We've been squeezing more horsepower and torque out of an aging '65 Mustang GT with 289 4V power. During our first installment, we tried tuning tricks with our 289 to see how much power could be gained. We changed the spark plugs, curved the stock ignition, tuned the carburetor, and installed a Pertronix Ignitor retrofit. After a baseline of 128.4 hp and 193.9 lb-ft of torque, we gained 2.9 hp and 3 lb-ft of torque with simple tuning. No horsepower records there but some difference with tuning.
When we installed the Edelbrock Performer RPM manifold and 600-cfm carburetor in our second installment, then retarded the ignition timing, we gained 16.3 hp and 7.4 lb-ft of torque-not bad. From there, things began to look up.
Check out the sidebars below to get the start-to-finish results.