How to identify a 289 vs 302?

[Techno Duck]

Hey, my friend has a '68 Mustang couple, 3-speed manual. He bought the car about 5 years ago in HS and its sat unused in his garage for more than 3/4 of that time. Mostly due to insuring two cars...etc. Anyway he mentioned he was thinking of selling it and i told him i would buy it if he still wanted to in August (or around fall of '06).

Its not a huge buying point, but i was interested in figuring out which engine the car has in it. It originally came with a 289, however the previous owner said he swapped for a 302 (however my friend never verified). It has the badges on the fender..however that doesnt say much. Is it possible to visually tell the diference between the two engines? Or should i start looking around for the engine code, which should be on the intake manifold ive read?

Also what is the redline on these motors? The car does not have a tach and we were going to add one once the weather warms up.

Was looking at buying a 'go-fast' kinda car. Im big on handling, have a Porsche 944 with some suspension work for autocross fun..would like to get something thats faster in a straight line. Was thinking of a 944 Turbo, however forgot how fun muscle cars always are (and cheaper for the most part). Always wanted to get one as a project car in HS, my father warned me i would never finish these $1500 project cars you see floating around on eBay, he was right. This car needs minimal work really, newly repainted, garaged. It still has the drum brakes on the front (stopping is an adventure), and the seats dont hold well...i practically fell on my friend as he was doing a donut, slide all over the place. So brakes and maybe race seats would be first on the list.

Another question i just thought of, was a locking rear end a option for Mustangs of this vintage? Only one wheel spins on the few occasions he launched the car hard, usually is the passenger rear.

I appreciate the info..

 

[fvike]

You will find the engine serial on the block under the starter. Locking rears was an option in '68.

 

[John Z]

You will find the engine serial on the block under the starter.

That is actually a casting number. It is not tied to a specific vehicle. Casting numbers can be revealing. Here is a guide to understanding these numbers.
http://www.classicmustang.com/decoding_part_numbers.htm

Other than the original tag on the motor, which is usually long gone, there is very little way to externally tell a 289 from a 302. If the casting number is before the 1968 production year you know it is a 289. If it is 1969 or later it is a 302. If a 4 barrel (J code) it is a 302. If it is a 2 barrel engine then it could be either a 302 or 289. Frugle Ford used 289 internals on 302 blocks in some cars, especially early in the production year. The way to tell for certain is to measure the stroke, 289 = 2.87" stroke, 302 = 3.00" stroke.

 

[68stangman]

The 289 three speed in 68 is undoubtedly a C-code rated at 190 hp. The heads had larger compression chambers, and the carb was a 2bbl. The rear was a 2.79 peg leg. If the engine was swapped for a 302, you can tell by taking off the intake manifold. "302" was cast on the block above the lifter valley. Even if it is a 302, it doesn't mean it is any higher performing than the 289 originally equipped. If it was swapped for a 68 302 with the 68 heads, then it was a good swap. A later seventies 302 had different heads with a smaller compression ratio and emissions junk. You should get the numbers off the heads to find out how big the combustion chambers are.

 

[Techno Duck]

I will defenetley look into it. I really appreciate the info.

 

[SoCalCruising]

You can also remove the pan and have someone rotate the crank (by turning the damper bolt or bumping the starter with the coil wire detached, etc., easiest with plugs removed so there's no compression to battle). 289 crank is has a "1", a 302 a "2" and a 351 a "3" on it near the snout.

 

[68conv4sp]

would it be possible to take out a spark plug, insert a thin dowel and hand rotate the engine to measure the stroke (3" = 302, 2.87" = 289)?

 

[SoCalCruising]

Wait a minute, didn't '68s come with 302s? I thought '67 was the last year for the 289 - they didn't even have enough 289 blocks to complete 289 engine production and had to use 302 blocks stuffed with 289 internals to finish off the '67 build. Why do you think the car came with a 289?

 

[D.Hearne]

would it be possible to take out a spark plug, insert a thin dowel and hand rotate the engine to measure the stroke (3" = 302, 2.87" = 289)?

That won't work due to the angle of the spark plug hole. You could try it with one of each engine, but then you'd have to know that you had one of each to start with. But then again you're dealing with that plug hole angle. A .013 difference will be even less with a shallower angle. Only sure way to find out is to either remove the oilpan and verify it using the crank casting numbers, or remove the heads and measure the stroke. -------------------------------Socal------ you've got 67 and 68 model years confused. 68 was the changeover year for the 289 to 302.

 

[mfp4073]

yeah, all 67s were 289s, 68 could be 289(2bbl) or 302(4bbl) IIRC.

 

[SHIFTY101EASY]

yeah i have a 1968 and it was originally a 289 2v and its now swapped for a 302 4v....

 

[D.Hearne]

68's came with any one of the straight sixes, 289 2bbl, 302-2bbl, 302-4bbl, 390-2 or 4 bbl, and the 428 CJ.