Guys,

I need some advice on which direction I should turn with my car. Also input on what my options are for each project, and the most cost effective way to accomplish them. I've got the car looking the way I want and performing nicely. The stuff I'm facing now is all "big" or "involved" projects and I can't make up my mind how to approach them.

One is a new front suspension (Mustang II-ish) and shaving the shock towers. The 408 is shoe horned in there, even with the "correct" engine swap headers (which leak horribly due to each side having one of the primaries a slip fit). I could really use the extra room. I'd be happy with manual steering (what I've got now), but think with a newer style front end it would drive better and be safer at the end of a quarter mile.

Two is an upgrade to the brakes. I've done the Granada front brake swap but am still using the original single resevoir master cylinder (again, manual not power). They can stay manual but I would like to plumb a dual resevoir master cylinder, add a proportioning valve and possibly upgrade the rear brakes to disc.

Three is an update to the fuel system and the addition of nitrous. Right now I'm using the stock tank with an electric pump and regulator in a non-return (dead head) setup. In hot weather it tends to vapor lock sometimes. Letting the regulator send extra gas back to the tank should solve that problem, but I don't know if the stock tank can be plumbed for that or if I should just go with a fuel cell at that point (and if so how to go about making up for not having a bottom to the trunk anymore with the stock tank gone). I would also like to install a nitrous kit (since the engine was built for it) but don't know if I'd need a secondary pump/lines/regulator or could just use what I've got with a regulator with more ports on it.

Four is a swap from the AOD to a Toploader. I've asked about this one before (thanks for the replies) and have been pointed to Perogie's. I've pretty much made my mind up on doing this one, it's just that with the cost involved I can't decide if I should do it first or do the things above first (and what order for them).

Thanks in advance for your time and input,

Justin
1966 Mustang GT
408 (stroked 351W), AOD, 9"
13 flat @ 105

 

definitely the trans since your car seems like its a straight line car only judging from that huge hood thing....

 

you could always notch the shock towers tell the upper control arm bolt holes or http://www.rrs-online.com/index.php has a big notching kit but you have to use there coil overs or if you really want the mustang 2 set up http://www.martzchassis.net/ has the srtongest i seen. id 4link the rear another set of rims with slicks a cage and better trans. more power is the last thing id think of safety and relieable should be first

 

Well the AOD handles the power ok, and an automatic is always better for drag racing than a manual. It's just that every other vehicle I own (or have ever owned) is a stick, and I figure my "toy" should be too. There's just something about rowing through the gears yourself, and I want that feeling in this car.

As for the hood, I needed some kind of hole / cowl as the taller deck height and high rise intake put the carb itself right at the bottom of the stock hood. So I figured I might as well go bonkers on a fiberglass hood rather than try to make the stock (and much heavier one) work.

Justin

 

Thanks for the links!

Justin

 

well if you want a taller profile, supercharger time

wellmaybe not...but for a trans, you want a manual, get a tremec t56

 

if you want to keep the AOD, why not a ratchet shifter so you can "manually" shift????

 

you would need a valve body mod(or complete valve body) also to correct the aod shift pattern its 1,3,od u have to shift to 3 and hammer it back into 1st to be able to hold second which is very hard on the tranny

 

ohhh okay, didn't know that, thanks rmodel... guess I'm lucky I got a C4

 

The AOD has a Lentech valvebody and 3k stall, plus some other internal upgrades, and is operated by a ratcheting B&M cable shifter. So it's as "right" as it can be, it's just not the same as operating a clutch.

I would most likely go with a Toploader because it'd be more period correct (not a huge concern for me) and a more straightforward and cost effective swap (a much bigger concern for me). I've only got 3.25 gears in the 9" so the loss of overdrive wouldn't be a big deal. But if I could find a 6 speed that cost about the same and was a straightforward swap I don't see why not.

Justin