hello i am looking at dooing a budget build on a 360. some of my thaughts are of turning it to a 390 or 428. my goal is to have an impressive street strip truck. whould like to have 9.5 - 9.8 compression and lumpy idle. would like to get 450+ hp and 500 tq is this possible?

 

what is a good cam for street strip lumpy idle and 1300-6500rpm? what should i look for when picking a cam?

 

Get a hold of a book called building the big block ford by Steve Christ. Study it and start saving your money

 

anyone know what are the best heads for a 390?

 

C4AE-G and C6AE-R are some of the popular heads people look for. There are also the 427LR and 428CJ heads but at a higher price. All those are iron. Aftermarket aluminum Edelbrocks are also a good choice. Do you have any parts to start with now? If so what ya got? It's not so much what are the best heads it's what you have done to them porting and valve wise. Most FE heads are a good starting point.


G.

 

So do you want a budget 360, or do you want a 450hp 390 or 428?

For $500 in parts and the right 360 or 390 core, you can have a decent running stocker, providing it doesn't need a lot of machine work.

To get 450hp out of a 390 or 428, you can throw the budget part of your question out the window. Now don't get me wrong here, you won't break the bank building this thing, but you're going to have to lay down some cash.

As far as I'm concerned, the only thing a 360 is good for is the donor block. It's the same as a 390 block. A 390/428 rotating assembly can handle 450hp, but I wouldn't try it without ARP rod bolts. Cheap insurance. Pay attention to your pistons. Mine are .005" below the deck. Just about right. There's a thread in this forum. It's short, but it's a good read. Located here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/s...d.php?t=508904
Also, pay close attention to your oiling system. There are several modifications you can make that will greatly improve it. These can be found in the FE Engine forum on this site.

Call the cam manufacturer, preferably several, and see what they reccommend for your application. Flat tapped hydraulic cams are good, roller cams are better, but cost more. Don't scrimp on a timing chain, either. Also, plan on degreeing your cam once it's in the block. Time well spent, if the cam is off even several degrees, your power could be way off.
As far as heads go, there are a couple particularly good castings to look for, but they're going to require hardened seats installed on the exhaust side. I prefer the C6AE-R castings. Steve Christ's book "How to Rebuild Big Block Ford Engines" has a lot of good information on heads. In addition, there are a few aftermarket companies producing new castings that are worth looking at.
You'll want a good dual plane intake for street driveability, and the carb of your choice. Carbs all have their good points and bad points. I have had good luck with Holley carbs, some haven't. I think there's a carb forum here:
https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/f...splay.php?f=72
You should run headers on a 450hp engine. I'm a big fan of factory iron manifolds on stock and very mild built engines, but I would run headers if I were trying to push 450hp from an FE.
Also, your cam may require a stall converter if you're running an auto. If it reccommends a converter, get one. Call B&M or whomever you're planning on purchasing from and tell the tech guy what you're trying to do. Above all, have your cam spec card handy, along with the compression ratio of your engine, and please tell them this is for a four thousand pound truck. It will make a difference.

There it is. I'm sure I've missed something - someone else will chip in. By the way, everyone has their own opinions and notions. You've just read mine.

 

so far i have chosen:
edelbrock heads
edelbrock rpm air gap intake
holly 750 double pumper
ceramic headers
390 crank and rods
as for cam i dont know much about picking a cam like what kind of lobe seperation and how much lift or duration all i know is i want 1500-6500rpm range and lumpy idle. any suggestions would be appreciated.

 

This is why I reccommended calling several cam manufacturers for their input.
Comp Cams 1-800-999-0583
Crane Cams 1-386-258-6174
Isky Cams 1-323-770-0930

Tell them what you're after, and they'll give you a grind number.

If you're running the Edelbrock heads and intake, I'd suggest you visit their web page found here:
http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_.../1500_6500.pdf

They offer what's called a "Power Package". Heads, intake, cam, and such. For what you think you want, you should get the Performer RPM package. 418hp, 434ft/lbs torque. Follow the directions on the web page and they'll give you all the part numbers you need.

 

i have seen the edelbrock power package but i want to run a holly carb and different intake than the one used in the package. what is the edelbrock cam like? does it have a rough idle?

 

I couldn't tell you what the Edelbrock cam is like, because I run a Comp Cams 268H.

I can tell you that I've given you all the information that you're going to get from me. Use the links I provided and do some research of your own.

 

You will want the pistons for a 360 or a 390 car. Then I think your best selection in cam would be a crane 941 grind or something similar (although I run a 901 grind in mine with stock heads).

--Mike