390 fe block question...

[Redneckryder]

ok, so i am trading my chevy back for a ford.....i learned my lesson on that one, but i am lookin at a 78 f150 with a 390. how hard are these engines to work on?? how hard are parts to find? how good is this engine?? it's between this and a 74 chevy with a 350, and i know all about a 350, but those 78-79 fords are so sexy..........

 

[Blackdog455]

dont quote me on this but from what i hear they're pretty easy to work on. Parts are everywhere but not cheap.

 

[1badexplorer]

First off, are you sure its got a 390? a 78-79 never had a 390 from the factory. They quit making that motor in early 77. All 77.5 and newer Ford trucks that were 4x4 (I'm assuming that it is) only came with a 351M a, 400(a stroked 351M) or a 300 6cly. It is possible that someone swaped all the parts from a pre 77 truck to install this motor, it would be a bolt in deal if done correcly. As far as the difficulty to work on it, like I said, they haven't made that motor since early 77 so some parts can be hard to find and usually the people that have them know this and you will pay accordingly. The only real pita when it comes to this motor is that you must pull the valve covers before pulling the intake. Hope this helps

 

[myold96]

i rebuilt my 390 25-30 yrs ago and it is still running strong