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[Teen'93stang5.0]

alright, I was forced to sell my baby over the summer due to insane gas prices, and reliability issues, but i cant tand not to have a mustang to play with. So.....im looking at buying a 87-93 rolling chasis and doing a long term resto-mod
my main questions here are pretty simple, where should i start? should i secure a chasis first, or do the motor?
-what should i look for in a rolling chasis?
-what are some popular settups for weekend driven restos? (engine/tranny/suspension) this will not be a car often raced, and i'd rather saccrifice a few tenths in the name of comfort


im sure theres more questions i had but my ADD just kicked in and i lost it, so thats all for now, any advice for this would be awesome

thanks guys

-Evan

 

[srothfuss]

Buy the chassis first... Start with that.

It'll give you time to plan your motor / trans combo for later.

 

[Teen'93stang5.0]

thats waht i was figureing on, id love to find a donor shell that the motor and trans have been taken from, but i havent had any luck with that yet....

another question, for reliability or any other reason, which would YOU go with, a 347 stroker or a 351?

 

[srothfuss]

I'm no motor expert, but the 347's have come a long ways from the early days of stroker motors. But the potential of a 351 based stroker is so much greater....

There are more things to work out with transplanting a 351 but the rewards will be oh so great...

 

[5.0 Nostalgia]

If you are going to start with a rolling chassis anyway, I would go for the 351. As stated, so much more potential. And, if you decide to put a stroker setup in that, it would be outrageous.

 

[1991vert]

347 is close to a 351 in terms of c.i., but the 351 block weighs more. and to do a 351 EFI engine it's gonna cost more than a 302 EFI. will you have to pass emissions? that might also be a determining factor.

 

[Teen'93stang5.0]

no emissions testing in FL, and i will most likely do a carb'd settup to save on trying to play with computers, either that or put some money towards a FAST system/something like it to run the injection, but we'll see

once the motor goes in this car, its most likely going to be in there for good, so if it starts out with a 351, theres not a big chance i'd pull it and stroke it out.

 

[TheUser]

Sounds like you're torn between a straight up 351 (no stroking, etc) or a 347 stroker. Do you know how much horsepower you want to have? Are you ever going to use a power adder?

Basically, the 351 would offer more strength, but would add more weight. The 347 would be lighter, but isn't as strong. If you just plan to keep it N/A and plan to have no more than 400-450 at the rear wheels, I'd say go 347. If you plan on a power adder or more than 450 at the rear wheels, maybe consider the 351.

I'm no motor expert, just my opinion.

 

[Busted07]

If you dont want to ever pull it out, you better build it bulletproof, and imho, i wouldnt want a stroker for a longevity based motor. If it was me, id do a 351/carb'd combo and build it for around 400-420 hp. When you get the block, check the cylinders for wear, and only bore & hone it as much as needed, so if you do ever have to rebuild it, youll still have room to grow. are you wanting a 5 speed, or an auto? (c4-c6??)

 

[Modular2v]

a good running 347 will outperform a stock bore/stroke 351

 

[Busted07]

a good running 347 will outperform a stock bore/stroke 351

Outperform yes, but he wants longevity. i would think a stock bore/stroke 351 would outlast a 347, plus he can build more power and not have to start worrying about block strength issues if he decided he wanted a power adder later on. thats just my opinion tho.

 

[Teen'93stang5.0]

it wouldnt have a power adder, no. and if the bug bit me, then the motor would come out in prep for it

for the tranny i was looking at manual, never was a fan of the c4/c6/aod. probably a tremec of some form

 

[87_stang]

Your talking about either stroking a 302 to 347 or going 351. you also say you dont want to pull the motor again later on. What about just stroking a 351W in the first place? Or do you already have a 347 and a 351 but not sure which to use? If you want big power and have to start from scratch either way I would find a good 351 block and stroke it. just my opinion.

 

[86bluecobra]

go with the 351w yes they wiegh more but if you are starting from the ground up you will be able to shave the difference in wieght as you build. my 86 stang wieghs just under 3000lbs with my 351w and i haven't changed to a tubular k-member yet. the thing is a stump puller so much torque.