The seldom seen FE 332 CJ....July 30 2002 at 8:07 PM
This was found on http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/thread?forumid=74182&messageid=1028084849
This engine, year of production uncertain, should not be confused with the Boss 352 (or even the Boss
292). It was used mostly by modified production class racers in NHRA in the '60s and beat almost
every 327 Chevy it ever ran against. (The only two loses were later found to be due to the Chevy
cars using nitro so in reality, if we dare use that term here, it never lost!)
This engine had an unusual bore, 4.2, and stroke, 2.992, for 331.619 cubic inches. This is just
under the 331.645 cubic inches of the 0.030 over 327 Chevrolet small block. The block was a top oiler
with oversize ½ oil inch galleries, screw in freeze plugs, three webs at the mains, and cast in 3/8 inch
oil drains from the heads directly to the pan at the back on both sides - obviously copied from the Cammer
blocks. It was also one of the first cross-bolted FE blocks. The lightweight crankshaft had
a 2.5 inch main bearing diameter and the connecting rod journal of the small block, 2.122 inches.
This small main bearing journal diameter was gotten by using unique thick bearing shells so this crank
actually could be used in any FE block. (A 3.1 stroke version of this crank was used with a 4.25
piston in the 427 block for the 352 Boss. More on that another time.)
Since it was not drilled for hydraulic lifters it has only been seen with the factory 0.580 solid lifter
cam (additional specs unknown at this time) or one of the Isky roller cams using the Isky rev kit that
bolted into the valley. With the Isky cams and their rev kit, the rev limit was between 11,000 and
12,500 rpm depending on the cam and carburetion. The factory cam held the RPM down to 9,500 or so.
The aluminum heads (casting number CXU8-1) featured 2.15 titanium intake and 1.7 titanium exhaust valves,
a weird spark plug placement, 50 degree intake valve seats, and a 60 cc head volume. Compression
ratio was 10.8 with the stock deck height of 0.025 and the stock forged piston valve relief volume of 8 cc
using the standard sandwich gaskets and had a 14.5 ratio with forged Jahns domed (-8 cc) pistons,
0.015 deck height and shim head gaskets. The magnesium roller tipped rocker arms ran on special
small-bore and therefore thicker and stronger shafts. Intake ports were raised like the high riser,
but had a raised floor as well with a port opening of 2.125 by 1.35. The D shaped exhaust ports
exited parallel to the ground and required special headers - which was no problem for the modified porduction
cars using fender well headers.
The factory 4 BBL intake manifold was similar to the single 4 BBL high riser although 2 inches higher,
but was almost never used. A Weiand tunnel ram with a pair of C3AF-BK 652 CFM Holleys or the C6AZ-AH
710 CFM Holleys off the GT 40 were the usual choices although some used a Hilborn injector setup.
(Copyright July 2002 by BS.)
- Reply: Dave King (Login FrameRotBlues) Huh. July 30 2002, 8:40 PM
- Sounds like a bored & stroked 289, but super-beefy.
- I was always wondering which of the FEs were the rev-happy ones. Heh, I get a kick out of looking
at "[singular] year of production" and "usual choice" regarding carbs. There must've been more than
5 made if more than a handful of guys were running this motor. ??
- MeatyBTZ: (Login MeatyBTZ) I dont know about the mods and such but the 332 was the smallest FE
engine. July 30 2002, 10:03 PM
- I've seen the 332 listed as an FE, though I always thought is was the earliest FE engine produced, not
a HighPo motor design. I need to go check my sources but while lacking the whiz bang of the engine
listed here it was produced and used in the '50s, the next FE in the line was the 352 and then we get into
the full blooded FEs. But it makes sense that the 332 FEs could wind up. They had a HELL of a
lot less rotating mass than our much later and larger 352-428 engines. Any thoughts??
- Barry Byer: (Login BarryByer) V-6 FE July 30 2002, 10:37 PM
- Ford also produced the fabled 321 cubic inch tunnel port for the 24 hours of Sofia (former Yugoslavia)
which was basically a 427 with number 4 and 8 cylinders cut off and 6 Holley 2 barrels backed by a Dagenham
4 speed in a 67 Cortina chassis. Hugely successful but seldom heard from outside eastern Europe.
- OzFe (Login OzFe) 330 and 332 July 30 2002, 10:42 PM
- A std 332FE is 4.0 bore 3.30 stroke; a std 330FT is 3.875 bore 3.50 stroke
- So 311 from 3.875 block and 3.3 crank; the above destroked 427 (4.2 bore 3.0 stroke) sounds wild indeed
- Ron Lombardi: (Login BAFord427) FE350 ?? July 30 2002, 11:19 PM
- Boy, I can just see it now. Put this combo down in say a 70' Chevy Nova. Leave the 350
badges on it, along with the hood welded shut from wondering eyes. Make a few blistering passes, and
then lighten the field with putting a few Mopars, Chevy's and 5.0 Mustangs down. Getting the Chevy
Crowd cheering and then after another winning pass, popping the hood off for all of them to see after
walking up expecting BBC! Yeah, the Ford boys (5.0 Mustangs included) would be smiling and the Chevy
boys would be anything but friendly!
- Yep, it would be a fair turn of play for every Chevy Powered Mustang or other Ford/Mercury I've had the
unpleasant honor of seeing for the last 20 plus years!
- Anyone in this forum ever tried this combo?
- Royce Peterson: (Login RoyceP) Hey Bob.... July 31 2002, 4:48 AM
- When my computer battery goes bad it defaults to January 1, 1900. I think your battery must have gone
bad and the default date might be April 1, 2002.
- Royce Peterson
- Bob Sprowl: (Select Login bsprowl) The Devil made me do it! July 31 2002, 6:42 AM
- I was wondering how long it would take for some one to see that I fabricated this out of smoke and
mirrors.
- Sure wish Ford had actually made the 332 CJ or the Boss 352. Oh well.
- Ron Lombardi: (Login BAFord427) Hey BOB! July 31 2002, 8:02 AM
- Who in their right mind in this forum (that knows you) is going to step up and question you on an "FE
related issue?" LOL!
- Seems like maybe you're looking at this from the wrong angle. Ford didn't spit them out, but with
all of the Reman FE blocks out or soon coming out.....maybe you should put a few of these Bad Boy's
together and sell them on ebay as "Limited Production" with say a $50K price tag on them. Put
something like "Le Mans, GT40, Shelby, Cobra, Talladega, NASCAR, or Holman and Moody" in the listing and
You would certainly have someone buy in. If not, you'd have a fun little project to play with and
let the rest of us know how it performs!
- P: (Login FEfinaticP) Sprowl, you dog........................ July 31 2002, 8:34 AM
- ..........good one, and here I was getting ready to load another ream of paper into the printer,
thinking to myself, HOLY SH*T, lookie here!!!!!!!!!
- Hook, line, and sinker, and with hardly any bait.
- P ROTFLMAO
- Bob Sprowl: (Select Login bsprowl) As I said the devil made me do it. July 31 2002, 9:19 AM
- It is feasible to build such a critter. The main bearings would probably be hard to do.
Cutting down a 332 crank should be doable but who has one?
- The latest NASCAR heads have given me a lot of ideas to try. Going to play with clay and see what
I can learn after I get back to the flow bench.
- The manifold part may be expensive but perhaps a PSE type adapter and then 351C manifolds would make
that feasible.
- CXU8-1 = CX You Ate One.
- I probably should have called it the 332 HP; the CJ was too easy to spot.
- I like idea of putting it in a Nova. But we should take it to Super Chevy Sunday or some such
event and really piss off a lot of folks.
- Glad you enjoyed it.
- JMO: (Login JMO_) See number 12 July 31 2002, 9:10 AM
- http://www.network54.com/Hide/Forum/message?forumid=74182&messageid=1027983275
- Then there's the SOHC 332 with Hilborn...
- Kevin: (Login HIGH-RISER) What a bunch of sick people...... July 31 2002, 10:36 AM
- And you belong here too LOL! I did try to "invent" the 311 for a fake GT-500 engine when the gas
crunch was going on. I had the block and crank, but did not want to spend the money for custom (real
heavy) after market pistons. The compression height of 2 inch, (stock rod) would have been over 1,000
grams. A 352 was free most of the time, nobody wanted them. A customer, Tom Hearst of Wilton
Iowa, (the first Winston Racing Series Late Model Champion) that I did engine work for, ran a 332 once and
liked it. The grin on his face was a good sign!
- 68GT500 : (Login 68gt500) Bob that was a masterpiece of.. July 31 2002, 1:04 PM
- Bullshitting !!!
- I read your post and was wondering why on earth I never even heard rumors about that "FE development".
- You really got me there
- Keep it up!
- Mike (Germany)
- 68 GT500
- Bob Sprowl: (Select Login bsprowl) Just living up to my initials... July 31 2002, 5:52 PM
- I come from a long line of BSers. My dad was one as was my grandfather, my brother and so is my son
and one son-in-law.
- have a BS day.
- RonW: (Login reman) Members Hey Bob, I have the original Boss 292 July 31 2002, 6:57 PM
- Its still setting in the old rusting down 57. I also seem to remember that it has an intake valve
firmly implanted "in" #5 piston. We destroked it to a 239 crank along with a bunch of other stuff.
It would leave any 283 far behind and most 327's. I do recall a post on this forum sometime
back about someone racing a 427 block with a 332 crank. Talk about a high revver, that would have to
be unbelievable! Oh well, back to reality.