"FE" side oiler ?
 

I had a friend ask me, is the side oiler still a FE ?

Is the only,... difference between the 352, 390, 427 center oiler, 428 FE's, the oiling system of the side oiler, but still remaining a "FE" ..... or is there more into it ?

Are the side oiler heads the same as the FE's,... medium riser's, valve size etc ?

So to be exact, should it be said.....427 FE side oiler ?

Having a cobra, I feel like an idiot not knowing ! lol

yep bore size, crossbolts, and oiling, otherwise its a 390....

with heads it gets a bit more complicated......

The 427 has the biggest bore of all FE's...4.230" compared to a 4.050" for a 390 and a 4.130" for a 428.

But yes, the side oiler is certainly an FE, it just oils by a different path.

Please explain all. Would appreciate your time and schooling. ;)

Ford FE engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The FE and FT engines are Y-block designs—so called because the cylinder block casting extends below the crankshaft centerline, giving great rigidity and support to the crankshaft's bearings. In these engines, the casting extends 3.625 in (92.1 mm) below the crankshaft centerline, which is more than an inch below the bottom of the crank journals.

All FE and FT engines have a bore spacing (distance between cylinder centers) of 4.63 in (118 mm), and a deck height (distance from crank center to top of block) of 10.17 in (258 mm). The main journal (crankshaft bearing) diameter is 2.749 in (69.8 mm).

Blocks were cast in two major groups: top-oiler and side-oiler. The top-oiler block sent oil to the top center first, the side-oiler block sent oil along a passage located on the lower side of the block first.

Because the FE was never a completely static design and was constantly being improved by Ford, references to a particular version of the FE can become difficult. Generally though, most FE's can be described using the following descriptors:

1) Carburetor count, i.e. single 2V (2 barrel), single 4V, dual quad (2 4V carburetors), tripower (3 2V carburetors) or weber (4 2V weber carburetors).

2) Top-oiler or Side-oiler block (though there are known instances of side-oiler blocks drilled at the factory as top-oilers; perhaps to salvage blocks with quality control issues that prevented them from being completed as side-oilers).

3) Head type: low-riser, medium-riser, high-riser, tunnelport, or SOHC. These descriptions actually refer mostly to the intakes used with the heads...a low-riser intake, designed to fit under a low hoodline was the earliest design. The high-riser intake required a bubble in the hood of cars it was installed in for clearance. While the low and medium riser heads could be used in combination with either low or medium riser intakes, the high riser head required a high-riser intake due to the increased height of the intake port. The medium riser's intake port is actually shorter in height, though wider, than the low-riser's port. The high-riser's ports are taller than either the low or medium-riser ports. Low-riser intakes have the carburetor placed relatively low so that the air-fuel mix must follow a more convoluted path to the chamber. A high-riser's intake places the carburetor approximately 6 in (152 mm) higher so the air-fuel mixture has a straighter path to the chamber. The tunnelport and SOHC heads both bolted onto FE blocks of either variety but required their own matching intakes. Within the major head groups, there were also differences in chamber designs, with small chambers, machined chambers and large chambers. The size and type of chamber affected the compression ratio, as well as the overall performance characteristics of the engine.

The FE is a particular engine family encompassing cubic inches from 332 to 428. The 427 Medium Risers, High Risers, and Tunnel Ports also fall into this same family of engines. Bellhousing patterns, flywheel bolt patterns, and exhaust port locations all are the same. For the most part, motor mount patterns are the same with an additional pair of bosses being added in 1965 to accommodate additional chassis hookups. Flywheel tooth count and starter design also changed in 1965. Camshaft thrust plates were added in1963 but with all these differences throughout the years, the engines are still part of the "FE" family. A 1976 FE will bolt into a 1958 car without much issue as a result.

Thanks.
Can you also explain the differences between the 428, 428 SJ, 427 Medium Risers, High Risers, and Tunnel Ports ?

The difference between 428 CJ and SCJ is actually pretty interesting (the head/intake differences for LR, MR, HR, and TP not quite as much -- pics will tell you the majority). I think this is the best page on the CJ/SCJ stuff: 428 Cobra Jet vs. 428 Super Cobra Jet | Mustang 428 Cobra Jet Registry