1968 Question for you 390 owners

Well, I'm still plugging along on my Green Hornet project. Everything is/was going well albeit very slow.
Last day was quite exciting for me. My brother in law came over to give me a hand in dropping in my FE after almost a year in the engine shop.
It wasn't as easy as I thought. This is the first time I've dropped in a motor so I can definitely see that the next time around I'll do things a bit different.
Getting the motor mounts changed over from a small block to a big block was challenging and getting the motor to line up so I can slide in the bolts was even more difficult.
Everything finally fell into place and I discovered 2 things:
1) C4 and C6 crossmembers are not the same Good thing I had extra wire to tie up the tranny.
2) to my dismay there is absolutely NO room for bolting in exhaust manifolds.

I hadn't purchased any so I'm not 100% certain. I'm using Edelbrock aluminum heads and now i'm wondering if this might cause clearance issues.
Also, I welded in Boss 302 shock tower reinforcements.

I might be worrying for no reason as there are 1000's of mustangs with FE motors in them. I'm just wondering if my combination of shock tower wraps and aluminum heads might be a mistake.
If anyone out there has close up pics of their 390 motor installed I would greatly appreciate seeing them.
thanks so much!

Stan

Exhaust manifolds need to be installed with the engine.

From looking at your pictures, it looks like those cylinder heads are drilled with 16 bolt holes for exhaust manifolds? I can't imagine that those aluminum cylinder heads are any different than the cast iron variety dimensionally.

If so, that is good. You would be able to use either the stock 390GT or 428CJ cast iron exhaust manifolds.
The reproduction 428 cobra jet exhaust manifolds are a very good quality, and they are much better than the Mustang 390GT manifolds.

Yeah, C4 and C6 transmission mounts are different. I have heard that the 1969-70 Mustang/Cougar FMX mount will work with a C6.

The engine frame stands get bolted to the chassis first. The engine drops down on top of them and you only have two bolts to slide into the holes.

Well, these aren't very good pictures but it does show that the stock exhaust manifolds fit. CougarCJ is right...you need to install the manifolds before you drop the engine in.

Scott

Having them on the engine before installation even makes it a ton easier with a small block.

Looks like you have the spark plugs in, very good idea. Hopefully you won't have to ever change them again!

Good luck and keep bringing the pictures.

david

Thank you so much for this info!
I can't tell you how much I struggled getting the engine mount to shock tower mount to line up so that I can slide that one single bolt through.
So, you're telling me the way to do it is to install the 3 pcs together on the motor and then drop it over the shock tower?
Also, is it virtually impossible to install the exhaust manifold in place without having to pull the motor?
I'm starting to get a sick feeling in my stomach...and it's not from all the red wine from last night (drank a beautiful Cab from Stag's Leap which i've been saving for 6 years)

Also, thank you for being gracious enough to PM me with my spelling error
Cadada. I don't mind public humiliation. I seem to be good at it.

Cheers,
Stan from Canada

GTCSMustang said:

Well, these aren't very good pictures but it does show that the stock exhaust manifolds fit. CougarCJ is right...you need to install the manifolds before you drop the engine in.

Scott

Click to expand...

Scott on the contrary; these are fantastic pictures! It lets me see that I probably do have enough room. Thank you so much for taking the time to take and post these. You're awesome!

Stan

di81977 said:

Having them on the engine before installation even makes it a ton easier with a small block.

Looks like you have the spark plugs in, very good idea. Hopefully you won't have to ever change them again!

Good luck and keep bringing the pictures.

david

Click to expand...

Thanks David. I'm actually missing 2 spark plugs but since I probably have to pull the motor out again I'm going to re install them. My engine builder misplaced them when he was running some tests.
I'll let everyone know how things go once I throw in the manifolds.
Stan

The way I have done it with 428CJs is mount the DS manifold and put the larger PS manifold in place and set the engine in and bolt it up later it is a slow process but I have done it for years. You will have to take off the tall valve cover to get your hands in there .GOOD LUCK

Aftermarket headers

Has anyone had any good experiences with aftermarket headers? The question of 100% original is still up in the air with me. I would hate to constrict the exhaust on this motor as I paid good dollar for the modifications. At the same time, if it's too difficult my decision would be made for me and i'll pick up some CJ or GT manifolds as suggested.

thanks again everyone!

Stathy,
Stan Johnson from Ford Powertrain Applications has a nice fitting "tri Y" for your car. Many people have used them and they are a huge step over exhaust manifolds, yet fit great! Lots of people poo poo them as not a huge benefit, but in most mild to large power street applications they make a huge difference. I have his step headers on my GNS and will soon have a another set of his step headers on our 67 Fastback!!

His headers are the BEST of quality and ground clearance. Many Shelby guys who road race their cars are using them due to their superior ground clearance.

Rob

http://www.fordpowertrain.com/390428triy.htm

Headers ...

Our "S" code has headers installed already, but I don't know what brand or model as they were in the car when my friend Terry bought it from the previous owner that did the rebuild / restore on it the first time around. There definitely isn't much room left in the "boiler room" with that big engine in place, and spark plug access is very limited to say the least!
I'm working tomorrow, but I"m off Sunday and Monday, so I'll fire the GT/CS and back it out into the driveway and run it for a while to keep the battery up anyway. While it's out I'll shoot you a few pictures and see if I can find any markings on the headers.
By the way, I love the "Cobra Le Mans" valve covers, they look great. I bought a set through Ron (ClubPro) earlier this year to put onto our car so that they would match up to the oval Cobra air cleaner. We ran out of time and good weather last year and didn't get them installed yet, so they are slated to go on sometime later this year (2010) when the weather improves and time allows.
Keep us posted as your project progresses, and keep giving us more photos!

robert campbell said:

Stathy,
Stan Johnson from Ford Powertrain Applications has a nice fitting "tri Y" for your car. Many people have used them and they are a huge step over exhaust manifolds, yet fit great! Lots of people poo poo them as not a huge benefit, but in most mild to large power street applications they make a huge difference. I have his step headers on my GNS and will soon have a another set of his step headers on our 67 Fastback!!

His headers are the BEST of quality and ground clearance. Many Shelby guys who road race their cars are using them due to their superior ground clearance.

Rob

http://www.fordpowertrain.com/390428triy.htm

Click to expand...

Rob it's funny you mention FPA. I was just on their website. I did a google search and found several of the ford forums highly suggest his product on the mustang platform.
I can't seem to find any links as to where to buy his headers from. I sent him an email and hope to hear back.
Thanks so much for the info. This seems like a good bet for me.

Stan

Reverend Al

I would appreciate the pictures but please don't go out of your way as it's suppose to be raining in Victoria all weekend! What a surprise eh?
I'm in Victoria several times a year. Next time you take your S code out and enter into an event let me know. I'll definitely make the time to visit
Thanks again for your help.
Stan

I second the headers from Ford Powertrain.com.

http://www.fordpowertrain.com/FPAindex/headers1.htm

Keep us updated.

Randy

Fpa

Robert and Randy, I actually received a response from Stan at FPA!
Nice to know that he would take the time to respond to me on his day off.
He definitely has convinced me that his headers will have NO problem fitting.
He was even kind enough to send me some pictures shot at angles that lets me see that there will be no clearance issues.
As he mentioned in his email to me "I don't build headers to run into things".
Made me chuckle

Stan is a great guy and a wealth of knowledge on high performance Fords. He is down to earth and builds a "package" to meet a cutomers goals. Does not over spend your money nor give you a component that is the "weak link" to you goal.

I am working with him on a clutch, flywheel, damper, and header package for Val's Fastback. His headers have max ground clearance!!! Love them on my GNS. I have Hooker Super Comps on her Fastback now and they drag all over the place. I hate them for that!

Rob

Pictures finally since the weather co-operated today!

Hi Stan,
Here are a few photos of the TIGHT squeeze of the installed headers on our "S" code 390. Not much space there, and I know that my mechanic friend Chris that helped with all the work on our car last summer cursed me when he changed the spark plugs. Said something about NEVER wanting to do them again as I recall ...
Anyway, I didn't see anything marked on them, so I can't help with the make or model, but I did discover that I'm missing a header bolt on the driver's side! Must have rattled loose during a drive ...
Sometime in the spring we'll install the new Cobra Le Mans valve covers to match the air cleaner, and maybe do some clean up and detail work under the hood, as things are a bit "scruffy" under there right now. With luck this year we'll do the front end rebuild, replace the old steering box with the new, rebuilt power steering box I bought in 2009, and we'll also re-install the power steering as we have a new completely rebuilt assembly just sitting here waiting to go on. (A previous owner removed the power steering from this car years ago.) We'll also re-install the Lucas fogs, as they are now cleaned up, the replacement grill re-painted, and it's all just waiting to go back on.
I'll email you sometime in the spring after the car is licenced for the road again, and if you're coming over to Victoria one day we'll get together and take it out for a spin ...
:grin:

Power steering Hoses

Thanks for all those pics Al. They are awesome!
I cannot believe how tight of a squeeze this is. It almost seems impossible to re and re the spark plugs. I'm hoping one day with weather, work and time permitting I'll run into you and take you up on your offer

I do have another question, does anyone know how to route the power steering hoses on the 390? I didn't realize until yesterday that it isn't the same as my 289 setup.
Are they routed underneath the motor mount? If so I would assume the the metal tube that connects to the p/s cylinder is shaped differently also.

Any help (or pics) would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you

Yes please ...

Yes, we'd appreciate some photos of the big block power steering in these cars, as we'll be re-installing the missing power steering assemby in ours this coming spring or summer.
Our thanks too if someone could take the time to shoot a few pictures of a big block power steering assembly and post them here ...