Stupid FE question

[LwCwb]

This may sound like a stupid question for you guys, but I figured this is the best place to ask. Are the 427 and 390 blocks the same, except for the bore, stroke, and oiling system? I know the 390 will fit in the BDR, but I would love to have an all aluminum 427 FE. Thanks in advance for your help.

[FFR428]

If your talking about the general outer dimentions then yes. But with different head and intake combos this will change so you need to watch the clearance for your application. G.

[LwCwb]

Yep, thats exactly what I was looking for! I looked all over the net for the answer, but couldn't find it. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!

[SCOBRAC]

The answer is yes, as noted except the 427 blocks are stronger, cross bolted 4 bolt main caps and the later blocks used a higher nickle alloy for a better casting.

[bmcmillan]

Two good sources:
"Ford Performance" Pat Ganahl S-A Design Publishing Co.
"How To Rebuild Big-Block Ford Engines" Steve Christ HP Books

There is some guesswork when mixing and matching parts because the Ford parts numbering system wasn't too good at the time. These books cut down on some of the Voodoo, but even they don't agree on many parts. The FE has a lot of interchangeablilty, but the are some gotchas. For example, a 428 crank needs the 428 balancer, crank, and flywheel as a unit - it is balanced completely differently than the other FE's. If you go to a few high performance swap meets and you are armed with the knowledge in these books, you will be amazed at what you stumble on.

I got 390SP iron heads, an authentic medium-riser dual-quad aluminum manifold, and a 428 crank/pulley/flywheel at the swap meet, wrecking yards, and Recycler magazine.

I thought it was part of the fun building the car.

Brian