1965 Galaxie project need FE help

[Barton]

Hello my name is Steve and I'm in need of some guidance.
I bought a 1965 Galaxie 500, it has a 352 with the three on the tree, the car is original from carb to pan. The tabs on it are from 1989, and because of this lack of road time the engine is stuck. If i tap the starter for half a second I can get it to move very little, if I put a breaker bar on the crank it dont help.
I have shined a flashlight down all the lug holes and its safe to say she is very rusty, so time for a rebuild.

This will be a project car for a a few year with my boys "4 year old and 9 month old" so it isnt going to get done anytime soon.
I want the car to keep the 352, however I wish to bump up my compression ratio to 11:1 to burn E-85.
I know this seams a bit weird for a original car but its something I want to do, since it needs to be bored anyway.

The only other mods I want to do is cam, and port the heads, maybe headers down the road.
Here is the Galaxie in her glory... or lack of glory

[jayb]

Welcome to the board; should be a fun project.  You might try squirting some Marvel Mystery Oil or something similar down the plug holes and letting it soak for a week or so, then try turning the crank.  If you repeat that for a few weeks even the most stubborn engine will usually come unstuck.  It would be fun to hear that engine run before you pulled it for the rebuild...

[BruceS]

Steve,
+1 with Jay and welcome. I love finding projects like that!  Definitely try the Marvel Mystery Oil trick, or maybe WD-40?  Those FE's are tough, and you might be surprised at how she runs!  That car was obviously someone's daily driver for a long time and deserves to be back on the road where she belongs.  My Dad had a 4-door '65 LTD, white with a light green vinyl top and 390.  It could screech the tires with ease... How do I know that? 

Keep us posted and those questions comin'

Bruce 

[abyars]

Welcome to the board.  That looks like a fun project and it looks like you have an eager helper.  My best friends first car was a '65 Galaxie, we put many a mile on that car.

[Lenz]

Car looks straight, unmolested and the right colors too .  I'm with everybody else on this, especially if you can get slight movement at the crank.  A good penetrating oil and some patience with the breaker bar should yield a good result.

Anyway, now your fun begins ...............

[Barton]

I have tried vinegar, pb blaster, and many other things. It will leak through the rings after a week bit it hasn't done any good yet I thought about getting a coolant heater with a pump on it and letting that heat for a week as well.
My neighbor has a mill and lathe so we are going to make a device to attach to the crank pull so we can really rock back and forth.

[Heo]

Take of the rockers. A valve can be stuck
and then you bend the pushrods.
Most likely a valve when you can move it
a litle

[Barton]

I have made full revolutions so if I valve was stuck I suppose it's now bent

[Heo]

ouch,,, you dont have to feel alone out the
I have made the same mistake

[Barton]

I tried the marvel mystery oil let it soak for quite a while and I got the engine to turn.  But if I put plugs into it it would relics up and take a few more soakings to get it free again.
I have found a 390 out of what they guy said was a mid 70's torino.
From what I have found they only had them in the 69's.
The guy also said it was a 2 barrel.
Can anybody help me make heads or tales of this?
The heads on the engine are c8aeh.

[Lenz]

Couple of things.  C8AE H heads are 68 - 70 model year pieces, 390 2 barrel setups were the norm in LTD's.  Is the engine sitting in a garage or is it in something where you could attempt to fire it up?  Is the guy a someone you know or are you going in blind?  You can check stroke with a piece of coat hanger or similar stout wire to determine whether it truly is a 390 or a 352 or 360 FE.  The latter 2 have a 3-1/2" stroke while the 390 has a (roughly) 3-3/4" stroke.  Rotate the crank to top dead center, pull #1 plug and insert the wire to the piston.  Mark the wire at a convenient reference point with a sharpie the rotate the crank 180 degrees to BDC of #1 and mark again.  Measure the distance between the two marks to check stroke.

[Barton]

The engine is laying on a floor from what I can't tell.
I found it on Craigslist and the guy said he had put it in a rv.
Can I put my 352 4 barrel setup on this?
Is there any way of knowing the compression on this or if it was a truck engine?

[Lenz]

Available information and conventional wisdom seems to indicate that wouldn't be a good idea due to port match issues.  Lots of subtle differences, lots of similar looking intakes.  On the other hand, I would bet a WTB classified here for a 4bbl iron intake (or aluminum) would bring affordable results.

I'm typing this at a hotel in Mifflintown PA.  Beaver springs is about 20 minutes from here, looking for a great time this weekend .

[ScotiaFE]

I have to disagree here Lenz.
I would say the 352 4V intake will drop right on the late model 390 with C8 heads.
If you can get a good price on the "unknown" FE and it will not be a serious loss if it has "some issues".
I would pull the trigger.
Worst case scenario is you have two FE's to make one good 390.
Got a pic of the said FE?

Anyhoo have a blast this weekend Lenz.
Wish I was there.

[Lenz]

I have to disagree here Lenz.
I would say the 352 4V intake will drop right on the late model 390 with C8 heads.
If you can get a good price on the "unknown" FE and it will not be a serious loss if it has "some issues".
I would pull the trigger.
Worst case scenario is you have two FE's to make one good 390.
Got a pic of the said FE?

Anyhoo have a blast this weekend Lenz.
Wish I was there.

Can't disagree with your disagreeing ScotiaFE, I've probably read too much on line, and that has cost me some opportunities for sure.

Now Beaver Springs?- Yeah, having a blast.  FE test and tune session opened up at 3:30 'till 4:00.  Started raining at 4:00 but that was time for Beer and Brats.  All is back on tomorrow, looking good.