Actually I was hoping for my break-in run to be to Kansas City. I have a firend that's supposed to be picking up an axle for his camaro from there, if i can convince him to go half gas I was going to do the run with him (he needs to borrow a truck anyway). A 300 mile round trip would be a good shake-down run.

I'm fortunate enough at this point to not have to drive my truck everyday, so the week of downtime I've had hasn't been that bad at all. If I was willing to spend more money I could have had this swap done in two days but i'm doing stuff like keeping the 300 radiator (it's a brand new 3 pass aluminum) and the hydraulic clutch. Adds a little bit to the fab work that needs to go on.

Justin

 

Way to go. Nothing like the rumble of a FE engine.

 

I'd get a set of old 390 badges and stick on the sides under the F150. Nice setup there.

 

Already have them

Have a set with the 3 red slashes and the checkered flag and I have just the block lettered "390" on a red background.

The truck runs and drives, but i've been having issues with my hydraulic clutch which has kept me from really doing anything. Sometimes the clutch will disengage, sometimes it won't.

Justin

 

My dad had a 68 F100 with the 390 badges, it looked sharp on that old stepside.

How did you manage to put a hydraulic clutch in that thing? You have an NP435 in it too? What did you do, change the bellhousing? Lol, do you just have another thread that tells how it was all done? I'm pretty curious to how it was all put together.

Matt.

 

Yeah, I had to use the FE bellhousing which doesn't have any sort of mount for the hydro clutch.

I built a bracket that mounts the slave cylinder off of the 390's clutch bracket bosses. There are two 3/8-16 holes on the drivers side rear of the block. I started by hanging a piece of strap steel down from those, welded the stock slave cylinder bracket to the strap, got the angles right, and then took it out and boxed the living heck out of it.

It still needs taken out to have all of the sharp edges rounded off, i'll get a couple pictures of it then.

I also found out what the issue with my clutch was. The upper pivot where the pushrod attaches to the clutch pedal is all worn out. i adjusted the pushrod out until i can get a new steel or brass bushing to put in there.

Besides that I just need to get a higher quality fuel in the truck. It runs awesomely on the can of premium I have hanging around, but leaves alot to be desired with what's in the tank.

Justin

 

What's all been done to the motor, shurley you wouldn't put a stock motor in that thing after all that work, lol.

Matt

 

It's a stock motor, but it's stock to the tune of 330hp and 430ft*lbs. It's a 1964 PI spec 390. 10.5:1, 4bbl, dual exhaust. It scoots pretty well but, like i said, it'll do alot better with better fuel.

Justin

 

Update:

Oil filter wise the stock filter is definitely too long. I took a jaunt down a gravel road and put the front differential up into the filter. I was planning on changing it soon anyway, so no biggie.

The filter that has to be used is for a 1998 Saturn with a 4 cylinder. It's only about a 12 oz filter, but it fits ALOT better up in there as it is 1/2 as tall and only about 2 3/4" in diameter.

If I'd used it from the start I wouldn't have to have trimmed my oil filter hole nearly as much.

Justin

 

I suppose a remote oil filter could be an option?

 

could be, and was considered if you read back. It was a matter of using a smaller filter or spending $50 on a remote filter kit, economy won out.

Justin

 

Justin, you still gonna run to KC?

 

I didn't think they cost that much. I thought you could get the parts from Lowes and put it all together. I guess the only thing you'd have to buy, and you could probably make it is the bracket that would hold the filter.

 

you have to have the part that bolts to the block or in place of the filter and then the part that the filter spins onto. Then you have to have four barbed fittings and however many feet of oil hose. Even if you pieced it all together it's still going to coast at least $40. 10 for the adapter, 15 for the remote mount, $10 in brass fittings, and probably $6-8 in oil hose

As for the KC run, I don't know what's going on now. I'm supposed to help a friend build a deck up there, but he keeps putting off when it's going to happen. I'll let you know when i'm going to be up there, it's just a matter of when I know.

Justin

 

ya, I woulda tried the smaller filter too. Economy always wins in my world, which is why nothing ever gets done.