5.0 vs 289

Scudly · Mar 4, 2004

Hey all I have a quick question (i hope this has not been asked to death).

I was considering rebuilding my 289 this summer, but the more I think about it I think doing the 5.0 conversion would be smarter. Granted it would be more money but have better benefits in the long run.

I was just wondering 2 things

Whats the gas milage difference from a stock 289 and a stock 5.0 (may carberate it)

Whats is the horsepower difference from stock 289 and stock 5.0 ?

And how much is to much to pay for a 5.0 ? ( I am not planing on buying new, but finding one and rebuilding it is not out of the question as long as most of the parts are already there)

Thanks

lgil351 · Mar 4, 2004

ok i'll try to offer some help here...first thing depends on what the car is used for,is it a stock cruiser or a boulevard bruiser? if it's a stock cruiser then i would go with budget rebuild kit from summit for the 289....if your engine is a 289 hipo you may want to enhance what you have with a modern cam,intake etc....if you go the 5.0 route here are some options:if you want a 5.0HO motor then try to find one in a wrecked lincoln lsc...reason is lincoln owners for the most part don't beat the hell out of their cars/engines and it's probably been well maintained with regular oil changes and the likes....stay clear of mustang 5.0 HO engines because if it was still good the person trying to sell it wouldn't have pulled it from their car in the first place!!!! 5.0HO engines have forged pistons from the factory...another option is a 5.0 engine from an 80's grand marquis but they don't have forged pistons...still the same block crank and rods though...i've never paid more than 75 bucks for a good 5.0 from the u pull it yard...the late 5.0 blocks are known for their hardness...it is not uncommon to pull the heads off of a 100,000 mile engine and the cylinder bores still show the factory crosshatching...just put some new rings and gaskets and you're good to go....horsepower difference between the 289 and 302 will be determined by heads,cam,intake tuning etc.......

Scudly · Mar 4, 2004

Either way I am looking to make my car have 250 RWHP. My thoughts would be to do a stock 5.0 and eventually work in a turbo (or twin) somehow, in the future. I plan on spending somewhere along the lines of $2000. I drive my mustang daily, so fuel economy is kind of important, especially living in southern california. I think my current 289 does maybe 12 in town and 18 on the freeway if speeds stay constant.

lgil351 · Mar 4, 2004

2000 bucks should have you a decent 5.0 engine if you start with a good shortblock....unless you are a tig welder and have a stash of stainless pipe and such i would steer clear of the turbo idea for a while...2000 won't even touch a turbo setup and even if it's a jy sourced setup you would still be over 2g just in the turbos and getting them to work....if fuel mileage is a consideration i would lean towards a fuel injected 5.0...find a wrecked car and get everything you can...

LMan · Mar 4, 2004

Scudly said:
Hey all I have a quick question (i hope this has not been asked to death).

I was considering rebuilding my 289 this summer, but the more I think about it I think doing the 5.0 conversion would be smarter. Granted it would be more money but have better benefits in the long run.

I was just wondering 2 things

Whats the gas milage difference from a stock 289 and a stock 5.0 (may carberate it)

Whats is the horsepower difference from stock 289 and stock 5.0 ?

And how much is to much to pay for a 5.0 ? ( I am not planing on buying new, but finding one and rebuilding it is not out of the question as long as most of the parts are already there)

Thanks

to back up a sec.....why do you think your 289 needs to be rebuilt?

Scudly · Mar 4, 2004

LMan said:
to back up a sec.....why do you think your 289 needs to be rebuilt?

Because it is more than likely on the original build. It has 98,000 on the odometer as we speak. And I have the feeling it has rolled over. My dad told me this (he has been a mechanic for 20 years).

LMan · Mar 4, 2004

whats the motor's condition?

Banditlead · Mar 4, 2004

Not to hijack...
But what Fords CAN you take the 5.0 from? What are the differences? I know where there is a LTD lying around, not being driven, because the owners do not feel like finding the short that keeps draining the battery.....

Scudly · Mar 4, 2004

LMan said:
whats the motor's condition?

It runs pretty well. I am sure there is some horsepower lose from over the years. No real problems. New carb, new radiator, new power steering. I have maintained it pretty well.

I am like the 3rd+ owner (not sure of the full vehicle history)

LMan · Mar 4, 2004

well, a 5.0 is a 289/302, depending on the year.....you have to specify years to see when the roller block came in, the mech clutch linkage pivot was dropped, the serp belt system came in, etc.

What year LTD?

LMan · Mar 4, 2004

Scudly said:
It runs pretty well. I am sure there is some horsepower lose from over the years. No real problems. New carb, new radiator, new power steering. I have maintained it pretty well.

I am like the 3rd+ owner (not sure of the full vehicle history)

Ok. I dont know what you plan for this car, but since the 5.0 and the 289 use essentially the same block, there isnt going to be a huge HP gain on a carbed 5.0 over a similiar 289. Whats on your 289? Is it stock? 2 barrel? headers? cam? heads? Need more info.....

Scudly · Mar 5, 2004

LMan said:
Ok. I dont know what you plan for this car, but since the 5.0 and the 289 use essentially the same block, there isnt going to be a huge HP gain on a carbed 5.0 over a similiar 289. Whats on your 289? Is it stock? 2 barrel? headers? cam? heads? Need more info.....

I plan is to have this car as a daily driver, but still push a respectable amount of HP. I probably shoulda take the 5.0 and keep it EFI and fuel injected so i get better gas millage. My 289 has a 500cfm 4 barrel carter car, stock manifolds to straight throughs dual exhaust, stock everything else (to my knowledge)

66 BLAKE 96 · Mar 5, 2004

Scudly said:
I plan is to have this car as a daily driver, but still push a respectable amount of HP. I probably shoulda take the 5.0 and keep it EFI and fuel injected so i get better gas millage.

Thats a good plan, but you'll have to rethink your budget. It'll cost significantly more thatn $2,000 to go with EFI.

ashford · Mar 5, 2004

ive got both and cant decide which is my fav. the 289 seems to have better high end torque with a mild cam as opposed to the 302 but 302 has a little better low end. as on the other hand on a stock cam(flat tappet) the 289 will waste the 302. the 289 is the only engine iv ever seen(in a v8) that will pull past 5000rpm on a stock cam. on my 289 in an 82 capri with 3.07 gears and c-4 with a mild cam (xe4x4-254 grind) it pulled hard to 5500 rpm had ok low end torque and got 19 mpg(average) on the highway from okc to fargo about this time of year. in the city it got about 12 driving lightly it got 15. as on the other hand my 302 in my 85 capri with ported 289 heads e-303 cam healthy exhaust and 5 speed is a screamer but low end torque leaves much to be desired. the power band on it is from about 3000 rpm to somewhere above 6000rpm(stock crank- rev limited). it gets 15 mpg on the highway and 8 in town 12.9sec quarter mile, but i dont like driving it dayly. the 302 can whomp the 289 it in an all out race but the 289 would probably take it in a race it both were governed at 5000 rpm.

well what im saying is that a carbed 289 will make better gas miliage than a 302 of the same power. stuck various cams in both engines and found the 289 doesnt' like mid sized cams. either something in the stock to one size larger or radical. the 302 is a bit different a small cam does no justice, a mild one(like the ho) to just a little lumpy idle works best, anything bigger requires alot of head work thats not worthit if you have a 289 anyway.

LMan · Mar 5, 2004

for your $$$, why not put EFI on the 289, save all the other trouble? Even if you go the most expensive way (buy a pre-made harness instead of using your own), it should be ~ 1k with a little scrounging.

ashford · Mar 6, 2004

keep in mind the intake off a newer (77 or is it 80) up has larger waterholes in the intake and wont mate to the old heads.

John Z · Mar 6, 2004

If you're engine is in decent shape, then I think you're looking at the wrong part of the car to improve performance (i.e. acceleration) and fuel economy. Nothing improves acceleration cheaper than steeper gears. If you have stock gears then going to 3.55 will really improve performance. Then to get economy you need overdrive, either a T5 or AOD.
I'm not saying that you shouldn't build your engine for more power or that you shouldn't go to EFI. Just pointing out another alternative.

3spd on floor · Mar 6, 2004

for all basic purposes, 289 = 302. The early blocks were pretty much identical, though some say that the 302's cylinder bores are slightly deeper. The only big changes between early and late blocks are that the late ones were machined for a roller cam, no clutch pivot point, and slightly different water passages on the heads. All of these changes can be done by a competent machine shop.

a 289 and a 302 with the same heads, same cam, same pistons, same everything will make pretty much the same power. The extra cubes of the 302 might net 5hp, and the 289 will rev slightly quicker due to its slightly shorter stroke. The 302 will also have a SLIGHTLY higher compression ratio on the same heads cause of its longer stroke.

To answer your questions, a carbed late model 5.0 wont get any better milage than a similarly built carbed 289.

ashford, the differences you're noticing with your 289 and 302 is largely due to different cams and heads, plus the short blocks might be very different.

1965-Mustang · Mar 6, 2004

Hello, I am new to posting here but I have been looking at the boards for a while. I keep telling myself to post here sometime, and I couldn't really resist on this one.

Ok I am wondering about this same thing, switching my '65 289 to efi. I am pretty much a newb to all of this. While I was looking around for stuff on an efi conversion I found some good information you might be interested in, who knows maybe you have already seen it.

It's here at Mustangs Plus

Ashford mentioned the waterholes in which this atricle explains was not a problem. So maybe it would work.

Scudly · Mar 14, 2004

Okay need price again.... About how much could I expect it to cost me to find a 5.0 with EFI and swap it into my mustang?

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