Well that's totally up to you if you have the time and money and plan on showing the car and want to win trophies and stuff. Otherwise, my philosophy is if it ain't broke, don't fix it.
Some car shows yes but at the same time I understand what your saying . The goal in the beginning was to build up the 302, roll cage track bars and so on but that adds up real quick
Sent from my SM-N920V using Mustang Evolution mobile app
Really comes down to what your goals are and how much you care about what other people think about your car. Some purists out there will obviously scoff at the idea of a 302 in an original 289 car. But that goes for just about anything. Post some pics. Would love to see it.
Unless you have the original 289, and can restore the car back to a numbers matching vehicle..........for heaven's sake leave the 302 in there. As you say that it is running just fine, it would be kind of silly to go the expense of changing everything and still have a non numbers matching car.....
Works in progress are the best! I agree, if you've already got a great running engine, I would leave it. Are you planning on racing it? Using it as a daily driver? Entering shows? Is it auto/manual?
First I'll say :welcome:
Having had a number of 65/66 Mustangs and restoring one making Resto-Mods of the rest the others have given you great advice. Unless the Mustang was a convertible/heavily optioned C code car or GT or K code car trying to put it back to stock even with a period correct motor is non-productive...you'll spend a lot of money and never get it back out.
One thing you mentioned was putting a roll cage in it...the Mustang is already a small car and with a "real cage" the rear seat becomes non-usable and will actually make the car worth less if you ever decide to sell it. A good pair of frame connectors will tie the front and rear together just find 65-66 Mustang CNC Cut Floor Contoured Frame Connectors and traction bars although somewhat effective are no match for CalTracs CalTracs 6401 Low Profile 1 Hole [6401 Low Profile 1 Hole] - $339.00 : The Leader In Leaf Spring Innovation, - Calvert Racing
I'm not sure what year 302 it is although if it is an late 60's or early 70's 302 it can be made to look exactly like a stock 289 and very hard to tell the difference even to a trained eye.
Changing from an auto to manual is a lot of work although putting a 5 or 6 speed manual box in it would be fun....also costly. With the automatics on the market today and a good stall converter you could really surprise a lot people and still be a lot of fun.
Probably the one thing on the early Mustang that can stand a lot of improvement is the suspension and there are a ton of companies out there making suspension parts.
Since it is a work in progress there are so many ways to go...it just depends on what your goal for the car is and what you do or don't want to spend...they are a fun little car in any event...IMHO
I deff appreciate the advice. I want to make it a fast car , but at the same time male it look stock.everyone is telling me to cut out the new frame rails in the front an run full all the way to the back is it worth it and also I am trying to find the numbers still on the block
Sent from my SM-N920V using Mustang Evolution mobile app
2 year project and yes I can weld so not a problem there , but my thing right now Is I have to replace the rear frame rails and rear torque boxes so I am ordering the entire piece. But I'm a trying to figure out how to keep every aligned right so when I install the springs they won't be screwed up everything else on this car has been done except the rear and it pretty rusted . And budget is what ever it's going to cost type of thing, it's one of my favorite cars so
Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Mustang Evolution mobile app
As hard as it may seem, make a plan and stick with it. Organize an attack and go from there. If you want to continue to drive it then start with little upgrades that will take a day or two complete. The take all the big stuff at once. If the 302 Is holding its own then start with breaks/supession. Then go bigger from there. Figure out your overall goals then break that down into drag/road course/ daily. Then you can really find out what you need/want.
Replacing frame rails and torque boxes is a pretty involved job and the only time I've ever done that is on a frame table although it can be done if the car is supported and braced on jack stands.
I assume that this car is not you're DD...right?
I would really like to see some pictures of the rust and rot!!!!!
Here are some videos of people replacing full floors and frame rails and they
all are using jack stands. No with that said you really need to make sure the car is level and take a lot of measurements...an early Mustang shop manual has all
of the correct dimensions and don't be surprised when you start taking measurements if they are not to spec...after 50 years of driving not many cars are.
If you want to be cautious you can jack the car up and put blocks under the wheels/tires to make sure the car is loaded on the suspension and then take your measurements....
Whats a good front suspension, I was looking at the mustang 2 but I am told there are others that are cheaper any ideas
Sent from my SM-N920R4 using Mustang Evolution mobile app
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Mustang Evolution Forum
2.1M posts
50.8K members
Since 2003
A forum community dedicated to Ford Mustang owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about performance, horsepower, modifications, troubleshooting, racing, and more!