what would it take to put a 289 into a fox body? I know I would need the correct motor mounts, but what would be some other things I would need?

my car has a c4 auto so would I need a different bellhousing?

or would I be stepping into a whole mess of trouble...

 

What does the fox have in it now, i did a conversion on my 66 and it was not too bad the bigest thing you need is time. Mounts will probably be good to check into. it really matters on what you have.

 

Why are you wanting to put a 289 in a Fox? The 302 works just fine, and is the original basic engine, Besides, this is the classic section of the MF. Why don'tyou ask this question in theFox section?

 

I'd figure that you guys would know a lot more stuff about the old school engines than the guys in the 5.0 section.

and the car currently has thhe 3.8 sixer, but the C4 trans has the same bellhousing, mounts, and k-member as it's v-8 big brother

 

the 302 is easier to get and the fox was made to accept it. So I'm not sure why someone would want to put the 289 into the fox.

edit: I used to have a notch back that looked exactly like your car (look closely at the left side of the picutre in my sig).

 

Correct me if I am wrong but a 289 is almost exactly like the 302. You will need new plugs and different radiator you will need more water going through, and all the extra stuff that the engine requires, alternater etc. but it should not be that bad.

 

I don't know about smog requirements (that is a tough hurdle to overcome here in CA), but I'm pretty sure that PA has yearly 'safety inspections', don't they? If so, wouldn't that be quite an obstacle to any swap?

289 vs. 302 aside, your best (easiest) bet is to go to a pick and pull and get as many parts as you can that are V-8 specific. Scratch that, unless you are really lookingforward to such an undertaking, I'd try to locate a car that already has a 5.0 engine. Even if the engine is tired, replacing a 5.0L engine will be a lot easier (cheaper) than swapping from a V-6 to a V-8. For starters, IIRC, you might have the tiny 7.5" axle which was suspect at best. I swapped a 351W into an '85 GT with a 5.0L and it was still quite an undertaking. I also had to swap the small axle out because the 8.8" didn't become standard in the 5.0L Mustang until 1986 I believe.

 

I'm with Soaring, I say don't.

 

I always thought that the 7.5 could take around 200 hp I know the '85 GT made 200-210ish with the 7.5. I'm not trying to make 300+hp, though with the lightweight fox, it would be awesome[8D]

as for the engine swap, I have called a few local shops in locating an engine, but they havnt found any replacement sixers with under 90K on them, so I am just keeping my options open and seeing what I can do. I;ll have a bit more than a grand to play with, and I just want to get my stang rolling before some thing else falls off my buick.

 

just do a 5.0 swap, unless you just have a 289 laying around then i would go to a junkyard and pull a 5.0 out of another vehicle