Thread: 429 or 390 decision needet

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Hi Guys,

im jorg from germany. i own a lot of american cars as 67 Stang Fastback,
68 Cougar, 65 mustang convertible. 59 Apachie Truck and some more.

pics of my Rides:









Now the Problem:

also i own a 66 galaxie convertible without engine.

original its a 352 FE but the engine and tranny is missing.

now i need some help from you:

i can get a original 1965 390FE with FMX caming out of a S-code 1965 Galaxie, and
a 1971 429 D1VE 2Barel with C6 caming out of a 71 LTD or T-Bird (not sure).

whats the better engine?

i like high torque (remember, its a convertible) and economic in fuel consumption, because i like to drive the car over the summer daylie.

please can someone help me by decision?

thanx a lot

Jorg

PS. the 429 is ready to run, the 390 needs to rebuild, but no prob for me..

The FE motor fits the car better. The 429 is large. I have both, I think
you'd be better off keeping the 390.
Ron

Neither is going to be any great shakes for economy. The 390 bolts right in, and is the better choice, I'd say.

Mounts, exhaust system, electrical and cooling all will be more correct with the 390-----

As much as I'd like to put a 429 in that car, the 390 is the best choice. I'm surprised that it has an FMX transmission. I would double check that as it might be a Cruise-o-matic. The best of all, the 390 with the C6 (or a 4 speed) ( I had a '65 hardtop XL with the 390/330Hp Police Interceptor, fast car - then I got married )

Originally Posted by IC2

As much as I'd like to put a 429 in that car, the 390 is the best choice. I'm surprised that it has an FMX transmission. I would double check that as it might be a Cruise-o-matic. The best of all, the 390 with the C6 (or a 4 speed) ( I had a '65 hardtop XL with the 390/330Hp Police Interceptor, fast car - then I got married )

Hi Dave,
the 4speed (T10) i put in the 68 Cougar. together with a 427 dual quad and a Heidts IFS and 9" Detroit Locker it should bring some smile in my face

But the Galaxie is the Cruiser. The tranny has a bolted Bell Housing.
Im not shure, the Cruise-o-matic has it non screwed?

pict of engine:

http://img369.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fe390nk7.jpg

jorg

Originally Posted by GTfastbacker

Hi Dave,
the 4speed (T10) i put in the 68 Cougar. together with a 427 dual quad and a Heidts IFS and 9" Detroit Locker it should bring some smile in my face

But the Galaxie is the Cruiser. The tranny has a bolted Bell Housing.
Im not shure, the Cruise-o-matic has it non screwed?

pict of engine:

http://img369.imageshack.us/my.php?image=fe390nk7.jpg

jorg

Jorg,
A 427 Cougar - sounds like a Autobahn cruiser - and a surprise to the Porsche driving police

Nice clean 390 engine - at least physically.

The FMX didn't come out until '68 (through '81 or '82)which is why I said that I was surprised.

My guess - a Ford-o-Matic/Cruis-o-Matic transmission

Take a look here: http://www.charlietranny.com/Fordomatic.htm

Originally Posted by IC2

Jorg,
A 427 Cougar - sounds like a Autobahn cruiser - and a surprise to the Porsche driving police

Nice clean 390 engine - at least physically.

The FMX didn't come out until '68 (through '81 or '82)which is why I said that I was surprised.

My guess - a Ford-o-Matic/Cruis-o-Matic transmission

Take a look here: http://www.charlietranny.com/Fordomatic.htm

Thanks Dave,
maybe you right, it should be the cruise-o-matic!

is the C6 better than the Cruise-o-matic?

we do drive at autobahn up to 90 miles per hour cruising speed
i have to install a big trannycooler.

i do have a C6 from 1974 400M but i fear it uses different bolt pattern?


about the police porsche. i never have seen one of that. maybe its a marketing joke

but i see in italy a police lamborghini...

jorg

Originally Posted by GTfastbacker

Thanks Dave,
maybe you right, it should be the cruise-o-matic!

is the C6 better than the Cruise-o-matic?

we do drive at autobahn up to 90 miles per hour cruising speed
i have to install a big trannycooler.

i do have a C6 from 1974 400M but i fear it uses different bolt pattern?


sion that Ford used for years and is an excelaabout the police porsche. i never have seen one of that. maybe its a marketing joke

but i see in italy a police lamborghini...

jorg

Jorg
The Cruise -o-Matic is not a particularly strong transmission. The C6 is the standard heavy duty transmission choice for long life. I don't believe that the 400M version will fit - this might help:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...using_patterns

Yes - a police Porsche 911 on the Autobahn is true - I've seen them between Ludwigshafen and Frankfurt but not since the early '90s.

hey, thank you so much!

4 votes for the 390 against 0 for the 429.

thats a clear voting!

i will grabb the 390......

jorg

Well everyone here knows quite well that I will be biased toward the 429.

The Galaxie will not longer be "original" even with the FE engine. Further, the 390 FE is based on 1950's technology. The 390 needs a rebuild, and if you plan on upgrading engine parts then the FE engine aftermarket engine parts are more expensive, certainly more expensive than the 429 parts, dollar-per-horsepower or otherwise. Lastly, the FMX transmisson has a super heavy cast iron case.

On the other hand, the 429 is newer technology than the 390, makes much more power than the 390, has the potential to make the greatest power between the two engines, can make much more power per dollar spent, will get no worse fuel economy then the 390, will be slightly more reliable than the 390, and includes a C6 which is a far, FAR superior transmission which, by the way, has an all-aluminum case.

429/C6 absolutely. Especially when the autobahn becomes part of the equation.

Paul

Originally Posted by shoprat

The FE motor fits the car better. The 429 is large....
Ron

Originally Posted by R Pope

The 390 bolts right in, and is the better choice, I'd say.

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

Mounts, exhaust system, electrical and cooling all will be more correct with the 390-----

All these parts are available to install the 429 into the Galaxie, "correct" or not.

Paul

yep and for sort of the same tech and type of engine put a BBC in the car---only difference between the 429 and BBC is the BBC has forged steel cranks, better bearing sizes and easily more available lite weight parts such as heads----only draw back is the distributor is in the back

you have a nice good looking car that is 40 years old---maqke it as original as you can and I agree use the C6 trans

Paul

I put the first 460/C6 combo into a 1970 Ford F250 replacing a FE360---what a difference----I could pull our race trailer faster than the truck would run before!!!!It took Ford ( after many of there engineers saw it) three years to come out with it and then then discontinued it in 1980 for a while-----then after suffering with a 400 cleveland for a while I bought a Chevy crew cab ( something else ford was on/off with year to year) until I went 7.3 diesel in 1995

Originally Posted by jerry clayton

yep and for sort of the same tech and type of engine put a BBC in the car---only difference between the 429 and BBC is the BBC has forged steel cranks, better bearing sizes and easily more available lite weight parts such as heads----only draw back is the distributor is in the back

yep and the deck is 9.800 on the bbc and the ford is 10.300 less you go 10.200 bbc for a 632 donovan dry sump in it can you say hello autobahn