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Old 06-08-2020, 08:51 AM   #1
Seth Swoboda
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Default Vlaue of a 390

I came across a man with a 390 engine. It came out of a 1964 Galaxie. The engine has been out of the car since 1966, the car was wrecked (totaled).

The engine is complete. It is a factory 4V engine. Will need going through of course. It's not seized up.

What are these Ford FE engines worth or are they worth having? I would like to purchase it but I don't want to get into an engine that is an odd ball. If that makes sense?

Any thoughts on these 390's would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Seth
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Old 06-08-2020, 09:11 AM   #2
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

Around here a non running FE engine goes for $100-$300. These were good engines and Ford made millions of them from '58 thru the late '60's. Their big and heavy and unless you have a vehicle that originally came with one they are not a popular swap. I just rebuilt a '66 390 and parts are starting to get expensive compared to a small block.
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Old 06-08-2020, 09:17 AM   #3
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

http://www.fordfe.com/index.php? This may help. Just from reading posts there it seems the castings were pretty good in 63/64. 64 blocks will backfit to 58 with no problems but 65 up cars need the 4 engine mount holes on the sides. So if you wanted to swap into 65 up you will have some problems with mounts since 58 to 64 only had 2 mount holes on the sides
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Old 06-08-2020, 06:21 PM   #4
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

The 63 1/2 Galaxie is the one most folks look for since it was the first with the fast back top but they sold a lot of 64 fast backs. I love the old 390. They are very good engines. Mounting can be tricky if going old to late as was mentioned but all the old T-birds & Galaxies had them in the early 60s. The FE is lighter than the 385 engines since it is really a medium block design and gets better mileage so they aren't bad for cars or pickups. The 352 was just a bit too small in displacement for the weight but the 390 is about right.
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Old 06-08-2020, 06:34 PM   #5
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

It wasn't that long ago I looked up the weight on a 390, and IIRC, it was only about 25-30 lbs more than a Yblock. Throw an aluminum intake and a set of headers on and there's not much weight difference. I knew one T bird guy that dropped one in a 55 bird and didn't need to change the front springs.
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Old 06-09-2020, 01:38 PM   #6
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

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The intake is definitely one big sum beech. Setting one on during engine assembly is a bear when working alone. This makes the heads smaller and more light weight. They are easy to work on due to that. An aluminum intake would make life a lot easier. Ford sometimes had a water cooled carb base plate on there. They like to corrode out. There may be a better alternative to that as well.
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Old 06-09-2020, 02:04 PM   #7
Seth Swoboda
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

Quote:
Originally Posted by rotorwrench View Post
The intake is definitely one big sum beech. Setting one on during engine assembly is a bear when working alone. This makes the heads smaller and more light weight. They are easy to work on due to that. An aluminum intake would make life a lot easier. Ford sometimes had a water cooled carb base plate on there. They like to corrode out. There may be a better alternative to that as well.
I noticed the intake looked like a big chunk of cast iron. I pulled an intake off of a 400 Ford engine once and replaced it with an aluminum 4 barrel intake. It was a sum bitch to lift off the engine.
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Old 06-09-2020, 06:06 PM   #8
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

The 400 is a 335 block similar to the 351C engine and it has a relatively heavy block and parts.

When you pull the valve covers on the FE engine you can see that the manifold extends under the valve covers and includes the guide bores for the push rods.
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Old 06-10-2020, 09:04 AM   #9
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

My 67 Ford shop manual shows how to change intake gaskets on 390 and they are using a engine hoist on intake. Not a bad idea actually.
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Old 06-10-2020, 09:08 PM   #10
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

Intake manifold for a 390 weighs around 75 - 80 lbs.
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Old 06-11-2020, 12:56 AM   #11
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

Back when I was working, I pulled many FE intakes off car and truck engines while the engine was still in the car. they were heavy for sure. always hated being dispatched a job with the big blocks where the intake had to be removed. probably why I have a bad back today. over did it to many times when I was young and dumb.
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Old 06-11-2020, 07:00 AM   #12
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

I'm with Jim. Did plenty of FE intake manifolds while like Jim I was young and dumb. Picked up a 61 Starliner recently with a 406 3x2 aluminum manifold on it. Used a engine hoist this time for removal.
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Old 06-11-2020, 07:23 AM   #13
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

The 63 - 66 "Z" code 390 was/is one of the best street engines Ford ever put together. They were rated 300hp and turns out they really produced that. Street Rodder magazine did a FE build several years ago. They built three engines. First one was a bone stock Ford spec Z motor. They put in 9:1 pistons instead of the factory 10:1, a .030 over bore and stock rotating assembly. The rest of the engine was all stock "Z" motor parts. On the dyno with a 600CFM Holley, long tube headers it produced 310hp. Not too bad for a factory "over rated hp" lump.....
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Old 06-11-2020, 01:17 PM   #14
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

I don't think I've ever run across anyone that thought the 390 was an "oddball" engine lol. That's a new one on me. My dad had a 68 Ford station wagon with a 390/300hp engine - that thing would fly. We loved it when we were kids in the very back, watching out the rear window as we flew by everyone on the interstate.
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Old 06-18-2020, 06:44 AM   #15
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

I had plenty of those in my past, also the 352 which always ran well. If the engine has been sitting inside, it would be worth around $250 as a core.
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Old 06-18-2020, 08:53 AM   #16
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

The 390 is a very good engine. I ran several in the late 60's and 70's in my 57 Fairlane with 2x4's. The only downfall with a 390 is that now they are getting expensive to build and a little harder to come buy. Also when building a 390 if the bore is going to be over .030 over the stock bore it may be wise to have sonic tested. These larger FE's are known for core shift which can make for a thin cylinder wall. I know many people have bored +.060 including myself when I was younger before sonic testing was heard of. Some people have even pushed the envelope and bored to a 406 bore and a few may have lived but many have failed.
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Old 09-02-2020, 01:36 PM   #17
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

I had a 1967 LTD with a 390 in it. It was 2 barrel and had 275 hp. I have owned a lot of vehicles including chevies. I've never had a vehicle that had the hump that motor did--chevy eater fer sure. My friend wrecked the LTD and I sold it to another friend to put in his pickup. He would floor it for about a half a minute in neutral and if someone said he was going to blow it he would say "naw head, it's a gooood ford". He finally blew it after a good while and when he went to build it the parts were different-- rings, bearings, crank journals etc. from the previous or later years, so I recon 1967 would be the oddball year.

Last edited by greenpondmike; 09-02-2020 at 01:38 PM. Reason: Changed word
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Old 09-07-2020, 09:29 AM   #18
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Default Re: Vlaue of a 390

I want to add that even though that 67 390 had impressive power I just figured out that it got around 20 mpg. I may have said 15 elsewhere, but that was a guess.
Ran out of gas down the road from my house. Had only $5 to put in it, so got some in a jug and rest at the pump. Went to put in an application past the fairgrounds (60 mile round trip roughly) and then went to Centreville which is a 40 mile round trip. 60+40=100 and if gas was a dollar a gallon back then I was getting 20mpg, but if gas was higher than I didn't have quite 5 gallons in it and it was getting better than that. I didn't have the original carb on it though, but without revealing my accidental secret I can say that it was a stock ford carb with no modifications to it except a cheap holly rebuild kit from autozone (I use napa ecclin now) or a high grade jiffy kit. It was the second card I ever built and the first one I did right. I had some pieces left over after I tried to rebuild a quadrajet on a 1973 cutlass--it ran though lol.
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