You could do what millions of people did back in the day, deglaze the cylinder bores with a ball hone to restore the cross hatch and install new piston rings, polish the crank and new crank bearings in the lower end and call it good. Should be good for a long time. New valve springs and seals for the heads. I bet parts would be maybe $300 or $400 incl. a new timing set.

 

Have you found the cause of the knock? Some of us used to just replace a piston or two, for example, and continue running an old engine. Depends though on what's wrong with it, of course. If you go for a junkyard engine, don't rule out a 360. It can get you up and running for now and if the block is not too worn, you can rebuild it as a 390 later. A 360 may be cheaper to buy too.

 

I found some pieces of metal in 2 of my cylinders that is possibly making that knocking sound. I also had a couple of bent rods on rocker arm shafts. It would be a first for me to do all that bottom end work on my engine. I don't want to mess it up or assembly it wrong. I will talk to a mechanic about buying the parts and maybe I can get a good deal on labor.

 

It was common for guys to do that (ring job and bearings) with the engine installed. Since you've already removed it, you're halfway there and it's a lot easier. There are a lot more publications available at your fingertips, even DIY videos on YouTube, than there were back then. Maybe take the crank in and have them polish and determine what bearing set to use. Labor is a big part of the expense because they have to charge $90 an hour or whatever it is before they even actually do any work. If you're willing to do some of that it will keep the cost down by quite a lot.

 

Excell71, I think Tedster is right. I was where you are in terms of budget and experience about 20 years ago when I rebuilt the 360 FE from my 75 F-150. I managed a successful rebuild using a Chiltons manual and a little advice from a knowledgeable friend.

With the resources that Tedster mentioned, plus some advice from guys here and maybe someone knowledgeable in your area, you can do this. If you do a straightforward, more or less back-to-stock rebuild, the job won't be very complicated.

Do your reading in advance, ask advice when you're not sure and plan the rebuild before you start buying parts. You can do it. Good luck!

 

I'm trying to work up the confidence to even tear down the whole engine block and go for it myself. I can go step by step per the shop manual. I guess what do I have to lose....

 

Just remember that there's a method to tearing an engine down - keeping certain parts together and in order, etc. Do a little reading on it before you go any further so you don't make extra trouble for yourself.

If you post pics of your progress, the guys here will give you helpful advice along the way.

 

Thanks allot for all the input.... I am going to do some more research on the disassembly and assembly of a 390FE engine. Knowledge is key.

 

That's a good point. The connecting rod bearing caps (for example) need to be kept with their individual connecting rods, things like that. Don't disassemble everything and throw it in a big pile. Mark where each component came from if you're not sure about it. I'd keep the pistons back in the same bore?

People forget how simple these things are though. We get caught up on doing everything to clean room standards and measuring and setting it up for maximum RPM and power and drag racing. Back then, guys just wanted to keep the family car running another few years without burning a quart of oil every day. If you completely disassemble everything, and start measuring every dimension of every component, it will likely fail just about every single one, there's no end to it, and it will cost a small fortune for the machining labor alone. New rings and freshen up the bottom end should make it run pretty well. It takes discipline though, because it's so easy to "Well as long as I'm in there I might as well do this",

Parts add up too. Ring set and bearings, maybe $100 each? Valve springs and seals, maybe $50? Timing set maybe $50, a gasket set maybe $75, $15 for a dingleball hone. New pushrods maybe $50 etc. Just thought I'd give some ideas about different options.

I wouldn't pay more than $250 or $500 for a JY engine running or not. Everything is really only worth about scrap value unless proven otherwise, when you get down to it.

 

That's good stuff there. All the parts you mentioned came know where close to$2500.00. So that is good news. I think laying all my parts out and bagging and tagging everything will also come in handy.

 

Buy a set of number punches and punch the mains, and the connecting rod caps, with one punch on the block or rod, and one on the cap, so you know what goes back together with what.

A seal-a-meal to bag parts as you tear it down is a good investment. And, a digital camera and printer, so you can take pictures of things as you disassemble them, and then print out the picture and seal it in the bag with the parts.

A good book to augment the service manual is a big plus. The service manual assumes a certain level of base knowledge. It was written for mechanics in the dealership, and they have a base level of knowledge common to all engines, and how to rebuild them. The factory manual will just cover the things specific or peculiar to the engine it is written for. I can’t speak for this one, as I haven’t read it. But it gets good reviews, and is written to build a durable street engine, versus a high performance standpoint.

 

I will be definitely look into getting a number punch. Also is there a special tool to remove lifters? Should I remove the timing cover and chain and remove the camshaft first before removing the main bearing and connecting rods and pistons? The 390FE rebuild book will definitely come in handy. Thanks for the info.