Background on newly acquired '64 F250 flatbed - yanked the 292/T98, replacing with FE (which I have in my garage) and NV4500, existing NP205, Dana 44/60 with 4.56's. This will be a toy which will be driven often, gas mileage is of absolutely zero concern, and we - dad and I - want gobs of low-rpm torque. This will not be a 6k rpm screamer, rather, a predominantly around the town cruiser with a little bit of off-road fun. The 390 block at being at the machine shop to ensure it is a good foundation for a build.

I've seen 445 stroker kits from Survival Motorsports for around $1,500. These extra cubes, paired with Edelbrock heads/intake and a decent cam should easily net 450hp with a ton of torque. The 390 crank (verified with the 2U stamp) and, get this, the C7AE-B rods (428 CJ rods) that came out of the motor looked good.

I say sell the crank and rods to offset the cost of a 445 kit...I know that a properly built 390 will provide plenty of grunt, but convince me that a 445 would be the better route to go.

 

Convince you eh? Never been asked to convince someone to spend money lol

If you want 450 streetable hp (and 500+tq) then go the 445 route. I didn't go for all out tq on mine but it still tows like a train. The bigger cid allows it to be much milder and still make big power. You can look at my garage and see the specs on my build. Makes 450hp/520tq.
With CJ (or ported to flow like CJs) or Edelbrock heads that would go up to 475-480hp. Those aren't cheap, although I saw a set of CJ heads the other day for 600... they were sold almost instantly lol.
If you're current heads need rebuilt I would seriously consider the Eds though. Once you price a valve job (maybe installing CJ valves) and p&p it's not too much more to just get the Eds. You'd have lots of room for improvement if later desired, not to mention less weight. Maybe your machine shop is reasonable and can do the work inexpensively, but the ones around here charge $$$.

No $1500 kits, try $1950 for the Probe pistons and I beams and $2300 for Diamond pistons and H beams. But it comes balanced and ready to drop in, and with all the support you could want from Barry.

 

Just one comment. When it comes to torque there is no substitute for cubes.

 

AND stroke

The more stroke you have, the better the leverage on the crank pin. It's simple math.

More leverage means more torque. It's a win-win.


ka-ching...

 

But also with the longer stroke means it won't wind-up as fast and takes a bit longer than say a 390 with a 3.78'' stroke....correct?


OJ

 

That depends more on the cam and carb, and flywheel weight. A stroker crank is going to weigh more, but the other factors override that. So a hot cam in a 445 is going to zing it up a lot faster than a roundish cam in a 390.

 

With all other items being the same, except the stroke, the longer stroke engine will have a little slower time winding up. However, the longer stroke will result in more torque being produced. It's a trade-off. Winding up in the blink of an eye, or moving a mountain while lumbering along at a slower pace towards the redline.
Stroker kits are an awesome upgrade, but they can sure make a major dent in the wallet. Are they worth the investment? Depends. Speed is a question of money, how fast can you afford to go?

 

I saw in your post 4.56 gears mentioned.

How did the 390 run with these gears? To me thats the biggest deal with going bigger in a 4x4. To me if your off-roading you don't wanna over power your tires, and get bogged down.

Years ago I help re-do a 351W in a friends 4x4 becouse it ran well with it the way it was, and stroking it over 400ci would of cost him more then just the motor parts. Since it was a bolt-on 351 it could already sort of spin the tires on soft dirt roads. So we could easily believe the hotter 400+W would just kill the tires if he got going up a hill and floored it. So he went with the hotter 351W to avoid the gear changes that a 400 would of neccitated in his 4x4.

 

What cam would be a hot one to zing a 445 up fast?


OJ

 

You want a hot cam with a lumpy idle? Comes on about 3000 rpms?

Read all about it:

COMP Cams Product Tech - CPG Nation Forum

Lots of detail there.

That kind of cam may or may not be best for your vehicle.

Read through this about how these motors are put together, and about the cams they select:

Survival FE Engine Kits

 

many here must have missed the part where you are using a NV4500 transmission.
like the ZF5 trans the fords used, it is indeed a truck transmission.

Worrying about how fast the engine will spin up is irrelevant when the transmission shifts VERY slowly.

 

The OP has an NV4500, OrangeJuice is asking about zinging the motor....

 

thats why I was talking to the OP. Guess I should have made that more clear.

 

Hhhmmm. OP's last post is the 7/20 post above. Prior to that, he last posted in August 2010. Might be a while. Maybe he's pinned to the core support by that 292 and will have to saw his own arm off like that dude in the film 127 Hours....