Build questions

[James Morse]

My build is several years out so I figure by then I will have had a chance to repeatedly go over the build manual and the excellent builds on this forum.

There will be several questions, and I have had discussions with FFR, but I'm finding there are some things they just can't help with or can't decide for me.

I'm not sure how to organize the questions because it seems like for clarity I should do one at a time. If I get too far afield in the organization probably someone will make suggestions - I see some Grade A presentations on here.

Question 1: Choice of engine. Has anyone put Ford 289/302 in. 347/351 etc. Do people like 427 FSB for street driving or was it in retrospect too much. Please weigh in with engine type and likes/dislikes about it, what you would do different if anything. EFI vs carb, etc. Chevy engine owners also if any. Just talk about your experience with engines and the plusses and minuses you have found in different kinds of driving you do. Cost doesn't come into this question because I have a pretty good idea on the relative costs, but certainly if you want to talk about bang for the buck that could be part of it.

Many thanks.

[wallace18]

Search engine choices on the forum. There are tons of threads on this.

[James Morse]

Search engine choices on the forum. There are tons of threads on this.

I search 289 and 302 and get nothing, so I guess that tells me no one has done this.

I'd really like to hear about someone who has driven the car a lot on the street as a touring car. Taken long trips in it. Put some real miles on it. I see quite a few beautiful builds, but I don't hear much about what happens after the build is over. Is it sitting in the garage with an occasional 5 miles on it, or did you put 15k miles on it the first year? Big difference.

I know what the choices are and what can fit. That's not the issue.

[Corsair343]

we have a mkIII roadster #6052 that has a 347 strocker that we built and we are going to install the same with updated heads in the gen 3 coupe we are building. we love the power and sound we get from the engine and still get 16 mpg over all with the ability to outrun tuners and big block muscle cars of all types. you will need to keep in mind that the engine will need a rear sump oil pan to fit due to chassis bracing being in the way. not a problem just bit more expensive pan than a front sump. the roadster has a 650 double pump carb and we will have to bump to around 700 with the coupes motor because of better flowing heads. we have about 16000 miles on the roadster engine and have only had expected maintenance issues ie. oil changes and one intake gasket.

[James Morse]

This sounds awesome Corsair343, thank you so much. The engine sounds like a winner.

[bil1024]

I have a 302 in my coupe, Gen 3, carb, still under construction

[edwardb]

There are hundreds of threads with discussions about engine choices. You'll probably get a few hits on this thread. But you'll get way more information by reviewing some of what's been written already over a number of years. For starters, nearly every build thread explains the engine choice and the rationale for why it was chosen. With a build several years away, you certainly have time for some serious research rather than depending on a single thread.

Factors you'll want to look at include (among others): budget, intended use, desired HP and torque, new or salvage, crate or custom, DIY or turnkey, EFI or carb, engine driven or electric fuel pump (EFI makes electric mandatory), what other options you may put on the engine like power steering and/or A/C, warranty. I've done a couple carb builds which were tuned to run OK. But I'm a big believer in EFI now. I'm also a big fan of Coyotes in these builds. Heard Dave Smith say the other day about half of the builds these days are Coyotes, with the rest spread over multiple varieties. I get they're not for everyone for several reasons. But they're hard to beat IMO. Not a big fan of non-Ford in these builds (sorry Steve) but there are choices there as well.

Not sure why you're suggesting cars get built, with lots of threads describing, but then not much afterwards so are they just sitting in the garage now. Of course that happens. But they are call "build threads" so once completed there's a graduation post (i.e. completed) and the thread ends. Guys post updates, driving videos, etc., but much more bandwidth in the forum about the build process. Which doesn't mean they aren't being driven. We average 2000-3000 miles per year in ours. That's with our 6-month Michigan winter hibernation and chasing good weather the rest of the time. But drive every chance we get. I used to drive mine to work occasionally. But that got to be a hassle so stopped. If the weather is nice, I'll jump in and use mine to run errands. There are certainly some that use them as daily drivers, but that's the exception. Same for long trips. Sure there are some. But I would say that's the exception. I love driving ours and I'm good for a couple hundred miles at a time no problem. But cross country drives are in our SUV. Just saying. I don't know how much experience you have riding or driving these. You may want to seek out owners in your area. We love giving rides. Most, including me, won't let you drive though.

Agreed the forum search engine isn't very useful. Use Google instead. From the Google prompt, enter "site thefactoryfiveforum.com/ xxx" without the quotes and where xxx = the search term(s) you would like to use. You can use multiple words or phrases. You need to be more specific than just 302 or 289 or whatever.

Hope that helps a little.

[David Williamson]

I have a mildly modified 93 GT 5.0 in my mkll, it runs and drives easily and we have taken it on many long trips but we do try to keep a days drive to under 5 hours. I have levy Dart 363 in my Gen 3 coupe, it is not as easy to drive, clutch and transmission shifting require some effort. I have a few hundred miles on it with trips of an hour or so at a time. I am still doing some finishing and fine tuning on it and when I am done we will do some longer trips with it.
David W

[GoDadGo]

As one of the very few Chevy guys on the Forum I wouldn't change a thing; however, I do find that making more than 400-HP requires softer tires than I have.
In addition, my friend Heath built a really nice MK-4 with a 351 Windsor and his car displays much better driving manners than mine.
Another friend of mine, Gerry, has a Gen-1 type 65 with a 392 SBF Stroker and like my car his is handful on anything but soft tires.
Though I'm only making around 450-475 HP, my fairly deep rear gears (3.73) really makes the car scoot.
I could have gone deeper, but my rear gear choice was to hit 125-MPH @ 6,000 RPM in 4th.
This equates to 4,500 RPM in 5th (.75 OD) and 3,000 RPM in 6th (.50 OD).

Hope This Helps & Any Engine You Choose That Make Reasonable Power (300-400) Will Be A Ton Of Fun To Drive!

[Automan]

Hi, I have a 1965 289 engine in my Gen3 build. Currently under construction.
The block is the only thing thats 1965. Engine has totally been rebuilt brand new. Dyno'd at 375hp. More than enough for me.
Side pipes and headers from FFR fit perfectly.
I havnt started it yet in the car. Need the heating and airconditioning kit from FFR still.

Nelson