1961 Thunderbird 390...

[fryedaddy]

311 hp now

[mn67]

302 HP now

[BigBlueIron]

289

Edit my 288 after seeing werbys guess

[chilly460]

275hp

Are you going to have the heads ported as part of the update?

No sir, just a rebuild with modern pieces inside.   He's not focused on horsepower, but just wants a solid driver.

Gotcha, figured that sticking with stock manifolds dictated it would not really be worth it. 

[shady]

299     BTW I have a '64 t-bird 390 and it has dished pistons with no valve relief.

Shady,
Just curious - when was your Bird built?

Our early 64 Gal (October 1963 build) came with a 1963 engine - c1ae-a heads, c3 intake, c3af-bv carb, dished pistons. All the later 64's we've torn down had flat tops with valve cuts.

werby, without crawling under to look at the block. the intake is a 3J24 but has a c4 part number. I just have the complete engine, no car. but saw the car it came out of and was a 64.

[Riderjeff]

280 as she sits.  Very curious where this goes after the Blykins Touch!

[68fecyclone]

    266 hp

[Joe-JDC]

My first inclination was 270ish hp, but with dyno headers, it is a guess at 284 since I don't want to be a triple guesser.  Joe-JDC

[BBFORDFAN]

292hp

[blykins]

I'll let you all edit your guesses up until the day of the dyno.  It will be a few weeks. 

I did get some new information that on the rebuild.  It was rebuilt by the "Proformance" guys in NJ.  If you remember them, they're the guys with the thick accents that had all the videos of their engines on run stands revving the poo-poo out of them.   They reused the old style cam retention. 

[WerbyFord]

299     BTW I have a '64 t-bird 390 and it has dished pistons with no valve relief.

Shady,
Just curious - when was your Bird built?

Our early 64 Gal (October 1963 build) came with a 1963 engine - c1ae-a heads, c3 intake, c3af-bv carb, dished pistons. All the later 64's we've torn down had flat tops with valve cuts.

werby, without crawling under to look at the block. the intake is a 3J24 but has a c4 part number. I just have the complete engine, no car. but saw the car it came out of and was a 64.

Shady,
Thanks for looking!
I know it's a aide-bar to this thread, but significant I think:
Yours is YET ANOTHER 1964 FoMoCo, with 1963-style pistons, and with an early (October 1963) build date.
Maybe the flat-top pistons were a running change or half-year or something, although IIRC even the early dealer literature says 10.0 CR for 1964 instead of 9.6 CR for 1963.
Thanks either way.

[Royce]

272 as it sits, 305 with Brent magic... OOOPs 305 is an evil number  make it 306

[shady]

299     BTW I have a '64 t-bird 390 and it has dished pistons with no valve relief.

Shady,
Just curious - when was your Bird built?

Our early 64 Gal (October 1963 build) came with a 1963 engine - c1ae-a heads, c3 intake, c3af-bv carb, dished pistons. All the later 64's we've torn down had flat tops with valve cuts.

werby, without crawling under to look at the block. the intake is a 3J24 but has a c4 part number. I just have the complete engine, no car. but saw the car it came out of and was a 64.

Shady,
Thanks for looking!
I know it's a aide-bar to this thread, but significant I think:
Yours is YET ANOTHER 1964 FoMoCo, with 1963-style pistons, and with an early (October 1963) build date.
Maybe the flat-top pistons were a running change or half-year or something, although IIRC even the early dealer literature says 10.0 CR for 1964 instead of 9.6 CR for 1963.
Thanks either way.

If that ain't crazy enough, I also have a 66 Merc 390 with the same pistons.

[wayne]

273 now 345 after built.

[gdaddy01]

242 now ,   probably was 290 before the performance build , by chevy guys .