patience Woody One, jk

research, like the guy said Google this stuff, nothing you are doing nor planning is ground breaking, it all has been done before

a pro I spoke with dropped a 351 into a first gen mustang 64-73 and said it was a biatch, he did it but he's been doing it for neons

go the 302 route, be patient, start checking Craigslist, I bought a 302 with the C4 transmission for $100 bucks off of Craigslist

is there a Pick-n-Pull in your area give them a call, check their online inventory, it aint 100% accurate but it will give you an idea

I am not being a smart @ss with you, I sense your excitement and want you to do your research first so you do it right

if your car has 5 lug wheels on it (easiest way to tell if it indeed was a V8) then like the dude above stated you are way ahead of the game

to buy yourself some time and keep your mind bussy, work on the brakes, replace the suspension rubber bushings, maybe rebuild that crusty steering box, go over the electrical, you have tons to do as it is, replace the weather stripping

keep an eye on Craigslist, call some wreckers, $1,000 bucks on the engine will do just fine, but that won't include accessories like a good radiator & hoses $300, battery & terminals $100, etc, yes I'm estimating high

 

ok like i said im set on a 351w me and my dad already agreed on it. he owned a mach 1 back in his day and it had a 351 in it and he doesnt stop talking about that car so im trying to build this thing for how we want it and i wanna do it right the first time. so 351 it is. like i said previously i cant find a running 302 and i need the engine asap. im in an engine overhaul and machining class right now for the next 8 weeks so if i want to do it then nows the time so i can do it in class and have all the equipment for free and not have to send it out anywhere. so im question is: is a 351w out of a 92 ford van the same engine that people have been putting in their mustangs or is it something different.. its 150 dollars with 90000 miles on it so its heck of a deal!

 

Be careful. Offhand, I don't know whether the 351 in your dad's car would have been a 351 Cleveland or a 351 Windsor. They aren't the same.

The 351W blocks might all be the same (or close enough), but since I doubt that many people who have swapped a later 351W into their Mustang left it in anywhere near the stock condition for the vehicle it came out of, almost everything else could be different. The way Ford would spec out a van engine (low end torque being far more important than high rpm HP) wouldn't be the way a Mustang engine-swapper would spec out his version of the same motor.

Alternatively, you could just do a stockish short-block rebuild/reman for now with the intention of modifying the engine further at a later date. That would at least get you to the point of having the block and crankshaft preparation and machining done. Choose pistons for the compression ratio you want, and the harmonic balancer and flywheel/flexplate you need (either neutral balance or specific in-oz imbalance) and get your rotating assembly balancing done, too. Everything else - manifold, cam, heads, etc. - can be selected or swapped later, even after the engine has been installed in the car.

I do understand that you're apparently under some time pressure here, or you're at least putting yourself under it. That's probably the worst position to be in when you're looking at taking on any project of significant expense or complexity. This job has both, plus since it's something that you've never done before you'll find you have questions later that right now today you don't even know what they are.


Norm

 

does anyone know the difference between a 351w out of a van and one out of a car or even something else??

 

A 351 windsor block is a 351 windsor block. The differences between vehicle applictions will be the pistons, cam, valvetrain and head castings.

Piston differences could be cast, hyper forged and head displacement.
Cam differences could be lift, duration and type of lifter.
Head castings vary by port sizes(also called average cross section) and valve sizes. This greatly affects maximum performance.


Since you are in an engine overhauling class why not rebuild a 302 HO. Most can get buy with a hone, crank turn and new crank, rod, cam bearings and rings on the shortblock. If a set of GT40's can't be found dirt cheap than port and mill the stock E7 heads. Reuse the stock HO roller cam and lifters. If you have a little left to spend buy a Trick Flow spring kit designed to work with OEM ford heads and run used Crane/Ford cobra 1.7 pedestal mount roller rockers. Bolt up a used Performer RPM or Air Gap intake and whatever carb is laying around.

Don't get hyped up with the low end torque thing. It ain't all that. Nothing exciting is happening at 2500rpms unless you are pulling a boat over the edge of a cliff. A lot of older 'How To' books stress the importance of low end torque. This leads internet know it alls down this path. I was that way before I tried a different route. Remember, you are building a mustang, not a truck. You won't be racing spreadsheets or claimed hp or torque numbers. You zip around in a ponycar not a piece of paper.

 

It seems as if you've made up your mind without doing the research.

As far as the differences between a van motor and a car motor, I suspect all the bracketry, heads, cam, etc. would be different.

I can't imagine where you live that you can't find a 302 HO running for a decent price, and it is probably (almost certainly) the best way to get a V8 into your car for <$1,000.

If you're stuck on a 351W, you need to probably double or triple your budget.

 

i did some research and ive heard that 351w's are good choices for a budget aslong as it runs.. i couldnt find any 302's that werent blown or seized! and if i did they were out of my price range so if my project a 351w out of a 92 van should be do-able right? im not looking for the best cause im in college im looking for a good engine setup for a summer/weekend car.

 

Go for it. Please detail your work here on the forum so that others may enjoy/learn. Since your a college man, I would expect some pretty good detail on the build.

 

found out that a van or truck 351w has a four bolt main so its better i guess. so im guessing a van 351w is a good buy for 150 dollars

 

I'm pretty sure no 351Ws rolled out of Ford with 4 bolt mains unless it came out of Ford racing, SVO block maybe.