I need some input on a 390 FE I found

[rustyBob]

you know it will all come out in the end result, if you put all that HP in your car and you are affraid to drive it then you went to far, I just think that if you start out a little on the conservative side its easier to add HP than it is to remove HP and the whole point is to ENJOY your Cobra not fight with every time you want to go for a cruise........i know i sound like a weener when it comes to HP but iam a former drag racer and i know what it takes to fast in a strait line and you just dont need all that to enjoy your toy......

[PJ4myboo]

Well, I went and looked at the 360 tonight and made a deal. It looks like it has never been touched, but we will find out. I took your advice and am paying $50 now and $50 after we get the block tested. My sons will have lots of fun getting dirty and tearing it apart...so will dad .

I will start a new post with some pictures of our progress. Thanks again to all for your advice and input!

Pete

[olddog]

Originally Posted by rustyBob

I just think that if you start out a little on the conservative side its easier to add HP than it is to remove HP.

I would disagree. You put an undersized carb (or restrictor plate under it) and you can easily take as much HP out as you want, and it is real easy to put back.

It is a real pain to swap out cams and heads after the engine is built. Even an intake swap is difficult on an FE. I would build it as healthy as I thought I would ever want it.

I personally find my Cobra to be the best handling car I have ever owned. Yea if you get stupid you can loose control, but I could do that in my Grand Marqui too. It is a matter of exercising good judgement. If you cannot control yourself, you might want to consider building a 331 FE.

Good tires makes all the differance in the world. Actually the tires are more important than the engine.

[rustyBob]

Cool deal you took the first step on your way to building a Cobra kit car,it only gets more complicated from here........look in never ment that a Cobra drove like a dump truck.My FE in stock form from Ford ran 30 plus years on tune ups and oil changes and 2 water pumps and a new fuel pump and had 165plus thousand miles on it........thats darn good in my book, so yes i say build it on the conservative side and take care of it and it will be there for you when you need or want to go somewhere,to me 400 hp is more fun than 600 hp and easier on the budget.

[Mr Jody]

PJ - I didn’t see you make reference to already having this, so if you do already have it please forgive, but here is some recommended reading, even before you begin disassembly, and possibly before purchase if this isn’t getting to you too late.

“How to Rebuild Big-Block Ford Engines” by Steve Christ (ISBN # 0-89586-070-8)
The chapters are:
1. Do You Need a Rebuild?
2. Engine Removal
3. Parts Identification and Interchange
4. Teardown
5. Short-Block Reconditioning
6. Cylinder Head Reconditioning
7. Reassembly
8. Installation
9. Tune-up

So you’ll know it when you see it, It’s a yellow book, with big red lettering at the top, and a big blue FE staring at you from under the hood of a blue car. With a new one for less than $15, and used ones for less than $10 on Amazon, it could be the most valuable “part” you buy for your project. It was worth that to me just in the peace of mind in identifying the 390 short block I bought for rebuilding, not to mention a great source of historical information on all FE engines.

It’s an older book, with tons of pictures, so ideal if you are rebuilding stock. But regardless of rebuilding stock or modified, there is a wealth of information in there, and if your sons are helping it is a great teaching tool (“Yes son…real men do read instructions) or you could keep it hid, and amaze the kids and impress your friends at parties with all of your newly acquired FE talk.

And as another source of information in summary form, if you can find a source of back issues, is the Spring 2005 issue of Muscle Car Review. The article there is “FE Performance Guide” by Jim Smart. In the upper right corner of the cover it states “Big-inch Fords: A Guide to FE Engines”. Since this magazine is I believe a compilation of articles from the Primedia family of auto magazines, the article may have began its life in some earlier monthly magazine of theirs, as it refers to 2001 as present day in the opening sentence.
I hope this helps. - Jody

[PJ4myboo]

Originally Posted by Mr Jody

PJ - I didn’t see you make reference to already having this, so if you do already have it please forgive, but here is some recommended reading, even before you begin disassembly, and possibly before purchase if this isn’t getting to you too late.

“How to Rebuild Big-Block Ford Engines” by Steve Christ (ISBN # 0-89586-070-8)
The chapters are:
1. Do You Need a Rebuild?
2. Engine Removal
3. Parts Identification and Interchange
4. Teardown
5. Short-Block Reconditioning
6. Cylinder Head Reconditioning
7. Reassembly
8. Installation
9. Tune-up

So you’ll know it when you see it, It’s a yellow book, with big red lettering at the top, and a big blue FE staring at you from under the hood of a blue car. With a new one for less than $15, and used ones for less than $10 on Amazon, it could be the most valuable “part” you buy for your project. It was worth that to me just in the peace of mind in identifying the 390 short block I bought for rebuilding, not to mention a great source of historical information on all FE engines.

It’s an older book, with tons of pictures, so ideal if you are rebuilding stock. But regardless of rebuilding stock or modified, there is a wealth of information in there, and if your sons are helping it is a great teaching tool (“Yes son…real men do read instructions) or you could keep it hid, and amaze the kids and impress your friends at parties with all of your newly acquired FE talk.

And as another source of information in summary form, if you can find a source of back issues, is the Spring 2005 issue of Muscle Car Review. The article there is “FE Performance Guide” by Jim Smart. In the upper right corner of the cover it states “Big-inch Fords: A Guide to FE Engines”. Since this magazine is I believe a compilation of articles from the Primedia family of auto magazines, the article may have began its life in some earlier monthly magazine of theirs, as it refers to 2001 as present day in the opening sentence.
I hope this helps. - Jody

Thanks, Jody. I bought the Christ book a couple of weeks ago, and there sure is a ton of good stuff in there. My older son is reading it now. I will keep a look out for the magazine as well.

[rustyBob]

Remember to bag and tag everything and take notes and pictures............