Preformance mods for a '69 Ford Ranchero GT?

Question

I might buy a 69 Ford Ranchero GT, what sort of preformance mods could/should I get? It has a 390 engine, and to my knowledge, no mods. I would provide more information, but this is all I know of it so far. Im thinking new carb, MSD ignition, hooker headers, etc... Anything else?

Cam, cylinder heads and mufflers were mentioned, who would be a good company to go with for these? I know edelbrock makes cyclinder heads and cams, but are they pretty good performance wise? What about the exhaust system? I dont care how it sounds when I drive down the street, long as it works well.

Answer 1

New Carb, MSD, Headers, and Intake Manifold..... You have to
allow the Engine to breathe if you want performance, if you can't get it in then it won't come out.... that is why you need the Intake
along with the Carburetor and the hot ignition system and the headers, and don't forget the exhaust and high flow mufflers.

Answer 2

Edlebrock can be pretty good, especially since they sell kits (cam, lifters, carb, heads) that has everything matched up for the best possible performance. If you feel comfortable, do some research to find out how everything relates to each other, what you want and what companies sell what you need. A good source if information is summitracing.com plus they have awsome prices and customer service. (One of the few companies that don't force sales on you)

As for your exhaust, you are going to want to get something that allows your engine to breathe easier. Mainly a good set of headers (price doesn't always mean that they are high end), and possibly bigger pipes (2.25"). Along the lines of mufflers, flowmasters probably offer the best performance for off the self upgrades, but personally i can't stand the sound of them. Once again if you do a little looking around on the internet, (howthingswork.com is great for this kind of information) you can get some information regarding how the exhaust system relates to your motor, proper back pressure, "The scavenging effect", and free flowing exhaust, all play important parts.

Obviously this just my thoughts, anyone and everyone has a opinion on what is considered to be a great upgrade. Whether you want to buy your upgrades off the shelf, or get down and dirty and make them yourself (which is fun, but can turn south fast until you get the process right, like port and polishing, and drilling out the jets on a Carb;-) ) do your homework first.

Remember "There is no replacement, for Displacement" keep that in mind and you'll do just fine!

Answer 3

I think edelbrock makes a performance FE big block intake

think you could also build it into a 427/428 with a new crank/rods/pistons

also can put in a new cam, performance cylinder head

what you can do is really only limited by the thickness of your wallet

Answer 4

69 Ranchero Gt

Answer 5

all sounds good but it has a 351 Cleavland motor and its the wrong time to do gas burning modification to any vehicle ,