please explain to me the big deal about a six cylinder to larger engine swap?

#21
Believe it or not, it's not up to you or anyone to understand anything. Part of the Mustang's appeal, both in the '60's and presently was it's role as a blank canvas. Mustangs can be whatever it's owner envisions. Be it a cruiser, drag car, road racer, show car, family car, sunny day only car, or daily driver. You can choose to leave it alone or turn it into a monster truck, whatever turns the owner/builder on is fair game. It's safe to say that there are extremely few early Mustangs that are in the hands of the original owners, therefore, the color, engine choice or factory options may not be what the current owner would choose if he were to buy the car new today. Whatever the current owner's taste is or plans for the car are, it is absolutely not up for us to decide. The lady I bought my car from would most likely not approve of me building a Shelby clone from my fastback. Tough. I didn't tell her how to spend the money, did I? To buy my car, I sold a streetbike that I pampered from the day I bought it. I went so far as to buy a brand-new (and expensive) gas tank from the dealer because the orginal had a minor, but annoying ding an scratch on top. I wanted the bike to look showroom new, so I plunked down over $600 for a new one. The first thing the new owner did was to repaint the pristine bike to a horrid color combo. It wasn't what I would do, but when I accepted the money, I kinda lost control over those decisions, didn't I?
 

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#22
alright well from what i've read i'm starting to lean towards building up on the six seein how much power i can get out of it because i would like a fast car but not one that i wanna race or anything like that. So if i spent a good deal of money on some six upgrades how much hp do ya'll think i could get out of it. And when i get it to taht point what else would I need to change...lets say would i have to change the rear end...anything else?
 
#23
200hp is doable though not incredibly easy. I am building my own 200 for better milage with minor performance in mind. www.fordsixparts.com has a lot of parts but is currently down. He imports most of his wares from Australia where the I6 has more of a fan base. I've bought stuff from him, good guy too. The site should be back up in a few days. Also be sure to check out that forum I told you about.
To give you some ideas:
An Offy tri carb adaptor will allow the addition of 3 1bbl carbs on your stock intake (some machining required). Its progrssive so little exta fuel consumption when just crusing. Clifford Perfomance is making an aluminum head for these engines which will save even more weight, word is that it will be crossflow too. Expect it to be very expensive. They always are.
Some people have gone the turbo route with good results, but there is no kit and must be peiced together. I've seen superchargers and these engines handle NO2 fairly well. You won't have a whole lot of power, but these engines make good torque to get you started, and you'll have a lot less weight to rob the horsepower you do make.
Also, the Ford Six Performance Handbook is full of ideas, advice, and tricks that you'll find useful.
A lot of people now are putting in a T5 from a 4cylinder (lighter weight than the V8 version). It requires and adaptor, driveshaft shortening, crossmember, and a few more odds and ends.
Do you still have the 4 lug wheels? Its a good idea to move up to the the 8inch but you should be alright.
 
#30
brtnstrns said:
i know but what do i measure?
Click to expand...

Measure the "pumpkin" of the differential.

BTW, you might read my posts #4 & #6 in which I ENCOURAGE you to make the six/V-8 swap IF you realize what you are getting into. For being 15 years old (as you said on another thread), you have a lot of faith in your ability and finances IMO.
 
#32
SuperDave said:
I've never said ANYTHING against the six; only the V-8 swap. My first Mustang was a 200 six and it was a great intro to the marque. My current Mustang is, and will remain, a 260.

I just don't understand the obcession with power and speed.
Click to expand...

Next time I stop into Tacoma, I'll stop in and give you a ride :)
 
#35
all mustangs should have come with V8's

it is my opinion that all mustangs should have come with V8's therefore it is my goal to convert all the 6cyl. to v8.s. so far i completed one... it really wasn't much work. i aquired a junk 66 to convert my 100,000mi tired 6cyl. to a V8. it is best to find a parts donor, but most stuff can be bought new. if you are doing a restoration and are going to replace almost everything mechanical anyway, the cost of upgrading to the V8 parts isn't that much more. i did the conversion in two months, i was not working at the time and had limited funds. my brother and i rebuilt a 302, my cousin helped me rebuild the C4, i found a 8" center section in my friends back yard, and we painted the car in my friends garage. since then i have changed many more things on it and upgraded as i can. most i documented on my website. http://bluemonster.freeservers.com my next project will involve replacing a 6cyl with a blown 4.6L SOHC or DOHC and M2 front end. some advice before you start.

Get a shop manual for your car from FORD, not haynes or chilton
tools lots of tools, especially air tools and a torch. 40 year old rusty bolts don't like to budge. and PB blaster aka weasil piss. better than WD40
don't get discouraged, set reasonable goals, i said i got the conversion done in two months but it was 3 years before i had the car completly road worthy. it will take time but will be well worth it. my car is now more fun to drive and gets way more attention than a plain jane 6cyl.
 
#36
just so you know, 6cylinders don't have to be plain jane :D Now look at that and then look at a typical v8 with chrome valve covers.
 

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#37
BlueMonster65 said:
it is my opinion that all mustangs should have come with V8's therefore it is my goal to convert all the 6cyl. to v8.s. so far i completed one... it really wasn't much work. i aquired a junk 66 to convert my 100,000mi tired 6cyl. to a V8. it is best to find a parts donor, but most stuff can be bought new. if you are doing a restoration and are going to replace almost everything mechanical anyway, the cost of upgrading to the V8 parts isn't that much more. i did the conversion in two months, i was not working at the time and had limited funds. my brother and i rebuilt a 302, my cousin helped me rebuild the C4, i found a 8" center section in my friends back yard, and we painted the car in my friends garage. since then i have changed many more things on it and upgraded as i can. most i documented on my website. http://bluemonster.freeservers.com my next project will involve replacing a 6cyl with a blown 4.6L SOHC or DOHC and M2 front end. some advice before you start.

Get a shop manual for your car from FORD, not haynes or chilton
tools lots of tools, especially air tools and a torch. 40 year old rusty bolts don't like to budge. and PB blaster aka weasil piss. better than WD40
don't get discouraged, set reasonable goals, i said i got the conversion done in two months but it was 3 years before i had the car completly road worthy. it will take time but will be well worth it. my car is now more fun to drive and gets way more attention than a plain jane 6cyl.
Click to expand...


you say a torch? I heard that you dont have to cut anything so whats the torch for? And you say it took you 3 years to get it road worthy? does that mean drivable?
 
#38
uh oh

the torch is used to heat stubborn rusty nuts and bolts. apply heat to the nut and the metal expands creating less effort to remove said bolt, also helps prevent broken studs like on wheels and exhaust manifolds. it took about three years because of all the body and interior modifications i did, plus i had to replace a floor pan. and i got a full time job so i could fund my project which took away from the time i could spend working on the car.
so i wasnt able to drive it on the street for quite a while. just up and down the driveway.
you wont need to cut anything but you might want to learn how to weld. subframe connectors should definately be used if you plan on making more than 300 fw hp. the old metal unibody just wont be up to the task of handling too much stress. bolt in ones are a good start then you can always weld them later.

oh and i regards to building the six for performance. the 200 is NOT a performance engine. its main problem is the horribly designed intake which is cast into the head and has got to be the wost flowing design i have ever seen. always rich in the middle and lean on the ends. plus the distibutor is notorious for having so much play that it is impossible to get an acurate spark. but i will say this; that 200 I6 will not die. it will run forever, buring oil anti-freeze, gas, hell you could probaly use home heating fuel or even natural gas. keep the six if you want a stock nicely restored to original car. toss it if you want any kind of performance. i know some people will say you could put a 250 head on it, and headers, and maybe you can get an MSD type distributor, but all that you can get for a V8 and it will be better and faster, why waste money on modifying the I6? just my opinion.
 
#39
sure a modified v8 is faster than a modified I6....... but not necessarly better. Personally, I like the 200 for its toughness, smoothness, and great gas milage (for a classic car anyway). Yep, the intake is bad but thats why people are importing the aussie heads, or go with a triple carb set up with progressive linkage. Modified, they can be relatively powerful especially considering its limited displacement and light weight of the car. Plus they are certainly different. It all comes down to what a person really wants out of his car. build an I6 for a quick, reliable, smooth running classic car that gets good gas milage and is easy to maintain. Build a V8 for a quick, fast, and reliable classic car that gets poorer gas milage and is slightly more difficult to maintain (difficulty of reaching things on the engine compared to an I6).
I'm not building mine for total performance. My goal is great gas milage along with mild performance increase. I just put on a set of header w/ duel exhaust and a Holley 5200. Very pleased, can't wait to finish it.
 
#40
What is the unibody? Thats not the frame is it? cause i heard you dont have to mess with the frame when doing a swap. Also my father and i just welded in the floor pans, seat risers, and tail panel over spring break so we're decent enough. The 200 was "rebuilt" so I dont think bolts will be too much of a problem. Just a breaker bar and a wrench i think will do for me. I'm simply thinking ahead of time, i probably won't be doing the swap til the summer after my senior year before I go to college so I can save up money for the engine and what not. I'm just getting information ahead of time because the mistake I made in choosing to buy a 200 was that of not looking into it enough :shrug:
 
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