- Nov 14, 2006
- 16
- 0
- 1
Hey everyone,
Drove my '66 coupe this summer and put it away for the winter (no rain shall rust my baby!). A while ago, I was given a '65 A-code engine from a GT and would like to rebuild it myself and swap it for the 289 currently in the car. I'm proficient with my hands and my ability to learn anything I need to complete a given task and have a garage with the necessary tools so I'm not questioning the feasability just the decisions to be made. Been reading endlessly and thinking about how I want to go and I wanted to solicit your thoughts!
My goal: a reliable, strong running, quick engine driven around town and some occasional freeway driving. No track or street races (unless I think I can smoke 'em!). So this leads me to believe I'm not gonna be revving this thing to its upper limits. I'm not into flashy, lopey idle or excessive exhaust roar. Just smooth running but can open it up and really feel good doing it. I will also be swapping to a T5 from the current C4 (and rear gears too). Budget of $2k in the engine, perhaps.
My plan: tear engine down, noting what needs to be replaced on the bottom end (bearings, recondition crank, etc), taking the block to a shop to have it tanked and cleaned so I can paint it, assessed, bored/honed if needed. For heads, I've read the '65 heads have good compression and decent valvetrain. Aluminum heads would require new pistons to regain lost compression so I just think they're an added expense that I don't really need. I plan to port the stock heads and upgrade to headers of some kind. I have an edlebrcok F4B intake I plan on using since I already have it. I want to use an Autolite 4100 tat I have. For cam, was thinking the C9OZ-C hydraulic cam but I'm just learning as I go and am open to any suggestion. I plan to pull the rocker studs and tap for screw-I'm studs. I've read endlessly about that and I know I can do that part correctly. I was set on using the stock heads, but then recent reading made me question if I should go through the effort with this 289 heads or go with either other used iron or aluminum heads. Price is important with me but so is a decent performance upgrade and longevity. With upgraded cam, intake, valvetrain (stock valve sizes but maybe roller tips), and ported heads, will I orchestrate these parts well enough to see gains or will I be leaving performance on the table by using mismatched parts (i.e. any power/torque gained is up in the high RPM's where the heads are then the weak point)? From what I've learned, you can create power and torque by bolting on parts that help here or there but unless they all work together, you could be throwing away a lot of potential if they fight each other. Still trying to visualize the "ideal" group of components for my situation given engine and goals.
Am I on the right track? I want to formulate a plan of all the parts needed and stick to it. I'm knee-deep in the research and planning/dreaming phase. Woo! Thanks for any advice you can offer!
Here she is:
Drove my '66 coupe this summer and put it away for the winter (no rain shall rust my baby!). A while ago, I was given a '65 A-code engine from a GT and would like to rebuild it myself and swap it for the 289 currently in the car. I'm proficient with my hands and my ability to learn anything I need to complete a given task and have a garage with the necessary tools so I'm not questioning the feasability just the decisions to be made. Been reading endlessly and thinking about how I want to go and I wanted to solicit your thoughts!
My goal: a reliable, strong running, quick engine driven around town and some occasional freeway driving. No track or street races (unless I think I can smoke 'em!). So this leads me to believe I'm not gonna be revving this thing to its upper limits. I'm not into flashy, lopey idle or excessive exhaust roar. Just smooth running but can open it up and really feel good doing it. I will also be swapping to a T5 from the current C4 (and rear gears too). Budget of $2k in the engine, perhaps.
My plan: tear engine down, noting what needs to be replaced on the bottom end (bearings, recondition crank, etc), taking the block to a shop to have it tanked and cleaned so I can paint it, assessed, bored/honed if needed. For heads, I've read the '65 heads have good compression and decent valvetrain. Aluminum heads would require new pistons to regain lost compression so I just think they're an added expense that I don't really need. I plan to port the stock heads and upgrade to headers of some kind. I have an edlebrcok F4B intake I plan on using since I already have it. I want to use an Autolite 4100 tat I have. For cam, was thinking the C9OZ-C hydraulic cam but I'm just learning as I go and am open to any suggestion. I plan to pull the rocker studs and tap for screw-I'm studs. I've read endlessly about that and I know I can do that part correctly. I was set on using the stock heads, but then recent reading made me question if I should go through the effort with this 289 heads or go with either other used iron or aluminum heads. Price is important with me but so is a decent performance upgrade and longevity. With upgraded cam, intake, valvetrain (stock valve sizes but maybe roller tips), and ported heads, will I orchestrate these parts well enough to see gains or will I be leaving performance on the table by using mismatched parts (i.e. any power/torque gained is up in the high RPM's where the heads are then the weak point)? From what I've learned, you can create power and torque by bolting on parts that help here or there but unless they all work together, you could be throwing away a lot of potential if they fight each other. Still trying to visualize the "ideal" group of components for my situation given engine and goals.
Am I on the right track? I want to formulate a plan of all the parts needed and stick to it. I'm knee-deep in the research and planning/dreaming phase. Woo! Thanks for any advice you can offer!
Here she is:
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