Identification of a Ford FE Cylinder Head

The FE, or Ford-Edsel, family of Ford engines included some of Fords biggest powerhouses, including the 360, 390, 427, and 428 big blocks. Identifying the cylinder heads on these engines requires a combination of identification techniques, beginning with locating the casting number.

Casting Numbers

FE cylinder head casting numbers are stamped directly on the top of the head itself. On the passenger side, they are between cylinders two and three- driver side numbers are between cylinders six and seven. Casting number C9XX was manufactured in 1969. "C" represents the 1960s ("D" for the 1970s, and so on), "9" is the decade year followed by vehicle model and engineering codes. A Ford parts department may be able to further help you determine each characters meaning.

Differences

The heads of the 428 Cobra Jet, the 390 High-Performance, the 390 GT and the 427 need further identification differentiation. The Cobra Jet has larger ports than both 390s and has either vertical or diagonal exhaust manifold bolts. The 390 High-Performance head has larger ports than the 390 GT. The 427 head can have low, medium or high riser lengths.

Other Considerations

Most FE heads are interchangeable. Modifications are done for performance reasons, and performance specifications differentiate most FE-series heads. As no one identification method positively identifies one from another, its generally necessary to measure ports, risers and valve sizes for cross-erence.