cab4word6754

Hi everyone,
We have a nice clean ragon red coupe with new TAs and 235x15x60s and the 289 w/2bl is getting old for road trips.
Seeking some advice. We know the miles are up on this old girl and want to do some cross country road trips when I retire in about 4-5 years. I feel a new crate motor is the best way but not sure as I have a couple request.
1 adding vintage air, should not be a problem
2 dont want hp, we want the best possible gas mph because fuel will never go down in price. thinking about efi. would like to improve on the 16-18 now
3 mite want to tow a tear drop trailior yes I know MPG will drop then
4 Overdrive if its makes sensie.
Also will be installing new stock springs. All bearings and brakes are done

If anyone can help please add your 2 cents.
thanks from Oregon
Chris

imp

Far better fuel economy is achieved through EFI, if you are willing to expend the time and effort, plus the cost. I yearned to convert a vehicle just like yours to EFI, but wound up doing others instead: '70 Bronco, '79 Ranchero, 1/2 t. Toyota pickup, '72 Maverick, among others.


I would personally not go with any engine/transmission combination newer than 1996, as OBD-II made things far more stringent. The last of the 302/5.0L engines Ford built for use in '94/'95 Mustangs would be an ideal choice. Drop-in on factory mounts.


Carburetors are dinosaurs. Some of the best-running, most reliable Mustangs were, IMO, the '89 - '93 Fox Mustangs. My '93 Cobra got 24 mpg highway, amazing for a car slightly heavier than the original '65. imp

cab4word6754

so should I look for 94-95 complete and just rebuild it stock? would buying a stang of that year could I use the trans too?

imp

I only mention the "SN95" eng. because Ford was selling them dirt cheap in the late '90s, as they had overproduced thousands, prepared to drop their use altogether, and introduce the 4.6L in Mustangs in '96. There may still be some of those original Ford Motorsports 5.0s around; hell, I bought 6!


The easier yet way to EFI is a 5.0L HO Mustang engine circa '89- '93. They were all basically alike. Their hardware is similar, computers similar, all Mass Air equipped, lent themselves well to performance e "hop-ups". A supercharger, for example, could be added which increased HP by over 100, with no other changes made to the operating system.


Some purists view such conversion in original Mustangs as sacrilegious. Others love it. This is a personal choice thing. imp