I own a 76 F100 390 with auto tranny, 2wd. I was wondering what kind of upgrades will make the truck more powerfull without tearing my wallet a new A-hole.
The 390's mileage is unknown, so i imagine some kind of rebuild should be done in the near future. Should i swap out the old pistons for newer, forged units? What type/model of cam could i use to get a little more mid/high end power ? What modifications can be done during the rebuild to make the 390 better ?

THANKS in advance fellas !

 

The 390 build up has been discussed over and over in this forum. Do a search for 390 build up, 390 rebuild, 390 upgrade (s).

There is a lot of good information in here.


first thing you should do is run a compression check, to see what condition your engine is in.



Common upgrades in order of things I would consider first (provided the compression check is good):

1. Ignition, pertronix no points system, ugrade coil and possible use a spak control system like the MSD 6 series with new big wires.

2. Exhaust- go to true duals, 2.5" is good for 390. get headers if you are willing to pay for good ones. Cheap ones can be headaches.

3. Intake manifold and 4 barrel carb. Try the Ed RPM and a 600 CFM carb.

4. Cam- look at the Crane 901 or 941 or other brand comparable cams for a mild boost, but still streetable for a truck.

5. heads- porting and larger valves, or Edelbrock Aluminum heads complete with larger valves.

Always try to get parts you can use in later upgrades. What kind of budget do you have? And , do you want to do a lot a once, or a bit now and later?