Thread: Did I buy a 428 and get a 390 Thunderbird?

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O.K., a 390 is 3.780", your tape measure is 3.875" and a 428 is 3.980". You choose. And again, sorry about your hair and nails. I'm just trying to tell you the correct way to do it. I can sympathize with your machinist.

I guess what is being said is: Yes, the stroke measurement needs to be accurate, all agreed. But that asking a micrometer to find almost a quarter inch and not much less is a tall order. I do see your point and it is well taken, believe me and very much appreciated. I WANT to sympathize with him in a sense because I want it to be right- a 428, what I bought. And since I paid just 2200 for the car, it won't be the worse loss I ever suffered. If it has a 428 crank, and a 390 block, I feel the thing to do would be to "correct" the block if possible. Whether that means buying a new one, or boring if needed. I do not want to be annoyance being new at being on a forum, so I try to be intelligent in my questions and refrain from mentioning too those little black crumbs that drop on my face ruin my make up. I was not at all into engines, though my father was a rocket engineer and I married a motorhead biker and after all this time I thought- if you cannot beat them, join them. So I did- IN FULL force, and now I have made a terrible mistake in the car I am afraid!

can i ask why you think a 428 is so imporant? are you going to build a nice motor for it? Are you wanting to build a cj?

I am an old Ford fan recently converted to SBC thinking so it is great to see the Fordnatics come forth with tech stuff. It seems to me that "afanoni" is a lady who writes well and she is to be encouraged, I can't get my wife into the garage unless it is to look at some clean new piece of stainless beauty and I catch a lot of heat if I don't wipe my feet coming in from the garage, so I can understand why she might not be receptive to a relatively easy process of pulling the crankcase pan. That is surely an easy but quite dirty job. Still why be upset over a repairable T-bird that only cost $2200? That sounds like a good deal to me if there is minimal body rust. If it is a 410 and you can clean it up, get it painted and fix the interior and enjoy it. I don't understand the difficulty of micing the bore depth, the local shops I used to be familiar with would send a guy with a few different micrometers to any garage contemplating an engine build to at least indicate out-of-round cylinders and what is so hard about finding a depth gauge micrometer? It should be possible to find a shop that will do this for a very small fee and your mechanic should know who to call? So why not pay the mechanic to pull the pan and ID the crank or find someone with a depth micrometer?

Don Shillady
Retired Scientist/teen rodder

and MY favorite machine is a 1922 Steinway model O grand piano. But as I said, I could not beat them, so I joined up. I do find that a scholarly approach to the would be 428 Thunderbird project is needed. The "engineers" around here are a little quick to write it off as a 390, I shall continue to enlist the help of you all if I am to be included- again with many thanks!

I was not at all into engines, though my father was a rocket engineer and I married a motorhead biker and after all this time I thought- if you cannot beat them, join them. So I did- IN FULL force, and now I have made a terrible mistake in the car I am afraid![/QUOTE]

Hey ................ mmmmmmmmmm, not sure how to approach this one. But here goes. You bought the car so you could have FUN right, so no need to think you made a mistake, think of it as a challenge, you obviously took a big leap into this and are asking for advice,fair enough, thats what we are here for. "Me", I admit Idont know a whole lot about Fords, I am a Chevy man myself, but there are plenty of Ford men here. But one thing I do know with my passion/hobby is how to have fun.

And in hotrods and cars there are many ways to achieve having fun as there are guys and girls twirling wrenches and it is a great learning curve too, with people as well as cars, and, okay I will throw in learning new computer skills as well. I have been with engines ever since I was 3 and I am always learning something new any number of ways. Sure there are some days where things dont go right, but it wouldn't be a challenge then would it ? What else ? oh it will cost money but if you spend it having fun, it's well spent in my view. You only have one life so make the most of it. Well I have said my bit.