Is free always the best price ?
With all the negatives guys are putting out here, it brings the question to me, is it always best to build an engine, just because the initial cost is free ?
I think of all the 350 Pontiac engines that have been offered for free, or at least dirt cheap. Some of those owners have reported that they had no takers & junked blocks.
Why was that ? No, it was not because a correctly built 350 is no good & won't make any power. I can name a Stocker & 3 Super Stockers that have run 10's with 350 Pontiac power.
So, it might be that this free 389 is in the same boat as those free/cheap 350's. It just MIGHT be a better buy to buy something else as a core to build, even if it costs a few hundred.
If I were gonna build a mild cruise engine, I'd wanna start with a good 400 block that has all 5 motor mount bolt holes. And NOT a "557" block. And if I used iron heads, I'd want 6x-4, or 5c-4, or at least 6x-8 cut down some, to increase CR.
Would definitely want a Q-jet carb & dual plane intake.
If you have one of these built just right, it should do exactly what you want. BUT, if for some reason you don't like it, you have something that lots of guys are more likely to buy, should you decide to sell, than a 389. I'm guessing that the 389 is just not in very high demand right now.
But hey, that's just my thinkin.