lx and gt...

[rebel65]

hey, i feel really ignorant right now but i know almost nothing about the 79-93 mustangs, and im planning on giving one a 351w heart transplant. Anyway i'm looking at them while i bring together cash and build the engine and im trying to figure a few things out...i have no idea what to look for, originally i was going to find a cheap 89 GT, i have seen LX's with 4 cyl and 5.0's when im searching for cars what should i look for? should i just keep looking for GT's? thnx . +is there anyone else who has done this?

 

[Ray III]

GT is pretty much just a better trim level than LX along with a couple extra features, but for some reason it's 300 or so pounds heavier... For a drag car you are better off starting out with the LX as they have the fastest 1/4 mile times to begin with due to the weight difference.

If you're going to get an LX and swap in a 351, get a 4 cylinder. You will need to do a few upgrades like springs, spindles, and rearend to match what the LX 5.0 offers (besides a low oil light on the tach and possibly other minor differences), but they are pretty much the same car. Except you can get a 4 banger in good condition for $1,000-1,500.

I'm talking about the 87-93 cars here... don't know very much about the older ones.

 

[Matts89LX5.0]

get a mustang that has a blown 5.0 motor in it and just swap in the 351

 

[ka0tyk]

if you want the "best" platform to build off of get a 4 cyl notch. the notch is the lightest and strongest of the mustangs and since you'll prolly upgrade everything on it anyways, you can save money by getting a 4 cyl...

i have a 4 cyl and so far everything has been replaced with something better, just waiting for the 347 stroker...

 

[rebel65]

my plans were to upgrade suspention, and most likely the entire drivetrain my estimate is that i will have about 6,000 dollars to spend on this car so we shall see what gets upgraded heh. im guessing if i am going with a 4cyl i should go carb for the sheer convenience and cost effectiveness. this will not be a strip car...a street car that needs to be able to school some kids. i am planning a hydrollic roller and i was thinking that EFI would be a better street application? thoughs? and thanks a lot for the input.

 

[Ned]

I agree, get a 4 banger notch dont even bother with a GT, since you will be changing the engine anyways. might as well save a bit of $$ and put it into your project.

 

[bmorrisj]

and if you get the 4cyl car you'll have the VIN # of a low performace 4 cylinder vehicle on your car insurance....

 

[65ShelbyClone]

this will not be a strip car...a street car that needs to be able to school some kids. i am planning a hydrollic roller and i was thinking that EFI would be a better street application? thoughs? and thanks a lot for the input.

EFI or carb wont make a huge difference, but you're in CA, so you have a whole pile of smog laws that will limit what you can do to the car. The only way you can use a carbed 351W is if you got a real old Fox body and found a 351W out of a carbed LTD or other passenger car(not truck) of the same year or newer. For smog simplicity, you should start with a 5.0 LX if you can. That way you wont have to take the car to a state smog referee to get it looked over with a fine-tooth comb to make sure the V8 swap is 100% stock or at least 50 state legal. A 351W looks surprisingly similar to a 302 when its in the engine bay.

 

[FoxChasis]

Who here just changes the engine and transmission in a 4cylinder car and leaves everything else as is? You mean to tell me you're going to leave the 7.5" rear in there behind a 351W? Hope you have AAA. How about the 10" front brakes? Small sway bar up front and none in the rear? Lighter duty springs all around?

Get a 5.0L car and put the 351W in there. Save the four cylinder conversion for strip only cars.

 

[rebel65]

well the answer is that i wouldnt...anyway i was thinking more along the lines of a LX notch or hatch 5.0 because i am thinking of going EFI so i can play with the computer to get smoged... something that sounds like a gift from god...someone told me i can do this if i get an expensive programming gizmo, does it work like that? can i play with the computer to make it pass smog then re-program to make the car come alive? if i can then it's EFI for me...and if i get a 5.0 LX are there still things i should upgrade? the rearend will be a tracklock ( or the like ) 8.8? thanks for the help btw u have been most generous.

 

[Ray III]

Who here just changes the engine and transmission in a 4cylinder car and leaves everything else as is? You mean to tell me you're going to leave the 7.5" rear in there behind a 351W? Hope you have AAA. How about the 10" front brakes? Small sway bar up front and none in the rear? Lighter duty springs all around?

Get a 5.0L car and put the 351W in there. Save the four cylinder conversion for strip only cars.

If you're going to spend more than $2,000 to change the front brakes, rearend, and suspension, maybe you shouldn't be doing any 351 conversion to begin with...

Personally I'm going to get a GT and put a 351 in it, but only because I like the GT model and I want to have an "official" factory V8 car.

 

[rebel65]

If you're going to spend more than $2,000 to change the front brakes, rearend, and suspension, maybe you shouldn't be doing any 351 conversion to begin with...

Personally I'm going to get a GT and put a 351 in it, but only because I like the GT model and I want to have an "official" factory V8 car.

do u mean if you are not going to? i like the GT's more personally i think they have a nice design, and would be a better starting block for putting a 351 in, but the fact is that GT's cost more than LX's and this is Cali, cars cost more ...