is a 289 worthy?

I've recently found a '65 mustang coupe with a 4spd and a 289 for $8k or best offer. but...289s are only rated at around 225hp. and that doesn't sound like very much HP to me. so is that an insurance number? or do they only put out that much HP? and if so, is a 289 worth modding? or would it be better to just swap it out and put something else in? For now, I only want around 320whp. A 13 second car atleast. Any comments would be appreciated!!!

Yes a 289 can be a very stout and quick reving little engine. They are about like a 302. I'd think you could get 320rwhp with some decent iron heads, a cam, dual plane intake, and a nice carb.

298 is a great motor in my book i'm sure you can get your goals with it

IMO, the 289 was the best small block ford ever made. not trying to start a flame war here, just one mans opinion.

the 320hp goal is very realistic if u rebuild it from the ground up. see, what ford did was they built a great engine and put the worst rods/heads EVER. so be sure to replace the rods and get atleast some old 351W heads for it. the only reason why they stoped making the 289s is because in 68 they introduced the 302 into the mustangs, and back then everyone wanted the "new" engine. so the 302 sales sky-rocketed, and the 289 balanced it out by becoming a flop.

anyway, the 289 is my favorite engine for to many reasons to list, not saying that the 302 is a bad engine, hell, theres a reason why it lasted this long. so i say keep the 289. btw, is the toploader(tranny) a 25spline, 28spline or 31spline?

289 is just a de-stroked 302. Which means its even more rev-happy than a 302. I think the stroke is 2.87" as opposed to the 302's 3". They put 289s in GT40s back in the day, I think one will do just fine in your '65! :)

well really a 302 was a stroked 289, due to the fact that the 302 was based off the 289 engine. which is its old counter-part :)

320 rwhp is possible from a 289. I remember one guy in particular that built a 289 that had 500+ horsepower. The old 289 blocks are also pretty sturdy blocks.

Thanks for all the comments..that pretty much answers my questions but if anyone has anything to add keep em' coming. and rerun...to answer your question i'm not sure which spline it has. i haven't spoke with the owner yet, i just drove by and saw it. so whenever i get a chance i'm going to take a closer look. and incase i ask him and he doesn't know...how could i find out which spline it has? and just wondering...why did you want to know?

Well, 289 blocks arn't really that sturdy.. only till 450hp.. so your better off getting a 302 block which is stronger.

i was just wondering because its a 25spline they can be knowen to break if they are put behind high hp engine. the 31spline were only made for the really big block engines (427,428,429,460). the 28 spline was for the 390, and the other hipo small blocks.... other than that the 25 spline was put behind it.

289s that were installed in the GT-350 shelbys were 306 HP. and 271HP versions were available in the stangs in 66 and 67. They obviously had 4bbls. I think they were 650CFM.

I think the 289 can be modified to do what you want.

Just so you know, Ford used gross #'s back then, so the rear wheels saw less than what Ford said. Stock, they were fast for their time, but it doesn't seem like much anymore. Its realitive. Of course, the 289 can be built up and there are a lot of options to do so since its nearly the same as the 302/5.0. Personally, I consider them decent motors, but for performance, I'd look elsewhere. Milage and realibility, I'd look in the other direction. 320rwhp? sure it can be done.

my friend has a 289 and he has 250 hp out of it.....so its quite possible to get 320hp...

whoops i meanhe has 350 hp..sorry