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I used to rebuild Cummins 525’s in the corps so I am capable (I think).
Im looking to beef it up a bit new heads, cam, manifold, etc. just not sure what I can and can’t do if that makes sense… I know summit has kits but mostly for 390’s.. Am I correct in assuming that I can use that to do a build?
If you're looking for a performance upgrade the place to start is with a 390-rotating assembly. then decide what you want and how much you want to spend rebuilding your 390.
Thank you for that it made me do research and I learned about the size of the bore and stroke and how like you said the bore is the same but the stroke is longer. Makes so much more now!! I also learned that I can get it bored out to .030 over to get a bit extra hp but have to bigger pistons.. Any suggestions on crankshafts and rods?
If you're looking for a performance upgrade the place to start is with a 390-rotating assembly. then decide what you want and how much you want to spend rebuilding your 390.
2X on that. Scat, Eagle et.al sell new reciprocating assemblies for the FE. This is a smart move in that the kit you get includes everything you'll need for a short block (rings, bearings, seals, crank and rods) as a balanced set. For a few extra bucks you can up the stroke even further (445 CID) w/o having to modify the block. First get the block clean and up to specs. That could include decking, line boring the mains and cylinder boring (no greater than 0.060"). Check the lifter bores too. Like a house, your engine can only reliably deliver what the foundation will support.
There are also top end kits as well from Edelbrock, Trick Flow et. al. Those will get you to long block status. Using kits with parts that are known/proven to work well together is almost always better than random selections.