I pulled a 390 out of a '62 T-bird and thought I'd use it. Well after finding a destroyed pin bushing I decided to pull it all apart. the early heads I have are C0AE-C and I have the Dish pistons w/ 4 valve reliefs, but with the 1.770 Compression height. I've measured everything and It should have had around 9.7:1 CR as it was. To save time on the rebuild I just bought a set of C7AE-A heads that are fully rebuilt with hardened seats and a Weiand 7282 intake. After getting them side by side with my other stuff the ports are tiny. I could flow test them and get some answers, but I don't have the time. I wanted to ask other FE guys what they thought. Run the rebuilt heads with small ports or rebuild the early heads? Do you think there will be a noticeable difference in performance? Is the weiand an improvement over a stock 4bbl intake with the reduced size in ports?
What do you want the engine to be? If you are just building it for a cruiser or daily driver, The C7 heads and Weiand intake will be fine, just don't expect to win too many races. If you want to build a much snappier 390 with some real grunt, throw the Weiand away and get a Edelbrock Performer RPM intake and rebuild the C0 heads. Good Luck
It was supposed to just be a cruiser, but I have a real hard time knowingly throwing away horsepower. On the other hand, I don't really expect to win many races anyway in a '60 starliner. plus $345 for an RPM is out of my budget at the moment.
Sounds like your budget is making the decision for you. Run what you have now, and you can always change the heads and intake out later. A '60 Starliner, one of my favorite cars. Have fun with it.
If I rember right the c7ae-a heads flow better even the ports look smaller, but make sure your exaust fits.
Your Weiand is not all that bad.Run it,as for the RPM intake here's the real deal: http://www.network54.com/Forum/74182/message/1143436444/Final+Results+-+Intake+Manifold+Comparo
I've got Jay Browns book as well and for $30 you may well be able to save yourself $200 by buying a used intake that fits you engine & car driving style. Yes the Edel RPM is great but others perform just as well at 2500 to 5000 RPM. The Edel RPM really shines from about 4000 up. Jay's book has DYNO tests with the same intake (over 30 of them) on 4 or 5 different FE engines from a 428 to a 390-445 stroker and 2 427 side oilers. I really like seeing what people are selling as the "HOT" FE intake and comparing to Jay Browns book. A while ago Jay sent me a couple of Dyno sheet JPEG files (with his permission) & I posted them here. http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=449703 post number 53 Movin/on
For just a street cruiser either set of heads will work just fine along with the intake you have . Just don't buy a big carb to set on it or you will choke out that engine with too much fuel . Also dished pistons suck unless you are going to use a turbo or supercharger one day . I would invest in a set if flat top pistons with valve reliefs and a good mild torque cam . The small intake runners will be better for the low end torque on the street than the bigger runners which are better for higher rpms . I would also port match the intake and exhaust runners for better flow . Something easy that you can do . Just take your time and don't go crazy with the bit . It takes time to grind the metal away ! Carb wise I wouldn't use anything bigger than a 500 to 570 cfm 4bbl . Header will be a nice touch but not necessary for the engine you have . Just don't go crazy on the carb ! Retro Jim
The Jalopy Journal
