6 to 8 swap, yeah I know...

[Homercidal]

So, what's the big deal? I got a 69 coupe with a 250 and I want to put a V8 in there. The car is being stripped, cut welded, painted, etc.

Basically I'm going ground up. I have all of the parts, except for some rusted floors and things, but I thought while it's all apart, why not start building a V8? I can get one fairly cheap, and since the car will not be road-worthy for like 2 summers (Unless I hit the lotto), I'll have time to do a careful job.

All I've read around here is "Don't Do it!", "It's way more work than you think!", "Just buy a V8 car!", yada, yada. . . What I'd like to know, is exactly what will have to replaced? Cars and engines were sooo much simpler back then, it looks like a peice of cake. Of course I'd need tranny (Already looking), Radiator, Rear End. But, why Brakes and Steering? Brakes maybe I can understand, but the V8 is not THAT much heavier is it? Not any worse than having Big Bill in the seat next to me.

Keep in mind that I'm still pretty new to this kind of thing, but I feel I'm pretty mechanical so why not go for it. Everyone I've talked to said that it would be easy to put a 351W in the car and even the 3-speed will fit (But don't start draggin with it). I'm kinda confused about what I should do.

 

[rbohm]

with the 250, you can keep the three speed as it is the same 3.03 9 bolt top loader that goes behing the ford small block. the rear end should be an 8" rear, but check to be sure. if it is then you dont need a rear end either. you will need the V8 chassis mounts, V8 radiator, and V8 brakes, swap on disc brakes since you are building the car, and V8 springs. the drag link should be the same as the 250 is taller than the 200, and it sits lower in the engine bay than the 200 does. early cars needed to swap out the draglink as it woudl interfer with the oil pan, though usually near full lock. also the weight difference between the 351w and the 250 is like 150lbs.

 

[ARTTII]

I'd check out the "STICKY" on this topic in the classic talk section. It contains a lot of neat info. Nevermind this post if you've already seen it

 

[Homercidal]

Ok, I've checked out the sticky, but it really only talked about classics up to '67. I'm not sure how the '69 compares as far as the number of parts needed to replace. My guess is that it would need less parts as it's more likely that they used more heavy-duty parts for all versions. Of course I'd check this out before assuming.

One thing that I still have to ask... Why replace the brakes just for the extra weight of a V8? After all, that's really the only thing that's affecting the stopping distance. To be honest, I haven't even pulled the wheels off yet so I don't know which type of brakes are on it. (God I hope they are not 4-wheel drums!) However, I'll likely be replacing it all (insert sound of cash register here) when it goes back together.

My point is, I'm not necessarily going faster because I put in an 8 cylinder, I'll just be accelerating faster. I'm 34 and don't have dragstrip dreams. I'd just like to be able to make a little tire noise and get around a big truck easily.

 

[jcp123]

better brakes never hurt, though, and the extra weight is all over the front axle, basically distributing the 150lbs over 2 wheels rather than all four. this will strain the front brakes even more than they already are; the front brakes are the ones primarily responsible for stopping the car, so it's essential to upgrad the front brakes accordingly. one thing i'd like to bring up...were '69-up 6-cylinders also equipped with 4-lug bolt patterns?

 

[69stang351]

Actually I purchased a '69 coupe [rolling chassis] to replace the body on my other '69 coupe that had the I6 and all the interior [was wrecked when purchased] and they both came with 5 lug drum, I just switched everything into the rolling chassis and went, well later on down the road I had to replace the tranny 'cuz the PO hotrodded the thing all the freakin time [not just normal either, he was harsh on this old dog] anyway the rolling chassis originally had the 302 in it and I'm planning on doing the same thing, putting the 351 in it along with the FMX tranny and limited slip 9". I already made the granada disc brake swap so I'm ok there, although they are from an I6 car also.... The only thing I need to put the life back in her is the engine mounts [both for the engine and the shock towers] the 302 springs should be enough for the weight of this block, while giving it that lowered look in the front because of the extra weight it has over the 302. For the rear I have already installed Air shocks so I can raise/lower it as I please... I really don't think anything I have/plan on doing is wrong here but if there is anything you vetran mustang guys [i.e. the ones that grew up with the beasts] can see that will fail please let me know through this post or by pming me. Sorry for such a long post but I wanted to know if my setup was alright also.

 

[Homercidal]

Seems that since I am going to rebuild entire car, then might as well go with V8. I'm not sure about the brakes, but if need be, I'll just swap in larger when the time comes. Same with springs. One nice thing about larger brakes is that you can get more grabbing power with less effort. That's a bonus to me cause i"m used to power brakes.

Picked up a 351W 4Barrel, also has 2Barrel and manifold, and a 4-speed for under $200. The tranny came out of a truck, but he said that it wasn't creepers. I'll have to do some more research to find out if I can actually use it. At least the motor looks to be in decent shape, but I'll probably open it up and replace bearings and whatnot anyway.

Compared to restoring the body, the rest of this project looks really fun!

 

[68stang351]

A windsor in a car with four wheel 6cyl. drum brakes is dangerous. I've been down that road. Back before I put Granada discs on, it was just scary anytime I tried to stop the car. I drove it like that for six months. The extra weight IS a HUGE difference.

Trust me, you'll need new brakes!

 

[302 coupe]

in 69, the 6 cyl brakes were the same as the standard small block brakes I believe. If you're a little low on funds they'll get you by ok assuming they are rebuilt properly. Fade will become an issue after a few hard stops, but they are adequate otherwise. However, brakes are one thing that I believe you can't have too much of. You also *could* get by with the 250 coils in front, especially if you use an aluminum intake, headers, and anything else that gets of some cast iron pieces on the engine.

The rearend will be ok so long as you keep it under 300 or so horsepower, and don't abuse it too hard. Some people will say the 8 inch is a fine piece. I've had bad luck with 'em, every build I do from now on will have a 9 inch, unless it is a 100% stock cruiser. My experiences combined with the fact that Ford only trusted them to about 225 hp has steered me away from them.

Remember, good ain't cheap, and cheap ain't good. You can build a car on a tight budget, but it may fall short of your expectations. Better to do it once and do it right.

 

[Homercidal]

There's no way I'll have 4-wheel drums. I drove those once when I was a kid. Manual brakes are bad enough. I won't have any problem putting larger brakes on when the time comes. I still don't know which rear it has. I'll be going back over tomorrow maybe so I'll try and check it out then.

I got a tranny from the guy that sold me the motor, but I'm not sure how it works with my 69 coupe. The coupe has the shifter way back on the tailpeice, but the tranny I bought has the shifter up on top where the access bolts are. Like it's a direct shifter with no linkage. He said it came out of a truck, but I haven't found a picture of it online yet. I may have to sell this one and keep looking for a toploader if it don't work out.

-Homer