Opposite dilemma...have a decent '65 289-2v/C4 in my '55 Ford Victoria and a spare '64 T-bird 300hp 390-4v on the floor needing crank grind/bearings but otherwise solid. Have seriously thought about dumping the 289/C4 because of weak torque and dropping in the 390 and a Cruise-O-Matic or AOD, but this conjurs up thoughts of motor/trans mount fabrication, hammering the firewall and/or moving the radiator forward, not to mention the weight gain. A 351W/AOD for cruising/power (even with a non-traditional 'stroker' build-up) would seem to be the 'best of both worlds' if you were willing to part with both mills. In your position, though, I'd keep the 390 in place and drive it.
I drive my car maybe twice a week. With no glass it kinda sucks Sent from my DROID device using the TJJ mobile app
Blue, if you want to take some weight off the 390 ,replace the 390 iron intake with an alum. 4 v intake. I did that on my o/t '68 country sedan,probably knocked off 60 or 70 lb's. I also have 2 backup motors, a '70 428 and a '79 (no smog equip.) 460 that is in a 1ton van. I'm not going to screw with it until the org. 390 bites the dust. .................Jack
keep the 390 until it's on it's death bed. I like 302's but they can't compare with the torque of your 390, even if'it's a 2bbl engine. I''ve owned both, and can tell you that from personal experiance. Also with the right gears, a 2bbl 390 isn't that bad on highway milage, considering it's added cubes.
Right on I'm def gonna looks a alum intake 4v. Is a C6 tranny good or should I try something different? See this s my first ford I've ever owned
Yes c6 is the best available auto - otherwise its a FMX or earlier MX derivitive which are inferior cast iron Borg warners - if you can fit and afford the shorty factory cast headers someone is repoping them - as outlined here the log manifolds suck
I have a set of those Twisted-Wedge heads on my 352-W motor... Had to drill out the head bolt holes to 531" dia. so I could use the 1/2" dia. studs... Killer motor...
Actually you're worrying about bupkus, it's a pretty easy swap as the Y-block fit in there before, and the weight of an FE and Y-block aren't that different. The father of my buddy that had all the Cobras and GT40's had a '54 that he ran a hot 312 in for a while, then went to a Medium Riser 427- turned the original engine mounts around and bolted it in. His car as kool, had '65 LTD disc brakes on the front, a '65 Shelby 31-spline rear with 3.91's and a Detroit Locker, HD 3spd w/OD, and a Shelby Dominator intake with a 1050 on it, and the original olive drab paint withg funky hubcaps- would have made a helluva likker car, and surprised more than a few kidz in Camaros and Chebbelles
It is a hassle to change from an FE to a 302. Different motor mounts and transmission as well as everything to mount the accessories. I remember a guy buying two 65 Fords for $100. One with a 289 and a rusted frame and the other with a blown up FE and a good frame and body. Even swapping year for year, it turned into a bigger project than he thought. The driveshaft didn't match up, he had to change the front springs to get the car to sit level.
If you install a 428 crank and other components you'll have a 410 which is easy to get parts for also... It uses the 390 heads looks like a 390 but it makes it externally balanced. It would be a cheaper upgrade for about 330 hp with a 2 bbl carb, 345 hp with a 4 bbl, and tons of torque. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
I would agree with the guys saying "if it ain't broke"..... you also had some good suggestions throw out there for you to take advantage of that will help in the milage dept. Get rid of the stock intake for an aluminum one, and find an AOD to replace the C-6..
I have a '66 390 and c6 that came out of a 60's merc. Its sitting for a future project. Dude keep the 390...you could even put a 428 crank in it like mercury did and make it a 410fe.
The only reason I know about FE is because those motors were really production experiments. Put a 390 crank in a 352 block you get a 360, put a 390 crank in a 428 block you get a 406, 428 crank in a 390 block you get a 410, Change intakes to see what happens and so on. Good motors to experiment with, even better with 4 speed top-loaders. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
The FE has to be the champion for having inaccurate "facts" posted about it- "production experiment"???
And...how many more people are going to tell him to put an AOD behind it ?? Since ford NEVER made an OD automatic with the FE pattern case. There are aftermarket conversions, but they are BIG $ ! Dave
I never said I was speaking gospel. I got the numbers on the 360 turned around and I thought I wrote 427 not 428. Actually a 427 was really something like a 425 and ford faked the numbers for racing, if I remember correctly. Don't hold me on the 425 but it was something like that. As it is I would love the have the hemi 429 ford in my falcon. Posted from the TJJ App for iPhone & iPad
The AOD does indeed work sweet behind an FE, but as was said, it was never made with the FE bellhousing pattern, and the conversion setups are very good but far from cheap. HD manual 3spd w/ OD is also good, and the most common and cheapest is the 3 + OD toploader "four speed" from 80's pickups. I picked one up a while back for $150 complete with the pickup shifter that I'm going to try to put in my '52 F1 with 3.92 gears
You haven't been hanging out in the 52-59 Ford Group often enough, an FE Block is a drop in in your '55,you even use the same motor mounts you just turn them there is no firewall clearance issues and because the heads are raised the exhaust will clear the steering box the AOD would be nice but would need to have some tweaking to handle the FE's torque also the adapter from FE block to AOD runs around $850 with the special starter.The Cruise-O-Matic or a C6 will fit with stock mounts also.
I was wondering who would correct all these AOD posts...it's far from a simple slap and go setup. That being said, overdrive with the FE would be killer! I have always had better luck with 4-speeds personally, but as far as an automatic goes...the C6 is the way to go. The FMX and like are crap. For an asking price on your 302, I paid $200 for a 289 not running. $500 complete and I hear it running would be as high as I would personally go. That's just me though, some people will pay more. Kinda depends on what it has in it too....cam, miles, pistons...it all makes a difference. Just asking for a blanket price without listing specs...look above.