question that i need some help with

hi,im new to this site and im hoping someone could help me with a question i have,i have a 89 rs 2.8 v6 camaro and i belive its possibly not stock because it keeps up very well with my dad's 91 305 h.o tpi trans am,and the question i have is my brother in law is planning on buying a 66 ford galaxie 500 its not an xl so im guessing it has a 390 302 or 289,i know these cars weigh alot more than my camaro,but he likes to race me and i was wondering if through an 1/8 mile and 1/4 mile could i atleast keep up or maybe possibly outrun him? if anyone can answer this question or give any type of possible out come it would be greatly appreciated thanks.

PSHHH. I bet it has a 7.0 428 cid. Im saying dont bother showing up to the race, its already lost even if the galaxy is only hitting on seven.

I had a 87 firebird with a 2.8 v-6, K&N Flowmaster cat-back ect. I have to say, for the size of the engine they are a pretty neat car. But not as fast as a 66 galaxy 500.

well i have my reasons for thinking it doesnt have a 428 in it hes only paying 2 grand for it and he has a taste for worn out crap cars,and hes one that likes to brag and he hasnt bragged about it being a 428,427 or anything and he thinks a 302 and 289 are the fastest motors out there,and i read alot of those came with 390 and 302,i havent seen the car so im not sure its even a real galaxie 500 im just waiting for him to sell his current vehicle to buy it and find out,but im sure if my car isnt enough i can always try with my dads built 350 s10,but thanks for the reply.

haha if it has a carbed 302 that was mroe during the 80s youd prolly have a chance since the TPI 2.8 has more hp then some of those V8s... but i dont think you can win this one unless he has only 1 gear. try it tho :D

My old neighbor has a 68 Mustang with a 302/HO from a Galaxie, produces tons of torgue when it was intended to get that big old barge moving :2cents:

In 1966 the galaxie came with many different engines, they had a 6 cylinder, 289, 352, 390, 428 (and maybe a few more I'm not aware of). If your buddy likes to race then im guessing he doesn't have the 6 cylinder. The 289 was a good running motor but when you put it in a full size car you don't have a very fast car. The 352 has a ton of torque (it was the truck motor & shares the same 90 degree block as the 390), but isn't all that fast in the galaxie (stock) (I know my dad has a 66 convertible with the 352). The 390 revs quite a bit better then the 352, its basically a bore & stroke thing, but are still not that quick compared to the newer cars with fuel injection. The 428 (7 liter) has monster torque, and quite possibly could take you in a race.

From what I understand the 352 & 289 were the most common motors to find in galaxie in 1966, I don't see you having a problem with either one (because of the power to weight advantage you have). I would predict a 390 would make it a pretty even race and your looking at tail lights if it has a 428 (only my guess). Now keep in mind I'm talking about stock motors, its hard telling what they have done to that motor in the last 40 years. I can tell you from experience if he has a 352 with the stock iron heads & intake, even if it has a mild cam (street strip), your going to win, thats how my dad's sits in the garage. Either way you have to admire someone for keeping the classic cars on the road!

Now if you like your car and want to take him no matter what motor he has in the car, all you have to do is drop a Buick Grand National turbo motor in your car ... you have to admit it would be an easy swap & would be the ultimate sleeper car ... see where im going with this ...

Now if you like your car and want to take him no matter what motor he has in the car, all you have to do is drop a Buick Grand National turbo motor in your car ... you have to admit it would be an easy swap & would be the ultimate sleeper car ... see where im going with this ...

Ahh, the Firebird TTA :grinyes:

thx gmack you said the exact same thing my dad said,he told me if it was anything but the 428 i would keep up well or outrun him,and also when i get a job with my dad in construction when i turn 18 im planning on putting a turbo on the car and the grand national one i thought would drop right in,and id like to thank you all for your reply's most boards ive been to always say u should check google or somewhere first and flame me for asking a simple question,all of you have helped me and i thank you,also im asking him tonight what motor is in it,and whenver he gets it if he does ill be sure to let you all know the outcome of the race.

You never know. A 289, 302 ect can ALL be set up to haul ass. What are the chances a $2k galaxy is anywhere near original? If that car has been pounded down the road to the tune of only being worth that much im certain everything has been changed.

How heavy is a 66 galaxy? Some old cars arent as heavy as what people might think. Especially once the cancer starts to take over.

i searched google and found that the 66 galaxie were 4059 pounds,he told me the only thing done to the car is they just rebuilt the motor and it only has one dent which is filled in with bondo,but until he comes in at 10:30 tonight i cant tell you anymore about the car.

Hotrod, that Galaxy is heavier than a drunk dead priest wrapped in lead. :lol:

On my neighbors 'stang :uhoh: , he has the HO block form one, Weiland intake (IIRC), and heads off a '98 302 froma ranger, decent street/strip cam, and a 5 speed on t original rear gear for a '68 'stang, and the thing flies.

i searched google and found that the 66 galaxie were 4059 pounds,

Possible, 2 door? I thought they were closer to the 4500 line, but it's been a while since we've gotten together, winter hybernation. :disappoin

And you're welcome for the replies. We're all pretty level headed around here and joke around, but also get things done. S

Speaking of which, i better get back to work. :jump3:

Yeah these guys are pretty cool for a bunch of bone-heads huh :grinyes:

Heck you might outrun it. You better, its a brother-in-laws car. I would hate it if my car was slower than my brother-in-laws.

Yeah these guys are pretty cool for a bunch of bone-heads huh :grinyes:

Heck you might outrun it. You better,

Anything with 4 flats is easy to outrun :icon16:

yea he had a 91 5 speed camaro with a 305 tbi and changed it over to a carb,and he only outran me by about a car through a qaurter wouldnt stop bragging even though his win was that small,but he cant change gears either which probly made a difference,and the fact that he tunes stuff way to much,he does'nt know how to leave well enough alone,im glad i found a board full of boneheads who know what theyre talking about i happen to be a huge joker myself,and maybe ill learn sumthing on here.

This is a good site. "a little full, a lot of sap". (Chevy Chase)

I bet the 5.0 lost power converting it to a carb, and on a 1/4 mile the auto helps out some, not for all out speed but more for consistency.

The 2.8 i had would hold its own especially off the line when compared to a typical v-8 auto. But eventually all the cubes caught up to it. It was still fun to say "a 2.8" when people said "whatcha got in thur?"

ok new info,it has a 390 3 speed auto,edelbrock intake,holley 750 carb,engine has been recently rebuilt,so do you guys think i got a chance against that?

A 173 cid v-6 5 speed making 135 HP at 4900 RPM in a 3400 est. lbs. with a 3.42 gear, possible light mods

v.s.

A fresh 390, decent carb and intake with 3 speed auto in a 4100 est. lbs.

Race it and find out. That would be some bragging rights if you win.

well i wont know till he gets it which is soon hopefully,yea that would be some bragging rights,tonight when i asked him about the car he went on and on bragging about it and what not,he said he didnt like how it changed becuz u cant feel it shift gears it changes so smoothly,so idk when/if he gets it ill tell him to put in the road or when the track opens up take it there,another question if anyone knows,my cat is pretty beat up on my car,my dad told me that i could put a piece of pipe in place of it,would my car run any better if i did that or would buying a new cat be better?

,im glad i found a board full of boneheads who know what theyre talking about i happen to be a huge joker myself,.

What car guy (or girl in some cases) wouldn't be a joker :dunno:

Anyway, judging by your profile, you say you race legally, thus I would assume you're up on reaction time and familiar with the shift points of your trans in relation to the engine power band? If so, I think it would a heads up dog fight almost.

Honeslty I think his carb is a little under feeding, depends on his cam I guess.

yea i go to the strip a few times during the season and my reaction times are ok,ive pulled a few .003.005,my average is usualy around .075 which isnt to bad,my bro in law on the other hand a retarded monkey could pull a better light,but i do have to sadly say i happen to street race a few times a year also,the road thats right at my house is a qaurter mile and me and my dad and bro in law have raced there a few times late at night,but i mostly stick to the track.

eeeeew im sorry but your exhaust is discusting! i didnt think it was possible to make it sound like a honda.......just my opinion, but i would def like to see the results of this race, good luck

hey atleast my exhaust is different,i personally dont like the sound of a dual exhaust 2.8 or a silent muffler u cant see,so i got that it looks different,sounds different,changing gears @6500 it sounds pretty damn awesome.

That 500 will smoke that 2.8. I'm not just trying to give you crap, but a Galaxy 500 with a 390 with an intake and 750 carb. is probably pushing about 300 hp. Maybe more, since we don't know what else is done to it. Sure, it weighs alittle more, but not enough to slow it down that much. Someone posted that a 2.8 puts out about 135hp and the Camaro weighs about 3400 pounds. You'll need atleast 250hp to be close. But I always say, what the hell, I'll race anything. It would atleast be fun to see what happens. What kind of times are you running at the track? 1/8 or 1/4 mile, and what speed?

Someone else posted that 750 is not enough carb. for a 390. That is plenty for that size engine. A few years ago Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords put out a engine/carb. guide. They had a chart with engine size that matched up with carb. size (cfm). They debunked the theory of needing a carb. the size of Texas to make power. For example... a 302 (5.0) works great with a 600-650 cfm carb. Ofcourse if you have a ton of mods or you're John Force, then your engine will need more, but you get the idea. They basically threw out the "old school" way of thinking when it comes to carbs. Most of the time all your doing is dumping in way too much fuel and in the end you actually lose power.

well i know im outpowered but keep in mind im keeping up with a almost new engine 305 tpi transam with 4.11 gears an airfoil and k&n air filter,his car before the motor was broken in ran a flat 10 second 1/8 mile and it runs better now,and at the track my car ran a flat 11 second 1/8 mile,but i hadnt gutted the airboxes or messed with the timing and had the stock exhaust still and it was skipping becuz of a few slightly damaged wires and old spark plugs,so it runs better now i wont know how much better until i go back to the track when it reopens,my dads car is rated at around 220-ish hp stock and he only beats me by a car in an 1/8th and car and a half in the 1/4,so i highly doubt my car is only pulling the stock 135 hp,and in his case as you said you can dump to much gas in the engine and lose power,he beleives more gas faster,he cant leave well enough alone,so he will be down on power for not knowing how to tune,and i know it isnt gonna help much but ive got aerodynamics on my side his car is about as aero as a metal box in the wind cuz galaxies after all are metal boxes with engines,so all in all id say my car may have a slight chance if i even keep up with him slighty hell ive accomplished alot but i guess ill know as soon as he buys it until then its all guessing.

They basically threw out the "old school" way of thinking when it comes to carbs. .

:nono: Don't make me get the cane and aspercream out so i can chase you boy :twak:

:lol:

Yes we set set my neighbors 'stang up with 650 on his 302, but with his cam it was hitting too lean near top of the band so several track trips and alot of twilight hours of jetting the thing (which seems to require alot of beer :dunno: ), and a slew of adjustments and the darn thing finally hit right

I'm saying that Galaxie needs to get rediculously larger, but just seems to be right on the boarder if the cam is lumpy and the ignition is surely not stock.

As for the 500 walk'n him, I don't know about that, the thing only has a 3 spd, and we've yet to hear anything about the gear ratio in the diff.

well i know im outpowered but keep in mind im keeping up with a almost new engine 305 tpi transam with 4.11 gears an airfoil and k&n air filter,his car before the motor was broken in ran a flat 10 second 1/8 mile and it runs better now,and at the track my car ran a flat 11 second 1/8 mile,but i hadnt gutted the airboxes or messed with the timing and had the stock exhaust still and it was skipping becuz of a few slightly damaged wires and old spark plugs,so it runs better now i wont know how much better until i go back to the track when it reopens,my dads car is rated at around 220-ish hp stock and he only beats me by a car in an 1/8th and car and a half in the 1/4,so i highly doubt my car is only pulling the stock 135 hp,and in his case as you said you can dump to much gas in the engine and lose power,he beleives more gas faster,he cant leave well enough alone,so he will be down on power for not knowing how to tune,and i know it isnt gonna help much but ive got aerodynamics on my side his car is about as aero as a metal box in the wind cuz galaxies after all are metal boxes with engines,so all in all id say my car may have a slight chance if i even keep up with him slighty hell ive accomplished alot but i guess ill know as soon as he buys it until then its all guessing.


11 seconds in the 1/8 is around 16 sec. in the 1/4. The T/A should be faster than 15 sec. in the 1/4 especially w/4.11's. Yes, you can dump too much fuel but, a 750 carb on a 390 is fine. As for aerodynamics, they only come into effect around 80mph. I know it sounds like I have an answer for everything but, I have an old Car Craft mag. from 1992, that they compared a 92 GT against a 92 Z28. Both were 5 speed and bone stock. The timeslips showed that towards the end the Z28 was starting to catch and I believe had a slightly higher mph in the 1/4. They said it was because of the Z28 sitting lower and being more aerodynamic. But, ofcourse the GT still beat the Z28 everytime, until 1993 when Chevy changed the Z28 and basically threw in a Vette engine.....Damn GM.

:nono: Don't make me get the cane and aspercream out so i can chase you boy :twak:

:lol:

Yes we set set my neighbors 'stang up with 650 on his 302, but with his cam it was hitting too lean near top of the band so several track trips and alot of twilight hours of jetting the thing (which seems to require alot of beer :dunno: ), and a slew of adjustments and the darn thing finally hit right

I'm saying that Galaxie needs to get rediculously larger, but just seems to be right on the boarder if the cam is lumpy and the ignition is surely not stock.

As for the 500 walk'n him, I don't know about that, the thing only has a 3 spd, and we've yet to hear anything about the gear ratio in the diff.


As I said, unless your engine is modified or you're John Force, anything more than a 650 on a 302 is too big and will actually lose power.

We also do not know what is done to this 390. If it has a few mods, 750 is fine however, if it has more than just a few, then it may need more.

It sounds like this is MOSTLY a stock Galaxie with a stock auto trans. The 3 speed will be fine. I don't know anybody who has an AOD (4 speed auto) shift into OD (4th) when they are racing because it is too weak. As for the rear end gears, they're probably stock, 2.70's-3.08's??? But than the trans. gears are probably geared to help the big car off the line aswell.

I say that Galaxie should run a 14.8 in the 1/4 or 9.8 in the 1/8 and spank that 2.8 Camaro. Sorry Camaro dude.

I say that Galaxie should run a 14.8 in the 1/4 or 9.8 in the 1/8 and spank that 2.8 Camaro. Sorry Camaro dude.[/quote]

actually your wrong on that ive searched around for times and they all say the same but i remered this was the best site and it has full specs,there for a regular 66 galaxie 390 and i found out my sister told me wrong its a regular galaxie not a 500, http://www.carfolio.com/specifications/models/car/?car=70103&Ford-specifications

i guess ill know as soon as he buys it until then its all guessing.


Thats right. Major factors are unknown such as C/R, heads, cam.



giddyup50:

Who knows if it needs more carb or not. You can go all the way from a one barrel, all the way to a tunnel ram with dual 650 edelbrocks on top. All with the same engine block. It depends what heads are bolted to it.

im hoping soon i wont have to guess anymore because his bragging is getting annoying,so at the moment im trying to help him sell his current vehicle so he can purchase it and answer everything until then thank you all for your posts but until he buys it nothing is gone be known.

As I said, unless your engine is modified or you're John Force, anything more than a 650 on a 302 is too big and will actually lose power.

We also do not know what is done to this 390. If it has a few mods, 750 is fine however, if it has more than just a few, then it may need more.

It sounds like this is MOSTLY a stock Galaxie with a stock auto trans.

Perfectly agreed, I have a bad habit of assuming if someone is going through the steps of replacing a engine, then why not put a few extra bucks in and oumph it a little? :dunno:

Thats right. Major factors are unknown such as C/R, heads, cam.



giddyup50:

Who knows if it needs more carb or not. You can go all the way from a one barrel, all the way to a tunnel ram with dual 650 edelbrocks on top. All with the same engine block. It depends what heads are bolted to it.


I agree. I said if the 390 was basically stock then, 750 is plenty. I also said that if it had more mods. then it may need a bigger carb. I couldn't agree with you more.