# Help on 64 389 Rebuild



## tonyskala (Feb 7, 2015)

Over the holidays I would like to start rebuilding the 389 I have. 

All I have is a stock 389 intake manifold, stock 389 - 716 heads, stock 389 79j block, stock crank, stock connecting rods, stock 389 exhaust manifold.

I need everything else. 

So I don't really want to fiddle much and would prefer an all inclusive deal.

I was thinking 

Pontiac 389 Deluxe Engine Master Kit 1963 1964 Pistons | eBay

or 

Pontiac 389 1960-1966 (excludes 3 2/B engines) Master Kit | Northern Auto Parts

I want to keep the exterior as stock looking as possible and don't care much on the internals. leaning more towards the Northern deal but I need to know if this is a good move. I have had ford 302 in the past and that is all plug and play. this Pontiac stuff is rare and hoping to leverage expertise. I have a catalina block as well that is complete which is where the valve covers brackets pumps are coming from. Still trying to source a another 4bbl carb because the guy who I found who has one will not sell it to me.

So I want to spend no more than 2,200 for the parts and short block build. need some expertise on this.


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## the65gto (Oct 9, 2008)

Wonder why NAP excludes the 3x2 engines.??


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## Rukee (Feb 8, 2007)

Be sure to get forged pistons.


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## geeteeohguy (Feb 2, 2008)

I wasn't able to rebuild my 389 for $2200 34 years ago. Good luck.


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## rickm (Feb 8, 2012)

what carb are you looking for? a '64 carter afb? a specific tag # ? my friend rebuilt my '65 389 YF in his machine shop a few years back for $2,600. but im friends with him personally. might be a bit more.


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## tonyskala (Feb 7, 2015)

I was looking for a 3649AFB, I actually just found one today. So I am covered on that front. But I just want it to say I have all the parts to bolt it together. I actually have an Atomic EFI that I am going to throw on it to make it realiable enough for wife to drive around in. I had an EZ efi on a Camaro and it was awesome. I read the Atomic is even better .



So I am trying to get just the short block done for 2200 I have 800 budgeted for the heads. I thought I was being reasonable. But I have not done one of these yet and realize they are different than Chevy's but I did not think by a whole lot. Am I off that much?? It was like 1100dollars to rebuild the whole damn ford 302 and that was with parts included. 

I don't need any major machining done. Just a boil, hone and possibly a resurface. 

What I was really after was some one telling me "get this kit <KIT NAME> it has everything you need, I cant believe how much you get for the price" yada yada..

I have never done anything Pontiac before. All ford and Chevy. So not really sure what to expect.


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## PontiacJim (Dec 29, 2012)

I used an inexpensive kit that included cast pistons. They can be OK, BUT, you have to be cautious. The pistons I got probably dropped my already 8.2 engine to under 8.0 as they had rounded edges along the piston tops which does lower compression - I did not know this. The screen for my Mellings pump was a fine wire mesh, too fine, for heavy oil to flow through, and contributed to my oil pressure problem and eventual loss of oil and damage to all bearings & crank. I posted a thread outlining this. I did not know this.

Not knowing this, I have to rely on my machinist to know this. Apparently he did not know this, but he was a Chevy guy and not a Pontiac guy. In hindsight, not knowing what I know now would have probably not been a problem IF I had purchased, and spent the money, on quality parts supplied from an experienced and recommended Pontiac engine builder/parts supplier who uses the same parts I was purchasing.

Did I save money by purchasing an inexpensive kit through my local machine shop? Hardly. That said, at a minimum, I highly recommend purchasing your parts, whether in kit form or individual pieces, from a reputable Pontiac engine builder/parts supplier. Does it cost more to rebuild a Pontiac versus a Chevy or Ford......You betcha, way more. 

If you value your engine and want to do it right, then it will cost. You do not want to use factory connecting rods - go aftermarket forged. Honing the block and installing new pistons is not a good idea. Can you hone a cyl and install pistons? Sure, and I have on a stock engines having a minimal ridge at the top of the cylinder and used the same pistons that came out of it -worked just fine. If you go forged pistons in place of the cast pistons, you need additional clearances as forged will expand more than cast when hot, so forged pistons plugged into cylinders previously filled with cast pistons could result in the piston severely scuffing the bores, or worse, locking up. So it would be better to have a machine shop tell you what piston size to order and allow them to fit them to the bore size so the correct clearances are maintained. I say this not knowing your skills or knowledge - and hating to see you damage your engine if you were not aware of some of this.

As always, the best bang for your buck is probably the rotating assembly/kit from Butler Pontiac for the 389CI Butler Performance - Pontiac Engine & Rotating Assembly Combinations - Featuring Eagle Pontiac Kits You can see the prices for a rotating assembly and at least use it as a comparison price to whatever individual parts you may want to select for your engine build. You can also see that with one of these assemblies, your rebuild will definitely go over $2200 for the shortblock and probably push closer to $3500 - $4000 when its all said and done. This is just one builder/parts supplier as there are several well recommended here on the forums. You want to also watch your compression ratio if you plan on using pump gas.

Do a little research, get a game plan, and go from there. You can probably do the shortblock for under $2200 if you can lightly hone the cylinders & re-use your cast pistons, resize & install new ARP bolts in your cast rods, and don't need the crank turned. I would strongly recommend having everything magnafluxed if you re-use what you presently have. :thumbsup:


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