Help me build a 289

[Coogar]

I am new at engine building and I need some help from some technical experts. I have a 67 cougar with a stock 289. I want to know how much horsepower is practical and what parts to make it happen. I need to know everything. I can use all the help you have to offer. Thanks.

[MagicRat]

First, I would suggest 2 books,
1. Ford Performance by Pat Ganahl, S-A Design Books,

2. How To Rebuild Your Small Block Ford, by Tom Monroe, HP Books.

Second is to determine:
1. Your purpose for the car. Do you want a mild daily driver, or an all out drag car? There are many dozens of performance combinations for a 289. You need to set a goal first.

2. How much money are you willing to put into the engine? Speed costs money.

[Coogar]

Thank you for the advice on the books. I guess I should have been more specific in what I am looking for. I't definately won't be a daily driver, more like cruising and joy riding I want to have some fun. I'm looking for about 275-300 hp and am willing to spend about 2 grand. Is that realistic. Should I think about going with a bigger block? Thanks again for your help.

[MagicRat]

Originally Posted by Coogar

Thank you for the advice on the books. I guess I should have been more specific in what I am looking for. I't definately won't be a daily driver, more like cruising and joy riding I want to have some fun. I'm looking for about 275-300 hp and am willing to spend about 2 grand. Is that realistic. Should I think about going with a bigger block? Thanks again for your help.

Its easy to get that much power out of a 289, but there will not be much more, if you expect it to be driveable.
If the existing engine is solid and in good shape, I would suggest headers and a good dual exhaust to start. Then an aftermarket aluminum intake manifiold (dual plane is best fro street use) and a 4 bbl carb, such as an Edelbrock (Carter). A Holly 600 cfm would be fine, too.
If more power is required, the next step is a performance camshaft and new lifters.

The next step is cylinder head work with larger valves and better flowing ports, or aftermarket heads, ready to bolt on. But this gets out of your price range,

The key here is to get a combination of parts that work together. Some camshafts work best with certain types of intake manifolds. Rather than experimenting, try a matched set of parts from one manufacturer. Edelbrock is good for this.

As you add more power, these engines tend to want to rev higher, that is, they have more power at high revs and less at low revs. You likely have an auto trans. If you are going to build a pretty high powered combination, you might want to consider a higher stall torque converter, too. Sometimes, using the stock converter and a wild engine produces slower that stock acceleration at low speed.

If your engine is thoroughly worn out, consider a larger one. There are many different Ford V8's to choose from.

[scott d]

Hey coogar, I have rebuilt a couple of 289 fords for mustangs. Its alot
of fun building these engines. The first thing you need to find is a good auto machine shop. You can save money by doing a lot of the work yourself, like pulling the engine and stripping it down to the bare block.
You should tag and label all the hardware as you disassemble the
engine. I punch holes in pieces of cardboard and stick all the bolts through and label them. you will spend a lot of time cleaning the hardware and wire brushing the bolts unless you want to spend the money for new hardware.
The sky is the limit with machine work. The "basics" are having the
block cleaned and checked for cracks, flat head surfaces and straight
main bearing bores. $40 to $50. Save money by only doing the work that is needed, if the block doesnt need align boring why pay for it? A good machinist can tell you what needs to be done.
For $2000 you should be able to build a decent mildly modified 289.
My recipe is: block bored .030 over on the clinders, stock crank ground
.010 preferably or .020 if it needs it. Stock con rods reconditioned.
Find a good quality master engine parts kit Speedpro, trw, paw,etc...
have the stock heads done with a good valve job. Find a good midrange
matched cam,lifter,spring kit. there are lots on the market and all work well. TALK to the machinist who is doing the work for you. He can suggest combinations to match your $ to horsepower ratio. Top the long
block off with a performance intake manifold and a demon or holley 600
cfm carb. A good electronic ignition does wonders MSD, accel,mallory etc... I was just like you before I built my first engine but dont be afraid to go for it, there is nothing like the sound of firing up your first hot rod engine! Hope this helps. Ill check back for posts or questions.

[dallas121469]

I basically just built the engine the last two guys talked about. I want it dyno tested and will tally up a grand total when Im done to let you know what you are looking at. Everything but the heads have been replaced on this motor so it should give you a nice sample of what to expect. Good luck.

[ntman]

I also have a 67 Cougar and I am running the following specs, I have run a best of 7.99@92mph in the 8th mile. I still have some work to do but it is getting there. Best of luck

67 289 +.030 stock crank and rods
Keith Black KB116 .200 Dome pistons approx 12:1 compression
C60E heads, approx 52cc with -.030 deck fully ported, 1.94/1/6 vavles roller rockers etc
Edelbrock Victor Jr. Port matched
Holley 700cfm DBL Pumper
cam is Elgin E952P solid cam with 238/248 @.050 512/536 lift 112 lobe seperation
C4 trans with shift kit and TCI 3500 stall
4.62 geared 8" 29x9x15 Hoosier slicks. Homemade pinion snubber with 1/2" of pinion movement

I have a total of about $6000 in it which includes the $500 I paid for the car. The head work alone cost me $800 and that was with me doing all the porting. I did all the eng assembly etc myself. You will be hard pressed to build a "reliable" 300hp 289 for $2k but I wish you luck. My car can be seen at http://65.171.234.52/bart

[Volvord 784VC]

I have to agree with ntman, although the small block Ford is an excellent engine and capable of impressive HP you will need more that $2,000 to build a reliable engine. As an example I am building a 302 (5.0L) with a spec of 425HP. As you can imagine these HP figure require additional attention to details. Full custom machining and blueprinting, ARP studs and bolts, forged 10.5:1 pistons, ported Edelbrock Performer RPM heads, custom cam, main bearing girdle, custom cam ... I have about $7,000 into this engine.

For $2,000 you should be able to get a low milage 5.0L HO with a stock output of 225HP, add a less retrictive exhaust and a better intake and you will have your 250ish HP that will be very reliable.

[EMTSOUL]

I am working on the same engine. Edelbrock carries a complete power package. I wish I new this to begin with. Auburn makes a rear end set up to chose the ratio you want. I am going with a 3.55 limited slip. This is a relitively old thread how it the work going?