The 390 V8 engine was first introduced in 1961 and was Ford’s chance to jump ahead of the all-new Chevrolet 409 that was introduced later the same year. The Ford 390 produced a lot more horsepower than the 409 with its top end performance engine putting out a respectable 401 horsepower in its first year of production (41 more horsepower than the high-end Chevy 409).
The 390 was used by Ford and Mercury in a large number of their production cars as well as several trucks. Unfortunately, most car enthusiasts were more excited about Chevrolet’s 409 simply because of its larger size which diminished a lot of publicity for the Ford 390. Even today the Chevy Impalas with a 409 sell for twice and even three times the amount than a Ford Galaxie with a 390. Plus the Beach Boys never wrote any songs about the 390 V8:-)
Today the 390 is still a very popular motor due to the fact that it is very easy to get parts for these engines that can easily push the horsepower into the 500+ horsepower range if the motor is built for racing.
1961 - 1965 with 4 Barrel Carb (Lower Horsepower Model)Max Brake Horsepower = 300 @ 4600 rpmMax Torque = 427 @ 2800 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 9.6 (1964 and 1965 compression increased to 10.1)Firing Order = 15426378 1961, 1963, 1965 with 4 Barrel Carb (Higher Horsepower Model)Max Brake Horsepower = 330 @ 5000 rpmMax Torque = 427 @ 3200 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 9.6 (1961) - 10.5 (1963) - 10.1 (1965)Firing Order = 15426378 1961 - 1962 with 4 Barrel CarbMax Brake Horsepower = 375 @ 6000 rpmMax Torque = 427 @ 2600 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 11.1Firing Order = 15426378 1961 - 1962 with 3 x 2 Barrel CarbsMax Brake Horsepower = 401 @ 6000 rpmMax Torque = 430 @ 3500 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 11.1Firing Order = 15426378 1966 - 1969 with 2 Barrel CarbMax Brake Horsepower = 265 @ 4400 rpm (Standard Transmission) 270 - 275 @ 4400 rpm (Automatic Transmission)Max Torque = 401 @ 2600 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 9.5Firing Order = 15426378 1966 - 1968 with 4 Barrel CarbMax Brake Horsepower = 315 @ 4600 rpmMax Torque = 427 @ 2800 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 10.5Firing Order = 15426378 1967 - 1968 with 4 Barrel CarbMax Brake Horsepower = 320 @ 4600 rpmMax Torque = 427 @ 3200 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 10.5Firing Order = 15426378 1966 - 1968 with 4 Barrel Carb "GT Model"Max Brake Horsepower = 335 @ 4800 rpm 320 - 325 @ 4800 rpm in 1968Max Torque = 427 @ 3200 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 10.5Firing Order = 15426378 1969 with 4 Barrel CarbMax Brake Horsepower = 320 @ 4800 rpmMax Torque = 427 @ 3200 rpmStroke = 3.781Bore = 4.0468Compression = 10.5Firing Order = 15426378 
