i am new to the forum as well as new to classic mustangs. i am pretty much new to the engine aspect. i bought a haynes manual and it has been my best friend for a while. on post ( i am in the military) we have shop with all the tools, welders, and lifts i will ever need and i have about 8 months till i go to germany, so i want to make this thing a beast. i own a 68 mustang with the 289 engine. ill list what i have done and hope fully you guys can answer some of my questions. i have

edlebrock 650 carb
edlebrock performer intake
msd ditributer
msd ignition
4 speed top loader trans (dont know the number) with hurst shift kit

what i want to do is switch the heads out, cams and maybe pistons, but there are so many choices and so many kinds i am lost. one needs a hydraulic cam shaft and the other needs something else so on so forth. i don't even know were to start. i really just need a direction to go in so i don't go out and buy 351 heads that don't fit on my 289 or but something that needs something else and my car is down for weeks. i have a bit of money, i just got back from iraq so i really want to just do it up right. any help would be appreciated.

 

and to top it off i destroyed my flywheel, so i need one of those too. till i get one it is a push start that runs like a chevy.

 

What's your budget?

 

well i have about 5k and i can do the work my self. looking for reliabilty and power.

 

Ok, you can get a decent amount of work done on that budget. Realize, though, that you're not going to build a monster motor on a stock bottom end. You can make plenty of power, but it's not going to be earth-shattering. Also, you're going to need to upgrade other parts of the car to account for the increased power.

Here's what I'd recommend:
CSRP front disc conversion (no sense in going faster if you can't stop)
Springs and shocks all the way around
Replace any worn suspension components
Shelby drop
Monte carlo bar, export brace, and 15/16" front sway bar
Trick Flow Twisted Wedge aluminum heads
Weiand Stealth intake (you can sell the Performer)
Flat tappet hydraulic camshaft (which can be picked at a later date)
New rear gears, ratio tbd at a later date, and a Detroit TrueTrac differential if it fits in the budget

I think you can fit all that into $5k if you shop around a little and do all the work yourself.

 

thanks a ton. that is exactly the direction i am looking for. i make about a grand every 2 weeks to dump into this mustang so ill be back to get more advice!

 

Good to hear. Welcome to the forum

Oh, btw, ditch that Hayne's and pick yourself up a Factory Service Manual. You can get one online or from any Mustang parts vendor for about $40, and it'll show you how to do just about anything you need to do to your car, with accurate diagrams and instructions.

 

sweet. i have also done the suspension up. i guess i was not descriptive enough. i put on new leaf springs and shocks all around. i used to own a jeep so that was the easy part for me. i am also looking to grab an lsd to get rid of the one wheel of thunder. one question is, what fly wheel do i get? there are different teeth so i am confused on what to order. while i have it out i am changing the clutch, should i go to a 2 stage or stay with a single and just get performance grade?

 

Can't help you any, but welcome to the forums.

 

For the differential, I'd recommend that Detroit TrueTrac I mentioned. It's not a limited-slip, it's a torque sensing worm gear differential. No clutches to wear out, and they supposedly work fantastic. A couple members here have them and love them. Obviously you should do the gears at the same time.

Can't help you with the flywheel, aside from telling you that it's a 28oz imbalance. There are a couple tooth options available, I just don't know for sure which you need. I'm sure somebody else will, though.