Well since my mav has a 250 I6 I've been really giving some thought on what kind of v8 I want to put in it. The 351w and C are nice but it's going to be a daily driver and would kill me on the maintence and since it's a little bigger make it a harder swap which I don't need. I was thinking about maybe putting a 289 in it. Probably put a nice cam in it and some AFR 165's, etc. I was wondering why I haven't seen more 289 mav/comets? It will not be a racing engine, but daily driven and am hoping to get 300-400hp out of it, maybe more later on. Should I just save myself and buy a 302 or go for the 289. Thanks
personally, i think the 289's are becoming more and more expensive and harder to find. the 302 is more common and already a little bigger on the cubes. i'd go with the 302. jmo
I ran a 289 in my car for many years. Swapped in a 302 roller a couple of years ago. The 289 is hanging on the stand.
Yeah, considering they only made 289s for, what, 4 years and 302s for 30 years. I ran one for a lot of years, too. I still have my 289 crank, rods & .030 over pistons packed away somewhere.
no doubt about it the 289 was a good engine. it's just that anyone doing a restoration will drive the prices of a 289 up. and like bmcdaniel said they made the 302's for a lot more years.
Nah, you don't want it. Just an old engine I threw together some 20 plus years ago. Big compression, to big of a cam etc...
Thanks for the comments, I've seen a 289 in a 64 4 door comet and really have had my eye on it for some time. I think if I can find a 289 that isn't too $$ I'll buy it. Another thing is, what kind of fan shroud if any will fit the mav, or will the 6's fan shroud big enough? Instead of going to electric fans right away. Also will all 289s bolt up to a c4. I was doing some reading and it was a weird debate on some other forums. Thanks again, oh and if anybody has any v8s in their garage and want to throw them over to me that would be great. Thanks again.
Keep in mind that prior to 65 the small blocks used a 5 bolt bellhousing which can be difficult to locate. They went to a 6 bolt pattern sometime in August of 1964 which would have been the 65 production year. Also in 1964 the engine could be a 260.
Considering that the 289 had a shorter stroke and a longer rod than a 302 you could actually end up with more hp/tq per cubic inch than a 302. While a 300hp daily driver is easily attainable....400 will require more cubic inches to retain some streetability. If you've got the 289 already then use it. If not....use what you can get. Simple.
Sounds like you need to know that the 289 and 302 are almost identical. There is the issue of the early bellhousing that makes things very hard for using a pre-65 engine, but that is about it. To look at a 289 or 302, you cannot tell them apart. You can even put 302 innards into a 289 block. My point is: Use a 302! The parts are easier to find, the few extra cubes are what you need for a regular driver, and the extra cubes will take better (more streetable) to the mods that you have mentioned. Good luck Dave
The only difference between them is the crank, rods and pistons (unless you have a 5-bolt bell 289). Can't see them from outside.
