67 Fastback - Idea's wanted to Build on a 289

[justchris]

Hi There All,

First of all I want to say a Big thanks to the people who helped me in my other post a couple months back and Helping me find my First Lil Pony.... SIGH

So, Lets Ride

I HAVE A QUESTION FOR ALL Knowleged Enthuse Types on Here.

1st) We a stripping back and rebuilding the Floors Pans, and bottom end rust at the moment. (currently)

2nd) Next we Beef Up a 289 windsor... Ive been told shave the Flywheel, stroke it and put in a automatic Diff... CAN ANYONE AD MORE IDEA'S

(as always I welcome all serious and none knuckle headed comments)

[donoauto]

Haven't heard of an automatic diff. Maybe they meant a Limited Slip Diff (LSD). That's a good thing if you wanna fry both tyres at once in a burnout (like me).
I suppose a lightened flywheel wouldn't hurt but have never bothered with any of my engines. Instant horsepower would be a cam , a set of performance heads , carby & a good set of headers/exhaust system. Watch your budget because , as expensive as the crate engine option may look upfront , by the time ill planning on an engine beef up occurs , a crate engine might have been a good option to begin with. Guaranteed horsepower out of the box.

[Cameron]

Of course it all depends on the money.

If it was me? I would save the dollars and not bother about the stroker kit or shaving and balancing the flywheel.

The money i saved i would put into a nice pair of heads - buy them at the same time as you get your engine machined so that he can match them to the engine and make sure they are faced correctly etc. Pick up a good quality intake and you are due for some respect. Then get yourself a new cam, get the crank polished and get a better oil pickup while you are at it. It probably wont cost you any more.

Simple stuff i know and probably some of it you have already plannedand i am reliterating alot of what donauto has said. But..

My reasoning: Lets face it - the 289 is a great engine with a lot of aftermarket support. But its no world beater. And thats why i wouldnt bother in stroking it. Not saying you cant get great power from it by doing so - but saying that your money is probably better spent elsewhere. And. If you are going to stroke something. You have to figure that you will be paying for the machine work anyway - may as well start big and start with the 351.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Pick your engine builder well and respect his opinion. Oh and pay him in cash.

[Dynamic]

I wouldn't skimp on balancing. ever.
My vote is on crate motor if you aren't too particular with specifications. Get something well within whatever you are willing to spend complete.

[hybrid]

The 289 can be stroked to 347, which is more than enough poke when it's set up correctly. By the time you ditch the 289 and buy a 351, you could spend the money on the 289 and it will leave the stock 351 for dead.

There is also more room to work around the smaller block.

[nassi]

this maybe a little over the top but represents excellent value IMO
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/500hp-Ford-Winds ... 3cafa74928

[jbrucem1]

this maybe a little over the top but represents excellent value IMO
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/500hp-Ford-Winds ... 3cafa74928

and i wonder how much you could pick one up in the states at the moment, especially considering the current 10% off all items deal

[BOSS289]

Of course it all depends on the money.

If it was me? I would save the dollars and not bother about the stroker kit or shaving and balancing the flywheel.

The money i saved i would put into a nice pair of heads - buy them at the same time as you get your engine machined so that he can match them to the engine and make sure they are faced correctly etc. Pick up a good quality intake and you are due for some respect. Then get yourself a new cam, get the crank polished and get a better oil pickup while you are at it. It probably wont cost you any more.

Simple stuff i know and probably some of it you have already plannedand i am reliterating alot of what donauto has said. But..

My reasoning: Lets face it - the 289 is a great engine with a lot of aftermarket support. But its no world beater. And thats why i wouldnt bother in stroking it. Not saying you cant get great power from it by doing so - but saying that your money is probably better spent elsewhere. And. If you are going to stroke something. You have to figure that you will be paying for the machine work anyway - may as well start big and start with the 351.

Good luck with whatever you choose. Pick your engine builder well and respect his opinion. Oh and pay him in cash.

Hmmmm...289, No world beater??? Just look at the guys running around in Group NC (old Appendix J). The 289 has one of the best piston to rod ratio's of most of the Ford family V8's...

Building a stroker out of a 289/302 block is a better alternative for a mild combination than a 351 (extractors are available off the shelf)...and less reciprocating mass for better engine acceleration.

Cheers,

BOSS289

[IGALOP]

Ask Jim Richards what he thinks about little Windsors and their performance capabilities.
That Falcon Sprint of his flew past most 5 - 6 litre V8's in the last couple of years.

[Hawko]

+1 for the crate motor option.
I found it cheaper to buy a crate motor than to get the machine work and purchase the parts

[Frank70]

Depends on what you want to do yourself .

I started going the way of getting a short motor done and then getting the heads, intake , carb etc. Was going to work out more $ and then I am no expert, so it may not have all worked together and I have never assembled a motor, so I changed course and went the 351W crate motor. Alloys heads , roller cam etc. 400HP.

If you can do the work yourself or know someone in the trade for the machining etc., then fine ... otherwise I would advise a crate motor.

Cheers,
Frank.

[boofhead]

Frank is right - the choice is yours and what your goals are.

I am a have-a-go yourself kind of guy. I see a large part of this hobby is doing some of the spanner work yourself. I accept and do the process of farming out some of the mundane or difficult aspects to experts.

It is not difficult to build a strong street engine. Yes there are aspects of the build that should be done correctly and steps that need to be double checked during the process. You will learn a lot while it will not always go smoothly.

Advantages; a great sense of achievement. Also, you will know exactly what is in the engine (e.g. parts) and how to fix it and maintain it.

Nothing wrong with dropping in a create engine. In fact a very good option - I am just on the built it (as much as you can).

BTW: I would vote for the 347 using your 289 block (assuming the cylinders have not been over bored. Select a roller cam using linked lifters. The 351 is only worth the extra trouble if you are stroking it - e.g. 408 is also a great option.