In the January '03 issue of HOT ROD magazine, we reviewed the parts needed to build a pump-gas, 9.68:1-compression 390 Ford that makes 450 hp at 5,600 rpm and 460 lb-ft at 3,900. The combo included out-of-the-box Edelbrock Performer FE cylinder heads, an Edelbrock Performer RPM intake manifold, and a Crane hydraulic roller cam with 222/228 degrees of duration at 0.050 and 0.584/0.604 lift. The bottom-end was basic Federal-Mogul hard parts, including PN L2291F-030 forged pistons, and we fastened the entire engine with top-quality stuff from ARP.
There's the quick version. Now we'll share a few of the FE-specific procedures we gleaned from builder Jeff Jacobs at Dougan's Racing Engines in Riverside, California.
