Thanks, buds56. I'm not sure about reusing the valve springs unless this is a common approach with older 389s. I planned on running new springs and having my machinist check their pressure before intal. I'd then mic the installed valve heights and shim the springs accordingly if necessary for proper height/pressure. But if the factory springs are considered better than modern aftermarket and are usually reused in 389s, I'm fine with that. Maybe some other opinion here?
How do you like the dual quad setup? I'm not necessarily chained to running 3x2 and have been kicking around the idea of finding a dual quad intake (like an Offy 360) and running some smaller Carter AFB carbs, maybe around 600 cfm if that isn't too much for a 389. What intake and carbs are you running? Tripower look really cool on an open-hood roadster, but dual quads are mean looking too.
The transmission is the most difficult aspect of this build so far. The task I've given myself is to build the car as close to early 60's period correct as possible. The more research I do, the more I'm finding it difficult to make a transmission work with that date limit. I thought of running a '55 - '65 Muncie 318 3-speed manual, but synchros are pretty well impossible to find from what I've researched. The same goes for a T86 or T89 Borg Warner. Rebuild kits are out there, but they don't include synchros. I'm leaning toward finding a '58 - '60 manual bellhousing and breaking my period-correct rule slightly to run a 1966+ Saginaw 4 speed. The Saginaws have four different first-gear ratio combinations I can play with, parts are and will be available for likely a long time, and they are cheap compared to a Muncie 4 speed. I have a line on a running one for $150. If I were to go with an automatic, I'd likely rebuild a pre-'59 dc hydra-matic unless a B&M hydro stick falls out of the sky. But, similarly, rebuild parts for the hydra-matic (especially pumps) are getting harder to find and expensive.
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