Tired 390?
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New User
Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Seattle, WA
Tired 390?
I have a late 60's 390 installed in my '65 F250 that has a few symptoms I'm curious about. The moto runs strong & oil pressure is good since I replaced the oil pump, but if it sits at idle for 15-20 minutes (like... say... in line at the dump!) it will start to blow blue-ish smoke out the drivers side tail pipe. This clears out once I get back on the road & bring the temp down a bit, but I'm wondering: is this a valve seal/head-related issue or are we talking bottom-end here?
Also- if I decided to undertake a complete rebuild w/mild upgrades (bore/cam/intake/carb), what should I expect to spend on parts... ballpark $$?
Thanks in advance!
- Andrew
Also- if I decided to undertake a complete rebuild w/mild upgrades (bore/cam/intake/carb), what should I expect to spend on parts... ballpark $$?
Thanks in advance!
- Andrew
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Joined: Mar 2003
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From: dundalk md
Tired 390?
parts for a rebuild come in kits and vary in price depending on manufacturer and quality. i am starting a 390, and am figuring i will spend about $1000 to do a torquer.
depending on your needs, parts will also come separately
you will also need to figure on machine shop costs for any boring, honing, crank grinding and the like. the machine shop people will be able to steer you after you explain what you want the motor to do (if you want 600 horses, will cost a lot more for parts and accesories as opposed to stock). after the machine shop puts in their 2 cents, check around the parts stores for matching parts as you may get a better deal.
check around your local area and i am sure some one will put you on to a motor head that will build yours for a decent price.
an old biker is building mine from scratch out of spare parts in his garage and back yard for about the same i figured it would cost me to do it myself (minus aggrevation). [this guy could open his own parts store}
depending on your needs, parts will also come separately
you will also need to figure on machine shop costs for any boring, honing, crank grinding and the like. the machine shop people will be able to steer you after you explain what you want the motor to do (if you want 600 horses, will cost a lot more for parts and accesories as opposed to stock). after the machine shop puts in their 2 cents, check around the parts stores for matching parts as you may get a better deal.
check around your local area and i am sure some one will put you on to a motor head that will build yours for a decent price.
an old biker is building mine from scratch out of spare parts in his garage and back yard for about the same i figured it would cost me to do it myself (minus aggrevation). [this guy could open his own parts store}
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Joined: Mar 2003
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Tired 390?
As far as the smoke goes, it's probably valve stem seals, a potentially cosly fix. If you don't have the money for a rebuild you can use some off the shelf stop smoke products and probably get the results you are looking for. As for a rebuild, I have a '67 390 in my Galaxie and it cost me $1350.00 for the machine work and parts. If you want to build a Hipo motor you can look at at least $2000. to $2500. for a decent mill. Of course it all depends on the machine shops and where you get your parts. But whatever you do, try to find someone with experience with FE's. He can usually put you onto the combos that work best for you. You can throw thousands of dollars into go-fast goodies that just don't play well together and end up right back where you started. At any rate, good luck.
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Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 200
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From: dundalk md
Tired 390?
go to "hi-performance.com" for some examples of engine kits.
its a canadian company since your close to the border. (these are some of the cheapest i have seen and would not use them for a high performance engine, and the exchange rate was about $1.45 canadian to $1 us yesterday as prices were in canadian )
its a canadian company since your close to the border. (these are some of the cheapest i have seen and would not use them for a high performance engine, and the exchange rate was about $1.45 canadian to $1 us yesterday as prices were in canadian )
Logistics Pro
Joined: Feb 2000
Posts: 3,565
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From: Sun River St. George
Tired 390?
Andrew, Welcome to FTE! I think you may need valve seals, but don't worry about it. Little smoke on start up or after idling a minute is not a big deal and oil is cheap. Just drive your truck and enjoy it. Later when you have time and the money you can build an engine or not. You could just replace the seals on the drivers side without pulling the head. Since you changed the oil pump, doing these seals is not a big deal. Post back!
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Joined: Apr 2003
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From: Seattle, WA
Tired 390?
William-
Thanks for the reassuring info! My truck is basically a work horse at this point, so building a performance engine wasn't really on my agenda. I just wanted to make sure that nothing drastic was going wrong and that I wasn't wrecking anything by blowing a little smoke.
I thought it was worn valve seals... but I didn't realize you can replace 'em w/o removing the heads. I did valve springs & seals on my '64 Fairlane, but I was doing cam & intake too- so I had to pull the heads anyway.
Thanks again for all the words of wisdom guys!
- Andrew
Thanks for the reassuring info! My truck is basically a work horse at this point, so building a performance engine wasn't really on my agenda. I just wanted to make sure that nothing drastic was going wrong and that I wasn't wrecking anything by blowing a little smoke.
I thought it was worn valve seals... but I didn't realize you can replace 'em w/o removing the heads. I did valve springs & seals on my '64 Fairlane, but I was doing cam & intake too- so I had to pull the heads anyway.
Thanks again for all the words of wisdom guys!
- Andrew
