I'm glad I put an FE in mine. 428 covers......is it a real 428, "No, it's an overbored 410". Is my car a real one? No, it is a replica. Am I a real driver? No, but one day I hope to be....
Anyway, my fav Ford enigne is the 289. I'd love a GT40 KIT, and a 289, or maybe a bigger displacement version would be my choice. Fairly cheap to do...er...for a Ford.
I suspect my overbored 410 is the most expensive way to do an FE next to a SOHC. Custom pistons to start. But any FE can have a ton of money spent on it if you want the valve assembly (hardened rocker shafts, rocker stands, pushrods, rockers, springs, retainers, locks, etc.) toughened up.
On the 289, I did a respectable rebuild on one back in the early 90's and the current owner is still running it with no trouble. Total cost back then?......$500 and it included:
hot tanking block and heads and new cam bearings put in
all new bearings
gasket kit
rings
timing gears and chain
oil pump
1 new pushrod
few spray cans of engine paint
I remember dissasembling the lifters and sequentially putting them through about 5 types of different cleaners to get the varnish off just so I wouldn't have to buy new ones. I used a couple of egg cartons to keep them in order.
Did the valves by using lapping compound and spinning the valves with an electric hand drill. Used rubber tubing that slipped over the valve stem with the other end slipped over a piece of rod chucked in the drill. Kept the valves in order by storing them in a peice of 2x6 spruce with holes drilled in it and marked with a black magic marker.
I had measured the bores and found 0.003" taper, not great, but low enough I opted to de-glaze vs overbore.
However on the FE, it was in the thousands, and that's with me doing all the assembly. Mind you, it was done properly, full overbore, rotating assembly balanced, etc. etc.
Point is, you can do any engine cheaply or expensively. Depends on what you want, can afford, etc.
ps: A toast, as per Gumball Rally..."to internal combustion and wind in the face"!!!!
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