Topic: Worth spending money on a 289 for power?

[SnaKe]

Heya

I have a stock 289 in my 65 coupe. I want to have a bit more fun.

What would be the best bang for buck upgrades to the 289?

Is it worth spending money doing up the 289 or should I just get a 351?
Also, will the standard auto gearbox / diff / etc be able to handle a 351?

I've got a full custom exhaust with headers, other then that she's stock as a rock.. I just want a bit more grunt.

[Tim175]

Some of the best things to do would be headers, electronic ignition, aluminum intake, aluminum heads, new cam, bigger carb etc. Personally if its the original 289 to the car and even if its not i would leave the 289 and just do some basic upgrades to it.

[Soaring]

You will need to do some other things first before adding more power.  That 45 year old technology such as the undercarriage and rear end need to be beefed up first.  Subframe connectors would be a good starting point along with some 3:73 rear gears. You can make a monster out of that 289 if you add enough aftermarket parts like has already been addressed.  That 289 Cubic Inch engine equals to the size of a modern 5.8 liter engine.  And, the compression ratio is already 10:1.  I would just add a Weiand intake with a Motorcraft 4100 carb and some decent headers along with a dual exhaust system  with an "H" or "X" pipe.    If you can afford it, I would add a set of aftermarket aluminum heads, but that would make the engine worth more than it is worth.  Get the Pertronix I  electronic gnition system, and you will have all the power your seat can stand. 

[Jeff73Mach1]

A 289 is not a 5.8, it is closer to 4.8 liters in displacement.

That being said, you have to define your goals.

If you want a 10 second drag car, you could do it with a 289, but it would be a high dollar specialty build.

If you want to take a light mustang and drive it aggressively from time to time, but don't need to run 0-60 in under 7 seconds or 13 second quarter miles, then building that engine up makes sense.

First and foremost, before adding parts to make an engine stronger, you have to be sure the bottom end is in good enough shape that the additional power won't break something.

Headers are good, better intakes are good, larger valves and mild port work is good-all of these improve airflow and allow your engine to get more fuel and air in and out.  However, unless you have a good performance camshaft-all these modifications are reduced in value.  Also your carburetor will need to be rejetted by someone that knows how to work on these carbs in order to be able to keep up with the changes.

Keep in mind that while these modifications might help you gain 75-100 horsepower, you still will have your stock transmission and rear end-if they aren't up to snuff, they will quickly let you know behind a fresh and more powerful motor.

Aluminum heads are nice, they are lighter and have revised porting and modernize your engine to some degree.  I think lots of folks use them because they are easy to buy, complete and ready to go.  But a good head builder can port and put larger stainless valves (and hardened seats) into a set of iron heads for somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-700 bucks.

Also cast iron heads seal better and are less prone to head gasket failure under hard use and because they retain heat, they actually make an engine more efficient.  Beware of cheap aluminum heads.

Ford made some good later model heads for the 5.0 I believe they are the GT40P heads and they flow very well and are easy to find at a good price and will bolt to your engine, though you will need to find tri y headers or stock manifolds for clearance of the revised plug location.


All of the modifications have to work together though and you will want to plan all of the work before doing the first thing.

Good luck

[Soaring]

A 289 is not a 5.8, it is closer to 4.8 liters in displacement.

That being said, you have to define your goals.

If you want a 10 second drag car, you could do it with a 289, but it would be a high dollar specialty build.

If you want to take a light mustang and drive it aggressively from time to time, but don't need to run 0-60 in under 7 seconds or 13 second quarter miles, then building that engine up makes sense.

First and foremost, before adding parts to make an engine stronger, you have to be sure the bottom end is in good enough shape that the additional power won't break something.

Headers are good, better intakes are good, larger valves and mild port work is good-all of these improve airflow and allow your engine to get more fuel and air in and out.  However, unless you have a good performance camshaft-all these modifications are reduced in value.  Also your carburetor will need to be rejetted by someone that knows how to work on these carbs in order to be able to keep up with the changes.

Keep in mind that while these modifications might help you gain 75-100 horsepower, you still will have your stock transmission and rear end-if they aren't up to snuff, they will quickly let you know behind a fresh and more powerful motor.

Aluminum heads are nice, they are lighter and have revised porting and modernize your engine to some degree.  I think lots of folks use them because they are easy to buy, complete and ready to go.  But a good head builder can port and put larger stainless valves (and hardened seats) into a set of iron heads for somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-700 bucks.

Also cast iron heads seal better and are less prone to head gasket failure under hard use and because they retain heat, they actually make an engine more efficient.  Beware of cheap aluminum heads.

Ford made some good later model heads for the 5.0 I believe they are the GT40P heads and they flow very well and are easy to find at a good price and will bolt to your engine, though you will need to find tri y headers or stock manifolds for clearance of the revised plug location.


All of the modifications have to work together though and you will want to plan all of the work before doing the first thing.

Good luck

Yeah, you are right.  The 289 is a 4.7 liter engine. The 351 is a 5.9.  My bad. 

[ouch1]

A 289 is not a 5.8, it is closer to 4.8 liters in displacement.

That being said, you have to define your goals.

If you want a 10 second drag car, you could do it with a 289, but it would be a high dollar specialty build.

If you want to take a light mustang and drive it aggressively from time to time, but don't need to run 0-60 in under 7 seconds or 13 second quarter miles, then building that engine up makes sense.

First and foremost, before adding parts to make an engine stronger, you have to be sure the bottom end is in good enough shape that the additional power won't break something.

Headers are good, better intakes are good, larger valves and mild port work is good-all of these improve airflow and allow your engine to get more fuel and air in and out.  However, unless you have a good performance camshaft-all these modifications are reduced in value.  Also your carburetor will need to be rejetted by someone that knows how to work on these carbs in order to be able to keep up with the changes.

Keep in mind that while these modifications might help you gain 75-100 horsepower, you still will have your stock transmission and rear end-if they aren't up to snuff, they will quickly let you know behind a fresh and more powerful motor.

Aluminum heads are nice, they are lighter and have revised porting and modernize your engine to some degree.  I think lots of folks use them because they are easy to buy, complete and ready to go.  But a good head builder can port and put larger stainless valves (and hardened seats) into a set of iron heads for somewhere in the neighborhood of 6-700 bucks.

Also cast iron heads seal better and are less prone to head gasket failure under hard use and because they retain heat, they actually make an engine more efficient.  Beware of cheap aluminum heads.

Ford made some good later model heads for the 5.0 I believe they are the GT40P heads and they flow very well and are easy to find at a good price and will bolt to your engine, though you will need to find tri y headers or stock manifolds for clearance of the revised plug location.


All of the modifications have to work together though and you will want to plan all of the work before doing the first thing.

Good luck

I had my lil 289 rebuilt, blueprinted, and balanced with: a nice warm cam (Crower Baja Beast Level 2), hypereutectic pistons .030 over stock (10.5:1 compression), forged con rods, nice stainless steel valves, hard valve seats, a high volume oil pump, roller lifters, roller rockers, and an edlebrock performer intake with a 500CFM performer carb. I then had a shift kit put in the tranny. It is nice lil rocket. Totally mellow when driving on the street, but it launches qhite well when I want it to.

[Soaring]

That 289 is not as little as you may think.  I have a 4.6 liter in my 03 Mach, and that little 289 in my 65 will set you back in your seat even as a stock engine.  If you need more power in a 65, then you need to buy a newer Mustang, 

[Tim175]

It really won't take much to make a big difference in power. Just take it one step at a time so you can see/feel the difference. For example just start with something simple such as an electronic ignition or headers and work your way from there.

[Soaring]

The pertronix ignition made a big difference in my old 289 alone.  Try that, then see what you think.  If you get too radical, you will need to add body structural add-ons to support the extra horsepower. 

[ouch1]

Yeah the petronix electronic ignition module is a great bang for the buck. I had one put in my stang during the rebuild along with one of thier flamethrower coils and my stang idles smoothly and has very crisp acceleration, and throttle response.

[racingjz]

i was in the parts store talking to go old guy about motors and he said this little 289 were reb boxes and a good top end will wake it up and light weight rods and pistons i have heared alot of good things about these 289

[ouch1]

Yeah the 289 can be a real screamer and can rev pretty high fairly quickly. Heck 51 of the Mark I and all of the Mark II (528 to be exact) Shelby Cobra's (built on the AC chasis) were powered by 289's, and most of the GT350 mustangs before 1968 have "K" code 289's in them. But even the 302 is mainly just a 289 block with a longer piston stroke. I am not sure how much longer the piston stroke is, but I know at stock it is 3" (Wiki link about Windsor blocks).

-ouch1

[Soaring]

It's still a small block  V8 and has its' limits. 

[66GTKFB]

A 302 has a 4.0 inch bore and a 3.0 inch stroke, 289 - 4.0 inch bore, 2.87 inch stroke. A well preped 289 can easily hit 8k rpm on the oval track (they do this at Laguna Seca a lot) but I usually shifted between 7200 and 75oo rpm.
Remember this - "Speed cost money, how fast can you afford to go?"
Back to the original post - carb, intake, cam, headers, transmission, rear axle, brakes, tires. I would recomend finding a 68-73 302 and building that up. Save the 289, it's "rare".
Jim
Insert distributor.

[mustang245]

Everyone makes a good point. Its all about how much money you willing to spend. For the 289 i would just replace the stock carb with a bigger one, new headers, better intake. For any performance mods you do you want to make sure you have a tranny that can support more power. You will also need new brakes to stop all that power. Like Jim said "speed cost money, how fast will your wallet let you go"

[ouch1]

Well I can tell you for the rebuild on my 289 I paid $3600. And the only things I did not pay for were the intake and carb since I already had them on the motor. So I saved about $300 by already owning them.

[racingjz]

i was just woundering how hard would it to be to put a big block in a 65

[Tim175]

i was just woundering how hard would it to be to put a big block in a 65

New front suspension, shock tower delete, new steering, new transmission, new rear end (assuming you have an 8") new brakes, etc.

[ouch1]

It is a total P.I.A. At the bare minumum you would need to move the shock towers further out like on a '68 or later. Then upgrade the suspension to support said big block. Along withputting in a bigger tranny to support said big block.

It would be muc heasier and mroe cost efficient to build a stroker engine out of a 302. You can build a 347 stroker on the basic 302 block with some machining and the right rebuild kit. Or you could buy a prebuilt 347 stroker for around the price of an engine rebuild. I have seen 347 strokers that are tweaked to develope around 750HP! Or of you want to do it your self the kits can cost from $800 and go up from there. i have even seen shortblock assemblies going for around $1200-$1500.

Here is some info about building a 347 stroker yourself: http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2002/04/331/
Here is some generic info about stroker engines: http://www.musclemustangfastfords.com/tech/mmfp_0103_ford_stroker_motor_theory/index.html

Just remember the block will need some machining to make it last. I recommend buying a prebuilt short or long block that way you get a warranty on it.

[Soaring]

That Unibody construction on a classic won't handle the power and torque of a big block unless you do some serious frame work.  The stroker idea will even be too much power for a classic body if left as it is.