Thread: 390 Rebuild on a $2,000 Budget

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Ok guys, I need some advice.
I'm a Chevy guy as far as recomendations for HP and I don't know where to spend his bucks on a Ford 390.

Got a job to do a 390 for a pick-up.
Budget is $2,000.oo for parts and machine work.

Customer wants Red light to Red light seat of the pants kick.

Figure about $150.00 for a bath and Magnaflux all parts that need it.
Heads-Valve job, dress surface, $150.00, porting I can do.

Basic block stuff, hone cyl walls, etc.

Parts......?

Intake, single or dual plane?

Carb? He wants an Edlebrock Performer series.. (Weber).. it's pretty I guess.

Headers?

Cam grind for a real nice lope.

He is NOT going to balance the thing...why I don't know.

Pistons? wanna boost the comppression a bit but don't wanna go past pumped gas.

Aluminum Heads?

Can we get 480 HP Plus out of it for $2,000.00?

Guys I have posted this question once already..
Sorry for the double post...
Got some good ideas. and Thanks very much.
But if someone has something new I would apreciate it.

I used to work for a per parts wholesale. If you want to stay under $2k you need to put aluminium anything ouit of you head! FE Edlebrock is way out there!!! you yeads alone, would cost that much! find a good machine shop and flow what you have. Oversize the valves. all you HP is ine the top end. Try going for a good set of hyperutectic pistons. enexpensive and durable. Lat year Street Rodder Magazine did a really goo build up on FE plants. They may have tha naswers you ar looking for.

Cast iron makes more power than aluminum, especially when you're dealing in low compression engines. The primary advantage of alumium is it lets you run a lower octane than the same engine with iron heads.

A 460 swap?
Whose gonna swap a tired old 390 for a 460?
And free for that matter!
PLEEEZE!!

If Free Dollars was the price just rebuild what you have. I though that was the #1 rule of street rods. Use what you can out od what is given to you and scavange for the rest.
Honestly I think you should be able to flow the cast irons ok and through on a nice Edlebrock 1901 carb. You can get those remanned as well. If you need exhaust hook ups, Hedman makes an nice, but inexpensive hedder.

Agree Bowtie!

Gonna build what he has, stupidity is not one of my goals!
460 my ass.
I have a good die grinder that has been inside many a head.

In my part of the country they took old Hudsons, Fords and Chevy's and made world beaters out of nothing.
Where would the Moonshine business be today if it wasn't for Johnson, Yarbough, and Moore?

I am not saying thet the 460 swap is not a good ideal, by no means. I don't know what you have been told, but sizes does matter! I am just saying if that is what you have , go for it!!! I could have a 305 for free that my dad gave me for my 48 chevy. I don't want a typical small block street rod. I did my readding and found, in my opinion that the 500 cid caddy motor with a few minor enhancemance is the best GM HP producer pound for pund and on top of that it is different!. An FE definately has plenty of torque fo a truck. Good work engine. So make the most of it!!

For real?

In what way dude?

Explain please.
I seem to be missing the connection here.

I am currently in the process of building a 390 for a 65 T-Bird. I know you said your application was for a pick-up. I am looking for about 400 hp. I started with a lot of questions too! Here's where I'm at. The block has been bored .030 over, line bored, decked, balanced, heads done (no porting yet), 9.5 to 1 pistons. With parts and machine work I'm in about 1800.00. Competition Cams recomends cam 33-238-4 for this application. I wanted more compression but after reading and talking to CC they and the info I had been checking into seemed to agree that 9.5 to 1 was the best for running on the street and for power. I will initially be using the stock intake mainifold with a holley DP 650. The 460 will fit. It is same hieght and width and two inches longer but the existing tranny won't bolt up without an adapter plate. Chevy's can bolt any tanny/engine together but not with Fords. There are a number of aluminum parts that can be found at swap meets but you definately won't come in at under 2 grand, if you start adding that stuff! The Fe I am building was an original 4v engine and the numbers verified it to be a police intercepter engine. If your numbers ck out, you may already have some good pieces to work with. There are three different heads Ford built for these engines, I believe, and looking around you may be able to find some theat lend themselves to more high performance. There was the low riser, medium rise and high riser heads. I believe the high riser head is the most desirable. They tell me the stock bottom end when put together properly is good for 6000 rpm.

Craig;I agree with Sevenson Totaly!!! Man your gonna have to make a lot of phone calls Trying to get the best prices and even then it's gonna be hard to get the job done for that.I think It would be plain silly to not balance that engine.They run smoother and last twice as long, He will be sorry in the long run. Better start looking for parts at swap meets and your not always going to find what you want. I would tell him to save some more money and do it when he can afford to do it right. Short cuts are always a bad idea.


Vegas

Performer or Performer RPM manifold and headers (whatever fits), depends on the steering box on how they fit. What kind of tranny? Stall converter? What kind of rear, Traction loc or one wheel drive? What kinda gears?

You can get a stock 4 bbl manifold for about $25 but they are heavy. I have been told that they are equivelant to a Performer in flow.

Really watch pushrods as everywhere you read about FE engines being rebuilt, if they are not adjusted properly you will bend pushrods.

There are oil passage modifications that should be done as well, if you search around on the net you can find them pretty easy.

I think he is going to run over $2000 in the end.

Is it OK to mention other urls on this site?

Ok,
I have decided on
Performer RPM # 7105 Edelbrock Intake
A 7106 Edelbrock Cam (could be changed to Comp)
A 1806 Edelbrock 650 carb.
We will need to change to adjustable rockers with this cam.
But that's ok.

What do you Old Salts think about this?

let me see if i can dig up the specs of my dads 427 that might help

I got a 390!
If I had other options I would use them but I GOT A 390!
PERIOD!
I built a 383 Stroker that would probably wup most 427's flat out.
But I got a 390.
He likes the 390.
390
390