Top FE Engine Builders in the World Start on a 390

[FElony]

Skip to 11:19 to avoid toxic green death.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mDZln0-sVQ

[blykins]

Copy cats.





I'll tell you though, if you've never done something like this before, it's the most fun I've ever had on a dyno.  I still think about it and smile.

[FElony]

Well, you know I often moan about the lack of true grassroots action in this forum. There is always a subtle push towards the latest and greatest trick parts. That's fine for some folks; for others, it's more fun to see what you can do with original junk.

I was hoping in both your attempts at doing a 352, that it was going to be truly grassroots. But in both cases you got wacky with trickiness and I lost interest. After some 100-proof deep thought, it dawned on me that the engine builders here have no game beyond the dyno. Naturally, in creeps this desire to wring every hp out of every engine. The REAL end game, IMO, has to be the car itself. I don't see those from the pros, because if it doesn't make money, then it's a waste of time.

Personally, and I know 98% of the members here will disagree, I'd like to see a 352 or 360 built using off the shelf non-exotic parts, carefully assembled, no dyno, installed in a CAR, tuned there, and whipped to a frenzy on the street. You know, truly grassroots. Time it with a GTech or phone app or stopwatch. Whatever.

I know, ain't gonna happen here. IF a member has a build like this in that subforum, I missed it so a linky would be nice.

I'll cut it short here. I kinda don't think the FE that Powernation has is out of a dump truck. Not FT heads, at any rate. I'd like to see what they do with it, but it will probably wind up as a dyno queen.

[blykins]

Well, you know I often moan about the lack of true grassroots action in this forum. There is always a subtle push towards the latest and greatest trick parts. That's fine for some folks; for others, it's more fun to see what you can do with original junk.

I was hoping in both your attempts at doing a 352, that it was going to be truly grassroots. But in both cases you got wacky with trickiness and I lost interest. After some 100-proof deep thought, it dawned on me that the engine builders here have no game beyond the dyno. Naturally, in creeps this desire to wring every hp out of every engine. The REAL end game, IMO, has to be the car itself. I don't see those from the pros, because if it doesn't make money, then it's a waste of time.

Personally, and I know 98% of the members here will disagree, I'd like to see a 352 or 360 built using off the shelf non-exotic parts, carefully assembled, no dyno, installed in a CAR, tuned there, and whipped to a frenzy on the street. You know, truly grassroots. Time it with a GTech or phone app or stopwatch. Whatever.

I know, ain't gonna happen here. IF a member has a build like this in that subforum, I missed it so a linky would be nice.

I'll cut it short here. I kinda don't think the FE that Powernation has is out of a dump truck. Not FT heads, at any rate. I'd like to see what they do with it, but it will probably wind up as a dyno queen.

I think that's a broad stroke with the wrong brush.  Every engine gets dyno'd, but every engine does end up in a car.  During the spring/summer/fall, most weekends I'm on the couch with the phone answering the phone and texting, trying to help guys who are at the strip or the fairgrounds get the most out of their combination.   We have to race dynos for a little bit to get the rough tune there, but ultimately they end in  vehicles.

You also have to remember that just because FElony wants a "grassroots" 352 or 390, I have to put together whatever the customer orders.  If you're gonna gripe that no one is "grassroots", then have someone call me up with a junk 390 order and we'll see what we can do. 

Otherwise, don't lose hope on the 352 yet.  I have changed my mind 16 times at least so far and the current iteration is the block and heads that you see up above, with a 352 crank, some other modern internals, and a PI intake.  It will do fine.  Need some more time though.  After all the engine builds I have going on, I still have to work on your bicycle that's in the picture above. 

Why don't you put together a 352 or 360, built using off the shelf non-exotic parts, carefully assembled, no dyno, installed in a CAR, tuned there, and whipped to a frenzy on the street?

[FElony]

"Why don't you put together a 352 or 360, built using off the shelf non-exotic parts, carefully assembled, no dyno, installed in a CAR, tuned there, and whipped to a frenzy on the street?"

I have all the parts and the car. It will be the first project in my YT channel. I'll let you know when it hits.

[chilly460]

Exactly, instead of whining about it, build one yourself.  I just sent a set of C1AEs out to be rebuilt, I ported them and will install them on a 352 shortblock with dome pistons and Lemans rods from a car my father crewed on in the mid 60s.  It’ll be cobbled together from junk on the shelf, I don’t mention it much here because everyone will say turn it into a stroker but I want to do it “as is” in a tribute to my father and his old buddies.

[blykins]

I personally like trying to do more with less.  It's easy to crank out horsepower with a stroker kit and TFS heads, but it takes some extra figurin' to crank out horsepower with underdog parts. 

[FElony]

I personally like trying to do more with less.  It's easy to crank out horsepower with a stroker kit and TFS heads, but it takes some extra figurin' to crank out horsepower with underdog parts.

Isn't that what I just said?

[blykins]

I personally like trying to do more with less.  It's easy to crank out horsepower with a stroker kit and TFS heads, but it takes some extra figurin' to crank out horsepower with underdog parts.

Isn't that what I just said?

Yes, but you can't call FE builders out for not doing it.  We don't make the orders, customers do.  I've never said I don't like messing around with factory stuff, but when somebody calls in to order a 445, I can't just say, "Hey, I know that you'd like to have that, but can I interest you in a rusty 360?"

What I'm trying to say is, don't get wadded up at the builders because we have to build engines and dyno them.  If you wanna see grassroots, then dig some of that rusty money up out of the yard and go play with grassroots. 

[1968galaxie]

Hello FElony,

Many of the 40+ crowd here did the grassroots type FE hotrodding.

Where I grew up there was no dyno facility.
I couldn't afford the extra dyno costs even if there was one. (part time $3.65/hr wage didn't help)
Many FE fans started with 2 bbl 390's (early 80's for me).
Changed to a factory 4 barrel intake.
Next changed rear gear ratio - depended on what junk yard had - I found/used a 3.56 9" traction lock.
Then added headers and 2 1/2" dual exhaust. (big bang for the $)
Took engine out for higher compression pistons (0.030" flat with 4 reliefs TRW forged)
Had boss 351 rod bolts fitted to 390 rods. (needed honing rod bolt opening for slightly larger diameter boss 351 bolt)
Changed camshaft to factory 428 CJ cam. (Changed valve springs also I using boss 351 spring)
Changed to aluminum 4 bbl intake and hand ported heads (used 428 CJ valves)
The "dyno" was stop light racing and highway flashlight 1/4 mile racing.

Took probably 4 years to slowly make modifications. It was all fun. All changes were done by me, brother and friends - few cases of beer too.
We all "hotroded" our cars (two 68 galaxies, a 66 and 67 mustang, and a 57 chevy)
All did plenty of stop light street racing (no drag strip remotely close). Also a few miles out of the city there was flashlight drag racing on a narrow road as well.

[Barry_R]

https://youtu.be/iFFGDqQpx2E


https://youtu.be/fPzAotIjSw8

https://youtu.be/DzKo8nKDoCk

[chilly460]

Also, part of the problem nowadays is a “grassroots” 352 may get its doors blown off by a Honda Pilot, so guys have to up the ante a bit

[Heo]

Felony there is a build tread on my grassroot 390 full on non exotic  of the floor parts. I even made my own piston mounting cone
and cambearing tool Hooned it with a big hydraulic cylinder hoone .Traded a Volvo Amzone for the head and intake porting job
put it in the car and traveled the country from end to end Grassrooty enough?

[cjshaker]

[Why don't you put together a 352 or 360, built using off the shelf non-exotic parts, carefully assembled, no dyno, installed in a CAR, tuned there, and whipped to a frenzy on the street?

You, sir, are a terminal dreamer.

[Drew Pojedinec]

You, sir, are a terminal dreamer.

Lol!  Didn’t we have this thread last year?  And the year before that?  And I think he started one a year before that.