What year 389?
Anything ‘63 and earlier you will want to avoid because of the bellhousing bolt pattern on the earlier engines being difficult to adapt to later transmissions and bellhousings. Starters bolted to the bellhousing on ‘63 and earlier setups, there was no provisions to bolt them to the block until 1964.
A mostly stock 389 will get you down the road just fine, parameter wise it’s just a 400 with a slightly smaller bore size (4.0625 vs 4.120”). Later 389 heads are small valve (1.92”/1.66”) and all have press-in rocker studs and have no pushrod guide plates, just precision milled slots in the head casting to guide the pushrod. Worn out pushrod guide slots are not uncommon, so keep an eye on those.
Of course any 400 head can be used on it as long as you use 400 pushrods and rockers, making it easier to have the preferred screw-in rocker studs and guide plates. 400 pistons to match the 400 heads should be used. The 389 heads had the valves in a different location than a 400.
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1964 Tempest Coupe LS3/4L70E/3.42
1964 Le Mans Convertible 421 HO/TH350/2.56
2002 WS6 Convertible LS1/4L60E/3.23
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