Resto Mod Question

[cjperry81]

Hi I have a noob question. I have had a 66 coupe for quite some time but ive finally saved up the money to redo it. Its currently an inline 6. The body is solid and has no rust but i wanted to strip it an fix some on the dings and waves. I have read up on the engine swap info on the forum so i have alot of work to do. I was wondering on whether i should go with a 289 or a 302. If its a 302 should i go carb or injected? Also what order should i do things in. Should I do the body first and then the engine and suspension after or vice versa. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

CP

 

[latamud]

289/302 you probably wouldn't be able to tell the difference. I'd go with the best deal for your budget with what is available locally.

 

[rbohm]

how about doing something different and hot rod the six? you can make enough power from the six to surprise many V8's, and still get 25mpg. the other fun thing about hopping up the six is that you dont have to change out the rear end or the transmission, unless you have the 2.77 3spd.

if you have your heart set on a V8 swap though, the 302 is going to be most abundant, but you wont know the difference if you use a 289. you will need to upgrade the rear end to an 8", as well as upgrade to a V8 trans as well.

if you want to get some ideas for hopping up the six, check out Ford Six Performance Home/Index

 

[tx65coupe]

I think that a 289 has a coolness factor to it.

I have a 302 in mine. It has already been said, but you will need to change/upgrade many things for the V8 swap.

As far as the order for what to do goes, I would do it like this. Take care of all rust and body work first. Then work on the mechanical stuff and then interior.

If you car is going to be driven while restored you can always do some underside cleanup first and then do mechanical and interior and paint last. Thats what I did back in highschool, because we figured that the other stuff was more important. I drove it primered for a while.

 

[jamison42166]

As far as the order for what to do goes, I would do it like this. Take care of all rust and body work first. Then work on the mechanical stuff and then interior

+1 on that, I made the mistake of doing everything else first. I do have car that is modded and reliable but I regret not doing the bodywork and rust issues first. I took the car to 3 different body shops wanting better paint and bodywork but all 3 want to replace both front fenders and inner aprons both rear quarters, and the driver side door is shot. had I known what I know now I would have never dropped the cash into my car modifying it like I did. In your case having a solid body with little rust I would get the bodywork and paint done so you have a solid base to start with.

 

[hipo_p51]

he did say it is solid and rust free.

 

[mustangbrad]

I have to second the Hot Rod Six idea. I have been waiting to see someone with enough guts to do a single turbo I-6 in a early Mustang.

 

[rbohm]

I have to second the Hot Rod Six idea. I have been waiting to see someone with enough guts to do a single turbo I-6 in a early Mustang.

check out the turbo section of Ford Six Performance Home/Index we have a few people that have built turboed inlines. one guy has a turbo 250 falcon that runs in the tens, and is driven on the street. iut is his wifes car, and she does the driving on the track as well as the street.

 

[shoguun]

V8 swaps are a b. im currently doing one. Looking for a rear end was hard. Every jerk wanted to rip me off and wanted a 8 inch for over 300 dollars. i found fellow stangnet member who actually gave me a deal on a 8 inch. 5.0s are them most abundant. i went that way but change to a carb cause i didnt want to deal with computers. also it keeps the classic look. i got my 5 speed trans from a junkyard out of a 94 mustang. autos are way more common. I must have gone to the junkyard at least 20 times before i ever saw a 5 speed. i just bought a msd ignition system for it. I bought my spindles and break stuff from some dude on ebay.

 

[C0V3R]

1. Chassis/body work (including extra reinforcement)
2. Suspension/brakes/steering
3. Drivetrain
4. Interior.

If you can do it all at once, thats even beter, as you wont have to do several things twice (like pulling the motor/suspension)

 

[tx65coupe]

he did say it is solid and rust free.

I know he did, but there may be some rust that is not know.

 

[tx65coupe]

There is a back issue of Mustang Monthly that had an article with a performance I6 car. I think it was a 65. It had tri power with 3 1 barrel carbs. That was cool. I did a quick search but could not find it.

 

[hurt]

I wish I would have kept the six in mine. I only use it for cruising and the occasional road trip.

 

[wicked93gs]

inline sixes by their very nature are smoother and more durable(you dont have2 cylinders always out of phase, and being inline there is marginally less wear on cylinder walls) with a turbo you can make pretty much whatever type of power you want...in addition its also marginally lighter than the v8, ts much coler to modify the 6 than swap to a v8 like everyone else...at car shows I will walk past every single classic mustang with a SBF with barely a glance at the engine(though I may look at other things)...but a modified six cylinder or some other unusual engine swap stops me every time...if I was able to get one without paying 2k shipping, I would get a DOHC inline six from australia(either turbo or non turbo...whatever I could get my hands on cheap...it would be turbo eventually anyway) currently I am in the process of waiting for the new 5.0L coyote engine to come out, I've decided to replace my 4.6L with it...when I can get my hands on one...in the meantime i will finish with what I have

 

[68RCodeConv]

First off no matter what you do to get more power you are going to have to upgrade the suspension and the rest of the drivetrain. If you plan on 300 hp and sticky tires then you had better go to a 9" rear.

Everybody else is coming up with fairly exotic solutions to your problem. I prefer the simpler approach.
V8 motor, mild cam, carb. It will make just as much power as the hopped up six and cost a lot less. Iv you ever decide to go for more power it can easily be attained. Plus the V8 will not be stressed as much as the six and would be a lot less likely to grenade.

No substitute for cubic inches when it comes to making simple, straightforward power.