I just purchased an FE 361 cubic inch from a  Edsel. It is a super express with a 4BBL. It is rated at 303 HP 400 lb ft on torque.This will be a temporary install until I can get another 312 built.What kind of performance can I expect with 3:55 gears?ThanksJim


  Jim Rowe Elkhorn, NE

Good engine, but not a FE it's a MEL (361,383, 410) 3.55 is a really good gear with this engine as it has tons of low end torque, not a high RPM engine runs best under 5500 rpms.

361 is a fe,352 bored to390 bore size,352 crank and rods, good pistons,un like 360 truck of later years.good power.

I stand corrected, it's been awaile since i worked on one.

JimBack in the day ( 1960 ) I owned a 58 Tbird convt with a 352 HP motor ( 4 BBL and 10.5 compression  ) and even with the 3.0 rear axle it was good for a 17 second 1/4 mile and almost kept up with a friends Bonneville. So in a lighter 56 with a better rear axle it will fly. Gas mileage was awful at 10/12 mpg. Pete

Won't a 361 FE present some installation problems in a 56 chassis?  Just wondering if it might not be worth the mods required.. 


Paul

The FE will fit fairly easily, the worst nightmare will be the exhaust.  I once knew a guy who put a 360 HP 352 in his '56, and it worked when he used those miserable flat FE exhaust manifolds of the day.  The cast headers of the 352 wouldn't fit.

John - "The Hoosier Hurricane"

That 361 Edsel engine should be a good performer with the right tuneup.  It was the real Police engine for the 1958 Ford cars when ordered for law enforcement purposes.  Early on, I had a variety of FE’s in a ’56 Customline Victoria including a 427 Tunnelport. I used an older set of Hedman headers that had a cast iron adapter that bolted to the heads and then the headers themselves bolted straight up to that.  These actually worked quite well when hooked up to the factory 2” Police exhaust.

Lorena, Texas (South of Waco)