I normally fill up with Mid grade just to be safe .

 

Just curious. The Merc's 390 had two broken pistons, I replaced those with two from another matching set. These were the stock cast flat tops run with the stock cam (68 year, 2 bbl premium fuel motor) Probably had lots of 87 run through it. The other was a GT390 with the Cam Dynamics grind and forged 10 to 1 pistons, it digested anything you wanted to run through it.

 

weren't the 2bl car 390 piston dished with valve reliefs to lower CR and the 4Bl flat tops with valve reliefs ?

 

Yes but mercury offered a premium fuel 2bbl motor. Same flat top pistons as the 4bbl motor.

http://www.fastfairlane.com/Engines/fespechart2.html

 

THANKS
learned something new today

 

Ditto. Mine was a 68 Merc Monterey. Another I shoulda kept. 2 dr fastback. Only had 58K on the odometer when I bought it about 15 years ago. My son drove it in High School. He and his friends nicknamed it the USS Monterey. I bought a 68 Galaxie for parts about the same time. 390 2 bbl. everything in the motor was the same except the pistons.

 

 

ANY PROGRESS ?

 

The engine has been pulled, hot tanked, and completely gone through with no hidden surprises (Which is awesome) I was able to verify that it was the original 390 that came with the truck. Just waiting on the 256/262 lunati cam, should be here later this week, everything else is good to go. Dyno should be sometime next week I imagine. Ive got a few pictures of the whole ordeal so far.

Just for reference, here's how the engine looked prior to being pulled apart.

This is the truck it's going in. 1976 f100 ranger xlt 390, c6, shortbox, 4.10s with posi. ALL factory

Rear tires are 275/60/r15

 

Here's the block when it was first pulled, all nice and greasy


Extremely greasy engine bay that I got completely washed, degreased, and partially painted/restored.

There she is parked out front of the shop.

 

Nice lookin' truck

 

while you got the engine out good time to replace the transmission Front seal !
Looking good

 

Nice truck! Hang on to it, often wish I had my 79 F-150 back, sold it in 02 after having it for 18 years.

 

Times 2

 

Funny you mention that, it was actually leaking when I 1st got the truck so I replaced it.A couple months later the blowby got really bad, now here we are...