1966 Ford 289 Specs

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The 289 was the largest small-block V8 engine produced by Ford in 1965. The 289 was available in three different versions. The base model version featured a two-barrel carburetor, while the high-performance version had a four-barrel carburetor and a high compression ratio. Between the base and high-performance models was a 289 engine that featured a four-barrel carburetor like the high-performance version, but did not produced as much horsepower. Although many of the specifications are the same for all three models, there are some significant differences.

General Specifications

The engine featured a piston bore of 4 inches and a total piston stroke of 2.89 inches. The 289 was available with either a two- or four-barrel carburetor. The two-barrel version produced 200 horsepower. With the four-barrel carburetor, the engine produced 225 horsepower. The special version of the 289, called the high-performance model, produced 271 horsepower. The compression ratio for the two-barrel engine was 9.3 to 1. The other two versions both had a 10-to-1 compression ratio.

The high-performance model of the 289 featured a spark plug gap of .030 inches, while the other versions had a spark plug gap of .034 inches. Distributor point gap for the high-performance model was .020 inches, and .017 for the other versions. Distributor dwell angle for the high-performance model was between 30 and 33 degrees, and between 26 and 31 degrees for the other versions. Ignition timing was 12 degrees before top dead center for the high-performance 289, and 6 degrees before top dead center for the remaining versions.

Valve seat angle for all three versions of the 289 was 45 degrees. Valve face angle for all three versions was 44 degrees. Valve spring installed height for all three models was 1.75 inches. Valve spring pressure for all three versions was the same, at 170 pounds at 1.75 inches. The intake valve's stem diameter for all three models of the 289 was between 0.3416 and 0.3423 inches. The exhaust valve's stem diameter for all three models of the 289 was between .3406 and .3413 inches.

Piston clearance for the high-performance version of the 289 was between .003 and .0038 inches. Piston clearance for the remaining two versions of the 289 was between .0014 and .0022 inches. All three engine types featured a compression ring gap of .010 inches and an oil ring gap of .015 inches. Wrist pin diameter was also uniform, at .912 inches.

Rod bearing shaft diameter and rod bearing clearance specifications were the same for all three versions of the 289. Shaft diameter was between 2.1228 and 2.1236 inches. Rod bearing clearance was between .0009 and .0029 inches. Main bearing specifications were also uniform. Main bearing shaft diameter was between 2.2482 and 2.2490 inches. Main bearing clearance was between .0005 and .0028 inches.