concern to add more stopping power to cope with the increase in go power.
The best way to do this is to get a donor truck ('73-'79), as it will have the 460 perches and engine mounts that are unique to the 385 engine. Hawkrod sells them too, if you can't find donor truck, but you'll want the truck setup for PS, PB and A/C, so you'll need the pulleys.
F-100s came with 460s, but not many, they are mostly found in F-250s.
You can get a 460/C6 (or even a 429) out of cars, and they will work fine, as long as they are '68 and later. (Don't confuse the 462 MEL engine used up to '67 in Lincolns. Anything after '67 is good.)
Note: In LMC's catalog, they sell an engine mount setup to put a 460 into an earlier Slick. They add the warning that it will not work with Lincoln 460s. This is incorrect, as all 460s up to '79 were Lincoln Division products, with the "V" designator in the casting numbers. Instead, LMC is referring to the Lincoln MEL 462 engine. And, this is correct, because the MEL is an entirely different animal.
Now there is another option, to get a 460 out of a '80 - '96 truck. They are EFI after '87 or 88, but you can put carbed heads on an EFI engine just fine - in fact, that is mine right now.
I used an '88 engine, '70s C-6, 90's serpentine belts and pulley system, along with a non-EGR Edelbrock intake and carb.
The 385 series engines share nothing in common with FE engines, though. Only the C-6 was offered behind 460s in the '70s, with the T-19 offered in the '80s.

[aarons428]

460 is a completely different motor. IMHO i would stick with the 390 it justs fits the truck. Yes the parts are more pricey but are getting better. I love my FE. Dont get me wrong i love the 460 it would be my next choice for a big block but i would stick with a FE.

[randyr]

Is there any appreciable difference in gas mileage between the 390 and 460 or is it safe to assume that they both suck in that department? I can attest that my 352 definitely sucks on mpg's!!

[frdnut]

Don't overlook the 429 as well..I had a 69 thunderjet in an 82 F100 and it was an awesome engine..It averaged 12-14mpg with an untuned 750 holley and had tons of power..It actually got better mileage than the dog of a 302 that it replaced which only got about 10mpg and had no power whatsoever...

[charliemccraney]

Grits - Yes, a 460 installation is all stock in a '65/'66 Slick - it is all bolt-up parts.

I think he might mean does it look correct. In my book, a 460 installed in a '65 or '66 is in no way shape or form stock whether Ford parts are used to mount it or not. My definition of stock means that it rolled off the assembly line with it.
For instance, the engine in my truck is correct, meaning that it could have come in it but it is not stock. However, if I am so inclined I can make it look stock.
Another example, a friend has a '50 Chevy with about 28000 original miles and it is probably 99.5% original by my definition. He'd tell you it's 100% original. The thing is that parts have been replaced on it. They are original in that the part numbers are correct and the parts are correct, but the car did not come off of the assembly line with them so if you ask me, it is not an original car. Don't get me wrong, it's a great looking car and an excellent example of what it would have looked like when it was new, but stock it is not.

[FordChild]

I like the FE's too. If you use a 390, you can keep your towers, tranny, pulleys, brackets, starter & PS pump. If you paint the block, valve covers and air cleaner right, it can "look" like a stock 352, but have the yank of a 390. I'd definitely put a 4bbl on it (even if you use an aluminum intake, paint it - makes it look stock) and try to find a set of GT heads & exhaust manifolds - way better than the truck ones. Just my opinion, and what I did on my 66.