Hello All,
I am about to begin work on restoring my 65' Mustang. It currently has a 289 Hipo in it w/ 130K miles. My question, is it worth rebuilding, or should I throw a different engine in there? I am not going to get rid of the 289, just don't have the tools, time, & know how to rebuilding an engine. If I were to throw a bigger engine in there... any reccomendations?
Thanks,
Charlie

 

You could put a 302, 351W or a 351C in there, but if it were mine, I would rebuild the Hipo and drive it. Even though the Hipo is a highly desireable engine, it is worth nothing taking up space in your garage.

 

+1

 

Rebuild the 289 HIPO you will not regret it.If I lived closer I would offer to buy it from you . Like Soaring said its worth nothing sitting in the garage.

 

If you haven't already, make sure your car still hase an authentic HiPo in it. A lot of things could have happened over the last 40+ years and a previous owner could have "thrown a different motor in there".If it is indeed a HiPo, rebuild it. If not, your options are open.

 

Is it a true HiPo? For all the times that reference is used describing an engine or car, it rarely seems to be accurate. If it is a true HiPo K-car, then by all means, rebuild it. If it is a true HiPo motor in a non-HiPo car, pull it and sell it and use the money to finance a new crate motor. It is worth more to somebody with a HiPo car than it is in your driver. For easiest and cheapest install, stick to a 302 and you're good to go. BTDT with a 351W in a '65, and while it had gobs of power and torque, it just wasn't fun to deal with in a '65. That is my opinion only, YMMV.

Good luck!

 

If you're sure it's a true HiPo then rebuild it for sure because it's worth it with that engine.Just buy the tools- they'll cost less than a new engine and you can use them forever on all sorts of things obviously. Rebuilding an engine isn't the hardest thing in the world if you take your time and do the research.

 

easy way to tell if its a hi-po or not is to pull a valve cover. if the springs sit in "pockets" they are correct heads and are not easy to find. I would most definately rebuild it - flat top pistolies and something around .480 lift cam would give great idle quality and tons of low/mid power. (not sure what grind cam and pistons ford used in the hi-po's - im just a lowly head shop machinist ; )

 

They came with a real nice solid cam with a decent lope. IIRC, they had pretty ordinary cast pistons.

 

I did some research on the HiPo sometime back and stuck it in the FAQ for this kind of discussion. It's just an engine, guys.Not something you want to put on a shelf and point at every now and then just to say you have one. Rebuild that sucker and drive it like it was stolen. That is was it was born to do. https://mustangforums.com/m_766107/tm.htm