I'd say most of that is from a nylon timing gear,including the small spring like shavings. Those are probably off the gear after it shed the nylon teeth done by the timing chain.

Where did this engine come from? Was it in your car and you were previously driving it? Or was it sitting in the corner of some guy's garage, and you bought it to rebuild and install?

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Ok, answered your comment.

The only things I ever found in oil pans were the pieces of a broken engine, like piston pieces, timing gear pieces, etc. There's no way to get large things into the top of the engine except through the oil filler hole. And if you stuffed something in there, it would be unlikeky to have a way to get to the oil pan.

The only unexpected debris I ever saw in my enging rebuilding career since 1972 was a can of Permatex, which was plenty beat, and the plastic whiskers from the brush stuck all over the inside of the oil pan.

I blame the Ford assembly line crew. Maybe its a tupperware container?

My smartphone is not letting me expand the photo to look at it closer.

I just remembered something. My gf's father bought a 1970 LTD new, with 390, 2-bbl. Around 1973-4 his water pump was leaking, so he took it off. Then he thought to change the timing chain, but couldn't get the big harmonic balancer bolt off, so he asked me. So I took the frobt off and set cylinder #1 at TDC, the position to install the new timing chain. The cam gear was 2 teeth retarded! The chain was not stretched so badly, so it was done like that in the factory. I showed him and installed the new chain/gears properly. He said his mileage went from about 12 to 16 or 17 mpg, and it felt like a different engine! Much more power from stop. That's a 33% increase in gas mileage! The original cam gear had plastic covered teeth, so maybe thats what your plastic is. Maybe 3/8" pieces?

A lot of older engines used nylon timing gears on the camshaft. I've had my fair share of experience with them coming apart. After they age and high mileage the nylon gets brittle. The replacement gears are solid steel. I'm not sure at what point you are in this rebuild. Chances are if you're just getting into the tear down you will discover where these parts came form sooner or later. Where they actually came from at this point really doesn't matter since part of rebuilding an engine requires inspecting all the parts and replacing any that are out of specs or defective.

Looks like the nylon from the original cam sprocket/gear...pretty common...and that metal looks like a circlip, possibly from a lifter...the smaller stuff that's curled probably just shaved plastic from the gear coating when the chain cut in...maybe some of the plastic valve seals Ford used on them...an aluminum gear tooth or two when the nylon came off and the chain grabbed the aluminum part of the cam gear and snapped them off...

edit...two clueless trolls came to visit how cute

I can't wait for you to make your next post asking what all that noise could be when you start up your "rebuilt" motor. If you're dumb enough not to take the block to a machinist to have it boiled out and inspected before doing the work you're about to find out it's not a DIY project!

Have the block sonic tested and bored. use all new or reconditioned parts. what you have here is a bunch of trash.....

picture is to small to tell and it doesn't matter anyway......junk is junk!!!

the one spring on the right could be from oil pump pressure relief valve.....

there wasn't any plastic in a 69 FE Ford.....so likely pieces of piston.....cast aluminum kinda looks like plastic. it's very light............

THE FACTORY CAM GEAR TEETH WERE NYLON COATED TO KEEP THE NOISE DOWN. CHUNKS IN THE PAN ARE NORMAL FOR HIGH MILE MOTOR - IF YOU ARE REBUILDING YOU MUST DO A COMPLETE TEAR DOWN.

it may be the timing chain or belt tentioners ,and guides they are made with springs check balls and plastic.

I would like you guys to tell me what I'm looking at here. I'm about halfway done rebuilding the 390 out of my 1969 galaxie.

I found all this debris at the bottom on the oilpan. This is maybe half of it. Can you tell me what all of the large plastic chunks are from? I think the large spring came from a hydraulic lifter, but what about all of the smaller, springlike material?