Tuning a '66 / Just Saying Hello

[Superhereaux]

posted this in tech so i'll keep the pleasantries to a minimum

Actual questions are near the bottom and this is the subject

a Springtime Yellow '66 GT Coupe
automatic with the center console, 4 brl. 289, black vinyl top, black pony interior, p/s, a/c, mileage under 100k? the "nice looking rims" and stock as a rock

My dad bought the car around '98-99 for my brother and at the time it drove like a top. started every time, ran great, didn't smoke and my brother drove it daily for a few years without any trouble before he got his 'o1 GT. the car was GORGEOUS back then and almost, hell it was flawless, problem is that was almost 10 years ago and my brother, nor my dad know the first thing about car maintenance (nor did i at the time but i wasn't even old enough to drive yet) and on top of that my dad thinks regular maintenace is "a waste of money" so since then the car has seen the open road maybe a handful of times the years following her retirement and now probably a solid 5 years since she's even been started.

Bottom line, i want to get her back in prime running condition. problem is the car is 1,200 miles away so there's nothing i can do now except plan ahead. i'll be heading home within the next few months so i want to be at least semi-prepared with a little knowledge when i start the semi-restoration.

this is where you guys come in

I have a lightly modded 'o2 GT and i've dabbled a bit with a few other 5.0's and 4.6's so lets just say i'm a little more comfortable with fuel injectors, COP's and MAF sensors than those weird "car-butator" things that sit on top of the engine and that round thing in front with the wires coming out if it. to tell you the truth, pre-86 Mustangs (first year of FI) frighten and confuse me. if i need to tune somthing give me a wide-band O2 sensor and a laptop and i'm set. you hand me a timing light and a... (well i'm not exactly sure what you use to tune a carb a screwdriver?) and i'll just laugh and look at you funny. i'll probably have alot of dumb noob questions in the future so please forgive my ignorance


Actual questions:

If i buy an Edelbrock (or similar) carburetor do i have to "tune" and adjust it or is it ready to go right out of the box?

are you guys still running stock style distributors (points and such) or do you have an electronic setup? is is worth the step up?

the car is automatic, are these C4's? 3 speed i'm guessing?

what rear end does it have? gears? are they limited slip?

 

[wicked93gs]

you know...if you are more comfortable with EFI its easy enough to swap out the intake with a 5.0 manifold, injectors, and rewire it to run on EFI, but then, I prefer EFI, I think carbs are a pain to keep tuned(not hard to do, just uneeded since EFI)

to answer your questions...all carbs have to be tuned to your particular engine
I ran an points on my old 67 for a time, then switched to electronic ignition...I preferred the electronic ignition, not having to change points is always good in my book, the C4 is a 3 speed as you guessed...as for rear end gears....it varies depending on options(my old 67 coupe was 2.8 I believe and was a 2 barrel v8 stock, c4 tranny)....as for limited slip....I really dont know, not sure if "lockers" were LSDs or just plain detroit lockers....doesnt make much difference to me, I have a 8.8" in my 66(came from an 84 lincoln, not stock)

 

[Rusty67]

Superhereaux, welcome to the classic side of Stangnet =)

Since the car has been siting for so long, you may want to go a head and change the oil and prime the oil pump before you go to start it.

What are you plans for the car ? Do you want to stay with the more original equipment or would you want to upgrade it to late model stuff like EFI and possibly an AOD ?

As for the rear end, it should be an 8". There are axle tags which can be decoded as well as the data plate on the door and the vin number to tell you what the car came with out of the factory. IMO, best way to find out what is in it is to put the trans in neutral, jack the car up and spin the drive shaft. Count out the revolutions for your ratio and if both wheels spin the same way you have some form of posi/locker in there.

 

[Superhereaux]

heh, if it were up to me i'd drop in an EFI full TFS H/C/I 331 stroker with a T5 behind it, a stout 8.8 with 3.73's, some 17's all around and paint it a deep blue but it's not my car


it's still my dad's/brother's car and i know they're against any kind of mods whatsoever. if it was up to them they'd be happy to let the car sit there and rot just as long as hey can say "yeah i got a '66 Mustang"
but i can't sit there and let that happen to such a gorgeous, once pristine car

 

[Rusty67]

If you are going to upgrade a classic don't bother with an 8.8. A 9" is just so much damn better =-)

The main thing I would worry about with that car is rust. Is it parked in doors ?

 

[brianj5600]

8.8s rule!

 

[Tim65GT]

Welcome to classics!

Q 1: An Edelbrock can be run out of the box for most applications. Initially, I got a 1404 (500 cfm) and jetted it a little leaner because of the higher altitude here.

Q 2: I think most people who tweak on their older cars ditch the points. I got a MSD $$$ Ready to run electronic distributor, but a Pertronics point conversion kit is a popular swap and a lot cheaper.

Q 3: Yes, the auto is a 3 speed C4. Usually a pretty stout transmission and has parts available and cheap.

Q 4: I have a 8" with 3.00 open differential. Not many came with limited slip.

 

[Superhereaux]

The main thing I would worry about with that car is rust. Is it parked in doors ?

no rust when we bought it and it's always been garage stored since we've had it. it's currently sitting alone in my brother's garage, he's using the hood as a folding table for his laundry

Welcome to classics!

Q 1: An Edelbrock can be run out of the box for most applications. Initially, I got a 1404 (500 cfm) and jetted it a little leaner because of the higher altitude here.

is 500 cfm good on a stock 289? at most i might throw on an Edelbrock intake/cam and some hi-po exhaust manifolds just to wake it up a little

would the hi-po manifolds work with the factory exhaust? they look a bit longer than the stock pieces

 

[Rapid]

I did the Edelbeock mods you mentioned and ended up with 180 hp at the rear wheels. 2 bl 289s delivered about 150. The 500 cfm carb is great but I would go with the 600 if I did it over again. Look at the Ford Muscle article on adding your fisrt intake and carb, They discuss Holly, Edelbrock etc. and their relitive stregnths and weaknesses.

 

[Superhereaux]

Look at the Ford Muscle article on adding your fisrt intake and carb, They discuss Holly, Edelbrock etc. and their relitive stregnths and weaknesses.

where do i find this article?

 

[2bav8]

http://www.fordmuscle.com/archives/2007/08/289Dyno/index.php
You do have to have a subscription to read the full article.