Project to play with is a big factor. My uncle has done this stuff before and I always admired that about him and want to be able to learn these skills myself.
For the quickest and best kick in the seat of the pants... Upgrade your rear axle ratio to at least a 3:50 -1. If you aren't planning on any long trips, just driving around town you could go to a lower ratio. Then the 600CFM will work fine for you. Too many people over-carb.
Yes, up until 67, the combustion chambers were 54cc. In 68, they changed to about 63cc, and the 289 pistons were slightly dished. These two factors brought the 68 289's CR down to something like 8.1:1. With the purchase of some new flat-top pistons and heads with 58cc chambers, the CR will be in the upwards of 9.5:1, which is pretty optimal for pump gas. Mill the heads down to 54cc, and you'll get another point or so of compression. Either way, a good CR can definately be obtained for a 289 with ease.
If you have the cash, go with a crate motor. A 331 or 347 would be the best bet, depending on how much you're going to drive it.
If you want a somewhat unique project, build a smoking 289. Not too many people like them anymore due to the incredible popularity of the 302/5.0. They can be surprisingly powerful especially at higher RPMs.
Yes, up until 67, the combustion chambers were 54cc. In 68, they changed to about 63cc, and the 289 pistons were slightly dished. These two factors brought the 68 289's CR down to something like 8.1:1. With the purchase of some new flat-top pistons and heads with 58cc chambers, the CR will be in the upwards of 9.5:1, which is pretty optimal for pump gas. Mill the heads down to 54cc, and you'll get another point or so of compression. Either way, a good CR can definately be obtained for a 289 with ease.
If you have the cash, go with a crate motor. A 331 or 347 would be the best bet, depending on how much you're going to drive it.
If you want a somewhat unique project, build a smoking 289. Not too many people like them anymore due to the incredible popularity of the 302/5.0. They can be surprisingly powerful especially at higher RPMs.
I think the '68s would have just run the c-code pistons, which were dished from the get-go in '64 for lower compression and regular gas. The a-code and k-code cars used flat-tops and ran higher compression requiring premium fuel.
I have not heard one bad word about the Ford Racing 450hp 347 crate motor. It maxes out what can be done safely with a factory production roller block and all the parts are well matched. You might consider it. Compared to the motor, the T-5 conversion is cheap and easy. It makes a lot of sense to do the whole power and drive train at once, if you go high hp.
I guess another advatange of going the I6 route is that I can spend the first year or so getting the brakes, suspension, rear-end and all the other pieces either changed out or at least aquired and ready to go.
This can be done in a weekend. The one thing that hasn't been pointed out is how easy the early, simple cars are to work on and the fact that you can buy almost any part for them from piles of different vendors at relatively low prices.
For the brakes there is a sweet deal in the sticky at the top of the page. I honestly don't think rear disks in an early car is absolutely neccessary. There are a lot of complaints about parking brake issues and the neglegible improvement in braking vs. the cost of the upgrade. There is another camp on this subject too.