When I built my amateur motor, I put in a couple of things to make it a little peppier. Comp rockers, edelbrock manifold and carb, stage 1 cam (dont know what brand it was or if this helps.) Bored, but not stroked. (know this doesnt do much.) I think thats it. I was told by one of my teachers that I have all this stuff on my car but since the car cant really breathe very well this stuff wont make much of a difference. Is this true? He said that the heads had to be ported I think. Does this sound right? Tryin to get the most bang for my buck on all the stuff I bought.
Doing the changes you have mentioned should make the engine more "peppier" not sure how much (or little), but having the head work done will add to that what engine is it? and what are you building it for?
not the same engine, but will give you the idea http://www.chevyhiperformance.com/techarticles/95518_small_block_cylinder_head_porting/index.html
Deuces is probably correct. My first thing to check would be the stroke 3.50 is a 360 and probably low compression 9.0 to 1 or less. You can check the stroke by putting a small dowel thru a spark plug hole and measuring the difference top to bottom. 3.78 it's a 390 and most likely higher compression and HP. 3.50 it's a 360 and most likely low compresson and HP. If you've already put a manifold, carb, rocker ***embly, and Cam in all you'll need is headers and exhaust to really wake a 390 up. The aftermarket rockers will give you additional lift. 1.76 vs 1.73 ratio. That is of course if you've got a 390 & not a 360 low compression Pickup motor. Heads are another alternative. What is the casting mark between the exhaust ports in the center? I expect D2TE-AA. 1970's truck heads. There is a FE users group here but it's rarely visited. Try the 332-428 FEForum for alot of help. Movin/on
In general, a more free-flowing exhaust gives you more bang-for-the-buck performance (and economy) than headwork. If it were mine and my goal was a "peppier" engine, my next steps would be, IN ORDER: 1. Free-flowing dual exhaust with low restriction mufflers and an H-pipe (or X-pipe if there's room) to balance the sides. 2. Long-tube equal-length headers (if they're available for your application). You may be limited to block-huggers, which are only a little bit better than stock cast-iron manifolds. 3. A better ignition- MSD, Mallory, or whatever. 4. Dyno time- to optimize your combination. 5. Head work. Hope this helps. -Gary
CHONDRO...If you have duel exaust, then you will certainly see a big differance. man i would kill for a 390 ford mill...POP.
Depends on what he means by "Truck" motor. If it came out of a Big Truck then it most likely is a 360. If it came out of an F-150 then it very well could be a 390, but not if it is a 76, technically only the 360 was available that year - the last for FE's
Dyno time is really good to maximize it. After you get all the other stuff sorted, exhaust, ignition, etc. , take it to a reputable shop and spend a couple hundred on it. A well tuned car runs better, saving money in the long run. Money well spent up front always pays you back. Also, 390 cubes is enough displacement to put a smile on your face. Get this one running right and get the ch***is, ****** and rear gears figured out. If you need more speed after that, then look into a bigger engine. There's no reason the 390 shouldn't scoot. I knew a guy with a 390 in an old f-250 4x4 that beat up on 5.0 mustangs, and that's with 35" mudders! good luck
Holy ****... Ill be so pissed if its a 360. When I baught the car. Im pretty sure that he told me that it was a 76 ford 390 The guy was kind of a douche bag. So I wouldnt b surprised. Thanks for helping me see the light guys. Please bare with me. Im no mechanic. So take a dowel like a thin piece of wood? Measure the tdc and bdc? The 3.50 and 3.78...Is this in inches? Thanks movin on! I updated it to dual exhaust with flowmasters 5 or 6 years ago. I guess I need me some headers. But I think Ill need to do some cutting to get them to fit in there. Not much room. Im gonna have to look into the dyno thing. But after I get it back in the car ofcourse. U guys are awesome Thanks!!!!!
You got it, a 1/4" dowel will be ok. Yes the measurement is in inches. Important: Pull the coil wire so the engine doesn't start. I just last week got a running "390" out of a 76 PU from a local guy here. Tore it apart & the stroke is 3.50". The second one I got also out of a 76 PU had a 4bbl intake and it is a 390. Do you remember which intake was on it? 2V or 4V? Both of the ones I got for $150 is a good deal. Also your best bang would be a set of headers. As someone mentioned earlier tri-Y and block hugger shorty's might work. The next thing I'd do is change the rear axle ratio. Originally there was a small metal tag on the carrier that told the ratio. Also head work is costly and unless you match the cam, intake, exhaust and get the RPM's up you will only feel a small improvement. FE's are a torque motor and give loads of it at 4000 to 5000RPM. Horsepower comes later higher RPM. Your car is no lightweight so go for the torque. Movin/on
I dont know if it was a 4 volt or a 2 volt but it did have a 2 barrell carb and intake on it. (If this helps.) That ****s that someone jipped u. Or maybe was just ignorant. Ive had several bad experiences with previous owners. F-ers! Never heard about the rear axle ratio thing. I have a lot to learn. Knowing me. Ill screw up the combo.
I dont measure from the spark plug whole down right? How would u get it accurate if its in the cylander? Am I explaining this right?
Hey there thechondro, 2v or 4v is 2 barrel or 4 barrel, sounds like you have a 2v on there right now. Moving up to a 4 barrel edelbrock or holley will help out when your right foot gets heavy. FE's are cool engines, keep at it and keep learing. g
Ofcourse the A-holes at ford cant just put a serial number on it to make life easier! JK. I love fords.
Bring the engine to TDC (top dead centre) with the dowel in the plug hole. Just use a breaker bar and socket on the crank pully to turn it. You will see the dowel move up, stop briefly and then go down. You want to measure the dowel movement from the highest point (TDC) to the lowest point (BDC) to figure out your stroke. g
I ended up getting a 4 barrel carb and intake. But I remembering the manifold not fitting easily with the gasket so I used liquid gasket only. Hope this helps a little. Since I used the liquid gasket I had to dremell a little bit on one of the ports for the pushrods to clear. (Just tryin to give enough info that I can so maybe it will help.)
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