289 Hi-Po
 

Hey guys, I am looking for the best way to tell if a 289 is a true 289 Hi-Po or not. The motor is complete and in a car. Is a Hi-Po really that much better than a regular 289? Or is all the difference just in the heads? Also does anyone have any suggestions to make 300 to 400 hp with a 289 or 289 Hi-po. THANKS

To find great info about ford v8 offerings over the years go directly to http://www.wrljet.com/engines/
donot pass go do not collect $200.
The HP you want is available for $$$
but you are probably looking at a complete rebuild for higher compression, new heads, cam, intake, carb, and headers.

The hipo is a stronger engine but it will make a better mechanic out of you. It has solid lifters that need to be adjusted periodically whereas the regular 289's use hydraulic lifters. You can see the factory horsepower ratings at:

Engine Specs

The URL posted by JOHN Z above is the best one I have seen for HIPO identification.

-JON

As Red stated, the HP has a solid lifter cam and the bottom end is stronger. The block has heavy duty main caps and the crank has higher nodularity that a standard 289. The cyl heads have screw in studs instead of pressed in. What does all of this mean on identification? Not alot if the engine in still in the car and you can't take off a valve cover. They also came with a dual point distributor instead of a vaccum advance, but that can be changed out pretty easy. The block casting numbers are more than likely, your most accessible way to find out.

• *C3OE-B
  *C4OE-B
  *C5AE-E

Unfortunately these were all used for other engines as well, so it's still a bit of a crap shoot. If it's out of the car there will be a swatch of orange paint behind the flywheel. I hope this is somehow helpful. As for horsepower build up, it is a better platform. In order to build horsepower in a small CID engine, higher RPM's are a necessity and the HP is built with this in mind.

Hedgehog, Going racing or combination car? 300 HP is fairly easy, 400 HP is a litte more $, but very do-able. We are back to spinning some RPM. My 65 302 made exactly 351.0 HP at the rear wheels, or 407 at the crank NA. Not really that exotic. 10.0:1 compression, will run 92 octane all day...

Do only race it though..

Ron

Hey guys, thanks for all the info. I believe it will help me in my search. I really want a new heart for my stang bad. I just don't know which I like best. 289,302,351w. I hope the Hi-po pans out, that would be sweet. 69 351 4v may be the next best thing. My stang is a 65 coupe/laser red/mod 302/c-4 trany/nice show and go. But I need more GO!!!! If anyone has more info, send it on. Thanks

hipo's are suppose to have a thicker harmonic balancer than regular 289's.

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Rwhite65, fastback, 302, 4.10, AOD