Newbie..I need engine swap advice..

67wildcat · Aug 11, 2005

Hello guys. I just bought a 67 cougar with a 289 and a c4 tranny and I am looking for some more power. I was looking to purchase this 351windsor from ford racing http://www.gefracing.com/Merchant2/...=G&Product_Code=M6007S58&Category_Code=CRATES Will this motor fit in my cougar? Will it match up with my c4 tranny? Will it work with my current wiring harness. Any help would be greatly appreciated for a modular 4.6 guy... Thanks

69Rcode_Mach1 · Aug 11, 2005

Yeah it will fit in there just fine and no wiring modifications are needed whatsoever. It will match up fine with your C4 tranny however if you plan on more power you will want to upgrade that C4 tranny while it is out of the car. Also I would recommend you pick a better engine than that. You could get a lot more power than that for the price, that engine you linked was basically a truck engine. I would recommending building the bottom end yourself to customize it for what you plan on and it will be a hell of a lot cheaper too. Let us know what your plans are and that way we can give you better recommendations.

67wildcat · Aug 11, 2005

What tranny do you recommend? I just found it on the net and I read a thread on another forum how it was a good price for what you got. I was also looking at a rebuilt 351 from hi performer engines. What do you recommend? I only have about $2700 I would be upgrading the tranny later.

69Rcode_Mach1 · Aug 11, 2005

The C4 is an awesome tranny, you don't need to get a new tranny. They are cheap to upgrade which is why I would stick with it. I would try to find a block locally and see what kind of price you could get it for, you could easily get a 351 block for $100.

67wildcat · Aug 11, 2005

Do you mean just the bare block or a block with heads for a hundred dollars. How much would the rebuild cost me? I found a local short block fully rebuilt for $1,100 with a 50,000 mile warranty. I that a good price?

SuperDave · Aug 11, 2005

Reality can be cruel

Take a deep breath and consider how many THOUSANDS of dollars you are willing to commit to this project. It is a comparatively doable swap but I wouldn't dismiss the existing problems of an old car.

You should also consider the expense of hiring GOOD work done. Many will give you advice but unless you are financially prepared to pay the bill, you'll be doing a great deal of it yourself. And thn there's the matter of YOUR skill level......

How long can you have the car "down" for the swap and needed repairs? Every car that I've ever done was NOT my main source of transportation.

You might also start collecting "Cougar specific" parts catalogs to get some idea of the availability and expense of parts. The sequential turn-signal system alone can be challenging to repair. Ditto the headlight door system. The vacuum motors.....

I "did" a '67 Cougar GT about fifteen years ago and have an affection for them to this day

69Rcode_Mach1 · Aug 11, 2005

It can vary depending on what you want to build. Keep in mind the block will need some work, you will need to have it hot tanked to clean it all out, probably bored, it will definitely need to be honed, new bearings, and then working the rods for ARP rod bolts they are definitely a necessity. The prep work on theblock will run atleat $300-400. After that you can begin to build the bottom end. Now you can run Higher compression for more N/A power or if you plan on putting a blower or turbo on there down the road you can do forged and low compression. What are your goals powerwise?

67wildcat · Aug 11, 2005

I have taken all those things into account. The car is not my primary source of transportation so I have plenty of time. I have taken care of all those pesky little thing like fixing the leaks on the vacum operated headlight doors, redoing the brakes, fixing the steering boxes etc.. Now all that is left is the new engine... I am capable of installing the engine I am just not too confident that I can build an engine..

67wildcat · Aug 11, 2005

Well right now I would have around 300hp and later on when I am able to get some extra money I would like to add some aluminum heads and maybe a more aggressive cam.

69Rcode_Mach1 · Aug 11, 2005

Okay then 300hp is nothing for a 351. We can build a solid bottom end and that way you will have room to grow. So I am assuming you don't want to add a poweradder. You can always go stroker too if you want. You will easily hit that goal if not exceed it with a cam and decent intake manifold then later on you can slap on some aluminum heads and bump yourself upto around 450hp naturally aspirated. How does that sound?

67wildcat · Aug 11, 2005

Yeah I want to keep it naturally aspirated, I already have a vorteched 2000 GT, I wanna try something different. That sounds really good, its like if you read my mind. So what should be my first step?

69Rcode_Mach1 · Aug 11, 2005

K like I said you need to find yourself a decent block, keep in mind the ones in the junkyard won't look that great but after all the work in the machine shop it will be good as new. Just look for irreparable damage. Things like a cracked block or destroyed cylinder walls or anything with too much of an overbore. We can go into more detail when you get ready to go shopping. Now for the engine since it is naturally aspirated there is not really a need for forged internals unless you have some extra cash and really plan on running a power adder. Hypeuretectic pistons work great for your needs. If you manage to find decent factory 351 windsor rods they will need to be shot peened and magnufluxed for added durability. They will also need to be resized for some ARP rod bolts. Now I kinda regret not going 393 instead of 351. You could get a stroker crank for a 393 for around $400 then reuse the factory 351 rods and some 302 pistons will get you a 393 stroker. That will be the most expensive part, the cam is cheap and so is the intake the total for the cam and intake will probably run around $300-350.

67wildcat · Aug 11, 2005

That sounds pretty good. I am gonna start looking for a block this weekend. Now I know there are different kinds of 351's for example 351w code h, which is the one I am looking for? What about the heads?

69Rcode_Mach1 · Aug 11, 2005

The code doesn't matter that just refers to whether it was a 4 or 2bbl carb from the factory other than that they are identical, in fact mine is an h code. Now for the heads you will preferably want a set of the C9AE or the D00E heads they are the highest flowing factory heads for the windsors. I think you would want to look for a later model block because those come fit for hydraulic roller cams which is a nice luxury to have. I don't know too much about the details on the blocks integrity so I am hoping somebody will chime in soon. Later on you can upgrade to some nice aluminum heads which will really make her fly.

69Rcode_Mach1 · Aug 11, 2005

The best blocks are the 69-74 blocks because of their high nickel content they could handle more power but I don't think you will be making block splitting power hopefully someone will kind of clarify any of these foggy areas.

67wildcat · Aug 11, 2005

Thanks thats the year block that I had in mind..

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