As a long-time car guy I decided to do work on the wife's 6-cylinder 65 coupe. After adapting a 2-barrel, boring it .060", opening up the exhaust, building a cool-air intake, installing a mild cam (basically a stock replacement with earlier closing intake valve), making a hotter ignition and doing head work for today's ethanol, it ran pretty good...for a six. Installing front discs with a dual chamber master and installing an AC compressor that uses about half the HP the OEM did, it needed suspension help. With V8 rear leafs (85 lbs. stock to 115 lbs. V8), 1" lowering blocks, a rear sway-bar, gas shocks, 15" 70 series radials, and poly bushings, the rear was much better. In front I replaced the stock OEM coils with V8 GT's cut 3/4 of a turn, replaced the sway-bar bushings with poly, installed gas shocks, a Monte Carlo Bar, Export Brace and wider 15" radials. With automatic and 2.83 gears it will never be a drag racer, but once up to around 2500 RPM it really pulls through turns with the modifications listed. The 6 is about 300 pounds lighter than a V8 and by adding about 35 HP it pulls much better than I expected. So much so...it is now MINE! For first generation Mustangs thinking about the expected V8 swap, give some serious thought to keeping the 6, especially if you plan to drive it on the street. I drove it to Tennessee from west Texas this summer and had a blast getting 24.5 MPG running 75 MPH with the Big Boys, running the AC all the way. It is always a shock when I open the hood. The LH-6 on the hood stands for Long Haul-6 cylinder, and we drove it 2,275 miles this summer on just one vacation having as much fun as the V8 guys.
First generation info for street driven 65 - 67 Mustangs.
- Thread starter Charlie Cheap
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I just realized I had posted a similar story earlier. Sorry guys, I had a stroke a few years back and forget which site I posted what story on. This one is a little longer than the first post though, so maybe I added some info. Bye!!
rbohm, no doubt those gears would help acceleration, but I built this car for highway MPG and long distance running. There is no Overdrive that bolts to the 200 six like mine so gears/tire height do the trick. As an old drag racer, I have seen drastic changes in ET with a gear change, but this time I am doing something different.
rbohm, I built the little 200" six for max torque in the 1500 - 3000RPM range with these tires and gears in mind. I will probably drop at least 2 MPG going to lower (numerically higher) gears. I dropped from 215x70R-15 to 205x70R-15 and lost MPG. Taller tires rubbed sometimes. When I get to about 60she runs a hole in the wind..that is why I built her this way. At 75MPH I am doing under 3000RPM (2705) and passing runs to 90MPH are easy and quick...for a 50 year old 6!
if it works for you, then great. and since you have the automatic, low speed driveability really isnt an issue. my 64 falcon will get a built up 170, an automatic swap, keep the 3.20 gears, though i may swap to an 8" rear with 3.55 gears, not sure yet, and probably get two weber two barrels direct mounted on a later large log head, and a comp cams 260he grind or a similar clay cams grind
yes i know the 200 will bolt in as long as it has the small bell pattern or the dual bell pattern. i was thinking of swapping in a 250 so i could use an AOD, but i sold the 250 i bought for that purpose. or i could find a 200 from an 81 or later fairmont and modify an AOD to fit, since that engine uses a squished 6 bolt bell housing pattern.
but the 4 main 170 will do nicely since i am not planning on turning 7000 rpms with it regularly.
but the 4 main 170 will do nicely since i am not planning on turning 7000 rpms with it regularly.
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