Rebuilding a 289 Q's
11-11-2006, 09:53 PM
#1
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Rebuilding a 289 Q's
Very new to both forums and Mustangs! Just got a 68 with a blown 6cyl and upgrading to a 289. Got the 289 and want/need to rebuild it. I see about 10 different brands of rebuild kits and not sure which one is the best. Any suggestions/recommendations?? A friend also told me to go with Moly rings, not cast. Again any suggestions? Any help would be great. Thanx
11-11-2006, 10:17 PM
#4
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RE: Rebuilding a 289 Q's
Except for the obvious...like what? I got the 8 from a friend's 66 parts car. I took the motor mounts, bell housing, and tranny lines. He already rebuilt his motor so he gave me some ideas/suggestions like the moly rings, but he can be a bit of a know-it-all. That's why I'm asking here!
11-11-2006, 10:23 PM
#5
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RE: Rebuilding a 289 Q's
COMPLETE!! If I'm going to do it, I might as well do it right! This motor looks rough! Since the car it new to me I want the motor to be new too. The friend I got the motor from already did his and he said his looked worse than mine and now it's sweet, all new and painted. He tends to be a bit of a know-it-all so that's why I'm asking here. I live only a few miles from MustangsUnlimited in Manchester CT, but I heard they weren't too friendly to newbies. Thanx
11-11-2006, 11:34 PM
#7
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RE: Rebuilding a 289 Q's
Yeah!! Haven't verified for myself yet but supposedly fuel got down into the oil and blew a crank bearing. I only heard it run for a few seconds on starter fluid, but he said it knocked pretty bad. I only got this car a week ago and won't really work on it until spring, but I did get the 289 to rebuild in the meantime. I'm just looking for some sound advice from people who have been there and done that. I'm not afraid to say I'm ignorant, I was a VW guy until now!! I want to know what pistons and rings to use, and what brands to stay away from etc.
11-12-2006, 12:09 AM
#9
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Location: Concord, NC
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RE: Rebuilding a 289 Q's
speedpro pistons are decent pistons but keith black forged would be better depending on what kind of performance upgrades you would like to do. As for rings hastings work good with the speedpros. and total seal for the KBs. moly is a must etherway. As for putting the 289 in your car you do know that to do it safely you will need to convert the steering and front and rear suspention to V8 the I6 stuff is way to weak even for worn out v8. In the FAQ at the top of this section you will find a ton of info on the swap and we're here to try and anwser any question you may have. Just to give you an idea of the cost of the swap I spent about $2,500 changing my front end over on mine I didn't have to do the rearend becuase a PO had already done that. That $2,500 includes changing to disc brakes
11-12-2006, 12:10 AM
#10
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RE: Rebuilding a 289 Q's
I like plain cast iron rings. They always seat well and are inexpensive.
The kit Summit sells is good. Has Federal Mugal pistons.
Head work will kill you. You may be better off just getting new aluminum heads.
The harmonic balancer is shot too no doubt. Plan on a new one, or send yours off for repair.
These engines are not complex. But common sense is your best tool.
The kit Summit sells is good. Has Federal Mugal pistons.
Head work will kill you. You may be better off just getting new aluminum heads.
The harmonic balancer is shot too no doubt. Plan on a new one, or send yours off for repair.
These engines are not complex. But common sense is your best tool.