Which way to go - 390 406 428 stroker

[blykins]

FE stroker kits are very common. You might wanna give Keith Craft a call. He builds 550hp stroked 390's all the time.

You could take that block, clean it up with a .030" bore...and use a 4.125" or a 4.25" stroke crank. That would be 431 or 444ci.

Add some Stage 2 Edelbrock heads, a hydraulic roller cam, and you'd have some good streetable, reliable, horsepower. And you'd still be period correct.

[wtenukl]

I bored my 390 .030 and bought the stroker kit from Scat. The crank is a 4.125" and I put in Ross pistons etc... I have dual quad Holley 600's and a pretty mean Comp Cam. The only difference I noticed, besides the tremendous increase in torque and horsepower, is that the engine doesn't care for low rpms very much. But when you get on it.......look out. My total cubic inch is 431.

This build wasn't the cheapest way to go, but I firmly believe it will give you the power and look you are looking for in a period correct engine without having to "break the bank."

Good luck,

Todd

[farmallmta]

First, congratulations on your choice of FE for the Cobra. It's the natural way to go, with possibly the most beautiful engine ever out of Dearborn under the hood as a result.

If budget and streetability is your consideration, the 360/390 block with 0.040 overbore and oil mods, Edelbrock, 427, or CJ-valved 406 heads, hyperuetectic or forged pistons with compression ratio between 10.5-10.95:1, a mid-performance cam with SOLID lifters (flat or roller) with adjustable rockers (check out CamResearch cams... they can pre-run-in the cam for you as well as custom grind for your specific needs!), a 390 crankshaft and stock rods, Edelbrock Performer 390 intake and Holley 600 carb, stock distributor with Pertronix module... it is just a great performer, totally kicks Corvette A*s, and is reasonable to build. AND SOUNDS AWESOME with Spintech mufflers... as good sounding as a 427.

I fully understand the pride thing. If that is a close second to budget, then by all means install a stroker kit, additionally, to get you to 427ci. NOBODY among us FE buffs is going to give you any guff for stroking your way to 427ci rather than boring. It's ALL good. The engine will rev a bit slower than the 390/406/427 3.78 stroke, but give you great 428 torque as a tradeoff. But the rest of the build can be budget as outlined, as long as you blueprint and balance the engine carefully. Use an excellent machine shop, not a lowbuck Bowtie Bozo.

[Dwight]

I put "Powered By Ford" on my Cobra, but I do have a small block. I have a new set of .020" over 390 pistons for sale for $98 shipped. I also have 4 or 5 sets of used rods I would sell.



Dwight algunruner@aol.com

[Carnut427]

I strongly suggest you use new h-beam rods rather than old ones. Also, it cost me between $250 and $300 to have my 4.25-stroke rotating assembly internally balanced using heavy metal. Well worth the cost, but an extra expense you should be aware of.

Dan