66mustang302

well between 289 and 302 it doesnt matter too much because most parts work for either engine .....the 302 was born from the 289 in 68, so its up to you, 302s are much easier to find parts for because its the default v8 Ford engine till the 90s

You can also easily upgrade a 302 to fuel injection and it was able to present itself with hp and MPG

I personally have a 94 GT engine with some performance parts converted to a carb'ed system

OhioTed

Thanks for the tip on the disc conversion. Here's another one, which I was recently provided. Scarebird Classic Brakes: www.scarebird.com. What these guys sell are custom-made brackets, which will bolt to your existing front drum brake spindles. Scarebird also provides you with application-reference, so you can go to any auto part store and buy over the counter calipers, rotors, and hoses. Some basic machining may be necessary for final fit, but a complete front drum to disc conversion ends up costing only about $250.

I've no personal experience with the setup, so I can't vouch for it, but Scarebird's product info and warranty appear pretty solid.

The 8.8" rear end sounds like a good alternative to 9-inchers. What is a typical application for them? Fox-chassis, 5.0 Mustangs? A matched-track rear end is obviously preferred. While researching 9-inchers, I found several which are out of pickup trucks, but I sure don't want to go through getting the thing narrowed. I've yet to measure the width of my 66's existing differential, but need to do so to see which of those 8.8's will drop in.

newbie68

I am currently in a modern 302 build from an 88 5.0. I chose not to use the 289 (no substitute for cubic inches) and found this saved money. I opted out of the EFI and went with a carb. I was amazed at how cheap you can pick up these motors. I gave 200 for a running 302. After some machine work it is coming along nicely.

You have alot of options from just heating up the 302, stroking it, or even destroking it by using the 289 crank. Cool stuff.

urban_cowboy

302s are great motors in a light car. They have plenty of horsepower potential b/c of their short stroke, although not a whole lot of torque compared to Windsor strokers. Parts are very plentiful and so are stroker kits if you find that you want more torque potential and less horsepower potential. Most people want acceleration power at low rpms which is best supplied by a long stroke motor. Road and Circle track racers want horsepower (topend power) which is best supplied by a short stroke motor b/c of piston speed limitations. Compared to your current I6, either a 302 or 302 stroker is going to feel like a bunch of power...and your driveline will notice it too so like others have said you will need to spend money on everything in the driveline.

9" rearends are king. They are used by most every racer around b/c they are very strong, have more pinion to ring contact than most any other rearend, are easy to work on and have a ton of parts available. Parts are very plentiful and if you cannot find a donor tube, there a bunch of aftermarket ones out there if you have the money. Unfortunately, many of the OEM 9" have been picked thru but you might get lucky. 8.8 rearends were the norm in foxbodies, Broncos, etc in the 80s and maybe 90s (don't know when/if they stopped putting them in). They are fine rearends, although not as great a the 9". Many 5.0 guys run them on their street cars. I cannot help you with widths on the 8.8, but I know a Versailles 9" is a direct fit. If you have a choice, pick the 9", but if you are not going to build a bully an 8.8 will be fine.

Norm Peterson

They still use the 8.8 in the V8 S197 Mustangs.


Norm