Built as a restoration project by the owner, we did the break-in and dyno tuning on this stock Ford 390 GT engine. The compression was lowered from the original to a more pump gas friendly 9.0:1. We did the dyno runs with the original equipment air cleaner assembly installed, but no mufflers. We think that the result probably is representative of the actual power that this engine would have put out when it was new. The 390 was used in a variety of Ford models with the GT versions serving as the high-performance model. Originally rated at 335-hp @ 5,000-rpm, this SAE gross figure is way off. It is always interesting to see how much power these old muscle cars actually made back in the 1960s.
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Power: 265-hp @ 4,800-rpm, 346 lb/ft@ 3,300-rpm
Type: Ford 390 V8
Bore: 4.05"
Stroke: 3.784"
Compression Ratio: 9.0:1
Cylinder heads: Cast iron 390
Camshafts: Stock
Induction: Stock with Holley 750 carburetor
Exhaust: Ford cast iron manifolds
Ignition: Ford points distributor