I know where one is... Still attached to the C6...

Pro's and Con's...
*I'm wanting a Standard... a Top loader is what I'm looking at, Workable?... Other then that, Goods and bads?"

aaaaaannnnd..... GO!

 

Honestly, I do not know much about the 390 other than it is in the same family as the 427 and 428 "FE". I thought about putting on in my self, but decided a 383 small block was an easier solution. It is obviously a big block so getting it to fit and having room to work is going to be an issue. A toploader will mount up just fine, but you will need to make sure you get the big block bellhousing and big block input shaft/clutch. The bottom ends are two bolt mains. Some 390 blocks can be bored up to 428 but not guaranteed. The block got stronger as time went on. Any idea what year the block is? There were a bunch of different heads available and the horsepower differed from 250-375hp.

 

All I know right now is it is in a tbird the 60s early 70s model I believe. Would those have a 9 incher?

 

Very easy way to get 500 ft. lbs. of torque! The bird should have had a 9" in it.

 

what about headers that would fit?... Is it not wider then a 351W?...

 

Actually, using stock parts the 390s ranged from 378-427ft*lbs @2400-3000rpm. They are certainly capable of more with aftermarket parts (cam, heads, intake, exhaust), but were not super torquey out of the box. That is still plenty to shatter stock parts if they are not up to snuff.

 

I would think headers on any big block mustang is going to be very tough, but I cannot say for sure. Hooker and Hedman do not show any 390 headers for a Mustang. There is just not much room between the heads and the shock tower. That brings up a good point, you will probably need to do a shock tower mod if the car was not a big block car...

 

originally had a 289

 

You'll have some small problems with headers in that car with that motor. Mustang 390 heads are different than any other head in that they altered the exhaust port bolt pattern to fit in the engine bay. You'll either need a set of Mustang heads or a set of swap headers, which I believe are fairly available. What I'd recommend is a set of aftermarket aluminum heads to shave like 80lbs off the front end.

390's have great performance potential as soon as you get rid of the horribly restrictive stock exhaust manifolds. A good cam, intake, carb, headers, and you'll have some serious problems getting the tires to hook up

Keep in mind, you'll need a 9" rear. Your factory 8" will likely grenade with a good clutch drop behind the FE.

The downside to an FE motor is the weight. Aluminum heads/intake will help a lot, but it still won't be a corner carver. If you can live with that, go for it!

 

It would cost more over all for a 390 then to put a 351w in there, wouldn't it?...

And as for the 9incher... I'd most likely have to buy the whole T-bird which is titleless so I could probably pick it up for 500... all the crap is there, but the body is swiss cheese.

Aluminum parts cost a lot of money... It would probably be better if I did stick with a 351w... But I will do some more research...

How much tq and Hp can a Toploader 4 speed take before going boom?