Hi,
I am a new member of the forum and wanted to get some advice re . restoration of a 69 Mach 1 that I just purchased. It is a fairly original H code/fmx car that is meadowlark yellow/white interior. It has power steering,power brakes and AC. It has been owned by an older lady for the past 18 years. Is it better to beef up the stock engine( heads,carb,cam and exhaust) or just find a nice 4 barrel engine and drop it in( keeping the original)? I just wanted a little more hp. Thanks for the advice. HSB

 

That's got a 351 Cleveland in it doesn't it? Throw on JBL ceramic coated shorty headers, a mild cam and at least a 650CFI carb with an aluminum intake under it. Put on an MSD ignition system, then you will have all the HP you will need for street driving. You might want to look into some more aggressive mufflers for a bigger growl.

 

Hi,
It actually has a 351W. I didn't think they put the cleveland motor in till 1970. Thanks for the info. I like your picture. I guess I will have to take one of the 69 and 04. The 04 is white. HSB

 

well try the bolt ons first..then If you need more try a set of 1.7 roller rockers..a msd will help a ton with crisp throttle response and easier strating.....a 750 vac holley would be a nice addition.
use a dual plane intake
headers..keep header size down to help low end torque
put on a 2.5" exhaust
install a set of 3.70 gears in the 9"
lighter wheels will help with acceleration as well

 

 

I wouldn't run a 750 cfm unless you have a pretty good cam and aftermarket heads. Windsor heads just don't flow good enough for that.
For a few hundred dollars, get an edlebrock performer intake, cam, lifters and springs; some 'cheap' hedman headers, a 600 cfm carb, electronic ignition and new wires. That'll wake it up fast. Exhaust should be at least 2-1/4".
What is your rearend ratio?

 

The bottom line is....How much do you want to spend??? The cheapest and fastest way for more HP is a nitrous kit. A 125-150HP boost is nothing for a 351W. After that, try the bolt-on stuff...intake, headers, MSD ignition, carb etc… A Windsor power plant needs better heads for more horse power and that’s about a grand.

Back to the original question "How much do you want to spend???"

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