so im almost done with my 67, i just need to finish the interior and paint. ( wont be painted for a while i want to do it myself and maby take some classes )
so im looking to buy another car to work on, my moms loves the first gen corvettes, i cant afford one of those, and shes told me many times about the mustang she grew up with, 65 red with a black vinyl top, so ive been looking to get a 65 or 66 for her. im thinking id get one with a inline 6 if i cant find one in my price range with a v8, but my real question is would a modular 4.6 fit in a 65,66? or should i just put a 302 in?

 

The mod motor takes alot of work and money to fit any early mustang.The 302 fits fine the 351w and 351c are a tight fit but can be done.

 

You have to change the complete front suspension and remove the shock towers to get a mod motor in it. I would just go with a 302 crate motor.

 

You can't just drop a V8 in an I6 car, it's a more complicated process. You need replace the springs, brakes, rear end, tranny, and engine wiring harness, as well as some other things I'm probably forgetting. You're much better off buying a gutless V8 car and dropping a crate engine in that.

 

o i know, id be fine with doing that if i couldnt find one with a v8 then it would just be a longer project. but thats what i thought about the mod motor. i really wanted to use one.

 

To put a mod motor in a 65-66 you need to change the front suspension to a Mustang 2 type suspension (Heidt's, Rod & Custom, etc.) or Griggsto get rid of the shock towers. It's getting to be a popular swap(in fact, I'm doing it). I would go with a DOHC motor if you're going to do all that work (and expense). It is expensive - figure $2200-$2800 for the M2 front suspension if you weldit in yourself. You will also need to replace the rear-end (you will anyway going from a 6 to V8 of any kind) and you probably need more than an 8" (8.8" or 9" to hold the power). Youwill almostcertainlyhave to doctor the tunnel to fit in a T-45, TR3650 or T-56 transmission.

Anddon't even think about building a cheap 4.6L motor - buy agood, low mileage Cobra motor (but it has probably been abused at least a little) or a 96-98 Mark VIII motor (if you want good performance but don't want to beat every 'Vette in town).I have over. . .in mymotor (and I put it together myself - about 40 hours)and figure I saved over $1500 by getting great buys on parts (ebay and forums). The gaskets alone are almost $400 for a mod motor (and if you go with Cometic head gaskets,add $200). Definitely find a good, low-mileage,ready-to-install motor and don't open it up.

There are a bunch of other things to think about (new fuel system for fuel injection [$500-$1000], electrical andwiring issues [engine wiringharness, PCM and harness], engine cooling - bigger radiator, new instruments with electric speedometer [$200 for electric speedo], etc.), but this should get you thinking (twice!).

Other than that, it's not a big deal. (There probably is a reason the Reenmachine 67 Shelby 4.6 was listed for $139,900. Check out their website for build photos - www.reenmachine.com .)

 

ya i think the mod 4.6 is out of the questions, for a 65 66 but she also likes 68 but only with a vinyl top, if i can find one ill think about putting it in that.
and for the price of the engine it would be a long term project for that ( if i went for the 4.6 ), but i think it will end up with a 302 or a 351 i dont want to deal with efi, i like carbs better.

 

I would find out what Mom really wants from the car in terms of driveability and power. She might be happy with a 6 cyl but want more in the way of creature comforts.

 

she wants a v8 she wants a daily driver but with more power than the inline 6 and she wants a pretty smooth and wants to havepretty good handling with power steering and brakes. thats another reason why id want to do the 6 to 8 swap id be changing the suspension anyways, o and cant forget the 5 speed. , and the interior to be original but with after market 3 point seats belts and air conditioning.