Engine availabilty

[popcop]

Hi,
Was the 390 available in the 1959 bird??
Thanks, Popcop

[Guest]

Hey Lon,
No, the 390 was not available until 1961!
Richard D. Hord

[popcop]

Thank You Sir,
Popcop

[YellowRose]

Engine availabilty

Hi Popcop! To answer you a bit better, the 390 is being run in any number of Squarebirds often coupled with the C6 tranny. If memory serves me right, there is some underneath changes regarding supports that have to be made though. The guys here who have done it can fill you in on what they had to do to make a 390 and/or a C6 tranny run in a Squarebird.

[Guest]

The reason this post perked my interest is that when I had my 1958 352 rebuilt I had it punched to a 390. Nothing additional needed to be done to any underneath changes or tranny changes. So my '58 is running a 390 CID engine with the original rebuilt Cruise-O-matic tranny.

I think it is known that the 390 is the FE Big Block Ford engine. The FE Block can be built into anyone of a great number of different cubic inch displacement engines, including the 332, 352, 360, 390, 406, 410 and 427. There's still lots more combinations. Thusly I don't know why any underneath changes or transmission changes need be made. Steve Christ's book does mention the C6 tranny, but his book goes into no detail or matching of transmissions to different sized displacement engines. I suppose if one were to build a 410, 427 or a 428 a different tranny would be required to handle increased torque.

Don't know if this helps, but am sure that others will know much more about transmissions and other engine modifications.

Hi Popcop! To answer you a bit better, the 390 is being run in any number of Squarebirds often coupled with the C6 tranny. If memory serves me right, there is some underneath changes regarding supports that have to be made though. The guys here who have done it can fill you in on what they had to do to make a 390 and/or a C6 tranny run in a Squarebird.