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| crossbolt caps -- henry FORD, 12/02/2004
Does anyone know of a manufacturer of aluminum crossbolt main caps for the 390-428 Fords? I saw a set at a swapmeet last summer in Des Moines Iowa.(I am boring and sleeving a " 66-427" marked block to 4.230") |
| | RE: crossbolt caps -- Gerry Proctor, 12/02/2004
No one makes aluminum main caps for any engine -at least not one that runs. It's iron or steel. ProGram Engineering makes retrofit caps. |
| | | RE: crossbolt caps -- henry FORD, 12/02/2004
exactly what I thought, just a bunch of wanna be mechanics that know it all goodbye |
| | | | Let us know how the sleeved 390 block comes out. -- Royce Peterson, 12/05/2004
I keep hearing of people trying that. Never heard anyone say that it worked. If yours is successful let us know OK?
Royce |
| | | | | RE: Paul Anderson at Gessford did one. -- Gerry Proctor, 12/05/2004
Went all the way through the jackets. Only a little bit of the bore at the deck and bulkheads was left. I can't recall the outcome precisely, but my recollection is that without any parent metal in the bore, it was doomed to failure. But if it could be done, Paul would be about the only one I know who could do it. |
| | | | | | I think you mean George? -- Royce, 12/05/2004
He furnace brazed the whole block afterwards. Never heard how it held up though. Neat pictures on his website.
http://www.gessford.com
Royce |
| | | | | | | RE: Yes, it is George. n/m. -- Gerry Proctor, 12/06/2004
n/m |
| | | | | | | | Aluminum Main Bearing Caps? -- John, 12/07/2004
Although I have built up many engines of a wide variety of types over the years, I have never built up one with an aluminum block. Cylinders would be sleeved of course, but what about the main bearing caps? There are aluminum FE blocks out there.....how do they do it? Are there dissimilar metal problems if they use iron or steel caps? The block holes must be heli-coiled at the least I would suspect? I'm just interested.....anyone know the answers? |
| Earnhardt Movie on Dec 11th -- Bob, 12/02/2004
There is a Fe in the Earnhardt movie. They used my 1955 ford with a 390. It is white with the #44 on it. Have seen it on the commercials not sure how much it will appear in the movie. It was used on the dirt track in North Carolina. |
| | Which raises a question, what . . . -- Orin, 12/02/2004
. . . happen to all of the old races cars? I see where some got saved and eventually restored, but are there barns out there hiding these relics or did they end up in the crusher after their useful life span? And another thing, why did the stockers get new cars every couple of years? It seem to me if the car you have is a winner than why change things, regardless of what it looks like. |
| | | Orin, I can answer part of the question, -- Lou, 12/02/2004
The racers replaced cars for 3 reasons, #1 they just got to badly damaged, #2 there was a late model class , three years old being the limit and engine had to match year of car (no 312s in 55 Fords, or 427s in 61 fords) #3 If you were a major racer then you bought the first car and all factory sheet metal was free as long as it was a current model.
Those are the days I miss with the late model classes and the Grand National classes. "Stock" meant you could buy the parts at your local dealer. |
| | My car is in the movie -- Bob, 12/03/2004
That was the point of my post. It has a FE that I built with help off of this forum. |
| | | RE: My car is in the movie -- giacamo, 12/03/2004
whow a 55 with a 390 i,l wach the movie just for that,it,s ben a long time since i,v sean a fe on a dirt track............ |
| | RE: Earnhardt Movie on Dec 11th -- fairlaniac, 12/11/2004
Thanks, now I have a reason to watch it....in reruns. I'm not sure why I'd go out of my way to watch a movie about a driver who had little regard for other competetor's lives. I still don't get all of those folks who look at him as a hero? I guess Latrell Sprewell is a hero as well? Dale Sr. was a great racer just not a great competetor. |
| | | In my opinion, -- Lou, 12/12/2004
Not a very good movie. I'm was not a Earnhardt fan but, he was more than a uneducated redneck who just happend to be able to drive a race car. |
| Carb spacers -- richard, 11/30/2004
... what do they do?
My 390 is going back together, stock 68 390GT S code in a Mustang. Holley Universal 600cfm vac sec carb. It has never had a spacer, never thought it had one, but have seen some Ford docs that indicate a spacer.
What is the benefit? Cooler carb to reduce boiling gas/vapor lock? Beter air/fuel mixing into the intake? Or?
And what are the benefits/drawbacks of phenolic vs aluminum (most common materials I've seen).
Will adding one or leaving it off make any real difference? |
| | RE: Carb spacers -- spinnerbait42, 12/01/2004
Carb spacers, in my opinion, are worth the $60 bucks. They do, indeed, reduce incoming fuel temps, fuel/air mixture temps, & provide the fuel/air mixture more time to atomize. I experienced an instance where the spacer wuz required cuz the throttle lever on my Holley contacted the intake through the range of motion. Phenolic spacers supposedly insulate from heat better than the aluminum, but are a bit more expensive (+$10 or $20). U can get them anywhere from 1/2" to 3" that I've seen, watch Ure hood clearance! & make sure the bores match (duh, bet U knew that) I've gotta 1" phenolic from Holley on my '73 F100 w/390. It rocks, go get one. |
| | | RE: Carb spacers -- russ, 12/02/2004
also affects your hp/torque not a lot, if your a drag racer it it can be. i;d do it , a 1in;s is a good way to go. |
| | | | RE: Carb spacers -- ackjlo, 12/02/2004
Wooden spacers are whats happening. Insulates better than aluminum or plastic |
| | | | | Wood? Probably OK until . . -- Orin, 12/02/2004
. . . it decides to toss a splinter or two down into the manifold and into the cylinder . . .not a pretty thought. Plus I'd suspect they'd get real ratty fairly quickly with all of the gas they're soaking up, getting softer and creater vacuum leaks. Doesn't sound like agood idea to me. |
| | | | | | Just a street driver, looking at phenolic.. -- richard, 12/02/2004
.. thanks for the info. But I'll avoid wood on a hot 390 intake! |
| | | | | | | RE: Just a street driver, looking at phenolic.. -- ackjlo, 12/03/2004
If your intake manifold is getting hot enough to burn wood, you've got a problem. Most of the dragster at my local track use them. I've never heard of a problem. |
| | | | | | RE: Wood? Probably OK until . . -- ackjlo, 12/03/2004
Sorry,You're wrong on all counts. How do you expects its going to splinter ? they are not made of pine, it's treated hard wood. Check them out at Jegs or Summit |
| C8ax-6250-d cam -- Chad, 11/29/2004
I was wandering if any companies were duplicating this cam? Thanks for any info. |
| | RE: C8ax-6250-d cam -- rusty_wallet, 12/21/2004
I didn't see any notes. What is the C8AX....? I'm lookng to stay w/a hot stock cam. |
| | | RE: C8ax-6250-d cam -- Chad, 12/21/2004
An over the counter mechanical cam from Ford with 330 duration and .600 lift. |
| | | RE: C8ax-6250-d cam -- rusty-wallet, 12/23/2004
Sorry. I got my #'s crossed. That is the 390 GT cam # C60Z-6250-B. I've now misplaced what the "C8AX" pre-fix was for. I was looking for a supplier for the GT cam. |
| | | | RE: C8ax-6250-d cam -- Glenn, 12/24/2004
The is a guy on www.fordfe.co selling a nos C8AX-D cam. It's in the classifieds for $200. G. |
| | | | | Thanks for the the tip! n/m -- Chad, 12/28/2004
n/m |
| | | | RE: C8ax-6250-d cam -- walt, 04/24/2005
ford did supply a c8ax-c hydalic cam,much better than the c6 cam,had one,worked great,ran flat 12,in a 67 mustang, with a 428 pi,and 410 gears |
| | | | RE: C8ax-6250-d cam -- Bob, 05/01/2005
Looking for 2 things for my 67 GT mustang with 390 engine: Pistons with 10.5:1 compression ratio with my 72-74 cc heads and a cam as close to original C6OZ-6250-B as I can get (used in 67 GT 390 engines and and 428 CJ. |
| | Not aware of any, but you could have it custom-ground. [n/m] -- Mr F, 12/21/2004
n/m |
| | RE: C8ax-6250-d cam -- walt, 04/17/2005
C8ax-d a cam that ford had made by an outside supplier,the x means that,it has a 330 duration,600 liftchecking in at13 btc,at. 100 lift,the new cams of today are much better and less agressive in the vavle train,not worh 200 bucks,may be 50 to 100,not any more. |
| | | RE: C8ax-6250-d cam -- walt, 04/24/2005
ps,this was with the stock exhaust manifolds |
| | RE: "GT" Cam -- Robert, 05/02/2005
Isn't the "GT" and Cobra Jet cam the same cam?
I am reasonably sure Crane offered a Blueprint version of this one. It seems to have vanished with the website revamp. It was listed as a 275 HP 390 cam.
I've heard that Melling has a Cobra Jet copy.
You might try calling them and seeing if they can do it.
In addition, Lunati has a sort of updated version, and the Crane 343801 is sometimes referred to as a CJ cam on steroids. |
| 68 'S' code wheel shimmy -- Ian, 11/29/2004
Any ideas what may cause a bad front wheel shimmy in a 68 mustang at 30-40mph, wheels have been balanced just last week. thx |
| | RE: 68 'S' code wheel shimmy -- dennie, 11/29/2004
did you check the bearing nut, if it's drum brakes and they removed the drum they may of not tightened it enough. |
| | RE: 68 'S' code wheel shimmy -- Dano, 11/29/2004
If all of the ball joints and tie rods are tight, and it is aligned properly, check the power steering valve. I had one go bad and it caused a real bad shimmey. |
| HEH-T toploader -- scf100, 11/28/2004
Do you guys think this trans is worth much with 2 broken ears? I have one that I am having the ears professional wielded back on and I do not need the trans. I know its a Hi-po toploader for a very narrow production window and if rebuilt in excellant shape worth a lot. Thanks, |
| | Damaged like that, I'd say value is ~$125-$175 [n/m] -- Mr F, 11/29/2004
n/m |
| | yes, I'd agree... -- Hawkrod, 12/02/2004
The fact that the case is welded makes it valueless for a restoration. The only way it would be usefull is if you gutted it and installed it in a new case. There is no way to repair a case good enough for a correct restoration which is what gives that trans its potential value. Hawkrod |
| Dilemma with FE Block: C5AE S G 31 935 -- Darren Narine, 11/27/2004
Hi, I'm new here but I have read some of the topics and have discovered that there are some very knowledgeable people here.
My dad runs a body shop and buys/sells cars often. My dad purchased a "428" from some1 who wasn't sure what it was. He sold it to my friend and my friend's brother because they are going to build a Cobra replicar.
My friend said the engine block # was C5AE S G 31 935. I decoded that as being a 1965 Galaxie engine.
The head casting # is C7AE-A on the outside and 6H25 on the inside. On the other head the # is 6H9. This means that the heads are '67 on a '65 block, not uncommon but I'm still not sure what's up with the block.
The block was sent out for an acid bath and the guy @ that shop said that it's not a 428. My friend measured the bore and it's about 4" (right bore size for a 352). But he said it *may* be a little over, he's not sure of the exact measurement because he didn't use a dial bore gage.
Since the block is apart to measure the stroke he measured the distance from the top ring mark @ BDC to the top ring mark @ TDC on the cylinder walls. His measurement for that was about 3.75" using a ruler.
I'm confused because the stroke of a 352 is 3.50" and the measurement is clearly more than that. The next closest matching stroke length in an FE block is a 390 which has a stroke of 3.78".
My friend made this discovery after odering parts for a 428. Apparently everything is compatible according to people he has talked to and some research I did online. He has ordered a cam+lifters+pushrods (.570 lift and 236 dur.) , intake, distributor, valves, & valve covers.
We are really confused and wondered if the parts spec'd for a 428 would produced a powerful 352 (or whatever this engine really is).
I would like to thank everyone in advance for your time and consideration. |
| FE valve guide noise? -- Jeff, 11/27/2004
I'm chasing a noise in my 1972 F250. It has a 390 which I took apart 2 years ago. It was running strong when I purchased it, but it had a lower end knock and what I thought was a noisy lifter. I had the crank turned and put new bearings and rings in it. New lifters. I didn't do anything with the heads except install new seals. To my dismay, when I finished, the "noisy lifter" was still there. It has ran great for 2 years but the noise is getting progressively louder. It is most noticeable under deceleration or idle. Since I replaced all the lifters I am wondering if it might be a valve guide. Any other thoughts as to what it might be before I pull the heads and have them rebuilt?
Thanks
Jeff |
| | RE: FE valve guide noise? -- John, 11/27/2004
Are you running solid rocker arm assembly or adjustables . |
| | | RE: FE valve guide noise? -- Jeff, 11/27/2004
They are solid. I tried installing os push rods with no change. |
| | RE: FE valve guide noise? -- GaryXL, 11/27/2004
A friend of mine had this probelm, and it turned out to be a wrist pin. |
| | RE: FE valve guide noise? -- giacamo, 11/28/2004
take the rocker asemblies off and grab the valve springs and check the gides for play if one is supected of loosenes you can try the rope trick and remove the spring and check it closer, the rope trick is take the spark plug out, find i pice of soft cotton rope fead it into the cilinder,.leave some hanging out, then turn the crank untill the rope compresses and holds the valves closed, use a on the head valve spring compresser, remove the spring and check the gide closer, if your gide makes alot of noise it should be eazy to find,,if you nead to get the heads rebilt make shure thay have the gides not hanging out in the ports if left exposed and not trimed in the exaust port it will get hot and gald with the valve. and runin itself, very quickly.and have a hardend sead instaled for the exaust valve. thease are a coupel of things i try for trubbel shooting gides. |
| | noise -- cable dave, 12/11/2004
check your wrist pins I had an engine let loose after what I thought was a valve noise and went racing. OOPS! |
| | | RE: noise -- fairlaniac, 12/12/2004
Solid lifter? Did you ever check the pushrod length to see if you have the correct lenght? As I'm finding out, the length tends to vary much more than I ever thought. Did you check the valve lash (clearance between valve tip and lifter), my Comp cam calls for .022 clearance. You may have a ton of extra clearance and the pushrod is slamming the rocker? |
| >>New 390 is weak, need pointers<< -- spinnerbait42, 11/27/2004
Gotta '73 F-100 2wd shortbed. Put a Recon Reman 390 w/C8AEH heads, Holley 750 vac secondaries (out of the box, no jetting, & obviously 2 much after reading this forum), Edlebrock Performer Intake, 268/0.494 Comp Cam & lifters, Dynomax 3" Headers to Thrush Glasspax cut off after cabin, TCI 1800 stall, original C6 tranny w/B&M Street/Strip kit <90k miles still shifts nice & tight. Original gears & diff, guessing 3.73 w/offroad website tire-driveshaft calculator. Only dyno'd @ 250bhp & 350tq. Runs super smooth, no noises or problems. Got high 15's on the quarter mile, but my engine seems 2 dyno weak compared 2 all U guy's mild buildups, why duz mine suck? |
| | adding info 2 my setup -- spinnerbait42, 11/27/2004
I dunno if it matters, but ignition consists of new OE vac-advance points style distributor w/2nd gen "Ignitor" point-electronic conversion fed to complete Accel 300+ system, plugs gapped to 0.050", timing & idle mix screws set 2 about as smooth an idle I'd expect from 268 cam, use plus grade pump gas, Holley fuel pump, pulley fan replaced w/electric. Ughhh, I'm outta breath. Hope it helps. |
| | | RE: adding info 2 my setup -- giacamo, 11/28/2004
wats your compression? compression=HPyou may have a low compression 7o,s moter, |
| | Compression Info -- spinnerbait42, 11/29/2004
I can't tell U exactly wut my compression is, but I've got sum info that may help. Also, if this info can give an idea of where the compression is, please post for me. Recon Engines (remanufacturer of my motor) does nuthing more than true the heads. The heads are C8AEH found in trucks. The pistons are flat-tops w/valve reliefs. A "compression test" on my motor is reading on 100 psi +/- 2 psi on all cylinders. |
| | | Eek! Compression Info Nasty -- John, 11/29/2004
My compression test about 195 psi in all cylinders. The fact yours is only at 100 psi yields a poor built-in compression ratio. If the engine was merely worn, you would be showing a lot more difference between cylinders I would think. It is very important to pick a cam designed to work with the engine's compression ratio. Seems to me, you are way out. Either change your pistons or cylinder heads to fix this. |
| | | | Rebuild or Blower -- Martin Micheelsen, 11/30/2004
It looks like you either need to tear it down and get some taller pistons - or use the oportunity to add a blower, since there seem to be room for ample boost. It probably wouldn't live all that long with a blower, but it could be a lot of fun. |
| | | | | How about N2O!? -- spinnerbait42, 12/01/2004
HELL, Why not go w/N2O? I woodn't go bigger than 100 shot, and tune it in so I don't destructify the poor stocky reman, but I bet that'd get me down the track as fast as the other power adder w/out spending $4-5 G's?
Wutta U think? |
| | RE: Another opinion. -- Gerry Proctor, 11/30/2004
If you're referring to a chassis dyno, those power and torque numbers don't sound bad at all for what you're indicating. I think you're too hung up on an arbitrary number. How the truck feels to the throttle in the seat of your pants is a more important issue. And a CC 268 is a fairly mild cam in a 390. It's made for more low rpm grunt. And a 750 CFM 3310 Holley isn't too big for a 390. About the only thing you'd notice by going to a 600 CFM carb is that the boosters are a bit more sensitive to tip in but you won't make more horsepower by going smaller (probably a bit less, if anything).
I seriously doubt that your true compression pressure is 100psi unless your cam is way out of whack or you're hanging valves. I think your test method is flawed (open throttle, hot engine, all plugs out, sufficient cranking rpm) otherwise your engine probably wouldn't even start. |
| | | RE: Another opinion. -- spinnerbait42, 12/01/2004
I appreciate the opinions! Sounds like I'm not doing 2 bad on my setup. As 4 my compression testing, I have an old-skewl tester w/a probe that has a thick rubber tube going 2 a mechanical dial and inline pressure release button (all one piece). The probe screws on like a spark plug and has an O-ring 2 seal the cylinder. I run my engine 2 operating temp before I do the test 2 ensure all is sealed and lubed. The engine runs quite well, so I'd rule out the cam thing, I don't touch the throttle while turning 4 the test, & I only do one cylinder @ a time then replace plug before going 2 next cylinder. <is this how it oughta be? |
| | RE: >>New 390 is weak, need pointers<< -- mikee likee, 12/01/2004
High 15's at about 92 mph = 275 hp, I would say with your combo you are in the ball park. 100 psi compression I doubt is correct. |
| | | RE: Another opinion -- spinnerbait42, 12/01/2004
I appreciate the opinions! Sounds like I'm not doing 2 bad on my setup. As 4 my compression testing, I have an old-skewl tester w/a probe that has a thick rubber tube going 2 a mechanical dial and inline pressure release button (all one piece). The probe screws on like a spark plug and has an O-ring 2 seal the cylinder. I run my engine 2 operating temp before I do the test 2 ensure all is sealed and lubed. The engine runs quite well, so I'd rule out the cam thing, I don't touch the throttle while turning 4 the test, & I only do one cylinder @ a time then replace plug before going 2 next cylinder. <is this how it oughta be? |
| | Compression Test, Changed carb -- spinnerbait42, 12/29/2004
Hey folks! I broke down & dug out the 'Ol Holley 600 I had in the closet, & I've discovered much better results. Seems it's jetted and cal'ed better 4 my setup and yeilded instant gains in mpg, smoother cold starts & warmups, response, & top end. Jetting seems about right with light tan spark plug readings. When installing the 600 I smacked myself in the back of the head when I realized my vac adv. line had been connected 2 the full vac out of the carb the whole time, DUH! We'll pretend I didn't do that...The compression test, however, seemed sumwut comparable 2 my previous methods. I ended up getting readings of 105 +or- 5psi. Engine @ op temp, all plugs removed, & butterflies fully opened. All cylinders are quite close 2 each other, just seems like a low comp motor guys. Keep in mind it's a new reman from Recon (shouldn't be any defects), the common 8:1 truck heads it came with and the flat-top pistons; who knows wut head gasket they used or that they didn't need 2 true the heads. I elected 2 downgrade to 87 octane, and she maintained the same power, but also gave a slight gain of mpg. Don't see any reason 2 close gap on plugs since there's no miss or fouling, especially w/80,000 volts going 2 them. More input welcome. |
| | | 80k volts to plugs! -- mikee likee, 12/29/2004
your ignitition may be capable of a certain volt # but if you hooked up an scope you would be suprised how lo secondary voltage can be. At 80,000 volts your plugs would last about 1 minute. What most ignition companies should sale is accuracy and precision instead of ridiculous voltage claims. |
| | | | RE: 80k volts to plugs! -- John, 12/29/2004
Even with 8:1 CR, your measurements seem low. Regardless, seems to me the vacumn advance error would play a huge part in your low power problem. If gas mileage isn't your worry (hobby car, etc.) I'd suggest doing away with the troublesome thing and using a mechanical advance only dist. Works for me. Now about that 80Kvolts......well, a spark gap and the conductivity of the gas/air mixture in the gap dictates the voltage across the gap, not the coil. Sort of like a zener diode for those of you familiar with them. The rest of your system takes up the difference. In most cases this is handled by your resistive plug wires. The 80K won't burn up the plugs, but it may not give a spark of good quality. You need duration, and if that is sacrificed at the expense of abnormally high voltage, then you may be having ignition trouble. Although maybe not for the same reasons as Mikee Likee, I have to concur that maybe your ignition system is more hype than performance. What exactly have you got there anyway? |
| | | | 80kv! Give me a break! -- spinnerbait42, 12/30/2004
Hey guys, The 80kv thing is just the coil claim (& I wuz exaggerating alittle, gimme a break!). I've got the complete Accel 300+ ignition system along with their 8.5 wires and an electronic dist. They claim to have the "multi-spark" effect and "duration" the same as MSD claims. After the many opinions on my compression tests, I think I'll look around to see if I know anybody else w/a compression tester and use a different one to rule out a deffective gauge. I have, however, performed a manifold vacumm test, and *@ steady speeds*, I recorded nothing less than 13 psi. This, I think, rules out inaccurate cam timing. I reset my base timing to about 8 deg, and the wieghts maxed it out (3k rpm no load)to approx. 35 deg. The vac adv pulled an extra 20 deg @ idle and 10 deg above wieghted max (3k rpm no load.) As for my low end, after all the recent adjustments my low end was quite noticably improved! |
| | | | | RE: 80kv! Give me a break! -- mikee likee, 12/30/2004
The vac adv pulled an extra 20 deg @ idle and 10 deg above wieghted max (3k rpm no load.)
Where do you have your tubing connected? The vac. advance should add zero timing at idle. Look for a port on the side of the carb with no signal at idle but increases as the throttles are opened. I like all my centrifugal in by 2200 rpm to about 26 degress then I let my vacuum advance do the rest. this has given me the best throttle response. |
| What is it? -- Jim Mcnamara, 11/25/2004
My neighbor moved and left this motor behind casting number on the block is C3AE 6015H, Head Number says C3AE 6090C Intake is a 4 barrel Number C3AE 9425B motor is together so I haven't checked the bore and stroke I own all chevy stuff so this motor is all greek to me. thx
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