My neighbor had a little problem with his 67 mustang w/289 C code 2bbl. It appears as if someone spun a bearing and threw a junkyard crank in it just before he got it. The crank slides back and forth about 1/8" with the caps torqued down and the bearing has minimal wear and no damage for where it came from. The last motor it was in had the thrust washer dig way into the counterweight. Anyways that is not the question. We are going to do a thorough go thru/rebuild. The pistons are TRW L2482 .040 over. The rods are stock with original ford bolts. The cylinder walls look like new so we will probably just re-ring it since its down this far. The heads are 351 heads. They didn't have 351W head bolts or the inserts to make it work properly. What cc's are these heads? I would like to figure compression ratio. He has comp cams roller rockers and a crane cam which I have no idea on the specs but appears to have a pretty good lift. The intake is a performer with a holley carb of unknown size but it isn't too big. The oil pump appears stock. What do you recommend I do to this motor when I rebuild it for him? Any special tricks you guys do to add life to the rebuild. I am going to replace the crank completely since it is not worth fixing. Keep in mind this guy drives his car like he stole it and it sees 6 grands more than occasionally. He plans on going with some aftermarket heads in the future but all he has funds for right now is the bottom end. I was looking at the pistons specs and they are for a 302. His stroke is under 3" so it is definitely a 289. The pistons are either zero deck or very close to it. Are the rods different between the 289/302 and the pistons the same?

 

Well, I'll start ya' off. I agree, ditch the crank. Next, the Windsor heads changed CC volume a couple of times depending on what year the heads are.
I honestly don't know the difference in rods between a 289 and a 302.
As for rebuilding it, the best steps for saving a motor are ARP hardware, a main girdle, good quality bearings and components. He's already got a roller setup, so that will help his high reving habbit. You may look into some good springs and retainers as well.
As for heads in the future, not much better than AFR.
Good luck, sounds like fun.

 

I believe the rods and pistons are the same for a 289 or 302. The crank is whats different. I would put a 302 crank in it for that little extra torque - plus the 302 cranks are easier / cheaper to find.

 

By the way - have that rotating assembly balanced.

 

Check out High PerformanceFord Engine Parts Interchange Manual by George Reid. I got mine at the local bookstore and it will give you every bit of info you need. I also remember it also details what parts swap from 289 to 302 and what works better. I paid 17.95 and found it was worht the cost. There is so much in there that it would be impossible to post.


BROKEBRONCO

 

Thanks everyone. We are definitley going to have the whole assembly balanced. I aleady told him its worth the money even though the cranks from the store are supposed to be balanced when you buy them. We are also going to have the rods resized on the big end. The 289 is externally balanced right?

 

[updated:LAST EDITED ON 05-Aug-02 AT 08:19 PM (EST)]I'm not a guru, but I'll try to be helpful.

>The pistons are TRW L2482 .040 over. The
>rods are stock with original ford bolts. The cylinder walls
>look like new so we will probably just re-ring it since its
>down this far.

Pistons for 289's and 302's have the same compression height. The rods are different lengths.

>The heads are 351 heads. They didn't have
>351W head bolts or the inserts to make it work properly.

You're on the right track; get the inserts or the stepped bolts or some stepped studs.

>What cc's are these heads?

If you post the casting number, we'll try to figure that out. The casting number is on combustion chambers side of the head in the area of the pushrods. It is a four character code such as C9AE or D0OE.

> I would like to figure
>compression ratio. He has comp cams roller rockers and a
>crane cam which I have no idea on the specs but appears to
>have a pretty good lift.

You should degree the cam for sure.

>The intake is a performer with a
>holley carb of unknown size but it isn't too big.

If you post the "LIST" number on the air horn, we'll tell you what the CFM is. It should be four numeral such as "LIST 1850"

> The oil
>pump appears stock. What do you recommend I do to this
>motor when I rebuild it for him? Any special tricks you
>guys do to add life to the rebuild.

I've heard that you can put early Chevy 327 rod bolts into those 289 rods. They are slightly bigger bolts so a machine shop should drill the rod bolt holes to fit the Chevy bolts. I actually have a set of these ARP rod bolts somewhere in my stash.

> I am going to replace
>the crank completely since it is not worth fixing. Keep in
>mind this guy drives his car like he stole it and it sees 6
>grands more than occasionally. He plans on going with some
>aftermarket heads in the future but all he has funds for
>right now is the bottom end.

If he's got the C9AE or D0OE heads, tell him to save his money. He's got heads that are all that 289 can use.

> I was looking at the pistons
>specs and they are for a 302. His stroke is under 3" so it
>is definitely a 289. The pistons are either zero deck or
>very close to it. Are the rods different between the
>289/302 and the pistons the same?

Yup. 302 rods are 5.09", 289 rods are 5.155".

If he's got a flat file and some patience, he might try smoothing the rod beams. I do it with a die-grinder although I use a flat file at the end to smooth out my work.

Balancing is important for a high-rpm motor.

If it's close to zero deck, get some .035" gaskets. You'll find lots of .048" gaskets but you're better off with some ROL or other thin gaskets.

Edit; I think the 289 has a 28 ounce imbalance.

Best of luck,

 

Thnaks for the info guys. That was exactly what I was looking for. The heads are cast 1B27 and that is the only numbers I can find.

 

There's no advantage to modifying the rods to use Chevy rod bolts; just use the ARP bolts made for the 289 rods. You can drill the main bearings to match the oil holes in the saddle so the bearings themselves don't act as restrictors. A lightweight piston pin will shave a few grams and reduce stress on the small end of the rod. If you do have C9 or D0 heads, add Manley 351W 1.85"/1.46" stainless valves, taper the valve guides, smooth the bowl areas, remove the thermactor bumps and match the port openings to Fel-Pro 1262 intake and 1415 exhaust gaskets. I believe stock chambers for those heads are 61cc. A high-volume oil pump is optional, but replace the driveshaft with an ARP piece. ARP's main bolts work just fine if you're on a budget. I wouldn't use the head bolt adapters, use the stepped ARP bolts. 289's, 302's up to '83 and 351W's all used a 28oz external balance weight. If you use a 302 crank, you have to use 302 rods unless you use 289 rods and Chevy 350V8 pistons. A budget stroker would be a 3.25" stroke crank, the 289 rods and a set of pistons for a 5.7" rod 383 Chevy. Chevy piston pins are .015" larger than the small Ford.

 

Quantrex, I'm curious to know why you don't think that the 327 rod bolts would help. According to my calculations the 327 rod bolts are 21% larger than the 289 rod bolts. That's a big difference. The original poster said that this engine gets buzzed. Considering the relatively short rods and the high acceleration rates of the piston, it seems to me that stout rod bolts are in order.

Just curious,

 

Although Chevy rod bolts might be larger, the rated tensile strength of the Ford vs. Chevy rod bolts made by ARP is the same. I do agree that stronger bolts are needed; I just don't see the point in drilling (and possibly weakening) the rod for very little, if any, gain.