289 Pistons

[case12]

Are these stock 289 pistons? If not what does a stock piston head look like - and if not, what kind of pistons are these? Casey

 

[miller511]

Casey,

When I tore my engine down last winter, the tops of the pistons looked similar to yours. Mine were stamped .030 which indicated that it had been bored out 30 thousandths of an inch. My engine also turned out to be a 1970 vintage 302 and not the original 289.

-Jeff

 

[case12]

Jeff - There is no VIN stamp number at the back of the block, as others have found. Did you find a VIN number? If not, how did you figure out it was a vintage 302.

I still wonder what kind of pistons these are (the engine is assembled at the moment, so all I have are the old pics). Casey

 

[Mosesatm]

Casey, there should be a date code on the block above the starter.

 

[miller511]

Jeff - There is no VIN stamp number at the back of the block, as others have found. Did you find a VIN number? If not, how did you figure out it was a vintage 302.

I still wonder what kind of pistons these are (the engine is assembled at the moment, so all I have are the old pics). Casey

Casey,

There was a stamping on the top rear of the block Rear of the intake manifold) that started with P0...then the VIN I decyphered it to be a 1970 block (the Zero being 70) from the St. Paul MN. assembly plant (The P being St. Paul). Also, the casting behind the starter...and the crank part number... told me it was a 302. it also had 302 casting heads.

-Jeff

 

[case12]

Still looking for help on the pistons - does anyone recognize what type the are (stock or other?). Casey

 

[robert campbell]

Casey,
Those pistons resemble stock pistons for a 289 or 302. All pistons whether a replacement or factory piston have the same double “flycut” on the top. They are in my opinion a stock 10 to 1 “flattop” piston. They are not a pop up type. Most if not all 289 and 302 controlled compression ratios via combustion chambers.

The pics are not close enough to help us. A factory Ford piston to my memory will have a “Ford” script on the top. As others have said, a replacement piston will normally have a .030 or .020 for “30 over” or “20 over” stamped on the top of the piston. They could still have a Ford script if they are Ford pistons.

Without a close up it is hard to tell. A question for you. Why are you asking about this? Do you think they are not stock?

As for the engine, there should be a cast number like C8OE or C8AE and a cast date number with 3 characters. Two numbers and a letter. Above the starter. The heads will also have cast date codes as well as the intake. This should help you know what year the engine is.

Rob

 

[case12]

I am adding power/thump/torque to a show car that looks factory. I was considering only heads, cam and headers for power. I had these pictures from back when I replaced the factory heads which went bad and I changed them with refurb factory heads. I am not even sure the block is original since I cannot find a VIN. So, I am considering "bagging" the engine, putting it in the corner, and putting in a HO crate engine with all the stock dressings - I do NOT want any bling/bling....just fairly stock looking. In the last month, I already added a 2200 stall converter, deep oil trans pan, trans cooler, shift kit, and 3.8 rear end. A noticeable change, but the torque and sound isnt enough for me. The current 289 has an edlebrock intake and 4V and dual exhaust, but just adding heads, headers, and a cam to a stock block and pistons will likely not help (?). I thought maybe the pistons could be non-stock since they look a bit differernt that the shop manuals, and I could get some power out of them. But everyone around here (and so far on the site) believe they are stock or .030 stock. People here that look at the pics think they are more like 8 to 1 compression. The concensus from my shop is to buy a crate motor from Ford Motorsports, custom order it for what I want, and bag the ole 289 in the corner of the garage. That is what I am talking to them about tmmrw - then Christmas comes early.

Any thoughts are welcome....David Athans has been great in helping me through this. (btw - I am in occassional driver class of MCA - so I can have bolt on modifications, and as long as the engine is close, they are not going to have problems - they only judge appearance...not driving). Either way I am going for some more torque .....FOR A SHOW CAR .....not a David car:icon_pani . I leave the racing to him. That's my story. Casey

 

[case12]

thanks for the input on the 289. i decided and ordered a handbuilt 347 stroker today. i will bag the 289 and store it.

i plan for the 347 to look stock for MCA shows. no bling. I MAY add shelby bolt on's (valve covers and oval cleaner), since they are period correct, and they look really cool. i will keep you updated. casey

 

[joedls]

thanks for the input on the 289. i decided and ordered a handbuilt 347 stroker today. i will bag the 289 and store it.

i plan for the 347 to look stock for MCA shows. no bling. I MAY add shelby bolt on's (valve covers and oval cleaner), since they are period correct, and they look really cool. i will keep you updated. casey

Awesome choice :grin:

 

[robert campbell]

Casey,
Sounds awesome!!! The heads and headers would help a 289, but nothing like a 347 with the same.

Do you have headers yet?? Is this a complete long block with intake and distributor? Carb selection??? Tranny and rear end sound perfect.

I love the world of performance upgrades and would love to share thoughts on this project. Header selection is critical and long tube style can create some ground clearance problems. Also need to drop the power steering ram on most manufacturers. But hey are the best for horsepower and torque.

I have JBA nickel plated shorty’s on my GT/CS. Fit super and a great upgrade from stock manifolds. No power steering or ram issues. Great ground clearance.

Rob

 

[case12]

It is a long block. I will reuse my edlebrock performer intake and 4V I already have, and the Petronix ignition. I havent thought about the headers yet. I am open to ideas, except not chrome or shiny. Let me know. Casey

 

[robert campbell]

Casey,
This is a pic of the JBA headers that I have on my car. These fit very good and are the highest in quality. Somewhere in the $500 dollar range. They look shiny, but they are not chrome. After mine have been run they kinda turn to a dull grey color and do not "stand out" any more than a perfectly restored set of cast manifold in the light gray color.

Perfect fit and a great consideration for your project. Not as much HP as equal length long tubes, but should be a great match for low and mid range torque.

What size and brand carb did you have on your performer on the 289? I rebuild and rebush Holley and other carbs for people in the NW. I also tune them in for people with performance applications. Carb choice will be very important for this project. A 600 cfm will work, but really starve at the high end. I run a 670 Holley Street Avenger on my 302 with aluminum heads and a roller cam. Has an electric choke and starts and runs from cold to hot with a perfect step through the fast idle choke sequence. A great carb and just a bit "heavy" for my application. I bet it would work great on yours with the more cubes!!

Rob

 

[case12]

Robert - Are these shortys or mid-length? What is the part number? Are they pretty much bolt up to the existing exhaust? Where did you buy them from?

For others - any other ideas? I am going to use brushed aluminum COBRA valve covers (yes, I know they are shelby 65/66 vintage:smile: ) and brushed aluminum COBRA over air cleaner (yes, I know it is 67 shelby vintage:smile: ) - I am getting those from Branda. Since they would be on dealer shelfs as add-ons I figured I would go with the more shelby look.

sooo....i would like the short (or whatever fits) headers to have a similar look once aged - NO CHROME.:icon_no:

Thanks for the advice. Casey

 

[Mosesatm]

Casey, if you want to stay "Ford" have you thought about Tri-Ys?

 

[case12]

The Tri Y's have a number of clerance issues (per Tony Branda) as they were developed for the earlier body style. Shelby had K code hi flow exhaust maniforlds that could work. But, I have decided to go ahead with headers. I checked with the MCA head judge for 67/8 and for my class, I will not get points taken off, so I am going to take the chance. I am keeping all my other 289 stuff bagged up, so I wont loose the authentic stuff. Casey

 

[rvrtrash]

I put Thorley Tri-Y's on my 68 and have had no real issues. I used the 1" drop bracket for the steering but am not sure it was even needed and rerouted the power steering hoses to get a little extra clearance for them, but other than that, they dropped right in. You can't even see anything hanging down under the car. I love them.