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Yes the 390 is a FE, anyway for a daily driver or tow truck or you name it the 390 is the more robust engine. There was a 3 2 barrel carb version rated at 405 hp I think, but these engines are known for there torque. These engines simply handle abuse very well.
For some reason the 396 had a reputation as being easy to "blow up" (loosely defined) compared to small blocks and the 427 big-block.
I've heard that too...I think it's because "back in the day" people used to beat on those 396's mercifully because they had a reputation as a high performance engine. I've also heard the 409's were known to blow up too...probably for the same reason.
That's true, I'm not certain how I came up with "Y block" The Y-block was a small block engine, max displacement 368, it came right after the old original Ford flathead V-8.
I'm more into GM cars from the 60's and 70's, my Ford knowledge is relatively slim.
Thanks for the correction. I need to re-read the Auto Restorer issue on Y-block Fords, figure out if the comment on the 390 tending to have oiling issues if driven at high RPM for a "while" is true or not...
What GM said they would do and what they would actually do sometimes were different things back in the '60s. I had a 1968 GTO with the 400, 4-speed, A/C and 3.90 gear. It was around 1977 when I bought the car so maybe the rear end gear was changed, but, the speedometer was about as accurate as any factory speedo from that era, so if it was done after the fact, it was done very well, they took the trans apart (at least partially) and changed the speedo drive gear. The A/C was almost certainly there from the factory, unless somebody did a *very* meticulous swap of parts from a junked A/C car -
According to factory literature, and I eventually had all of it, build manual, etc. you could get the 3.90 gear with 400 and 4-speed, but no A/C, or you could get A/C but no 3.90 gear.
But, I would bet dollars to donuts, the car *was* built with A/C and 3.90...
Then you get into the COPO cars...
So I would not be shocked to find a factory original "Bisquick" - a Biscayne with the king-of-the-hill Mark IV...
In 1965 they had a 425 HP 396 in the big Chevys; Biscayne, Bel-Air and Impala.
I think that was also optional in the '65 Caprice sedan as well. ("Caprice" was actually a fancy trim option on the Impala hardtop sedan, until it became its own model in 1966.
I forgot about the 425 version. But it was available in the 1965 Corvette only.. Not in a full size car.
I believe I've read the same thing....the Corvette version was rated at 425 hp. All other cars got the 375 hp as top dog and really only a small handful even got the 375 version...it wasn't listed on the dealers brochures....it was one of those "you had to know someone that knew someone" to get it....350 hp was the more common one.
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