ok came home for the spring break build and got to put 6 of my 8 pistons in. two (#5 and #7) pistons have bent connecting rod bolts and the caps are really tight. we had to beat one off with a rubber mallet so we're taking those in mon moring to get new bolts pressed in and pick up my heads. my question is what are the special features of a mirror 105 block b/c i found out today i got one!! was lookin at my block when takin a break and saw the backwards 501 on it and remembered some of you guys saying it has thicker cyl walls? anyways i searched this site and it would'n't pull up for whatever reason. thanks

 

Thicker cylinder walls, stronger iron, extra main bearing webbing.

 

so how rare are these blocks or are they rare at all?

 

It depends on your location. Around where I live, they're a dime a dozen. Lets see, I've got 2 of them out in my garage. One of those was the $35 360 that I used for spare parts to build my 390. The other was my old 360! I could go to a local junkyard and probably get 20 (or more) of them for next to nothing. Then again, I hear there's areas where you have to drive an hour just to find any FE blocks!

That said, there's currently a mirror 105 block on ebay with the bid up to $325.

 

FE stuff is definately priced geographically differently. Around the NW you can't give a good running 390 away. I have half a dozen or so "105" 360 blocks that I can't bring myself to scrap. A set of perfect tanked and magged virgin rebuilder heads goes for $25 if you're lucky. I had a fresh professionally rebuilt stock 4x4 360 carb to pan and all accessories sitting on my shop floor for 2 years trying to sell it. I was advertising it for $50 for several months with no interest. Ended up working out for me when a neighbor wanted to get an old highboy running that had a locked up 360 in it. Got $1500 out of it in the end and that darn little 360 gets the crap run out of it and keeps going. Just last week I scrapped 5 perfect virgin bore 390 "nothing special" blocks. Had 'em for sale for $10 each without a single response. I had a virgin set of C4AE plain early big port cores for sale for $20 and several people called expecting to get 427 high risers or tunnel ports. One guy came out just to make sure that I wasn't retarded and couldn't tell the difference between a tunnel port and a 2V low riser head. I ended up scrapping those heads. I've junked three 391 cranks the last couple years. 428 prices are going up, but you can still pick up a crank for $150 to $200 and complete shortblocks in the $300 to $700 range depending on casting numbers. A running 66 side oiler with 428 CJ heads was on craigslist a couple weeks ago for $3000. FE's just go forever and anymore big block trucks are not the best investment if you're looking for any sort of return on your money.

 

Hey, what about the guys running 390's getting 17mpg (myself included)? That's on par with most new trucks, with more power, and you dont have to pay for a new truck!

 

Rusty, Keep that gas mileage secret! I get 16-17 freeway with my batch port injected 390 in a 7500 lb lifted 70 f-250 4x4. Heck, I get 10-12 towing 20K. The engine's got 80K hard miles on it in less than 2 years without a hickup. Most old big blocks get crap mileage, alot of thought and work goes into making an old truck whoop *** on the new trucks out there. Most people would rather just buy a new one and eat a huge car payment. The problem with old trucks is there's always something you want to do to make it better. I have dreams of a custom genesis 428 side oiler with the new blue thunder medium riser heads and tec3 injection...Maybe those new Dove HD rocker arms just because they look so freakin cool. Wow that was a $15K sentence. Anyway, seams like I'm always socking money into the "next cool thing to put on the old ford fund"

 

May be true, but it's a whole lot more fun than a car payment!

 

I wouldn't say the mirror 105 is rare, i have one in my garage and threw one away already. I have to move something out before i can get a new engine. Kinda funny withs todays "technology" that i have a bunch of FE and 351c parts. Going to add a 71 429 to that pretty soon. It seems all the parts are older than me.


please save those c4ae-g heads!

 

hearing you guys talk about junkyards with FE's just laying around is making me mad.

I live in Pittsburgh and can't find anything FE related. I want to rebuild mine to around 400hp and it is almost cheaper to find a 460 block and add everything to it including the new tranny bellhousing and motor mounts. I think you guys should share the love and throw a few old FE's over to Pittsburgh.

 

Just move to the NW. I have a 400 horse 460 and 2wd C6 sitting outside getting rained on because nobody will give $300 for it carb to pan and I don't have room for it inside. You can see where my priorities lie now can't you? Built 460 runner in the rain and worthless mirror 105 360 blocks kept inside! I sold a somewhat hard to find 68 camaro 350 horse large journal 327 longblock a few months ago. Got the thing from a buddy cleaning his garage and threw it in the scrap pile out back. Sat in the rain for a year or so getting good and locked up solid rusty. The guy that bought it was very upset that someone could let that engine sit in the rain like that. I kept calling it scrap and not budging on my asking price. I think he really felt personally violated that I was "abusing" this poor old piece of junk 327. Most of my friends are chevy lovers and I take alot of guff for my ford affiliation. Getting this guys goat fealt pretty good. He's probably at home right now taking a 12 pound sledge to a 406 though....