Anyone ever built a bad little 289?

i drove a 66 stang at work with a worked 289. i loved it. soo responsive and would just lite em up with the touch of the gas. i just love the way that the sbf's sound too.

 

Wouldn't a dual quad 289 be over-carb'd? Seems like all it really needs is a small to medium size 4 barrel. ?? Just asking.[/QUOTE]

No way, Ive seen 'em with 715cfm double pumpers, Paxton superchargers, and 4x2 48IDA Weber setups....and 3x2 setups of course

-Dean

 

No way, Ive seen 'em with 715cfm double pumpers, Paxton superchargers, and 4x2 48IDA Weber setups....and 3x2 setups of course

-Dean[/QUOTE]

I am running dual 500 cfm carbs with the right cam (power range 3500-7000 rpm) and progressive linkage it runs good. That is in a 2200 lb A Coupe with a quickchange. Heads seem to make the biggest improvement those little motors like to breath and rev high. I have not been disapointed yet.

 

A good progressive linkage is the key to running dual on a 289, unless your all out racing it.

 

My early Mustang with two 500 cfm Carters straight linkage on an Offy intake. Running an Isky solid .578" lift and 264 deg duration at .050".
It does love to rev! Toploader 4 speed and soon to be either 4.56 or 4.88 detroit locker rear.

 

The bad part about all factory Ford SBF heads is that the exhaust port is WEAK. You can make a lot of headway with just porting on them, especially if you use an older casting (early 351W, 289 Hi-Po, etc) but these are scarce and getting old.

There are at least a dozen aftermarket brands making heads for Fords, and each of these has 2 or 3 castings. The late model Mustang thing really made this market explode. The best street/strip heads out there are probably the AFR 185s, I've seen several 450-500hp N/A 302s with a lot of cam and compression.

I used to run a Dart headed hyd roller 302. I could take it to about 7K before it got into serious valve float. If I had been smarter, I would have run a solid cam and taken it to 9K, the heads and cam profiles out there will support it easily, and neither will the exhaust (usually).

A big problem with small Fords is the interchangability. You can get old and new parts to bolt in place a lot of times and still have it wrong. Old engines are 28oz/in imbalance, and '83+ H.O. engines are 50oz/in. You can put a "new" balancer and flywheel on an old engine and end up with the rowdiest shake you've ever felt. Timing covers, dipsticks, pan arrangements, fuel pumps, all that stuff was different for different models and years. Also, 289/302s up till the H.O. ran one firing order, while 351Ws and the H.O. 302s have it different - make sure you get the cam right for whichever you choose. And 351Ws have an extra .7" of deck height, so no the intakes will not interchange with the low deck motors.

have fun

 

I got myself a pretty nasty little 289. Its 30 over, solid cam, its balanced and blueprinted.....oh, its got ported and polished heads, which also have been shaved to 46 cc's, the block is decked. Its got 14 to 1 comp, and the cam is an isky .578 lift, 264 duration. 2.02/1.6 valves. right now its got an OLD torquer 289...the one with the twisted flange, but I'm gonna port the Victor Jr I've had for some time now and put it on. It'll spin 7500 right now with the heads being the biggest restriction, so I wanna get another set, and spin it to almost 9000...haha, and yes, the car is run on the street...and its never detinated with pump gas in it.....yes, i keep my fingers crossed all the time! For those who think I'm bluffin, ask Ken, Keith and Dave...haha

 

I built the 289's in my fairlane and my mustang, great motors and I've had alot of fun with them but like Tingler I want to get more serious with the fairlane. I'm gonna build a 302 soon probably just a roller cam 5.0 with a single plane intake.

 

Huh, I feel kinda stupid for *****-footing my 302 then.. I've never had it over 4 grand, because if it pukes I couldn't swing a replacement. I've always been a chevy guy until I got a 67 mustang, that 302 will rev so freakin fast, it just snaps up a few grand like it's nothing. No idea about the cam, it has a Eldy intake and 600 carb, MSD box and dizzy, and long-tube headers. She picks up good, especially at around 3000. I like it, seems like a fine motor.

 

The little Fords can sure do it , and if they are built right they can survive, the only thing that gets me is the damm oil pump drive.

We used to run one in the Toppolino, single 4bbl running 9.90s all day in Supergas.
Gotta BBC in there now.

There is a couple of guys here in NZ , Father and son team , running an Altered with a "little Ford" here , normally does low eights , but at this seasons opening meet a couple of weeks ago they broke into the sevens. Here is the video

This small block Ford dragster does 6s.

 

A customer of mine ran a 289 in a Falcon / Ranchero in AHRA back in the early '70's with a 4 speed. The car/truck ran 6.00 gears and had the new at the time Crane Fireball cylinder heads.

 

the first motor in my 68 mustang was a 289 that was amazing. It had edelbrock aluminum heads, intake, a holley dominator, a m***ive cam w/3500 stall. It ran so hard it was a shame to take it out for the bored and stroked 351 taking it's place.

 

Pete Robinson had a top fueler 289 powered. One of the lightest cars ever made. Very compe***ive car. I had a 63 Fairlane with a 271hp, 4 speed. Car ran like a devil. Around 64/65 I had a 289 powered C/D (magneto, injection, special heads) which ran in the low tens. Very competive car with an old ch***is. Used to give the SBC guys more than a run for the money.