How to Detail a 289 Engine
Writer: Mark Houlahan
Photographer: Mark Houlahan
Whether at a local burger-joint cruise or a Mustang Club of America National, one of the first areas a budding enthusiast or knowledgeable Mustanger will look at is your Mustang's engine compartment. If your Mustang is a daily driver that's serviced by the local auto parts chain without N.O.S. parts, the non-Autolite distributor cap, yellow plug wires, and flex fan can be forgiven as long as things are clean, painted, and presentable. But when it comes to being correct and standing tall next to your competitors on the show field in concours classes, it's going to take some serious elbow grease and a paycheck or two to get that 289 spiffed up and ready for the judges.

Our 289 for Project '66 was in just such form. The engine builder had painted it, but that's about it. We're not complaining, mind you, because that isn't the engine builder's job. So we had our 289 on an engine stand ready to be dressed; and dressed it will be, with all the right parts to make an MCA judge nod in approval. We once again picked the brains of the folks at National Parts Depot, who helped us determine what we needed for our project. NPD supplied just about everything we needed to get our 289 in top shape.


When it comes to concours detailing, take your time, research your project, and don't be afraid to ask questions and make a decision based on multiple "right" answers. We've seen all sorts of assembly line guffaws, so if your engine had a sticker in a certain place, feel free to put it back where it was originally. And if you're performing a V-8 conversion project like we did on our project car, be ready to locate pulleys, brackets, and such if your engine didn't come with them.


What to do? The wheel we are planning on restoring is the 289-motor from our Project '70 Mach 1. The wheel on this car is actually missing. Luckily, I dug around in the "I-might-need-that-someday" pile and snagged the original Ginger 289-motor from our '72 Lazarus Project. After some POR-15 putty, black and brown paint, new center pad, and 289-motor switch from Perogie Enterprises, the wheel will be ready to install after we locate the correct column.


1. With our 289 fresh from the dyno, there were a few things we had to correct before detailing. On the dyno, we used an electric fuel pump and removed the thermostat, so it was installed first. Then we installed the remainder of the engine's fuel system: fuel pump, fuel-pump-to-carburetor steel line, and the rubber fuel hose between the steel line and our Pony carburetor. Correct crimp clamps (and installing them with the right clamp pliers) are the perfect detailing touch. 2. On the dyno, the carburetor's linkage was connected to a mechanical lever, so we had to install the correct throttle lever, return spring, and return-spring bracket as well. There's a difference between the 2V and 4V return-spring brackets, so be sure to get the right one. Notice the angle of the spring bracket, pointing forward at the 11-o'clock position. 3. Fresh motor mounts are a given when installing a new or rebuilt engine, but getting the details right is important. The heat shields were installed by Ford to reduce heat-related wear to the rubber part of the mount. Shown here on the passenger side, Ford used this metal bracket to support and guide the starter cable to the starter. AMK concours mounting bolts secure the mount to the block and are ready to secure the mount to the chassis.
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