Petro (Login KQQL64) Posters from IP address 67.50.204.56
I own a '64 Galaxie with a 390. Considered 385 series Ford but decided to stay nostalgic. I have already rebuilt rear end. It now has 370 posi with a 28 inch tall tire. Also a built C6 with 10 inch converter. Can anyone tell me if I should build a 390 or stroke it to a 410? Which of these two would be more durable and streetable but still good at the strip? Can anyone help me figure out what parts I should use or buy? Here is a list of some of the things that I have:
HEADS: C6AE-U and C4AE-6090G
CONNECTING RODS: C6AE-C and C7AE-B
CRANKSHAFT: 1U 3.98 and C4AE-C 3.78
BLOCKS: I have 2 390 with 4.050 bore
I have C2AE9431-G exhaust manifolds (short headers). Or should I buy tube headers?
I also have an Eldebrock F427 dual plane intake.
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Anything can make it depending on the amount af money you want to invest. The FE is an investment any way you slice it. For that matter all Fords are. After all we live in a Chebby world.
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I have a 390 in a 67 FB Mustang. It has the Edelbrock Performer RPM top end & a crane cam of unknown grind. It makes around 425 HP & revs to about 6500 rpm. I didn't build this motor, it came with the car, which is probably why it has dropped #6 cylinder.
If I was rebuilding it I would stroke it to 410 cid & fit a different cam to keep the revs at around 6000 (revs is what kills engines)I would think you could get 450 hp out of a 410 stroker with no great difficulty and very good reliability, if you want more hp than that it can be done but you will start to trade off reliability
regards
David
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Thanks for the info about your 390. I was hoping someone could tell me more about FEs and their parts. Wondering if the parts I have are decent or if I need to purchase Edelbrock aluminum heads and headers or is that just a waste of money. I know my car is a heavy-weight (3950 lbs) but I was hoping that 500 hp would get me into the 12.50s and still be streetable. Since I don't know the tricks to the FEs, I was hoping someone could direct me in the right direction.
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You can have 500 hp, but how much money do you want to spend & how much reliability do you want to sacrifice. After my 390 died & I wanted a 500+ hp motor I bought a 428 SCJ block which will be stroked to around 456 cid. The Edelbrock performer RPM heads will be fitted & a 950 Holley carb. The cam will be a custom grind to put the HP & torque exactly where I want them. The motor is being built by a professional who has guaranteed 530 hp minimum. The price is about $11,000 but it will give me the reliability & performance I want.
If you really want 500 hp out of a 390 try talking to the Edelbrock people or someone like Keith Craft from Keith Craft Racing or maybe someone on this forum has more ideas, I am in Australia so things are a bit different here
Regards
David
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Hope your FE makes good hp for that kind of money. Unless I can find a good FE builder, I am leaning towards going back to the 460 style motor even though it is heavier. I know I can make 500 hp with minor modifications to the motor. I was hoping to find someone that could give me the specifics on an FE and make good hp without costing an arm and a leg. Unless I can find someone that can tell me how to build a decent FE I guess I will have to look at other options. Thanks again.
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I have to admit that if I was going to do it again I too would buid it from a 460. Could achieve much higher #s for cheaper. Im sure some will disagree but there is a reason the Fe has been out of production for so long despite emission regulation. The only way to achieve equallity between the two is with exotic collector type parts, therefore costing too much. Ede. heads, roller motor will achieve the results you desire, at least probably more than the rubber can handle.
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Don't want to throw a wet blanket on things but the way this thread is running a 390 may not be the right motor to give you what you want. 500+ HP with reliability will not come cheap or easy (not in Australia anyway), if it did I would have rebuilt mine.
I went for the stroked 428 for a number of reasons.
1/- I have to agree with brotherdon that there is no substitute for cubic inches.
2/- A lot of my 390 parts can be used in the 428
3/- I wanted a motor that would match the car (67 FB Mustang with some Shelby cosmetics)
4/- I wanted to match the performance of a car that Shelby raced in the '60s which was producing 530 HP
5/- I would have been happy with less HP because of the inherent Mustang problem of lack of rubber as mentioned also by brotherdon, but the HP in this car will be used to produce a high top end speed rather than blindingly fast 1/4 miles.
So I guess it all comes down to budget & personal preference. I know I am paying a lot of $$ to get a particular result, but its what I want to give me the car I have always wanted.
I will publish the Build Sheet on the motor for anyone interested in a similar project (along with the name of my Psychiatrist) once the motor is finished.
There may be a few little tricks in it that we Aussies do that may help others.
regards
David
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In high school I had a 63 1/2 Galaxie 500 XL. Pulled out the tirede 532 and cruise-o-matic And dropped a .030 over 427 12.5 pistons machined flat. A Crane blazer cam. factory low riser 63 E comp low riser heads and 63 factory two four barrels intake # matched heads 63 factory dual point C-6 with shift kit and a 411 gear. Car weight 5000 lbs on scales at track. Daily driver 13.3 quarter mile times. Maybe just a thought but if you want reliability and horse power you should build the engine the factory leaned on for the wins at LeMans. Cant promise you anything but that car never left me on the side of the road. And adding an oil cooler kept it cool even in traffic. Tony
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Making any FE motor that did not come stock with 499 HP into a 500 HP motor will cost you BIG $$$$$$$, because in order to find out if your block can take the bore/Stroke/heat/flex/stress etc... you will need to take your FE to the Doctor, or the Machine shop where they build them. Generally if you tell them what year and size you have of FE they can give you a fairly good estimate as to wether or not your particular motor can handle 500 ponies and how to get you there fastest and cheapest (which is NOT in the FE Dictionary by the way) You don't want your FE to end up in your neighbor's yard and their neighbor's yard and so on. There is a man in Plattsmouth, Nebraska at a place called Mullenax/Napa Auto, Machine and Engine, his name is Lee, and he can tell you. 500 HP is attainable in the FE motors, but, it's costly. Hell I'm FE and Going Broke just "thinking" about putting my '66 390+.030 another +.30 and a silly little 428 crank and a juicy cam and an aluminum 2X4 or 3X2 intake on it. I still have to find a way to actually do it before I move back to the Pacific Northwest in 12 months! (not enough time for me, I'll probably trailer her home)
Happy HP Hunting!
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The days of difficulty in attaining 1.2-1.4 HP/cubic inch are pretty much gone with today's available parts, namely cams and heads. Specifically, a solid roller cam with 255/265 at .050 and lift over .650" on stock [lightly ported] 428 CJ heads, 10.5 comp & single-plane intake will pretty-much guarentee make 550+ EASILY. If you dont want to go roller cam, a 10:1 minimum compression 428, with CJ heads [lightly open exhaust ports optional ~ always smooth transition area under valve seats], 250 degree duration at .050 and .600 lift on 108-110 LSA [ie Comp 292S] solid flat tappet, 1-3/4 headers, 750-950 cfm 4150 Holley carb, 36 degrees total timing, on a single plane intake [Victors are $$$ - ported Streetmaster or strip dominator will do], and you easily have 500 hp at flywheel. I build 385 series engines, which are cheaper and [arguably] better designed, but 500 HP is that easy from 428 FE. FE's are more expensive, yes, but not all that much. The stock crank & rods with ARP bolts usually holt together to 5800-6000 rpm. Remember that nothing make power like a roller cam. People who argue this point have usually never used one.
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