I have a ton of FE parts I could sell to finance a gen 1 hemi for my old truck Does not need to be fancy, always wanted a hemi for the looks Truck only goes to car shows and cruise ins, no racing What is a realistic $$ amount I am looking at please ?? Then again, I may be off my rocker ... lol Ricky.
If your FE parts are of the 427 or 428 CJ variety that will sure help offset the cost of an early Hemi.
I think building an old hemi is about the same cost as your FE stuff...The go to place for old hemi parts is Hot Heads Research and Racing.... Wilcap use to be the go to people for adapters but they may be going away....Bottom ends in Chrysler engines were pretty good with forged cranks in all engines until 1972...
$10,000+ for a good, high quality rebuild, assuming you do most of the work your self, including core and machine work. Then whatever you plan on spending to replace the trans. Plan on another $2K or so for a rebuilt A518 auto to go behind the hemi, unless you have a 727 holding the bench down. Then a whole pile of nickles and dimes for all the other stuff you have to change, modify or switch. I.E. Rad hoses, fan shroud, motor mounts, transmission mounts, exhaust, drive shaft, steering linkage, throttle linkage, etc...
I vote for the FE! But like all engines the FE part are totally dependent on the parts numbers. A set of heads that “ look” almost alike can change the price from $100 to $2500 . Same way with the blocks. 95 % of the FE blocks are worth about $250, but a few are worth more than $2500 and all this is the relatively easy stuff to find. If you go exotic FE stuff , if you have to ask the price, you cannot afford it. I saw an ad yesterday for a set of original 1965 up long tube iron exhaust in good shape going for $2800! I taking my set to the bank and see if they will fit in my safety deposit box! Bones
Well, if you like the looks of it, you could do what I did 20 or so years ago (just for a short time). This is the DeSoto's answer to a 327. Fooled half the town's street rodders for a while.
A good buddy of mine passed away a few months back and raced ford's forever. In his stash was an original 427 side oiler Nascar block still in its crate, a set of rods and crank for it. Don't know what happened to that stuff. Figured with a couple garages full of ford parts that wasn't the only gems in his collection. .
Thanks much for all the reply guys !! Sorry for the long post, thought some background would help ..................... 65 short F100 .... I have 3 390 service blocks, I had bored one .040, Forged pistons with .083 shaved off the tops 2 nice 428 cranks, was going to use one in the .040 over to make a 418 I have 3x2, 2x4, and 1x4 intakes with 30 or so different carbs, C6, C4 and 4 speed transmissions Bellhousings, steel/aluminum flywheels, pressure plates/disks 4 sets of heads, 1 set is mildly ported with CJ size valves Enough inserts, pistons, rings and gaskets to build 8 or 9 engines 2 sets of full length SS headers and a bunch of other stuff Thought I could sell the above to offset a hemi perhaps I do my own work and build everything but pay for machining I have worked on FE's for over 40 years and always wanted a Hemi What about those hemi heads that fit an RB engine ?? Any have experience with them ?? Ricky.
Sounds like a killer FE set up. Hemi will depend on core. A331 is a good bit cheaper than a 392. Machine work is basically a wash. Hemi parts will cost more than the FE. A basic master kit for a Hemi is 2 to close to 3 times that of a Hemi Heads? If wanting adjustable rockers then that’s probably the biggest cost over FE heads if ya already got em. But if not the Hemi adjustable ones are more expensive. then hooking up a trans $$$ But as far as performance, an FE built with your pieces will be stout. Just my worthless opinion, I think I’d rather have the FE in that year F100. But I’m with ya all the way to fulfill that Hemi dream
A company named Stage 5 (I think that’s it) built RB hemi heads. I only know what I’ve read about ‘em.
I'm really an early hemi guy (check my Avatar) and have never had an FE, but I gotta agree with stayin' with the Ford. Save the Hemi for something that doesn't have a hood.
Keep the FE it’s just as nostalgia as a Hemi and it’s a Ford . If you really want a Hemi , sell all unused FE parts and buy SOHC stuff , build a real Winner
I say keep your FE stuff too! I get the appeal of the Hemi. I was a BBC guy forever, but the lure of those huge valve covers is intoxicating, so I decided I needed a 426. I bought a tired 80's top fuel engine, and ended up replacing almost everything in it! Learning a whole new platform can get expensive. The early Hemi is only slightly less expensive than the Gen 2. Both make big power, but every piece will make you question your budget limits. Just usual maintenance stuff like gaskets are not in any way related to SBC price structure. Seems all the parts manufacturers figure if you can own a Hemi, you have no budget limitations, but it's really because of economy of scale limits. Many Hemi parts places are mom and pops or cottage nitro suppliers, that produce in small batches. Also, those stage 5 Heads are beautiful, but they made more sense when 426 blocks were non existent. There's a definite shortage now, but they can be bought. Energy Manufacturing, via Callies is coming out with a new iron 426 block and last I checked they expect only $6,000(!) Good usable early Hemi blocks are getting scarce too.
But that's a late hemi, not what the OP asked about. Although, a late hemi in a late truck would make more sense.
If I had nothing and starting from scratch . The Hemi would be my choice , if I owned an FE , I’d dress up in Nija PJs and go see Sonny Barger before I’d swap it out . Go for broke and 429 Shotgun Hemi and get really rare .
Hmmm... https://jonkaaseracingengines.com/shop/boss-nine-parts/kaase-boss-nine-cylinder-heads/ Ricky.
I am aware. The OP also has a 390 now, not a 427. Though it is a lot harder to tell a 390 apart from a 427, except for that row of 3 little bolts across the bottom of the block skirt, they are virtually identical appearing. Also, the 427 FE and 426 Hemi competed against each other directly, on the same tracks in the mid 60's. The same can not be said about the 390 FE and 392 Hemi. It was 3 years after production of the 392 ended before the 390 was released by Ford. This would have been a more apt comparison, but 368 Lincoln Y's are even harder to find than 392's. 1.... or 2.....
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