That's a great article Blinker. I picked up a copy of this mag at a swap meet several years ago and it's a real find for us early HP fans. It really lays out the type of work that was done to "catch-up" after the lack luster performance of the '58-'59 352.

The '60 HP352 Holley is a 540 CFM.

Also it's interesting to note that Karol(correct spelling on the Texan's name) Miller's '60 Starliner started life as a 300 horse standard performance 352-4V car. He bought it as a driver but then decided to hit the salt flats again as he did with his '56 Ford. He "modified" his 300 horse 352 by using mostly factory '60 HP parts to bring it up to speed - over 150 mph and it was a street driver at the time! Karol Miller was a real innovator and a true blue Ford racer.

Speaking of great articles....I just picked up two issues of Hot Rod that anyone interested in the development of the early big block Ford should have. August, 1958, has a great intro article to a full test of the new 352 Ford. Vic Edelbrock, Ray Brock do a complete set of tests on a brand new crate Edsel 361, machined combustion chambers with hydraulic lifters. They run 30! tests from stock to modified with Ed Iskendarian grinding a variety of new cams to find out what would work best with the new big block Ford/Edsel. The article is so long that September, '58, features part 2 where they bore/stroke the big -E- to a whopping 412 cubes. Get this - they also machined/installed larger Lincoln exhaust valves, what an idea!!

It's summer and there's lots of swap meets so be looking for these two issues. Great early stuff.

Thanks again blinker for sharing the Motor Life article. It's got the right info on Total Performance.

already but since this is the lazy generation read this http://www.woodyg.com/fairlane/finfo/390intro.html

You've got 410 pistons in that 390, so compression hangs around 8.5:1. I'd want to bump that up to 9.5:1 with +.030" cast pistons. 9.5:1 is good for a pickup, since they can load the engine down pretty good at highway speeds, heating things up andcausing pinging after a while. If you feel "lucky" (or willing to gamble), 10.0:1 may be fine. Keep in mind that both head gasket thickness and also the head casting (chamber sizes statistically vary) may have an effect on your actual compression. Cast pistons are nice, as you can be fairly sure you won't need to rebalance the engine afterwards, since they are typically all balanced like stock pistons. Note that you'll need to verify the piston/pin combo really do weigh the same, otherwise you'll have to stuff a few extra bucks into a rebalance.

Your connecting rods are great pieces. If the rod bearings look good and they are not excessively out of round, and if the bushings fit the new piston pins with proper slop, you can reuse the rods as is. If you find you need to replace the rod bearings due to out-of-roundness or wear, you might as well buy ARP 3/8" bolts for the FE, install them at the new torque, and then resize(recondition) the rod to make them round at the higher torque.

If the mains are worn, you can just replace them without needing to recondition the main bores, as cast iron mains don't stretch into an oval the same as forged steel connecting rods do over time. If the crank is in fine shape, you can use stock sized bearings.

I'd stick to a stock oiling system, as the FE does have a great setup as it comes from the factory. If you have a front-sump oil pan, you'll need to buy a $96.00 Milodon stock replacement pan, as if your truck becomes too quick, stock front sump pans can be problematic at keeping oil in the sump. Since CJ-type windage trays are available brand new all over the place for about $40.00, I'd install one of them if you have a front sump pan.

You'll want a mild cam profile similar to the GT/CJ, but with modern technology stuffed into it. There are many choices, but you don't want to overdo it, as some cams only work well when you've got more compression.

Obviously, lifters MUST be replaced whenever a new cam is installed, as will the valve springs to match the performance cam requirements, but so will the valve spring retainers and locks, as well as the improperly grooved valve stems. Since you need valves, you might as well stick CJ-sized valves into the head, since good ones are readily available at good prices from FE sources. I would avoid ispending on hardened exhaust valve seats, unless you plan a lot cross country towing which will cause the exhaust valve to glow red for extended periods, allowing the "as cast" exhaust seats to wear. If towing, I'd have hardened exhaust seats installed.

With a modern cam ramp profile, you'll need to upgrade your rockershaft end supports. The center supports are fine, but the end supports are not stiff enough to prevent the end rocker from overflexing at the acceleration ramps of modern cams. Buy a set of four rockershaft end support pedestals and you'll be in fine shape.

I would not worry much about porting. Cast iron is a pain to port, and your engine can make great power without modifying the heads. If, however, you do seek to "improve" the heads a little, simply have the porting shop remove the Thermactor bumps in the ceiling of the exhaust runner. It shuld be good for some extra power as the revs climb. Note that if you do port the thermactor bumps until they disappear, you can run a cam with the same lift and duration on the intake and exhaust. With thermactor bumps intact, it's best to choose a cam that gives the exhaust a little extra lift.

Now you just need an intake, carb, and headers and you're done.

The obvious intake is an Edelbrock "Performer RPM". Do NOT consider a plain "Performer", as they are oinkers. RPM would be perfect for cost, availability, performance, quality, port compatibility, and a slew of other reasons.

Carb should be a 650 to 750 CFM with vacuum secondaries. Mechanical secondaries are nice, too, but gas mileage will drop noticeably and you need to "get used" to the throttle.

Headers should be any type that is compatible with the low-exit exhaust port. Most FE pickup headers are compatible with your C8AE-H or D2TE-AA heads, but you'll want to be sure they properly crush the exhaust gasket at the weld bead of the header tubes, or else the gaskets will likely leak. Headers taylor-made to 427 heads may not match properly, unless the tubes are oversized where they meet the head.

$2K does sound about right, if you do most of the work yourself. If you have a shop do the work, you really need to recheck EVERYTHING, unless you know the builders are qualified specifically on the FE.

Oh, and with these changes, expect it to feel a bit sportier than a 390GT engine, hovering either side of a 428CJ, depending on which choices you made.

I may have left some things out, but this seems about right.

JMO,
Shoe.

all FE pulleys and brackets are interchangeable except crank pulleys (and a few odd notable exceptions but they are rare like the PS belt alignment on a 61-63 tbird without AC). in other words if you have a 64 and you want to swap the balancer to a 68 style, all you need is the 68 balancer and pulley (unless you have a bottom mounted alternator and then you will need a new alternator adjusting arm as well as the new balancer would be so large it would rub!). what this means is if your water pump pulley is not lining up with the crank pulley then there is a problem. i would check to see if the balancer is on the right way first. there are three holes to mount an accesory pulley they should have a machined area around them facing forward. if you are looking at rough cast iron and no surface around the bolt holes then it is on backwards. next, take off the main crank bolt and see how far on the balancer is, the crank should be 1/4 inch or so inside the outer edge of the balancer. if it is flush you have a problem and if it is barely on you have a problem (like a 460 spacer sleeve?). the last thing to look at is the water pump, is the pulley you are using from a V8? 6 cylinder ones will fit but many do have a different offset but even a 289 pulley will work on a 390. what is the number on the pulley? next i would look to see if the water pump was assembled correctly. measure the mounting flange to block length against another and see if it is the same. i have seen them off by as much as 1/4 inch on some cheap rebuilds. hawkrod