[j3gibbon]

Hi I am possibly selling my car because of frame issues, but that being said I am looking at replacement frames or donor cars and was wondering if i am going to gain anything with a 390 (two donor cars have them) vs the 351w I have now. The 351 was recently rebuilt after a timing chain broke and was left totally stock (it has sat in a barn for 7 years but only has 10,000-20k on it since the rebuild and is now running again). I am not looking at rebuilding to add much power in the now, at least not internally, but in the future if I did what might I gain? I have no idea of the diffences in the engines so think of me as a newbie but take it easy on me

Thanks so much.

 

[shiftthis]

the 351w is a better engine for performance. i use to beat 390 mustangs and not-so-fairlanes back in th 70's with 289's.

 

[shiftthis]

think of me as a newbie but take it easy on me

Thanks so much.

hey , lets work this new kid over Eric Cartman South Park style !

 

[mustangboy]

the 351w is a better engine for performance. i use to beat 390 mustangs and not-so-fairlanes back in th 70's with 289's.

Not sure what you had the 289 in but it must have been very light?..All engines were stock?

 

[shiftthis]

Not sure what you had the 289 in but it must have been very light?..All engines were stock?

65 & 66 mustangs. my 289 wernt stock but they were my only cars and i drove them with ease on the street and highway. i dont know what all was done to the 390's but some had headers and loped. heres a 1979 foto of one of my 66 mustangs with a hot 289 in it. i drove the car from jackson missippi to iowa and got 25 mpg at 70 mph. i had a cb radio for smokey reports. on another note from the 1970's a south missippi country boy had a ragged out 69 mustang coupe with what was rumored to be a radically built 428 or 427. that 69 mustang outran a friends 68.5 built 428 cj mustang, bb camaros, bb cheevelles, 440 mopars, etc. the friend with the 68.5 428 mustang begged the guy to sell him the 69 mustang. he had to fork over some cash. he couldnt wait to pull the engine to see if it was a 427 or 428. well to his heartbreak surprise it was a ....... "352" !!!!!! yep it had pop up psitons, a high lift solid cam( i think it was an isky) with a factory adjustable rocker setup, holley 850 dp, headers and a 68 shelby aluminum intake. my friend was quite up set that he had paid big dollars for a ........ 352 FE ! "we" told him to put it back together and it back in the ragged out mustang and go race and win some money but he put it in a corner and it just sat. the mustang had a 9" rear with a posi and 4-somthing gears and a cast iron cruise-o-matic trans with a shift kit. my guess is the mustang was originally a 302 car. just cause its low on the cubes dont mean it cant run fast. on another note i got beat by other 289's, 351w's , 340 mopars, etc with my built 289's. btw i did outrun several late 60's and early 70's 455 trans ams and some were built and had 4 speeds.

 

[wagger66]

I had the 335 HP 390 GT engine in my '68 mustang. It was completely stock except exhaust system and definitely had more get up and go than the stock 290-300HP 351W in the '69 MachI's I knew. All were 4spd but I can't speak for the gearing. Back then the 390 compared to the big chevs and mopars, was often considered nothing but a good boat anchor but I found it to be a mild mannered but fun street engine. The car however did not handle nearly as good as the MachI. I suspect the heavy engine up front was part of the problem. Today, if I had the choice, I would certainly take the 351W over the 390 and stroke it to make up the cubes. With all the performance options available for the 351W these days, it can offer lots of reliable, usable power without the increased weight of the big 390 block.