Hi guys, this is my first post on this forum and I'm pretty mechanically inclined. But anyways, about a year ago I warped a few valves in my 1976 F150 (390 FE, 4x4, c6 trans) and I bought a 5.0 mustang. First of all the F150 is over carbed... The previous owner put a 800 cfm edlebrock (4v) on it. What can I do performance wise for this beast? I'm looking to do all engine for now, i.e. stroker kit (forged crank, rods, pistons), ported stock heads if my currents heads aren't in too bad of shape otherwise I'm going to aluminum, headers (probably a full 2.5" full exhaust), smaller carb... and the list goes on and on... I know with the 5.0s that a head/cam/and intake swap is worth around 150 horsepower, is it the same with the 390? How much power is this engine puttin' out stock? Thanks for the help guys.

 

Moved to proper forum.

 

Yeah, I think hi flow heads, hi flow intake, big cam and matching valve train would get you a 150hp boost. You'll want a good flowing exhaust. You might need to change pistons to increase the comp ratio, otherwise the other mods won't help as much. Stock truck 390s are low compression motors. Now, throw in a stroker kit and you've got some more HP and even more torque :-)

how much do you want to spend? I can get you around $15k in a hurry :-)

 

Like greg said, FE HiPo parts arent cheap compared to some other ford motor's,So it pretty much depends on your budget!

With that said .... You can get 425 to 450hp pretty resonabley..but the bigger step is from 450hp to say 500hp..then you start getting into deeper pockets...

and it all depend also on what you want your final build to do? Torque? More Hp? a good combo of both?

Russ

 

you are better off setting a price limit, some poeple have too deep of pockets on here.

 

Well... If you want it to run right for now, dump the 800 and put a 600 carb up top. Your best bet is to dig into the motor and see what you have before you go out shopping. It is possible the internals are all correct and you just need to bolt on goodies (heads/manifold/exhaust). I say this because you just don't put a 800cfm carb on without hoping the insides can handle it (but then I've seen otherwise). What did you do after the valves warped. Did you get new heads or have the originals reworked? Has it been sitting since the damage occured? The 5.0 won't do much for your truck, and besides, you will need a new tranny to go with it....

Give us more details and we'll spill the info out.
Welcome aboard! --Mike

 

like mike said, the 5.0 will probably just make you mad in ur truck.. twice the weight of the car makes for a heavy sled! a budget and knowing what you already got are your two best friends, if its got flat tops with a 390 car cam, headers and a good carb will get you good hp with what you've got... JMO

 

You dont need a stroker kit. When built correctly, a 390 will provide neck-snapping tire roasting horsepower and torque. Particularly in a relatively light 1/2 ton truck (sorry greg! )

Here is the going 390 build. I've probably quoted this build at least 100 times in this forum. Do a search.
1. 390 stock reconditioned crank, rods, ARP rod bolts.
2. Ported heads. FE heads respond great to porting. Better porting = more hp. It's that simple. You can pick up 75hp just from the ported heads.
3. 360 pistons to get the piston top close to the deck at TDC for good quench.
4. Mr. Gasket .020" steel shim head gaskets for good quench.
5. Edelbrock Performer RPM or Blue Thunder intake manifold. The BT costs more and flows a little better. Stick a 600cfm or a 750cfm vacuum secondary on top of it.
6. Crane 343941 cam, adjustable rockers to accurately set lifter preload. Get the replacement adjustable rockers. Aftermarket ones cost too much and are completely unnecessary for what you're doing. The Crane aftermarket ones *may* start to be price competitive. An aftermarket timing set is a good investment.
7. Headers, dual exhaust, etc.

The above build will make somewhere in the neighborhood of 410hp @ 5500rpm, and 450ft-lbs @ 4000rpm, with a flat torque curve. At the flywheel of course. Could be more or less depending on carburetor, head porting, specific pistons used, as some have a very slightly higher compression height than others, and other things.

By the time you're done this thing will probably cost you $1500 to $3000 if done right, depending on where you get your parts, and how many unnecessary aftermarket parts you choose to buy. Too many people get hung up on "Oh I need aftermarket roller rockers" or "I need better rods" when the stock type stuff is cheaper and works just as good, if not better.

Here's a link to a thread about engine theory, that I highly suggest you read, as my recommendations will make more sense:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=427321

 

Well Kurt I have to argue with about the "Know need stuff and stock works just as well if not better"

It all depends on what your building.... They dont call them speed parts for nothing!

And there's know way in hell stock adjustable rockers will work as well as Billit Roller tip rocker's....Well I guess they do the job ok..but build up more heat..and loose about 10 to 15hp to friction..

Bottom line is..its all what you try too squeeze out of your motor safely...and just call me crazy?? But I would'nt run a 650hp FE on 2 bolt mains either....they seem to want to split between #2 and #4 web saddle's...JMO....

Russ

 

c'mon russ... 650 hp? no guts no glory baby!!!! LOL I'll go with kurt on the theory that you can do alot on stock parts... for most practical daily drivers you can get by and not break things while making good power.. but then you got people like us that just gotta get that extra horse!!!!! LMAO

 

Oh I damn sure agree you can make alot of HP with Stock Hipo parts!!

But like I said when your talking BIG HP....I like to keep all my toys in one toy box!! LOL.. not a rod here and rod there.. LOL..

Russ

 

Oh I damn sure agree you can make alot of HP with Stock Hipo parts!!

But like I said when your talking BIG HP....I like to keep all my toys in one toy box!! LOL.. not a rod here and rod there.. LOL..

Russ

 

Well yeah, of course the roller tip rockers will make a little more hp. But $500 for 10hp? I mean, come on! Besides, the stock rockers dont have needle bearings to wear out or aluminum to fatigue.

Notice I put the emphasis on need. People get caught up in thinking that their motor will blow up or something without spending a bazillion dollars on aftermarket stuff. Sure you can want it, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that! If you've got the money, by all means, go for it!!!

I mean, for the run-of-the-mill 400hp 360 to 390 conversion, there's no way these guys need to spend all this money. Only adds to the perception that FE's cost too much.

 

Alright, so how much h.p. an ft. lbs. of tq. is this motor putting out stock? I don't plan on sticking the 5.0 H/O out of my mustang into the truck. I plan on keeping the block that I have now in it. Wen I sell the Mustang it'll probably be at least 3500 bucks. Yes it's been sitting since this happened, we've started it up a few times but that's it, no major driving. I have also thought about upping the compression by milling the heads down and getting some high compression pistons, big cam and some nice ported heads along with a rebuild. The truck is getting taken apart starting tomorrow. This engine needs a rebuild, so is there a company that makes forged internals for the FE? I want this thing to be solid and powerful.

 

they make just about anything you want for the FE, but it get a bit spendy on some of the items.... you'll probably get real sick if you know what this baby's putting out for stock numbers.. I would go the 360 truck pistons, with a .020 steel shim head gasket route to get the compression up. Thats gonna be he best bang for the buck..JMO how much is this gonna be driven? What kind of mileage do you want out of it? you can't go wrong on an FE with ported heads and depending on your gears and the stall you run, there are a ton of cam choices.. makes my head dizzy just thinking about spending all your money!! LOL I think the 941 cam is the best all around FE cam on the market right now for a 4x4, but I've only run about 8 different cam profiles in the FE's so i'm not a master by no means.. I do know a cam that makes killer HP and Torque, but it doesnt come in until about 2700 rpm's- not too good in a 4x4 unless you got the deep gears and high stall...