I want a reliable engine with around 500hp. I have a 390 right now from a old thunderbird but didnt if thats what i wanted to do. I have found a guy near me selling 428s and 429s and is only 10 or so minutes away and thought that could be a good choice also. I'm not going to build it all at once its going to be a project for a little while so i can get everything together. Its probably not going to be a corner car so i guess just straight line power is my choice.

 

A stock 351W block stroked to a 408 with a good h/c/i setup will easily make a reliable 500hp on pump gas, and outperform a big block with the same power.

 

That's true but the strokers aren't cheap....A 460 can do that with the right stock heads reworked so they are still worth researching..

 

True, but big blocks aren't cheap either. Depending on the condition of what you have, rebuilding a set of heads, rebuilding the block etc, plus parts like headers, intake and all the other peripheral stuff that nickels and dimes you when doing an engine swap...a 408 might not be that much more expensive.

And keep in mind that good aftermarket SBF heads are quite a bit better than stock 460 heads(decent though the stock BB heads are). And the internals and entire engine are lighter overall, so you end up with a better performing car.

CHP has all forged 408 shortblocks that are rated to 800hp for around $3,000.

 

I like this idea.

My other suggestion would've been a 351w taken to a 408w. I'm personally using a roller 351w in my '68.

 

I've thought about a sbf but everybody has done that so I just wanted to make mine different. I was jst going to stick with a fe since I have the mounts already but a 460 sounds alright too.

 

Well, don't do something necessarily to just be different. Seems like a nice idea, but everyone has wheels that are round for a reason. True for anything, and while trying new things isn't in and of itself bad, there is often a reason why things are done one way more commonly than another(sometimes a good reason, sometimes bad).

Big blocks haven't been used in performance cars for a very long time now, because small blocks can make more power than a car can handle on the street while being lighter and more efficient.

That said, if you have or can get a big block for cheap that requires little machining to rebuild....that with some hyper pistons and a good hyd roller cam and intake/headers and you can make quite a bit of power for pretty cheap.

 

I understand your point and thanks for all the advice guys. Ive found some decently priced big blocks around me for sale even a 429 rebuilt completely to factory specs for around $700. Ive been kicking arount the idea of keeping the 390 using a 428 crank and redoing the heads to make them a little better. When we first inspected the 390 it looked great inside which was suprising i thought there would be a little sludge but there wasnt any crankshaft was clean, top of the heads didnt have hardly any oil sludge on them.

 

Funds permitting, or at least eventually, you could cut the weight disadvantage of a FE by stepping up to aluminum heads. Should be worth 50 - 75 lbs, and with the presumption of an aluminum intake manifold you ought to be able to bring the FE in at or maybe a little under 550 lbs (or only a little more than an all-iron 351W).


Norm

 

But as long as we're stroking, we can stroke thst 460 out to 572 or so.