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Does anybody know where the 390 redlines from the factory???? how about with stock heads, and a mild build??? Would it change any....? Thanks guys i'm just leanring about the FE engines so help me out here.... got the 400's down but these are a new game to play with.
5500 is a good number for a mostly stock 390. generally, they will run out of breath before then, depending on your carb/intake/head confiuration. As for the valve train, 5000-5500 is probably a good cut-off assuming it's in good shape.
yeah i would say about 5000 rpm. those stock non adjustables are what will get you. but as stated it is hard to turn a stocker past 4500 it simply runs out of air.
i have pushed mine to 5500 simply becuase that is where my transmission shifts when my foot is to the floor, and it is bone stock with a holley 4160 600 cfm and D2TE-AA heads.
i vote for 5000 on a bone stock setup... a cam and good springs will get you to 5500-5800... reliability starts becoming a factor in any motor when you push 6000 or more for very long with stock parts.. JMO
Old thread but good to know. Guess I've been taking it easy with a 4100rpm pill in there, don't know that I want to go over 5000 but I'll do 4500 for now. Later.
Not all stock but not a big build either. When I had it rebuilt years ago this is what I did. 390 w/ RV cam, 4 bbl Holley, Cobrajet intake, Thorley headers, Flowmasters, MSD box, stock heads, stock distri., not balanced. So little more than stock but that's it. Later.