I was told I have a boat anchor in my cat. The guy has built numerous SBF Mustangs and a few BBFs, but say's the "390 or FE series are boat anchors". He said he couldn't get the power to the wheels (traction) and after he side stepped his clutch and almost ran sideways into the other drag racer he stopped building BBFs. I asked him if he used traction bars and he said he did, but forgot to ask if he ran slicks. He advised me that the FE's are harder and more costly to build and don't like the higher rpms. I'm sure that there are ways around these issues, I just don't want to pull my 390 in exchange for a smaller block if I can get around them.
Boat Anchor???
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x2 Al --- probably a Chebby boy who gets scared easy and like cheap parts! ;>) A lot of things come into play when you leave hard, and it's unique to almost every body style. The vehicle needs to be configured to handle it (and the driver needs to know what he's doing!) We can sit here all day long and bench race, talk about weight transfer etc, but in the end, the car needs to be set up to handle the type of driving it's going to do. Doesn't matter if it's 4 banger on steroids resting in a Vega, or grandpas 454 bone stock Chevelle - they will act differently. There are FE's that will out RPM cube for cube with the best of them - not a real measure of motor anyway IMHO. You can do amazing things with that 390 --- make no mistake about it. Will it be cheaper - NO. Because they don't make parts by the tons like Chevy does. (My theory is because they need 'em! LOL) I was a Mopar fan most of my life and we struggled with every car getting it to launch straight and run true. You had to make adjustments to suspension and tire pressure etc. Once you found the right combo you punch it and take the ride. It takes a ton of work to get there - no matter what you drive. Caltracs seems to be the cats meow for off the line lauches -- I think you will find dragcat agrees with that, along with others. I'm still in old school territory with the trac bars and air shocks. I will upgrade if I decide to go back to racing, but we had pretty good performance with that combo for many years.
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2,493 Posts
they were building 7k capable fe's back in the day and used them as a nascar motor! so tell him to stfu! yes they are pricey to build , yes they are heavier, at the same token they make more power/torque low end off the line than a small block does. hell even stock these things make thier cid number in torque!
I always had high hopes for my 390/C6 combo unless you guys feel differently towards the C6 being in there.
This fellow is actually going to be performing my transmission replacement in my '04 Expedition and I was trying to establish a rapport with him. He's an old school die hard Ford fan like most us? He probably just knows what he likes and has found that the 302/C4 combo works for him. I can't afford another engine so I am going to stick with what I have and make the most of it and by the sounds of things, I think that won't be a problem.
I guess each engine has its niche whether you're running on a circle track or clawing at a tree. My options would seem like they're limited to the strip, but with the right modifications anything is possible right?
This fellow is actually going to be performing my transmission replacement in my '04 Expedition and I was trying to establish a rapport with him. He's an old school die hard Ford fan like most us? He probably just knows what he likes and has found that the 302/C4 combo works for him. I can't afford another engine so I am going to stick with what I have and make the most of it and by the sounds of things, I think that won't be a problem.
I guess each engine has its niche whether you're running on a circle track or clawing at a tree. My options would seem like they're limited to the strip, but with the right modifications anything is possible right?
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566 Posts
Cougars are much less common to be seen on the road, add in a factory 390 and it's even more less common. The 390 is a good thing There are ways to lighten up the 390 with aluminum parts, an intake is cheap, but aluminum heads are expensive. Anything that goes fast cost more. You can lighten up the rest of the car as well if you need to. A real posi rear would be a must. A 390 has torque and that's what sets you in your seat.
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2,303 Posts
I like the 390 in my F250 but it isn't a powerhouse. When I read "Boat Anchor" the first thing I thought of was the Cadillac 500.
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5,635 Posts
Its a boat anchor. You got stuck with a real dog. Not to worry though, I will give you $500 and not tell any one that you were sucked into such a boat anchor. If you must keep it, I will swap you out of that boat anchor with a nice light 302 and c4 combo... The guy you are talking to is giving you VERY bad advice.
Yeah, I kinda think he was trying to make me think about getting rid of that stump puller for a 302 he might just have sitting around.
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11,000 Posts
Your friend sounds like a real moron. For goodness sakes don't let him drive your car.
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1,276 Posts
Yup! and if he insists... use it as such, but tie the other end to his foot!
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From the sound of it, I wouldn't let that guy work on my lawnmower.
I'd chalk his "advice" up to the fact that an FE Cougar can be a handful, and isn't for everybody.
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1,044 Posts
let me see---a 428 block with .156 offset ground crank (447 cu in) with 352 hipo heads in a 64 fairlane/c-6/no trans brake---10:55 and 7800 rpm out the back door---wish i had it back
doctordesoto
doctordesoto
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321 Posts
Check out FE Specialties...Tom's drag car (67 Mustang) has a stroker FE in it with iron heads that makes just a tick under 700 horse, no bottle.....http://www.fespecialties.com/HTML/FECar.html
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5,883 Posts
It's just life with a musclecar. If you take it to a gas pump, or heaven forbid a dragstrip, you'll endure more advice like this from well meaning but really uninformed people who have opinions they gleaned from who knows where, or made the wrong intellectual correlations due to their own experience.
The FE stole LeMans from Enzo Ferrari, regularly yanked victory from the jaws of GM, MoPar, and AMC's best efforts during the days of AF/X and early SuperStock racing, and has trundled families and individuals, work crews, and socialites to their respective destinations without problem for who knows how many millions or billions of miles.
I'm not fond of the FE, but it's not a boat anchor. Not in my opinion.
The FE stole LeMans from Enzo Ferrari, regularly yanked victory from the jaws of GM, MoPar, and AMC's best efforts during the days of AF/X and early SuperStock racing, and has trundled families and individuals, work crews, and socialites to their respective destinations without problem for who knows how many millions or billions of miles.
I'm not fond of the FE, but it's not a boat anchor. Not in my opinion.
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