Hey guys new here but looking for some options. The car I have is a 260 V8 and a C4 tranny. it is numbers matched and the only reason I know is this car has been in my family from 65 on. I dont want to use the motor as I dont want to mess it up however part of me says use it.

I would like to restomod it with dis brakes, fuel injection and a T5 swap. would I be destroying this car by doing that? I know it is a coupe, it was built in July 22.

So should I resotomod and sell the motor and tranny?

Or go stock?

As a note I wont sell this car it will be passed on to my children and so on just like it has for me. I really dont care about value $$ wise just more worried about history.

Thank you for any help

 

The question is, why are you considering the changes? If you are driving the car for fun, the EFI would be an expensive waste of time and cash. Disc brakes? Are you competing in autocross or living in the mountains? If you just want the brakes to be easier, get the OEM type booster. The T5? Yeah, if you are into shifting, that would be a lot of fun and well worth it from that standpoint.

Whatever you do, don't sell major components like the trans. It is original, and hard to find. The small amount of cash you get won't compensate for the loos of value of originality. You may not care about original, but 20 years from now your kids may be sticking pins in a doll of you for dumping the original stuff.

This car is a one-owner 64 260 3-speed. The car was restored to exact original and is now collecting a lot of trophies, and by the way is a real gas to drive.

 

well i have the same car with the same modifications. I got the car from LA and to me it has no history apart from my own. i never wanted one that was 'original', otherwise i wouldn't have bought a 6banger. however the car being in the family for so long i wouldn't change and 2+2 has a valid point with the needles. however If you absolutely have to modify it, then do not sell any part that came of the car. keep the engine. keep everything so you can revert your changes at any time.
i'm the same opinion with the efi, unless you drive 150 miles with it on a daily basis, i just wouldnt.

 

I would stay original since it has always been in the family. Unless you are trying to stop from 100 MPH or driving though water all the time the drum brakes are fine.

 

If its all original then i would say keep it that way. Your grandkids will thank you. C code modded coupes are a dime a dozen. You will be able to pick one up for a few grand and can have all of the fun you want.

You wont be able to use the 260 with a T-5, wrong bellhousing bolt patterns.

 

Well I have decided to keep the combo that I have. I cant tear something apart like this so resto it is. It will only be a weekend cruiser.

 

That'll be perfect for that. I'd only do minor things, say, GR2 shocks painted black. If you have to work on the engine at some point, port-match the heads to the manifolds. This was a point where Ford was pretty sloppy.

 

Good on you, i think you made the right decision. Minor bolt ons wont hurt anything, like valve covers. Just hang on to the old parts and with a few hours of work you can go back to stone stock.

 

I'll say this. They are only original once. If I had something like that, I would probably keep it stock. I love seeing stuff like that on cruise night.

I'd even keep the factory valve covers etc.

 

Yeah, any high school kid can throw a bunch of chrome at an engine, but it's an impressive amount of work to get a classic engine detailed right.