im currently redoing a 72 f100 2wd 390 w a c6, ive never rebuilt a car engine....but several sm engines....it seems as if it has an aftermarket cam that i wanna get away from, it has a edelbrock 750 that needs redone, im curious as to input on carb? cam? and rebuild kit reccomendations...it also has headers that i plan to do away w
FE 390 rebuild
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What are you looking for out of the engine performance-wise? Are you looking for a stock type rebuild, mild engine, high performance?
The FE engines really need oil with lots of ZDDP for camshaft break in unless somebody is making roller cams for them now.
If you want to turn heads keep an eye out on Craigslist for a rebuildable 428. Another common swap is a 429 or 460 into that truck.
If you want to turn heads keep an eye out on Craigslist for a rebuildable 428. Another common swap is a 429 or 460 into that truck.
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Get in touch with Jay Allen from Camshaft Innovations, www.camshaftinnovations.com I have dealt with him on my own build, as well as ones for my friends. He knows his stuff!
I'd recommend going roller on the engine.
Here's a HOT ROD build up of a roller 390:
http://www.hotrod.com/webonly_january/index.html
Quote:
In the January '03 issue of HOT ROD magazine, we reviewed the parts needed to build a pump-gas, 9.68:1-compression 390 Ford that makes 450 hp at 5,600 rpm and 460 lb-ft at 3,900. The combo included out-of-the-box Edelbrock Performer FE cylinder heads, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold, and a Crane hydraulic roller cam with 222/228 degrees of duration at 0.050 and 0.584/0.604 lift. The bottom-end was basic Federal-Mogul hard parts, including PN L2291F-030 forged pistons, and we fastened the entire engine with top-quality stuff from ARP.
I'd recommend going roller on the engine.
Here's a HOT ROD build up of a roller 390:
http://www.hotrod.com/webonly_january/index.html
Quote:
In the January '03 issue of HOT ROD magazine, we reviewed the parts needed to build a pump-gas, 9.68:1-compression 390 Ford that makes 450 hp at 5,600 rpm and 460 lb-ft at 3,900. The combo included out-of-the-box Edelbrock Performer FE cylinder heads, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold, and a Crane hydraulic roller cam with 222/228 degrees of duration at 0.050 and 0.584/0.604 lift. The bottom-end was basic Federal-Mogul hard parts, including PN L2291F-030 forged pistons, and we fastened the entire engine with top-quality stuff from ARP.
Removing the headers really kills the H.P. and Torque in the middle and upper range. I would if you can afford it a mpg type roller cam small as possible carb and matching manifold remember what ever you decide on, the carb, intake, compression and exhaust all have to work together and match the camshaft profile. I like low output big block engines. I also really like the Kieth Black Hypoutectic cast pistons setup tight as well as all the other clearances makes a nice streeter. The hard part is finding someone to do all the work correctly. Also keep the dual exhaust and add a crossover pipe if there isn't one between the exhaust pipes .
I personally don't like the Edelbrock Performer carbs. I have never been able to get them to run right. On the other hand, I love the Edelbrock Quadrajets that they use to make. I have one on my 70 Monte Carlo and it works great.
Wayne
Wayne
Originally Posted By: wtd
I personally don't like the Edelbrock Performer carbs. I have never been able to get them to run right.
X2. I have a brand new one that spent 8hrs on a dyno and it still doesn't work correctly plus if it sits more than 3 days the truck wont start w/o pouring gas down the carb throat.
I personally don't like the Edelbrock Performer carbs. I have never been able to get them to run right.
X2. I have a brand new one that spent 8hrs on a dyno and it still doesn't work correctly plus if it sits more than 3 days the truck wont start w/o pouring gas down the carb throat.
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Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: wtd
I personally don't like the Edelbrock Performer carbs. I have never been able to get them to run right.
X2. I have a brand new one that spent 8hrs on a dyno and it still doesn't work correctly plus if it sits more than 3 days the truck wont start w/o pouring gas down the carb throat.
Yeah, not a fan here either. I prefer a Holley.
Originally Posted By: wtd
I personally don't like the Edelbrock Performer carbs. I have never been able to get them to run right.
X2. I have a brand new one that spent 8hrs on a dyno and it still doesn't work correctly plus if it sits more than 3 days the truck wont start w/o pouring gas down the carb throat.
Yeah, not a fan here either. I prefer a Holley.
As others have said, they can make good power. If your current intake is a factory cast-iron unit, dump it and get an aftermarket unit that will not only flow better but weigh less. The Edelbrock heads mentioned are a big, big part of the equation used in the build mentioned above, as is the roller cam. A flat tappet will definitely get you very close, but a roller has the advantage of more aggresive ramp angles for more area under a given lift/duration curve, and reduced friction.
For a truck you want torque, not horsepower. A stock cam or an aftermarket one with short duration will help keep torque high in the lower rpm. Do not get heads with large ports, they will kill port velocity and low rpm torque. You can get headers but you want ones with small diameters and long primary tubes which again will benefit torque in the lower rpm range. With this truck definitely stay away from the 'bigger is better' mentality because it is not.
Make sure the intake is a Performer, not Performer RPM. The RPM is a high-rise that's biased toward high revs instead of low-end torque. Like Steve S said, a smaller carb (Holley 600 maybe) will be better for low-speed torque and economy. Definitely use a smaller cam, one marketed for towing/RV use. I wonder if Ford Motorsports makes any parts for this engine. If so, that would be a good place to start looking at cam specs.
If you're set against headers, search the Internet to learn about this engine family. Somebody will know the part numbers for the best-flowing exhaust manifolds that will fit. Or just pull the header when the starter goes.
One more thing--buy a good gasket set, like Fel-Pro. I cheaped out once, and when a head gasket blew, two new Fel-Pro head gaskets cost as much as the whole original set.
Good luck and have fun with your project.
If you're set against headers, search the Internet to learn about this engine family. Somebody will know the part numbers for the best-flowing exhaust manifolds that will fit. Or just pull the header when the starter goes.
One more thing--buy a good gasket set, like Fel-Pro. I cheaped out once, and when a head gasket blew, two new Fel-Pro head gaskets cost as much as the whole original set.
Good luck and have fun with your project.
TO:wtd the reason you cant get a Edelbrock Performer to run good is you havent learned to tune a good carb. i started tuneing AFBs in 1967. they are easy to tune once you know to change only a jet OR a rod. NEVER both. theres a lot more about tuning AFBs but i dont have room here. as to the cam, i have been down that road, do not use a cam that is more than 268 degrees advrtised, not .05. for daily driver. : scot tucker is RIGHT ON, 100%
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Originally Posted By: morris
TO:wtd the reason you cant get a Edelbrock Performer to run good is you havent learned to tune a good carb. i started tuneing AFBs in 1967. they are easy to tune once you know to change only a jet OR a rod. NEVER both. theres a lot more about tuning AFBs but i dont have room here. as to the cam, i have been down that road, do not use a cam that is more than 268 degrees advrtised, not .05. for daily driver. : scot tucker is RIGHT ON, 100%
I agree. I worked at a carburetor shop for 4.5 years and we installed and repaired a ton of those. They are one of the easiest carbs for tuning and have really good driveability. For that reason I recommend them for do it yourself hobbyists.
268 degrees seat-to-seat or less seems reasonable. Keep your compression ratio low and you can run even less duration and the thing will pull stumps at idle.
TO:wtd the reason you cant get a Edelbrock Performer to run good is you havent learned to tune a good carb. i started tuneing AFBs in 1967. they are easy to tune once you know to change only a jet OR a rod. NEVER both. theres a lot more about tuning AFBs but i dont have room here. as to the cam, i have been down that road, do not use a cam that is more than 268 degrees advrtised, not .05. for daily driver. : scot tucker is RIGHT ON, 100%
I agree. I worked at a carburetor shop for 4.5 years and we installed and repaired a ton of those. They are one of the easiest carbs for tuning and have really good driveability. For that reason I recommend them for do it yourself hobbyists.
268 degrees seat-to-seat or less seems reasonable. Keep your compression ratio low and you can run even less duration and the thing will pull stumps at idle.
If Offenhauser makes an appropriate dual port manifold for that engine, it might be a good option. That is assuming the carb you are talking about is a 4 bbl.
Ed
Ed
Originally Posted By: edhackett
If Offenhauser makes an appropriate dual port manifold for that engine, it might be a good option. That is assuming the carb you are talking about is a 4 bbl.
Ed
You mean dual plane?
If Offenhauser makes an appropriate dual port manifold for that engine, it might be a good option. That is assuming the carb you are talking about is a 4 bbl.
Ed
You mean dual plane?
I'm not up on American V8 rebuilds, other than general knowledge, so am not familiar with manifold types. A quick search of Summit shows a Dual Port line. These split the intake to each cylinder into two separate passages, one for the primaries and one for the secondaries. This gives very high velocity for the primaries, increasing torque and fuel mileage. Flow for the secondaries, when they kick in is also improved. Is this different than dual plane?
I ran one of these on a 1973 Toyota 2TC hemi(a real hemi, unlike those poser pent-roof Dodges) back in the day. It worked like a charm. The engine was smoother, more powerful, and in combination with headers, picked up more than 10% fuel mileage.
Ed
I ran one of these on a 1973 Toyota 2TC hemi(a real hemi, unlike those poser pent-roof Dodges) back in the day. It worked like a charm. The engine was smoother, more powerful, and in combination with headers, picked up more than 10% fuel mileage.
Ed
Originally Posted By: Rhymingmechanic
Make sure the intake is a Performer, not Performer RPM. The RPM is a high-rise that's biased toward high revs instead of low-end torque. Like Steve S said, a smaller carb (Holley 600 maybe) will be better for low-speed torque and economy. Definitely use a smaller cam, one marketed for towing/RV use. I wonder if Ford Motorsports makes any parts for this engine. If so, that would be a good place to start looking at cam specs.
If you're set against headers, search the Internet to learn about this engine family. Somebody will know the part numbers for the best-flowing exhaust manifolds that will fit. Or just pull the header when the starter goes.
One more thing--buy a good gasket set, like Fel-Pro. I cheaped out once, and when a head gasket blew, two new Fel-Pro head gaskets cost as much as the whole original set.
Good luck and have fun with your project.
I see preformer and 390 on the intake?
Make sure the intake is a Performer, not Performer RPM. The RPM is a high-rise that's biased toward high revs instead of low-end torque. Like Steve S said, a smaller carb (Holley 600 maybe) will be better for low-speed torque and economy. Definitely use a smaller cam, one marketed for towing/RV use. I wonder if Ford Motorsports makes any parts for this engine. If so, that would be a good place to start looking at cam specs.
If you're set against headers, search the Internet to learn about this engine family. Somebody will know the part numbers for the best-flowing exhaust manifolds that will fit. Or just pull the header when the starter goes.
One more thing--buy a good gasket set, like Fel-Pro. I cheaped out once, and when a head gasket blew, two new Fel-Pro head gaskets cost as much as the whole original set.
Good luck and have fun with your project.
I see preformer and 390 on the intake?
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