Curse The Sky

After some debating, I'm keeping the original 289 and building it up a bit. The goal isn't a 500+ HP monster, but I do want to have some fun. If I can push 300ish, I'd be more than happy. So far the only thing I've done to it is bolt on a set of Tri-Y's.

With that being said, it's time to start looking at parts. Everything is going to take a while to piece together, so I'm getting most of the top-end stuff first (carburetor is beyond help at this point, so I'm going to slap a new one on), and I'll work my way down. Being a college student, I can only grab stuff as money permits. I'm not really sure which way I'm going with it yet. It may be a 347 stroker, or I may go another route. I may just put on a couple of bolt-ons and leave it as is. AFR 165's are the next thing on my list, when I can afford it.

The only thing that's set in stone right now is the exhaust. I have a full 2 1/2" exhaust (some guy sold his '66 Shelby and had it left over, almost brand new - got an awesome deal on it), which is a bit much for the stock engine.

Either way, I'm looking at a Holley 600 CFM 4bbl, electric choke. What manifold(s) should I look into?I did a bit of looking around, but I'm really sure what would be best for my build (Victor Jr, Performer, Torker, Weiland Stealth, etc.).Are there any manifolds that will perform decently at higher RPMs, but still perform ok if Imake it a stroker? I'm still undecided.Finally, any cam suggestions?

Any other suggestions, or things that work / don't work? I'm not an expert by any means, just kind of living and learning as I go. I'd definately prefer to build something that I'll like the first time, and not get myself into a total mess.

Thank you.

Mustangdemon67

rpm air gap and victor jr are great intakes, i would go with one of those. but i would swap out that 289 for a 5 liter from a fox. then carb it. its pretty easy, and its a better motor all around. forged internals, roller cam, a little better mpg. thats the way i would go but you can build your 289 if you want, they are good motors that can last a long time if taken care of properly. i guess it all depends on your financial situation.

dont forget about your rear, tranny, suspension and brakes too

Curse The Sky

I thought about a newer 302, they are great engines. It would sort of kill the originality of the car for me though. I will be going with a forged crank / etc. if I can, so I'll make up for some of it.

Looking into a 9" Posi rear end, 4-speed Toploader, and rebuilt suspension before I finish the engine, for sure.

Thank you for the suggestion.

middiepride

i would stick with the 289 and put the afr 165's on it and get the weiand stealth dual plane. 650 cfm carb AT THE MOST.

it will rev up real fast, the 165's will give more power across the board and the dual plane will afford more torque lower, which you would miss keeping it a 289. it still wont be a stroker, but a 289 is just cooler and kinda more fun

Curse The Sky

Any reason why you suggest keeping it at 289 as opposed to 347? The higher RPMs are very tempting, but that will definately limit the horsepower...

Then again, with the heads, intake, cam, carb, and exhaust, it may be all the power I really need.

my77stang

289 > 302 goddamn it when will you people learn?

the 600 you have selected will work beautifully for your 289 right out of the box. I had better luck with the 600 (model 4160) on my old 302 than any other carb as far as bolting it on and it being setup right (power valve, jet sizing)

you should be looking at a wieand 8124 intake for low/mid range power, or a edelbrock performer rpm for mid/high power. the RPM airgap is an awsome manifold, but WILL hurt the bottom a little bit due to the divider being notched. when i performed this modification on my regular RPM i cant honestly say i saw a gain up top, but i can definately say i noticed a little less power off the line.

as for a cam - if your wanting to stick with stock springs for now because your broke and your going to be getting aftermarket heads with better springs later anyways, i would look at the summit 218/228 .471/.471 cam & lifter set. last i checked it was still under 100.00 and in these older motors upgrading the cam for 100 bucks is probably the best bang for the buck.

btw, leave your exhaust alone..... it may be a *little* big for now, but you'll grow into it and its not worth spending more money just to downsize

Curse The Sky

Oh, don't worry, the exhaust is staying. I was more or less saying that it's going to hurt it a little bit for now, but I can deal with it.

I'm glad to hear some praise for the carb. I was pretty sure they were popular, but a lot of people seem to say even 600 is too much for what I'm planning. As far as a manifold, I think I'll take the low-end hit and go for a performer RPM. The car I'm driving now (average family sedan, with some decent horsepower) makes most of it's power after 3500 RPM, and I'd prefer to keep that feeling... just make it better.

The car isn't actually going to be driven until late spring at the earliest;I still have body work, suspension, trim, etc.to do. The main reason for grabbing the stuff now isthe fuel system. The tank is sucking up nasty stuff (replacing that next), fuel lines probably need to be replaced, and the carburetor is... I don't even know. I can't find an ID tag or company badging on it anywhere. It's newer, and the last owner threw it on just to get it running.I'd rather just replace everything now... I'll have to do it eventually anyway.

Is there any reason why I can't use the stock cam with the new manifold and carb? Like I said, it won't be driven for a while. That way, when I have the cash for the heads, I can grab the cam at the same time.Sure, it'spain to rip it all back apart later, but time is one thing that I do have.

my77stang

you can use your old cam no problem, but for less than 100 bucks i would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend swapping it out. it may give you enough of a power boost with the intake and carb that you'll be content driving it as is for awhile until you can save up the right amount of money to build things as you desire.