Ford's 330 engine?

[79ford1ton]

Hi there,

Last spring I purchased my dream truck, a 1979 Ford F350 one ton dually with the extended 161" wheelbase chassis. I fell in love with the truck seeing it was in excellent condition as the previous owner was a retired trucking firm mechanic and the truck was a DSO for U-Haul.

Either one of us knew the correct engine size. The previous owner told me the engine was a 302, to where I had to disagree that the engine doesn't look like a 302. I also have a '64 Ford F350 with a 302 and both engines don't look the same at all. I decoded the truck VIN and says the engine is a DSO. I can't find the engine code plate.

I found out a couple days ago that the engine is a 330, specialty by U-Haul. I've never heard of the 330 before, and would like you to share some of your knowledge of this engine. II'd be curious to know when was Ford's first 330, when they stopped producing them if and why? Also as stated, this is a one ton truck with a 15'x8' flatbed body. In your opinion, is this a good size engine for the truck? Another old car buff suggested if I had a 302 in the truck, it is a more economical engine, however considering the size and weight of the truck, the 302 would work harder than a bigger size engine like a 351 or 392, therefore be harder on gas.

I appreciate your thoughts, and any 330 info. you could pass.

Tyl

[Schreiber]

I'm sure someone will come along who can answer this much better than I can. In the meantime, a quick google search shows that
they are out there:

330 cid Ford medium & heavy duty truck engine

http://www.kanter.com/p30-fon.html#fo24
FORD TRUCK V8 1964-78 330, 359, 361, 389, 391

http://www.nationalcylinderhead.com/reb ... atalog.asp
FORD 64-78 330 CID/5.4 L M.D. Engine 1 3/8" Crank

FORD 64-78 330 CID/5.4 L H.D. Engine 1 3/4" Crank

http://theserviceadvisor.com/part/reman ... 0hdlb.html
http://www.classictruckshop.com/id_ford_6972.php

[ICEMAN6166]

330 FT was fords medium duty v-8 for many years.
FT engine family is 330/361/391
block is a heavier duty FE type (352/360/390/406/410/427/428)
mostly found in f500/600 and the busses and cabovers
some parts do swap between the FE and FT, but not heads or intake.most busses and u-hauls have engine speed governors, between the carb and intake, 60 mph downhill is all you can get.

390s are often used by folks when replacing the 330 as the bell pattern and mounts are the same.

[johnny reb]

I have a 330 in my 1975 F-600 ina 1 1/2 ton. It is a good engine. As stated before a few parts will inter -change with the 352,360,390,428--but the heads are different and a few other parts.For hauling and pulling power it is a better engine then the 302-but it does not get the mileage---though the 302 engine is a very good dependable also--anytime you want more power------your gonna have to give something for it-in this case-less mileage for the 330. You should get arould 13 mpg in a ton job. I get about 10 mpg -4sp+2sd aux-which is not bad for all the weight you haul sometimes. Good luck

[junkyardjeff]

Since it was ordered by U haul and since they have a bunch of larger Ford trucks in the fleet they probably ordered the one tons with the same motors as the rest,I doubt that average person could of gotten that motor when ordering a one ton on down.

[71 LONG BED]

Ford used them as their low RPM grunt motors in the medium duty trucks before they introduced the Deisel motors. Very low RPM motor, very high torque.

[Big-Bird]

Looks like this thread needs some bumping and I have the perfect addition to the topic.

I am in the process of restoring a 1972 Ford C600 fire truck. The truck itself is no longer in the service of the fire dept but it has being given a new life. Unfortunately the previous owners (small town New York) didn't do any real maintenance on the old truck. It failed a safety inspection with a rather long list of issues. Most notable was the littany of engine leaks on the 330. So far I have managed to seal up the leaks with some help from my local parts suppliers. The problem I am having now is keeping it running after having sat all winter (A Canadian winter I might add). With the few days of warm weather we have had I actually got it running and retimed after having the top end all apart for an intake gasket replacement. But now when the mercury drops it won't start.

I never took the carb off the intake and the truck ran great before the gasket job. Its got a new coil, solenoids, starter, condensor and points. The tuneup was done just last summer so plugs, wires, cap and rotor are ok. I am going to purge the fuel system, change the filters and prime with some fresh fuel and see if I can't get it running properly. But something tells me if its not moisture in the fuel system, or just old gas, then the old Holley 2 barrel is the real culprit.

I can support the earlier comment about top speed of this engine being limited to 60MPH. That 4 speed New Process tranny needs to be a 5 speed. Then that old dog would be able to do highway speeds! I'll try and get get some pics up the next time I post.

[wdfifteen]

You might just take the carb off and take it inside where it's warm and rebuild it while you're waiting for spring. A rebuild kit isn't real spendy - about $40 including shipping from this Canadian place.
http://www.carburetor.ca/carbs/kits/CK035.htm

Let us know how things go for ya.
Patrick

[tam85]

ford 330 engine is an ft engine not an fe even they use the same block. they also have 352 cast on the block with a low compression head 7.5 to 1.
______________________
ford trucks parts | -tammy beede-