This is my first swap an I had ( and still) have a lot of questions. I will do this swap in stages, doing the engine tranny this year drive in the summer and work out all the bugs then do the suspension (4 to 5 lug swap next year) maybe paint and interior the year after.

 

That is backwards from what will work, I think.

You need that 8 inch rear end that comes with the 5 bolt.

It makes much, much more sense to change out the suspension parts, first, THEN swap the engine/tranny.

 

It may not be optimal, but I can attest that it WILL work. My front end sagged a little with the old suspension. And The smaller drum brakes were not optimal in a panic stop.

For what's it worth, I'm still running my C4 built for the I6 with no problems. Also, I tried very hard to grenade the 7 1/4 rear but simply could not . (My crate engine is rated 280 hp/320 ft. lbs. of torque.)

 

I agree, supporting mods first, then the new motor. That way if you decide to go crazy with the motor you can, and not worry about the other stuff.

Plus, you don't want to start hating to drive the mustang with the greater power but still crappy suspension/brakes. It will make it feel like a boat.

 

I did all supporting mods first, then a year or so later swapped in the 302.

 

I looked into this further last night, and in '68, the springs were the same for I-6 and small block V8 (non-GT350). So really, it's just motor mounts and tranny.

But I'm still doing mine the other way around. Doing the work myself, I am amazed at how affordable it is.

 

The basic question is within you.
Are going to race this thing? Are you a young fellow that needs a fast Mustang, or are you a proud owner of a classic?

Dan

 

It's not even wanting a fast Mustang. The very instant you start working seriously on an I-6 car, it rapidly becomes a bad return on investment, compared to just converting it to a V-8.

And once you decide to upgrade to better brakes, you may as well look hard at a V-8 conversion, because replacing brakes leads to replacing other suspension items, and in the scheme of things, putting in an engine that is actually supported and affordable to work on quickly becomes a logical choice.

I won't speak badly of someone's labor of love, but my I-6 has been through a series of crappy Autolite 1100 carbs, and the paper-mache' front drums have never been right, since they were new.

And you don't need to be young to want a fast car. I've had this car, off and on since I was 13, and I am finally at the age and financial position where I can afford to finally do those things I dreamed of with it when I was young, broke and dumb. It'd be interesting to hop up an I-6 as an experiment, for my money I choose a V-8 conversion. But that's later. I have a suspension rebuild to finish....