I'm purchasing a 1969 Fastback and I'm looking for suggestion on what to upgrade. It's a 302 2v and I plan to add an export brace and monte carlo bar, I'm just wondering if there are any appreciable upgrades I should do for less than $1000. Also is it normal for the rear leaf springs to extend about 3-4" below the body?

 

yank out the 302 and drop at LEAST a 351 in there, peferably a 427/8/9

i know, less then 1000 lol. whats your plans for the car? street handeling, dragstip, fun cruiser?

handeling: suspension package (look at mustangsplus, mustangsunlimited, ect)

strip: heads,cam,intake (lil over 1000 but worth it)

cruiser: GEARS!

 

It'll be a daily driver, but I don't want it tamed enough that I can't beat a ricer or two. I just can't stand the sound of those riding lawnmower engines.

 

Get the car and do a complete once over then get back with us. You may need basics that you do not know about but things like carbs, intake and headers with a nice dual exhaust are starters and should keep you less then $1000. What did you pay for the car and what kind of condition is it in?

 

If you're just buying the car, plan on spending the first $1000 on making sure all the safety and reliability features are right. Then...later on, worry about upgrading performance.

- Front brakes in great shape. If drums, consider upgrading to discs. Good pads/shoes, turned drums/rotors, no leaks, adjusted properly, etc.
- Steering - no slop or looseness in the tie rods, idler arm, pitman attach point, steering box. You want it to steer nice and tight.
- Suspension - Ball Joints, upper A arm bushings, wheel bearings, good shocks, etc.
- Seat belts - Complete and in good working order. Use shoulder harness
- Tires - good shape, with good tread, and good front end alignment.
- Rear brakes in good working order or over hauled.
- Headlights working brightly
- Windshield wipers working properly
- Cooling system operating properly. No leaks, old hoses, no overheating, etc.
- Electrical system - good battery, no problems to leave you stranded

Thennnnn.... start upgrades.

 

Shelby drop. It's essentially free and will probably make the biggest difference in handling of anything you could do for less than $1k.

Sounds like someone put lift shackles on the rear of your car. I'd start looking at areplacement leaf kitto put it back at stock ride height the correct way.

 

If you dont mind 17 inch rims http://www.mustangsteve.com/cobrabrakes.html the cobra brakes are pbr same thing baer brakes really are and there a lot cheaper.

 

I payed about $7000 for her. The body is in good condition, needs a new paint job, the interior is great, actually it has mostly aMach 1 interior, even has the clock in the passenger dash. I thought it was aMach 1, until Iran the VIN and ID tags, it has a Mach 1 scoop with turn signals, front and rearspoiler, louvers, someone put a lot of work into fitting her out like a Mach 1. I haven't taken a close look under the car, but there doesn't seem to be too much rust, I'll probably just throw on some of that catalyitic rust-to-primer aerosol. It has a dual exhaust system with an H pipe. The engine is UGLY, not in bad shape, just dirty and I'm guessing whoever dropped the 302 in was color blind. The engine block and valve covers are blue, the distributor cap is brown, the sparkplug wires are yellow, with a couple orange in there, and the heat exchange tubing is red. Ouch. I won't be able to see her again for at least a week, but I think I got a good deal, especially considering how much 'stangs go for here in Canada- I saw a brown 1972 w/302 coupe that had obviously been rolled and had the roof cut off andwelded back on go for $7500.

 

+1 what JamesW said. I bought my car it had alot of performance parts already on it when I bought it, however basic stuff like braking, cooling, wiring, and suspension were severly lacking. I temporarily fixed the drums for about $50, then later converted to front discs. Completely redid the cooling system (alum rad, elec fan, high flow alum water pump, etc) early on, because I couldn't drive the car 20 minutes w/o it boiling over. Ditched the air shocks and sagging rear springs for 5 leaf mid eyes & KYB'sto get the stance I wanted. While most of these changes didn't improve the straight line accelleration (except for ditching the stock no-flex fan for an elec fan) they greatly improved the driveability of the car.

Also,you will be surprised how far $1K will go if you do the work yourself and shop around for parts (eBay, Mustang Forums, Internet retailers, etc). Some of my upgrades were extremely cheap, because I was able to find a deal and then sell my existing parts and recoup most of the cost... allowing for more upgrades!

Good luck with the new Stang.