Just got into tearing apart the 289 out of my 64.5. Here is the breakdown of the drivetrain.

Original 4 speed with 6 bolt pattern (boing to rebuild it as well as it is rusted nasty inside), and an original 8" rear that will stay intact.

I want to redo the engine as the Carb is shot - Intake is rusty - water pump will need replacing.. heads are too restrictive.. heck I am probably going to gut the whole thing and redo it.

Of course the problem arises that I want to spend around $2k to $3k and I don't want so much power that I ruin the rear end, or so much bottom end that I can't go down the highway at 75 without it being in the 5000 rpm zone...

I have searched throught the forum and found various threads on this topic, but most are older and I am wondering based on newer products out there what might be the best way to go.

So in a nutshell, if you had $2k to $3k to rebuild what would you do... Please don't say crate as I am seeing that most good crates go for way more than that.

Thanks in advance

 

Hiya ... i know i know this is not your question, but are you sure your setup is original ?
I don't think there is such a thing as 6-bolt pattern on 64-1/2 mustangs?! i think that only started around 66. check the date stamp on your engine.

You mention:
"...so much bottom end that I can't go down the highway at 75 without it being in the 5000 rpm zone..."
This has _nothing_ to do with the engine. this depends _only_ on your gearbox, rear axle ratio and tyre diameter.
Let's say as example your engine currently turns 3500 when you drive 75 then this value will not change no matter what you do to your engine. The only thing the engine will affect is how quick you get to this speed. speed is directly related to engine rpm when you don't change gear or axle ratio or tyres. hope it makes sense.

i don't have much experience in engine rebuilding so I better not comment on this ;-)

 

Well I thought it was original... LOL. It was my understanding that the later 64s did have the 6 bolt housing rather than the 5 bolt but I will definitely check the date stamp...

Good to know about the gearing,

still looking for some insight and help on the original question though..

 

Here's a link to '64 1/2 differences. It says 5 bolt. There's a lot of '64 1/2 info on this site.

http://www.early-mustang.com/modules...showpage&pid=7

 

it all really depneds on what you have at the moment and where you want to be. I'd start with measuring compression. If the bottom end of the engine is still good then get a header, carb, intake and heads and cam for the money you say. that might bring you in the 300HP+ range. If you want more then you will end up doing bottom end work as the stock rod bolts will go flying when you rev past 5500rpm (so I hear). If the bottom end is not that good anymore then you might even be better off leaving your engine as is, try to source a good used one and work on that.

I don't know how much you know about classic mjustangs, but there might be a chance your car was original 6cylinder and only upgraded. That was the case with my car and I ended up to have replacing a lot of other things that broke under the 289 before I even got started touching the engine

Kalli

 

I ran the vin and it definitely came with a 4 speed and 289 4v.

I did some research and it DEFINITELY has a 6 bolt pattern. So whether or not it is the new engine I don't know.

All that aside, I would still love to hear any input on what all could be done to this engine.

Thanks Kalli for giving more insight into this..

 

Honestly, you have to tell us what condition your motor is in.

Does it need to be rebuilt?
What is the compression on all 8 cylinders? Are they close together?
Do you have cylinder wall wear issues?
Has the engine every been bored?
Do you want to run after market heads, intake, carb, ignition, etc or stay original?
How much power do you want to make and at what rpm?
What kind of gas do you want to run (i.e. 87 or 110 race gas)?
What kind of clutch and pressure plate do you have in the toploader?

I know nothing about 8" rearends other than they are very limited in what power they will handle. Ask Kalli about that.

I would be glad to help out, but we really need to know more information because you may burn a bunch of money if you need machine work and a new rotating assembly. If that is all good, then you can spend your money on cam, heads, intake, carb, ignition, exhaust, etc.

 

If it's six bolt then it is a later engine and bellhousing. That's not a bad thing, but you do need to identify the engine.

You also need to decide what you want out of the build. The key is in the combination. If you decide up front what you want, then we can do a much better job of making suggestions.

Unless you will be racing, building lots of horsepower should not be your goal. TORQUE is what makes a car fun to drive, and besides it's cheaper to build a torque engine than to build a high horsepower engine.