How would you build your Mustang?

i would not basterdize a fastback, one reason being devalueing it, if you want an EFI classic buy a coupe, they are a dime a dozen and go to town on that, disc brakes get a thumbs up, make it stock and beatiful, hey you asked for our opinion, LOL, that's why I bought a coupe instead so the fastback police doesn't tell me what to do, hee hee - but it is your car, so do as you please, and you can always change it later, right?

Im getting over the "its a fastback" thing.Its a car.Its your car.Do you YOU want with it because in the end the keys are your pocket. There isnt much that cant be changed back if you ever wanted too.I get used to get some people that would just shake their head when they saw my car and they wouldnt do this and they wouldnt do that.I find out they had some piece of crap or didnt even have a car. I wanted a stock fastback, i can still do it, i have access to 2 65/66 fastbacks my neighbor has that he will never do anything with

Do things that will enhance it, a/c,fuel injection, 4 wheel disc,suspension etc.

the current plan for my vert is:
upgraded stock style suspension
efi 5.0 H/C/I and megasquirt
5 speed manual transmission
borgeson steering box
already have 4 wheel baer discs and a currie 9"
then once it's running and driving so i can play with the megasquirt, add a vortech/paxton S/C.


Unless you're trying to keep it stock, the only reason to go with a carb is that they are cheaper and simpler to install (which would help out your goal of having it running by summer). There are ways to make an efi setup look pretty much just like a carb if that's what you're worried about, although they aren't always cheap.

If i were in your shoes, I'd try to get the rebuilt motor running and get it in the car with the carb and C4, then worry about getting disc brakes for the front. Rear discs aren't necessary, but are nice. At the same time as the front brakes, I'd replace the worn suspension parts.

While the car is up and running so you can enjoy it for the summer, you can start collecting parts for everything else you want to do. like rear discs, steering, different rear end or gearing, overdrive transmission etc. You could rebuild the explorer engine with some aftermarket parts for more power, it really depends on what your overall goal for the car is.

I'm at the point where my car is all apart and I'm trying to get all of the stuff i want for it, when really I probably would have been happier if I'd kept it in a running condition and upgraded it a little at a time. (It needs paint though, so that's why it's apart)

iskwezm said:

Im getting over the "its a fastback" thing.Its a car.Its your car.Do you YOU want with it because in the end the keys are your pocket. There isnt much that cant be changed back if you ever wanted too.I get used to get some people that would just shake their head when they saw my car and they wouldnt do this and they wouldnt do that.I find out they had some piece of crap or didnt even have a car. I wanted a stock fastback, i can still do it, i have access to 2 65/66 fastbacks my neighbor has that he will never do anything with

Do things that will enhance it, a/c,fuel injection, 4 wheel disc,suspension etc.

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+1....its your car, do what you want. Also +1 on the disc brakes. And if it was MY car, i would forget the auto tranny completely....do a T5

65cafastback,
You asked for opinions so, remembering that it's your car/your dime/your choice, here is mine:
I feel that a build that encompasses modern safety/drivability upgrades without totally taking away the classic feel/character of the car is the best of both worlds.
1>Suspension, steering & braking upgrade to be planned & executed at the same time.
A>Dual master cylinder with or without power assist A MUST DO
B>Disc brakes on the front at least with easily/inexpensively available Ford components (keep notes of year/model the parts originally came from/were designed for)
C>Replace all suspension components with top grade parts (Moog as available) NOT the cheapest "economy" grade parts available from some suppliers.
D>Export brace
E>Monte Carlo bar
F>Under the engine crossmember upgrade to one of the ones that actually ties the lower control arms together and helps to stiffen the front end.
G>SHELBY DROP for the upper control arms
2>Steering
A>All new parts, same as the suspension
B>If you feel the need for power steering, go with the Borgeson box as previously mentioned. While a rack & pinion setup has some advantages, fitment issues for headers, etc, turning radius and a whole slew of other factors, including the plusses & minuses of the many different kits on the market AND the price make it seem a bit much to me. Not to mention, this is one modification that will truly and dramatically change the character of the driving experience of your car.
C>Adjustable camber kit & adjustable strut rods installed for the lower control arms will make good alignment more easily/accurately achievable. A Mustang with really well tuned, mostly stock suspension/steering (with the Shelby drop, of course) can be a blast/pleasure to drive, as evidenced by the multitude of us who LOVE driving our Mustangs and the number of Shelby Mustangs STILL racing competitively 40+ years after they were made! There IS a reason these cars have been and continue to be so popular and not all of it is because of what can be changed.
3>Engine & Drive Train
A>Your choice, considering the next few things
1>If you are not intimidated by electrical/electronics/wiring and are adept at proper procedures, then EFI & elctronically controlled overdrive transmission is fine, although more costly
2>If electrical work is "not your thing" I suggest that you stick with a carb and a c4, regular AOD or a 4-speed/5-speed manual.
B>Rear end gears to best compliment (work with) your choice of transmission, tire height and type of driving planned (highway cruising vs around town vs drag racing vs autocross)

Any & everything is doable depending on the depth of you pockets & skills.

ABOVE ALL:
Research-Research-Research & ask plenty of questions. The only truly "dumb" question is the one not asked!

You Asked,
Gene

you have gotten a lot of good advice so far. here is my advice;

1: the very first thing you want to do is decide just exactly what you want from the car. daily driver? back up driver/weekend toy? race car? show car? while there are overlapping modifications that can be done, each is unique in its build. by the way the other option is complete stock spec restoration, which you dont seem to want to do.

2: once you have decided exactly what you want, then lay out a build program. my advice is to start with the chassis, suspension, and brakes. without a proper foundation to build on, the rest of the build will be rubbish.

3: avoid doing modifications that cannot be easily reversed by the next owner, or do not improve the car one way or another. there are exceptions to this rule, such as adding sub frame connectors, which can be removed if the next owner wishes. but avoid things like fender flares, and other body modifications. also avoid mods that will make you think twice about driving the car to the mall and parking it while you go shopping with the S/O. a custom metal flake/candy/pearl paint job looks great, but repairing such a paint job is going to be quite expensive since it would generally have to be stripped down completely and repainted.

get it running for now, and see what moves you. My inspirations have changed many times over the years, so I only do things that I think about more than once.

65cafastback said:

Man you guys are awesome! A lot of great suggestions. Thanks again.

For now I think I will go with the old 302/c4 combo. Just a couple questions.
1. This motor was rebuilt about 25 years ago but has remained in the car in the garage. What should I do to it, if anything before I try to start it up?

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the first thing you want to do is make sure the engine turns over freely. take a breaker bar, or large socket wrench, and put it on the bolt in the crank snout and turn the engine over by hand. if the crank moves fairly easily, then you want to treat the engine as if it were a fresh rebuild, meaning you want to prelube the engine by putting fresh oil in the crankcase, remove the distributor(remember to mark the dist and rotor locations so you can get it back in proper time) and spin the oil pump, counterclockwise, until you get oil pressure at the gauge. you also want to rebuild the carb, and replace old fuel lines, coolant, hoses, etc. reinstall the distributor, prime the carb, and start the engine. you want the engine to run at 1500-2000 rpm for about 15-20 minutes so that the cam gets lubed properly. after this 20 minute period you then change the oil and filter. change it again at 1000 miles, then at regular change intervals.

2. What 4bbl car do you suggest?

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i recommend running an edelbrock 600cfm performer carb. they work well right out of the box, are easy to tune, and fit nicely.

I don't have fenders yet so it has given me a chance to really clean the front end before I rebuild the suspension or install the motor. I am removing all the old undercoating and was planning on painting. I live in So. Ca. where the weather is pretty good and will not drive in the rain. My question is should I do anything to this front area before paint? I have no rust.

I appreciate the help. I have been doing a lot of research also. I just don't want to make too many mistakes. Trying to get it right the first time.

Thanks again,
Kenny

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jsut take your time and dont be afraid to ask questions. it is far more preferable to sound foolish than to bend your car with someone elses because you didnt want to ask what seemed like a stupid question.

Do what makes you happpy. Things that enhance the body lines. Great stance, wider tires, lower it, great exhaust note, put a raspy cam in it. make it cool. at the end of the day, there are a ton of stock mustangs. for every car like mine, there are probably 500 that are stock. so do what makes you smile when you see it. Thats what i did.

i bought a lincoln mark vii for $1000 with 50k miles. i carbed it and now have the 5.0/AOD in my fastback.

it was a fair amount of conversion, but wasnt as expensive as efi conversion and a crate transmission. an efi is not as bad if youre starting with nothing though. i partly chose the carb setup since my old 289 setup already had the carb parts.

i used to have the mindset of making it the fastest, but modern technology is just so hard to keep up with now. even when i do my H/C/I to get into the 12s, i wont have variable valve timing or an FEI computed frame/suspension. since a new car will out handle and many will out accelerate me, im trying to make my car into something new cars cant be. not many new cars turn heads and keep a 'classic' title.

thats why i want a lopey cam that new cars have trouble competing with...
ease of working on, and driveablity that means i could let my mom borrow the car for the weekend (COULD). sure, it doesnt have anti-lock brakes or a check engine light, but ive added lots of stuff that make the car fun to drive without worrying about the steering wandering around the road.

I say go to town with the aftermarket upgrades. Yes it's an unmolested fastback, but in the end it's just a big hunk of metal that happened to come together a certain way. The way I see it, the most important thing is to build a car that you are proud of 110%. Don't make compromises to please other people, because there will always be some A-hole who will say "You shouldn't have done that".

As for the other upgrades, I personally think that there is nothing in a stock 65 Stang that modern technology has not made obsolete (other than it's overall bad-ass-ness). I've been driving a stock stang for the past 4-years as a daily driver and I can tell you that:
-The brakes suck. I can't tell you how many times I've thought that my car was not physically capable of stopping in time.
-The steering is sloppy. I can turn the wheel almost a full quarter turn without it having any affect on the orientation of the wheels.
-The transmissions are antiquated. I have a dying FMX, so my opinion may not be the best, but the overdrive capabilities of the AOD and AOD-E made me jump into a trans rebuild even though I know nothing about transmissions (still in the process so I'll let you know how it works out). The nostalgia of the legendary C-4 is great, but when you have to cruise at 2,600 RPM to keep going 70 mph, it gets old really fast.
-The suspension makes the car feel like a boat. Again I'm sure the degrading quality of my suspension is not helping my case, but I know there is a company called Classic Performance Products that makes a mini-sub frame kit that dramatically increases handling and is relatively cheap. I also know that many Mustang parts companies that sell kits that dramatically increase corning in your classic Stang. I also know that both kits are in the $600 range.
-EFI I know nothing about, so I can't help you there, but I do know that the look of a carburetor and clean air cleaner look a hell of a lot better than a mess of cables, wires, piping, and plastic.

Whatever you decide make sure it's fun for you. If you don't feel like dropping all the money or spending all the time right now, do what I am doing, replace one system at a time on your own. This is a great way to save money and even better yet know literally every aspect of your car.

Good luck and enjoy your car!

I like the idea of modifying it so that the overal performance is better, but keeping the stock or near stock appearance.

I say do what you want to it its your car. Unless its a Shelby, a Boss, or one of the first production Mustangs, I say have at it and do anything to it that makes you happy, including cutting it up. They made so many Mustangs that there isn't really anything about 99% of them that make them rare. And just about every piece of sheet metal is available for the next owner to put it back if they don't like it.