http://fomoco.com/forumMain/reply.asp?ID=43842&Reply=43841

I have always been told by Mike Duffy (Mike Duffy race cars in Moore Oklahoma), who has built and raced more 428s than I am years old, that .030 is the max on a street motor without having heat problems. I have aluminum heads on my .030 428 car with a high volume water pump and I am taking the thermostat out in the sumer just to keep the car at 195 degrees. You can still find these blocks around. If money is not an option and you want to keep it all together, you might sleeve the block and go back to standard bore with no heating problems. You can use a 66 truck block as well if you just want to go cheap. Hope this helps.

These cars had the 428 PI engine which used the same rods as 390's.

You might be able to overbore the block further, only a professional sonic check of the block will tell you for sure. 428's have been known to bore .060" oversize.

What is the casting number on the heads on that car?

Royce Peterson

The 428 can be bored 0.040 if the present bore is damaged. Pistons are available fo it and I do not think it will have a heating problem, not anymore than usual. Boring morre than 0.040 and I would sonic check the block before boring. The 67 Gt-500's came with C7AE-A heads. small intake runners, this is not necessarily a bad thing as the mixture velocity is good in these heads. Sounds like rings could be rusted to cylinder walls. Running without a thermostat as mentioned in the above post does not allow coolant to remain in the radiator long enough to allow heat transfer. What consecutive number is the car, does it have inboard or outboard highbeams? Smooth vinyl or comfort weave seats? A/C?
Chip

Kroil penetrating oil might help to loosen it up if it's stuck that hard. Ray Kroil # 1- 800-311-3374

Kantor is a good place to find displacement-specific engine parts like pistons, but most FE engine components are interchangeable (there are some exceptions for your 332, like the rods). Most catalogs will reference the application and will most likely include 332, 352, 390, 427, 428 for cars and the truck and industrial applications.

I hope you're not lumping the 292 and 312 in the same series as the FE because if you are you'll find that about the only thing you can use on the old Y-block and FE is the engine paint.

nm

Click on the 'engines' menu above. Basically the X code has a 2 bbl carb and single exhaust.

Tim B

Actually the heads are the same, both used the C8AE-H casting. It was drilled for Thermactor for "S" code engines, not drilled for the "X" codes. The main differences are the intake manifold, carburetor and camshaft. Everything else that matters is the same.

Royce Peterson

n/m

Correction I should have said Perfomer Heads

...The Performer heads, especially unported, make power in a range from 1500 to about 6000. You have 9.5:1 pistons, meaning that you are limited in cam choice to something that makes power in the off-idle to 5000 rpm range. Then you want to top it with a Victor manifold that doesn't start making power until 4000+ rpm.

I would go with a Performer RPM cam and intake and this should put you in the 450HP range with the right exhaust. Later you can add compression, add cam and *maybe* use that Victor intake.

Keep in mind that it takes a really serious engine (read $$) to make full use of a Victor series intake.

Cheers,
Dan

It was from this forum that I learned that there were '67-'69 Fords built with MX automatic transmissions. I had thought that all FE powered '67 & later Ford vehicles with automatic transmissions were C6s. I still have not seen a '67 or later full size Ford with the MX you have. But I know now they were built primarily with 390-2V cars. Actually I never looked very close at 2V cars and that may be a contributing factor to my ignorance.

The switch to a C6 should be very straight forward and reasonably easy. I would recommend locating a '66-'69 full size Ford/Merc that currently has a C6 and the vehicle is available for parts or purchasing completely. There are quite a few of these out there in 4 door and station wagon models that go real cheap. But with one of these, make sure it's a FE powered or was, and still has a C6. Now, you've got all the pieces you should need to make the swap.

However, there are people who have built an MX/FMX/Cruis-o-Matic to work fine. Yours already has the valve body that allows for a 1 - 2 - D shifting pattern. A good rebuild with shift kit may be all you need.

http://jcoconsulting.com/forumfe/reply.aspx?ID=1049&Reply=1021

nm

ummm try new rear end gears go for like 3.50 or higher

Probably to big on the cam for the gear, is that 280 @ .050? You should be around 214/224 to make it run hard that, also was the cam degreed in. If the cam is out of phase, it will not get off the bottom at all. What are the cam timing numbers.Ray

Based on the specs you've provided,280 duration/514 lift, that cam doesn't seem like too much for your combination. What was is the duration at .050 of this Crane? You have the cam specs card/sheet, right? That is a much better spec to judge the duration of the camshaft vs. the advertised figure(s).

Yes, 3.00 gearing isn't the best ratio for what your needs appear to be but I think your lack of low end power may be a symptom of something other than high gearing. Especially if it's as doggy as you say. You've indicated that the before 390 ran well. That's with the same 3.00 gearing I'm assuming.

Mac's recommendation of 3.50 gears is very sound advice. But I think you need to run a series of tests on your ignition system and fuel system before you make the rear gear switch. It has to get back to where this new 390 feels at least as good as the old 390.

It would be helpful to know what you mean by "its a slug up to 40 mph then it comes alive really good". Provide us some specifics as to slugishness and really good.....things like RPM range or limit with this cam. What distriutor/ignition work did you do or have done?

I think you'll get lots of good advice here if you provide just a little more information.

My cam was advertised with 280, I think, but it is 223 at .050. I have a stock torque converter and my cam is all the converter can stand. I have to turn the idle down real low or I am putting it in neutral at the stop signs. The car has 3:50 gears and ran a 13:76 at 102 thru the 1320 so I have no complaints about it's performance. I think that your cam was installed by the dots like the other post suggested. You will benifit by swinging that single point distributor around until it clatters slightly and then back it off till you don't hear it clatter anymore. If you have a vacumm secondary carb you are probably fouling the plugs. Pull one and see if it isn't fuel fouled. I am having the same problem. That is how I know. There is a fix but that will have to waite for another posting.

I agree, that '67 -Z- code Fairlane would be a great re-powered by an FE. The price is still dirt cheap for an original FE powered unibody car.

There's a very nice one here in this town. A '67 XL, 390-2V, 4 speed. $10,900 is the asking price!!

Makes a long trip to Jersey seem kinda reasonable.