Dave's 390 Build

[Penelope]

Hi Bill, What kind of a budget are we looking at from start to finish. If it's not personal that is?


Chris....From OZ.

Hi Chris, I dont really have a budget per se for the build. No matter what it costs, I will still be getting a much better motor than I could organise over here in Oz. The first motor in this car lasted nearly 52 years, so I reckon this one will see me well and truly out and will provide great motoring for my kids / grandkids long after I am gone!

Another bonus is when I ship it over, there will be a lot of space in the part container I use, so I may have to do some other shopping....

Bill

[keith]

This is great Dave. I have 2 FE's that need done. I would like to do these myself. Can't wait to see this "how to".

Keith

[YellowRose]

Penelope's 390

Dave has started the work on separating the engine from the C6. If you want to see more pix and comments click on this link and push the F5 button on your keyboard to refresh it. Dave said to push the F5 button to refresh each page so you see what is new that he has added. He has pages for Teardown, Teardown, Intake & Heads, and Transmission Separation now.

CLICK HERE for Bill's 390 Build.

[keith]

Thanks Ray.

[YellowRose]

Penelope's 390

Dave tells me that there are more pictures and commentary of the tear down of the engine that he has posted. Engine parts and the tranny are being shipped out for rebuilding, so he probably will not have any new pix up for a week or so. But if you have not checked the web pages in the last few days, check again. Remember to push F5 to refresh the pages. Click on the link I posted below this.

[simplyconnected]

Thanks Ray,
It's true... The FT block is absolutely bare and going to my favorite machine shop in the morning.

I have different plans for the C6.

While these parts are out for rework, I won't be taking many pictures. - Dave

Edit: Click HERE for Penelope's 390.

[simplyconnected]

A good, long-term friend of mine, Randy Carron is doing a total rebuild and major overhaul on this truck C-6. Randy and his son Mike, have owned RC Trans & Gear in Royal Oak, Michigan, for decades. RC guarantees their work for life.

Right now, the trans works just fine but it's old (1973), it's going on a fresh 390, it's time to update it to 2012, and it's going to Australia. Officially, it will still be a 3-speed Automatic C-6, but this transmixer is getting a gear set from a Ford A4OD. First gear is geared 10% lower and second is geared 5% lower than a stock C-6 (2.71 first, 1.53 second). Of course, 3rd will remain 1:1. It will wear the six pinion steel planet gear, hub, bearing, ring gear and sun gear. This swap provides drag racers with more acceleration and tow vehicles or motor homes with more pulling power without changing axle ratios. No machining required. Cost $300.00 + overhaul.

At the same time, this trans will wear new gaskets and seals, and we're keeping it, "FORD". - Dave

[Guest]

Looks like ...

the disassemble part is going well. Sort of like archeology. Was wondering if you were aware that in order to use an automotive distributor in the FT block you will need a bushing in the block? Nice of you to outline these procedures for all the members. Cheers, Mike

[Penelope]

A good, long-term friend of mine, Randy Carron is doing a total rebuild and major overhaul on this truck C-6. Randy and his son Mike, have owned RC Trans & Gear in Royal Oak, Michigan, for decades. RC guarantees their work for life.

Right now, the trans works just fine but it's old (1973), it's going on a fresh 390, it's time to update it to 2012, and it's going to Australia. Officially, it will still be a 3-speed Automatic C-6, but this transmixer is getting a gear set from a Ford A4OD. First gear is geared 10% lower and second is geared 5% lower than a stock C-6 (2.71 first, 1.53 second). Of course, 3rd will remain 1:1. It will wear the six pinion steel planet gear, hub, bearing, ring gear and sun gear. This swap provides drag racers with more acceleration and tow vehicles or motor homes with more pulling power without changing axle ratios. No machining required. Cost $300.00 + overhaul.

At the same time, this trans will wear new gaskets and seals, and we're keeping it, "FORD". - Dave

Music to my ears....

[simplyconnected]

Hey, all you restorers... I welcome any and all concerns and comments, here. Mike and Bob have stepped up, and that makes this a much better build for Penelope. I put this build up on the WWW for everyone to see. If you have any questions, ask! That's how we all learn.

It seems like after the whirlwind '50's, Ford moved much more cautiously. They quickly sent the Y-Block tooling to S. America and Australia, and cranked up the FE in the US.

I can't count the number of combinations the FE was made into. There are fifty different intake manifolds for different applications. Then, there are the Marine and Truck versions. Remember, Ford has always sold more trucks than cars. Enter the FT which used beefier castings, and different component parts. Matching heads, manifolds, cranks and blocks has become a science of compatibility. This is where experience takes over.

Redstangbob PM'ed me today with FE cautions regarding misinformation written in various manuals and the difference between a 390FE and a 391FT. Yes, it can be confusing, but if we stick with one known production engine (at a time) the confusion vanishes as reality surfaces.

Bob avers that this engine may have come from a light truck (an F-100), but that doesn't qualify it to be an official FT engine.

Here's what Fordification says:
2U:
'66-'73 390 c.i.d. Car & Truck Use (This is it, and internally balanced)
'64-'78 391 c.i.d. Heavy Duty Truck, 1 3/8" Pulley Snout Diameter, Forged Steel

So far, all the crank measurements match those of a 390 FE, but it is definately a cast truck crank (2U) and good for at least 700-hp or ft/lbs of torque. - Dave

[Guest]

FT's ...

Only came in the medium duty trucks (F&C series 500 thru 700 if memory serves) and can be identified by accessories and the large crank snout the only difference in the block is the interior dist. hole which can be bushed to accept an automotive dist.. Looks like what you have is a pickup block if it has a D4E or D3E designation it will have the CJ style extra main webbing and on occasion can be taken out to a 428 bore size if sonic checked for core shift, although the best I have been able to manage is +.040. If your looking for great torque and power for a fairly reasonable sum it's hard to beat the the Scat 4.25 stroker setup. By the time you figure up the cost of reconditioning rods and buying new pistons for an overbore anyway your only talking about 1K or less for a marked difference in performance and probably better economy to boot in a heavy car. Mike

[redstangbob]

My PM to Dave was in hopes that guys following along would not get confused about what block Dave had sourced for this build. By looking at the pictures on Dave's site it's clear this is a low compression, 390 2V FE pick-up truck engine, not to be confused with the FT block. As Mike has said the FT is somewhat different than the FE. FT blocks may be able to be bored to a 428 size, but there is no guarantee. a sonic test is the best way to see how much iron you can cut safely. Ford casting marks can be misleading as well. A casting number does not necessarily determine what the part will be finished machined to, FE cylinder heads are a good example. Dave's post leads you to Fordification, a good site with lots of info. The 2U crank is shown to be used in regular car, and 391 FT. The casting started out the same, but was machined differently for it's intended purpose (car or HD truck). The Ft block had a hole in the right side for the air compressor (air brakes) oil drain. The exhaust manifolds are very different from automotive, and as Mike explained the distributor had a larger bottom bore, as many engines had governors. It looks like Dave found a good candidate to build, and with new heads and intake should make plenty of power. This old FE looks like it never had to work too hard, unlike most of it's FT cousins.

[simplyconnected]

Right now I'm in a lull. The engine is out for machining and trans is out for an overhaul. It's below freezing outside, and both dogs are incessently barking at the front porch.

No wonder, look what arrived... a pair of Edelbrock Performer RPM heads

A Comp Cams Roller Cam...

Stainless Steel Valves...

Check out the bronze guides in these heads, and the Hydraulic Roller Lifters...

[tbird430]

WOW!!

EYE CANDY INDEED!!!

-Jon in TX.

[Jimz Bird]

Some people are just going to have WAAAAAAYYY too much fun this spring.