My dad bought me a 1968 f100 when I was 16. I ran that thing out of oil I don't know how many times. You know, dumb kid stuff. Throw a couple of qts in and she'd quiet right down. That was in the late 80's. I still have that original 390 sitting in my garage. You can pull the rod caps and look at the bearings and they still look pretty good. Always kept it around for a rebuild and it sounds like it was a good decision. I knew one day this old stuff would get tougher to find.

My passenger vc is leaking and I have several old cork gaskets around. You guys think it would be advisable to use old cork? The gasket i have is an old, probably 15yrs old. Do they dry out over time or not? I wouldn't say it feels as new but its not brittle. If I need to go buy new then what gasket is best?

This is a fun one!
482hp and 443tq

I personally think that as FE Lovers we should embrace new technology. I understand that those who bought Edelbrock heads  may now feel like they bought something subpar. But, at the time they were not. Obviously,  the BBM' s and TFS heads are a better no matter the level of build.  Camshafts as well have come a long way. FE's didn't come with roller cams but to me if they make mote power and keep the FE competitive let's embrace that. I love guys like Brent,  Barry, Jay and Blair that keep old iron competitive. Look at how many parts are available to us today that the old time r s didn't have. 

Webby, you are correct on the separation and C/L. Its been awhile since I checked it but I believe it was cold and no the carb was not open.

Is that common for the H304p piston to be that far down? I thought the 304 was closer than that. To get zero deck with a 304 would require an excessive amount of cutting the deck wouldn't it? Or is there a better piston to use in a 390 to get it closer to the top?

548hp 590tq
Out of curiosity, what was the idea behind the suttle change on the duration?

If it hit 500ft lb that would suit me fine.