Ford 289 Short-Block Buildup Part 1 - Project '66 Engine Build

During the course of a restoration, there are hundreds of decisions to be made. Some are made up front before a single wrench is turned, while others are often made on the spur of the moment because of a great deal on a rare option or for personal changes. For Mustang Monthly's Project '66, we knew right up front this hardtop was going to be converted to a V-8 with all the correct and proper accoutrements, such as V-8 suspension, steering, and brakes. Most of the conversion fell into place easily, since these areas needed a complete restoration anyway. Instead of replacing the six-cylinder steering with new six-cylinder steering components, we simply ordered the V-8 parts instead.

1 When we arrived at A&S Motorsports, John had our 289 block fresh from the machining operations. He had the block decked to ensure flatness, line-honed the main bearing journals, and, of course, the cylinders were bored .030 over for a fresh start. Not shown here, John also reconditioned our factory rods, shot-peened them, and installed ARP Wave-Loc rod bolts. After the machining process, John used a combination grinding stone and hand files to deburr the block and take off any sharp edges that might cause stress cracks under heavy load.

The biggest problem in our quest for V-8 power was finding the 289 V-8. We scored a freebie from a fellow club member, only to have the machine shop tell us it was too worn out for another overbore. The second engine we found was a short-block, but it had been sitting so long unprotected, it was rusted up solid.

We were about to give up and order a 302 long-block from a local auto parts store when our savior came in the form of Mustang & Fords Editor Jeff Ford's '66 Ranchero. It had a California-emissions 289 under the hood, backed by a C4 trans. Best of all, Jeff was planning a 351 Windsor swap and didn't need the 289. He wanted to keep the emissions-style cylinder heads for a friend, and he wanted the C4 as well, but we could have the short-block and any pulleys, brackets, and so on.

After pulling the 289, it was disassembled and inspected-lo and behold, the block was usable. We finally had a foundation for a 289 buildup.

With a good block to work with, a plan was hatched. The 289 would receive all the modern technology we could hide inside, but it would look like a stocker on the outside. We made a wish list of modifications, such as a roller-cam conversion, forged pistons with low-friction coatings, Extrude Honed manifolds, CNC ported cylinder heads, and more. With a few calls to Comp Cams, Federal-Mogul, Power Heads, Extrude Hone, and Pony Carburetors, all our ducks were in a row to build one sweet 289.

In this first installment, the short-block is prepped and built by A&S Motorsports' John Douglas. John has been building and racing Ford engines for decades, and he knows how to make power and build a reliable engine. We were more than willing to let him wave his magic torque wrench over our pile of parts.

2 John runs a hand tap through every hole in the block before the block is washed and thoroughly cleaned. Tapping all of the holes allows more accurate torque readings and prevents problems with possible galled or stripped fasteners. The last thing you want to do is build a sweet small-block, then have to drill out a broken bolt because you didn't tap and chase all the threaded holes in the casting.	3 While we wont see the pushrods and rocker arms installed until we work on the top end of our small-block in an upcoming issue, we will use the timing chain, lifters, and camshaft during the buildup of our short-block. We're using a Competition Cams' Magnum Retro-Fit roller cam kit along with a Comp 284HR grind and Magnum roller rockers. We've used the Comp Cams line in several previous buildups, and were extremely happy with their performance.	4 After lubricating the cam journals and bearings (preinstalled during the machine-shop work), John carefully installs our Comp Cams stick into the 289. The rear core plug has not yet been installed because the engine stand was in the way, so John has to be careful the cam doesnt slide back too far. The 284HR grind specs out at .533 lift and 224 at .050 duration on a 110-degree centerline. It may sound stout by flat-tappet specs, but these numbers are quite streetable when they are coming from a roller grind.
5 With the cam in place, John installs our original cam thrust plate to secure the cam within the block. Our original thrust plate cleaned up fine in the bead-blast cabinet, but you can still purchase them from Ford and some Mustang parts vendors.	6 For the reciprocating assembly, we went to Speed-Pro and its line of Power Forged replacement pistons. These pistons come as matched-weight sets and feature an antifriction full-skirt coating. These L2482F slugs are direct replacements for the original Hi-Po piston, but will need fly-cutting if youre using larger valves like we are. We also tapped Speed-Pros parent company, Federal-Mogul, for bearings, and subsidiary Fel-Pro for a complete gasket set.	7 John uses a small section of a Scotch-Brite pad to polish the bearing surface before assembly. A main bearing is shown here with one half polished and the other half as delivered out of the box. John feels the coating on the bearings only gets in the way on engine start-up, so he polishes off the coating.