Saved a 65 notchback from the crusher, now what to do?

[cradicg]

I bought a 1965 Mustang coupe off a guy who was ready to scrap it. It had some front end damage but looked very repairable. It has the original 289 (2 barrel carb, runs very smooth) and an automatic tranny. It leaks everything and needs to be gone through, so....

What can or must be done to put 300 HP @ the rear wheels, using the original 289. I have no intention of using a SC or NOS, and would rather not punch out the block. I thought about using the same components as the 289 HIPO during the rebuild. The only problem is I don't know what’s different about the 289 HIPO and mine other than the carb.

Also, the tranny slams into gear, so I'm guessing a rebuild is in order for this as well. Will this tranny handle 300 HP or should it be upgraded or replaced? I will keep the automatic or replace it with another automatic, as I have a blown knee and manual clutches become painful quickly.

I would like to keep as much of the original car as possible, especially in the power train. Unfortunately, the suspension, interior, and front end will have to be replaced. I have searched through the forum a few times and have found a little info here and there, so if this was covered previously, I apologize and would appreciate any links and/or advice. THANKS!

 

[66StangFastback]

The Hi-po 289 had the same bore and stroke, but had a 10.0: CR, had solid valve lifters, a 4v carb. Run on super premium fuel with dual exhaust it made 271 brake horsepower at 6000rpm and 312 ft.-lbs, of torque at 3400 rpms. It also had a different cam. I had to re read the rpms for brake horsepower the first time I saw it. I was surprised to see they spun 6000rpms on these motors 40 years ago.

 

[Cobain03]

i belive the cam was also different in the K code engine as well as different exhaust manifolds.

to start getting power, chang eout that 2 barrell for a 4 barrell setup along with a hi rise if you have the clearence. nice long tubes (tri y maybe) and go out with the rest of the exhaust. Heads, cam, gears are next (maybe not in that order tho).

it all depends on how much you want to pay. im tring to push some ponies outta mine on a high schoolers budget so funds are low, and it takes time. You gotta pay to play!

 

[Mach1steve]

be careful what you wish for...

Ask yourself why you want 300HP.
Do you know what Horsepower does ?
All the guys talk about is Horsepower as the be all end all, but any engine builder/hot rod guy worth his salt will tell you Torque is what its all about!!!!
If it is to launch fast off the light and for spirited street driving then it's 300 Ft/LBs of Torque you need, not horsepower.
It's torque that launches you quickly, Horsepower is what happens at high rpms and allows the car to reach high top speeds.... useless in a street car to an extent.
So high reving Cams and Single plane Intake manifolds build high rpm horsepower and don't work well on the street. A Torquey Cam and a good dual plane Intake, a compression ratio of 10:1 and a set of headers, and most important ..... change the rear gears to a 3.50 or higher ratio.

You can build a lot of power into an engine, but if you have a 2.80 or 3.00 to 1 ratio rear end gear, the car is going to be VERY disapointing in "off-the-line" performance. I had a freind who came to me with a dilemma... "I put $4,000 into a performance engine rebuild and the car doesn't go much better than before !" he said. We checked and the rear gears were 3.00 to 1's. We changed him to a 3.73 rear end gear and the car was ROCKET ! You have to be able get the car rolling quickly so the engine can use what it has. Rear Gears are the most cost-effective "go-fast" there is !
... and nobody seems to recognize that. They spend thousands of dollars on engine bolt-ons that don't seem to make much difference, when if they'd started with the rear gears they could have saved themselves a small fortune !
(steps off the soapbox)
Hope this helps

Mach1steve (been there done that)

 

[steel1212]

Rear Gears are the most cost-effective "go-fast" there is ! ... and nobody seems to recognize that.
(been there done that)

Typically though if you have 300rwhp you have more than that in torque...typically. I agree total though for a street car as some one once said," build for torque hp is something you lie to your friends about." Anyway, most people say I want 300 rwhp and and really mean they want the torque that comes with that. I have set my goal as that as well but with my 4.11s I'm more interested in leaving from a start like a bat outta hell.

In my opinion to get 300 out of a 289 you'll need the full gammit of parts:heads, cam, intake, gears and they will all need to work well together or its not worth having. I would say I'm getting close to my goal but I need to work out some little things first and still might need some other parts before I get there...

 

[10secgoal]

I agree total though for a street car as some one once said," build for torque hp is something you lie to your friends about." Anyway, most people say I want 300 rwhp and and really mean they want the torque that comes with that.

Hi, how ya doing.

 

[steel1212]

:Zip2:

Shhh your not supposted to tell anybody lol

 

[cradicg]

I hear ya mach1steve....

Yeah, I know that without torque, HP is wasted. I don't have the specs in front of me, but the 2 barrel carb "challanger" V8 was rated at (about) 200 HP and somewhere in the high 200's for torque (I want to say 270ish, but can't say for sure). If I build the motor (or rebuild that is) with a higher HP goal, the torque should climb with it right? Plus, the torque is already much higher than the HP in stock form, so I should have a decent foundation to work off of right?

 

[steel1212]

yeah 95% of the time torque will be higher but you also have to look at where your peak torque and horsepower will be at. If you start going with high reving parts like open plain intakes and cams your power will start at 3k or so and that sucks in a street car of course. My car is pushing it for streetable in my opinion. It really doesn't like to be below 1500 and makes power from 2k to 6500+. Just look in summit or jegs cataloge. Pick stuff that works well from idle to 6k or so. I went up a little and did the 2000 to 6500 line and it works for me. Its all in what you want to deal with. Mine idles real lopey and doesn't like cold weather a whole lot.