Retarding a cam delays the intake closing. There are a lot of variables that determine how any particular cam will perform in an engine but the later the intake closes, the more you shift the cam's power band toward the higher rpm range. Of couse, there is still no free lunch so what this band shift does is kill some of your low end torque. Advancing the cam has the opposite effect.

If your particular combination favors higher rpm volumetric efficiency and operation, it can make a difference in performance. If not, then it is the automotive equivalent to "Hey kid, you'll shoot your eye out."

Those heads if original Ford FE are very valuable to someone out there. They are not as good as stock Edelbrocks in many ways. You want the best performance, I suggest Ebay to sell the original heads and then have Keith Craft build a set of Edelbrocks for you.

Royce

The aluminum heads are a plus Ford Motor Co.FE Engines are great but they never built a head that will flow like the aluminum ones did. As for the lemans rods, Throw them out and buy a good set of H beam rods 300.00, I have been racing FE 427 engines since 1995 I have blown 2 engines in my entire racing career both engine failures were due to the lemans rods breaking. Which is a sad thing when you take the side out of a 427 block and it can not be repaired. They are tooooo heavy and cause too much rotating mass weight. A stock 427 I beam rod will even be better than the Lemans rods.

You should have a 9"rear end so if it is in good shape it can take it.All CJ Mustangs came with that rear,and its plenty strong.Ford said the CJ was putting out 335 hp,but that was a ploy to keep insurance rates down.I have heard 410 hp used as a fair estimate for a stock CJ.As for fuel mileage,don"t get your hopes up.My 428 69 Mustang never got much more then8-11 mpg around town,and if you got on it ,and who didn"t,less then that.Anyway,I have never met anyone who bought one because they wan"t to lower their fuel bills.Have fun,and do up your seat belt.

My engine simulator says about 385 ghp from the 428cj -
It is a pretty accurate computer program, it matches almost everything in Muscle Parts and everything else it has tried.

Remember the 1968 427? That is almost identically a 428cj and was rated at 390 ghp.
I bet they rated that one right on the money.

My opinion is that if you had a blueprinted dyno-tuned 428cj it WOULD make about 335 hp - - NET hp that is. I suspect that is how they got that number, as well as the Boss 302 number.
rwl

what brand of head gaskets did you use?

Fel-pro makes two types of head gaskets...economy, and performance. You can see the differance if you visually compare them. The performance ones (available from Summitt) work fine. The economy ones (usually what you get through UAP) are prone to failure with the slightest bit of overheating. Now, if you are looking at delays getting this fixed, remove the plugs and crank it over to get rid of coolant in the cylinders, then spray WD40 in the cylinders and crank it again. But still don't wait too long. Finally, a bit of antifreeze in the oil is OK as long as you didn't "come on to it". Easy way to check. Drop the oil pan and check #4 main bearing cap. If everything there looks fine, then the rest is probably OK. #5 gets the lowest oil pressure, but it's a pain to remove in the car, so #4 is next best choice. And of course, if you remove the pan, you can check for bearing material in the sump. If you don't want to go through removal of the oil pan, then check dipstick......if filings are present, then you have to check further. If not, take the risk as it's a prety good chance everyting is OK. Lastly, run some cheapy oil through it for the first hour or so, then change it...gets rid of the antifreeze trapped in various places inside the engine where it shouldn't be.

C7AE-A seems to be the most common head on a 67 GT 390. the other numbers you listed are not casting numbers as there are no such numbers but may be part numbers which are often based on the same casting but have different part numbers in the books to denote stuff like different valve springs. hawkrod

The C7 marking on the block could be found in 1967-1971 cars and pickups. It does not indicate the specific block casting by any means, since the same number was used on many diferent castings.

Heads the same stroy, C8 was about the only head available from 1968-71.

Some Mustangs got a C9ZE intake, but if it's got a "T" on the #1 runner, it's likely correct, though an "S" might be correct on the #1 runner, too, I'm not yet sure. Note this particular "S" inticates the "Thunderbird" car line, not the "S" code engine. If it has a "T" it stands for "Truck", but was correct on some 1969 390 Mustangs.

Just look at the date codes to be sure. The head date codes are under the valve covers in the center, the block date code at the oil filter bracket on the sloped pad. The intake should have it in some obvious place.

Te carb is likely a 1965 model year carb, but it could be from a 289, 352, or 390. Heck, I just dropped a 1969 302 carb onto my 1970 390 engine to keep it running through the winter. Beats rebuilding it when I don't need to.

Shoe.

n/m

Jeff Im Not Familar With The Jegs Setup However I've Been Running The Pertronics Unit In My 390 For 3 yrs with the accel super coil andplatium Bosch plugs I gotta say Im Very Happy With The performance on this setup i get a very hot spark thru out the Rpm Range and Keep The Stock Dist, However When I Have More Money I'll Get The MSD Setup. Ps Im still looking for that spacer plate for you weather been nasty and im not willing to dig for it so quickly, be patient with me. Tim P.

Those of us who have actually owned 1972 and later Torinos will be happy to help the newbys get their rides in order.

"...which was the really fast ones." Wazzat a question?

The really fast ones are the ones that individuals built to be fast. The only performance version from the factory was the Q code 351C-4V option which was last offered in 1974. You could order the 1974 with a 460 PI, but I am not sure if that came with the D2OE-type heads or not. The regular 460 option was no big deal, and usually came with heavily optioned cars, resulting in the sort of mass as related in Hot Rod.

Moving a bit earlier, the 1972 Torino had an option of the 351HO, which was a low compression version of the Boss 351. The Q code 351CJ was also an option. Any Torino with an R code HO or a Q code is a valuable car. The PI cars are as well (429 in 1972), but those were mostly cop cars with four doors. The 4 speed was available with the Q code through 1973. The Q-code Torino tudor with few options usualy weighed at or below 4K.

Most 1974-1976 Torinos had 302s, 351Ms and 400s. In the east, 351Ws seem more prevelent than 351Ms.

A 351M is a good engine to find in your 1975/76 Torino. It's an easy crank and piston swap to make it a 400. Many Cleveland performance parts fit, and there are many people running hot versions of them, if you look around for them. That 4" stroke really builds torque. Jon Kaase is building a 400 for this years Engine Masters contest. We all know that 400 HP from a 460 is child's play with a cam, carb and intake swap. Big windsors are common, cheap and easy to swap in place of a 302.

My point is that while the big Torinos were often powered from the factory by engines of modest output, they most certainly do not have to remain that way. No, it's not a factory hot rod. So what? Roll yer own!

www.351Cleveland.net is a good place for 400 Cleveland tech.