68 MUSTANG ENGINE SWAP

[stathy]

Hello all, I have a 68 mustang coupe with a blown 289 in it.
A good friend of mine is offering up his 390 engine & tranny which is the original
engine out of his 1964 Thunderbird.

Does anyone know if this is a simple swap out?
Will I have engine mount point issues?

This would be my first engine swap so any help/advice would be greatly
appreciated.

Many thanks!

Stathy

 

[D.Hearne]

This can be done, but not easily or cheaply. The 64 390 block has only two mount holes per side, the 67-70 Stang's 390 blocks (as were all post 64 FE & 390 blocks) had 4 mount holes per side. You will need the Mustang/Fairlane mounts for a 390 which consist of three pieces per side (block mount, frame mount and there's another piece between these). These are hard to come by and are not cheap, look to pay about $200 for these. If you have a manual trans, you'll need the FE bellhousing and can use the easier to find truck bell for 390's. Next you'll need the transmission crossmember for the 390 cars to use the FMX/MX behind the T-Bird motor(ditto for using a C-6). And finally you'll need special headers to use the T-Bird 8 (exhaust) bolt heads in the Stang. Only ones I know of for this will be FPA headers (www.fordpowertrain.com) Std Mustang Hooker headers will not work, as some of the bolts will be inaccessible with 8 bolt heads. What you're saving in an engine trans combo, you'll easily spend swapping from small to big block, parts and headaches. You'll need to get heavier springs for the front end too. Then look into a 9" rear to replace what will be left of the 8" rear after the 390's 425+ ft/lbs of torque get thru with it.

 

[stathy]

This can be done, but not easily or cheaply. The 64 390 block has only two mount holes per side, the 67-70 Stang's 390 blocks (as were all post 64 FE & 390 blocks) had 4 mount holes per side. You will need the Mustang/Fairlane mounts for a 390 which consist of three pieces per side (block mount, frame mount and there's another piece between these). These are hard to come by and are not cheap, look to pay about $200 for these. If you have a manual trans, you'll need the FE bellhousing and can use the easier to find truck bell for 390's. Next you'll need the transmission crossmember for the 390 cars to use the FMX/MX behind the T-Bird motor(ditto for using a C-6). And finally you'll need special headers to use the T-Bird 8 (exhaust) bolt heads in the Stang. Only ones I know of for this will be FPA headers (www.fordpowertrain.com) Std Mustang Hooker headers will not work, as some of the bolts will be inaccessible with 8 bolt heads. What you're saving in an engine trans combo, you'll easily spend swapping from small to big block, parts and headaches. You'll need to get heavier springs for the front end too. Then look into a 9" rear to replace what will be left of the 8" rear after the 390's 425+ ft/lbs of torque get thru with it.

I'm not sure what i'm more impressed with. Your detailed answer or the fact that you have over 7700 posts!
You have given me a lot to think about. It's not what I wanted to hear but I do
appreciate very very much your experience/knowledge on the matter.
It's deflating because I was quite excited about the opportunity to put in a big
block in the car but being an amature you've made it quite obvious this is not
something that I should try or tackle. At least not by myself.

Maybe the better solution would be to rebuild the 289 and change the top end
for more HP.

Thanks again for taking the time to respond.
Cheers!
Stathy

 

[D.Hearne]

I've had a big block Stang, a 67 fastback 390 car. That's what gave me the details to give you. Had it for 9 years back in the 80's. They are fun to drive, but a bitch to work on. It's also almost worth the pain when you pop the hood for strangers................. I don't know how many times I got a kick out of Chevy guys faces when they'd find out the Stang wasn't your ordinary small block car. I recall one, "289?" Nope........... "302?" Nope............ "351?" Nope................ Keep going, you're getting warm................. "I give up, what is it ?" Try 427..............."Chevy motor in a Ford?" Nope.................. Want big block power without all the hassles? Go with a 351 Cleveland (my first choice if I wanted to do it) or a stroker 351W in place of the 289. Everything will bolt right in, same mounts and transmission as the 289.