Confused about power ratings.

[DiamondGBar87]

I'm a little confused about how much power the FE 360 2V in my grandpa's 1972 F100 Explorer Special put out from the factory. The ID plate claims an un-whopping 156 SAE certified hp, while my LMC catalog claims a much better sounding 215 hp. What in the world is with the 59 hp difference? Can someone clarify this mystery to me and mabey tell me what the actuall hp made by this motor is? Thanks.

[fordman]

i read soemthing abou tford under estimating the hp on the vin tag. dont trust lmc though.

[bb429power]

Ford would put a lower hp rating on there just so that it would cost less for customers to buy the truck and to lower other costs.

[70_F100]

http://www.fordification.com/tech/VIN72.htm

[hotrodfeguy]

Factory power ratings were way under rated case in point look at the 428CJ making 335hp. The 302 Boss was rated at 290 by comparison. I think there was more than 45HP change there.

[70_F100]

Keep in mind that in 1971, SAE HP ratings were changed from gross to net.

[hazelnut]

ive got a 69 brocure and it says 215@4400 gross hp and 327@2600 tq, with a 8.4 compression ratio. i know yours is a 72.

[Dragon]

FEs were gone before cams were retarded and other really silly stuff so the Net to SAE power change showed two identical engines being rated way different with the same compression, displacement, carb and cam. When the world switched to SAE then the numbers between Ford and Chevy and Chrysler were easier to get the truth from.

[averagef250]

150HP is actually a lot of HP. I don't think very many people really appreciate what 1HP is and what it feels like when you put, say 150HP to the ground and do work with it.

HP can be a pretty meaningless number as it's always been miss-represented by automakers. It's like the 6.5HP home depot air compressor that actually only puts out 1.5 HP.

[dustman_stx]

I'm a little confused about how much power the FE 360 2V in my grandpa's 1972 F100 Explorer Special put out from the factory. The ID plate claims an un-whopping 156 SAE certified hp, while my LMC catalog claims a much better sounding 215 hp. What in the world is with the 59 hp difference? Can someone clarify this mystery to me and mabey tell me what the actuall hp made by this motor is? Thanks.

My guess is that one is at the flywheel, the other at the rear wheels, but I could be wrong. For example, the 210 hp rated 98 F150 I had with a 4.6 would probably only put down 160-170 to the rear wheels, if I had to guess. And that's with a much more efficient tranny than the c-6's my 71 and 72 are running.

[DiamondGBar87]

Thanks for the info. I really appreciate all the help. I'm trying to find out all that I can so I can do a 100% factory correct documented restoration on this truck. It was the first vehicle that my grandpa bought new, so it holds a special place in my heart. Plus from what I have gleamed from this site it seems that the Explorer Special is a kinda rare and desirable package to have.