1966 Sprint 2000, remake & upgrade

[Martyred]

1966 Sprint 200, remake & upgrade

Hello everyone,

I use to browse this forum along time ago to talk about things pertaining to my 1999 35th Mustang, and now i come back to talk about my plans and get suggestions for my 1966 Mustang upgrade.

What i have now:
A fully functional, in great condition 1966 sprint 200. The engine is a I6 and other then the look of the car and its "original" state, there is nothing really exciting about it. It has always been a dream of mine to fix it up, but I've just kept it original. Well now i want to make it not only a classic mustang, but also a mix of old school style with modern power. I plan to upgrade just about everything in the car eventually, but as you all know budgets are tight.

I am flying down to the garage I've had it stored in to drive it back to NC and start working on it. I will get pictures for everyone once i get back in town. I also plan to sell my 1999 35th ed mustang to fund this project.

So what i need to know from you guys, is what projects have you seen here, or anywhere about engine swaps, classic mustang upgrades, T5 conversions, etc.

My budget for this project is about 5-6k and i have access to tools and help for any work that needs to be done, so don't factor those into any equations if you feel the need to post a sort of "over all fund" estimation.

Just so you know i am performing searches on the forums to find information, its alot of stuff to filter through

 

[BullittStangV8]

5-6 K will not get it done IMO. For a motor, I assume you want a v8. a complete 5.0 longblock that is geared towards performance will be 5 K alone. (for example a DSS 331 longblock toped with AFR's and an airgap intake will run close to 6k. (less if no forged internals are used). Trannys can be found used for decent costs I assume.(300-$1000). The rear from a 6 cylinder will not hold up to v8 power, so that will need to be replaced. I dont know about the ignition side of it, but new MSD 6AL box, blaster 2 coil, and distributor will run close to $4-500. There are countless other small things that creep up. (like motor mounts, ect.) IMO 5-6K will not make it, unless you go with used parts for almost all of the build. Like the saying goes..."make a budget...you will need double that...and maybe double that". I still say go for it tho!

 

['66 coupe]

What do you want to do?
V8? Mod the six?

What's your objective?
Quick straight lines, decent handling, Pro-touring, or a nice driver?

Also, what condition is the car in?
If the car is already in show condition, you're saving a lot of money right there. You can stretch that $5-6k for decent brakes, suspension, and drivetrain by shopping carefully, and doing most of the work yourself. Like Bullittstangv8 said, you may need to employ used parts, but if you inspect and recondition the parts carefully, you just might be able to pull it off.

If the car needs quite a bit of work, plan on keeping the six, or sell the entire thing to someone that wants a Sprint 200 project. Then use the money to get a decent V8 car(if that's your objective).

The best advice I can give though, is if the car is in show condition, but you want it(that same car) to have a V8; upgrade everything else(brakes, suspension, etc...), THEN pull the six. My biggest mistake, which has left my '66 motionless for 2 years now.

 

[Martyred]

I do plan to save alot of money by gettin used parts and restoring them. As i said i've got a crew of friends that love working on restoring old cars.

I think the main plan is to make it a really exciting daily driver. I'm a show before go kinda guy, but i dont want like 500 hp in a highway car

I think the best thing for me to do is just get my reaserch done, and then post more direct questions as im sure you guys get sick of the "OMG i want a race car tell me how and cheap plz" post!

I fly to get the car tomorrow then ill post some pics so you guys can get an idea on how good of shape the car is in.

Thanks for the replies thus far!