I know i was tryin to go with a 351 swap but you guys are right, if im not planning to make gulps of power (400hp+) i should just stick with the 289 and buil that up. I was on summit looking at the '68 302 331stroker kits.
-What stroke should I be looking at for my 289? 3.250in. or 3.400in.?
-How do I make sure I can get the right compression to run on pump gas?
-Do I need aftermarket heads or can I run on stock heads? I know stock will suck ***, but if its a must, what would be some good budget heads for a 331 stroker?
-Is there anything else I must change if I going to build a stroker?

 

I'm not sure on a 289 block as far as stroke, the piston walls ARE shorter but I dunno by how much, so I'm pretty sure you can't do 347, but maybe a 331 will work? Might wanna ask a shop that's good with Fords, or someone else on here prolly knows. As far as heads/cam, best bet is spend the money to do a roller cam conversion and get some decent aftermarket aluminum, heads(that way you can run a decent cam and have decent compression, and not have to worry about detonation) Also, there's more to running on pump gas than JUST compression, piston dwell is a major issue as well. That's gonna be affected by rod ratio, the longer the rod ratio is the more dwell you have, the less advance you need the more detonation resistance you have. For instance, I'm running aluminum heads with a long rod 302, CR is 9.44:1 static and 8.31:1 dynamic, with about 12deg initial advance, and full advance by 3,000rpm it runs without pinging on 89 oct California crap gas, and I haven't even tuned it yet since it's only been in a few days and I just got jets yesterday, so it's been running as lean as an Etheopian at a weightwatchers convention. Also, don't plan on making any real power with stock heads unless you find someone who can do a REAL port job. And remember, iron heads means you run less CR to not detonate on pump gas, alum heads can take about 0.5-1.0 more of CR and still be safe(as a general rule of thumb, but again, there are other factors). Just remember to get it balanced!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And as far as pistons, I reccomend Mahle motorsports Powerpaks, about $600 give or take for rings and pistons, but it's a low expansion forged with a nice anti-friction coating and a low drag standard tension ring pack, with plasma moly top ring, and they're very light and very strong

 

ya you can do a 347 on a 289....331 is bout the max you wanna do tho. the 347 tend to drink oil like mad and tend to wear out prematurly....good for strip but not street

good site for the whole mod of the 331
http://www.mustangandfords.com/techa...troker_engine/

i thought i saw that summit had a kit for it but i cant seem to find it, ill look around

 

i wouldnt wanna go with the larger stroker package using the 289 block..... there are plenty of old 302 cores in the junk yards you should be able to pickup a donor block cheap.

my suggestion? stick with the 289 and just rebuild it with decent pistons, a nice cam, and a great set of heads. you'd be quite happy with it im sure, and you'd be able to zing it up real high and real fast.

+1 for balancing it though, whichever way you go about the build

 

IMO, if you're going to stroke it and your block needs machining anyway, you may as well start off on the right foot with a later model 5.0L block with the roller cam and one-piece rear main seal. I've seen plenty of 5.0L's you could get at a pick-and-pull, but if you're mainly only going to use the block, I'd be inclined to pick up a new Ford block from Summit and the like for $500. Also, I'd decide how much power you need/want. I have a new Ford Racing crate 345hp motor, and after the dynotune, it has more than enough power for my needs for my lightweight '65 fastback.

I am of the opinion that there is a point of diminishing returns on horsepower for a street driven early model Mustang. They are relatively light vehicles with relatively smaller tires and somewhat antiquated suspensions which don't always put power very well to the pavement in stock form, so ...

I'd rather leave 50hp on the table and have an engine that will last a long time, be very streetable and get relatively good :cough: gas mileage. Obviously, this is your build and YMMV, but that is what I would do.

Good luck!

 

I'd go with a 302 roller cam block like some of these guys said. Keep your 289 laying around for a back up motor.

 

I agree with these guys. Keep that 289. They are very good motors and hard to find.Pick up a 302 or late model 5.0 and have at it.

 

Agreed, build off a late 1pc roller block, and short block the 289 as a backup just in case. And yeah, decide how much power you want, what kinda reliability you want, mileage, and how much you wanna spend. Generally you want something with ok mileage, good reliability and decent power. Jack-of-all-trades, master of none