V8 Swaps Mustang Ii

  • Sponsors (?)


74 is the worst year for a V8 swap, owing to the fact that Ford didn't put V8s in US-market Mustang IIs (though they did in the Mexico market).

That said, it'd doable.

You'll need:

V8 motor mounts and frame mounts (bstang71 on mustangii.net is your best bet. I sold him the three sets I'd hoarded over the years about a year ago when I decided to buy his motor mount rebuild kits for my car and quit swapping old, half-worn-out mounts in over and over again).

A radiator that can cool a V8. http://rover.ebay.com/rover/1/711-5...0001&campid=5335821607&icep_item=191908264849 or http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...mit-racing-universal-radiator-in-a-ii.887468/ are good choices. You'll have to make modifications to the car for either to fit. A lot of '74 guys mount the radiator on the front of the radiator support instead of behind it, and run hood pins (because they have to do away with the latch to do so).

V8 driveshaft.

T-top braces. These are the braces that were installed on T-top cars and braced the subframe where it met the floor. The '74 cars have a weaker subframe than the '75+ cars and are prone to cracking under the torque of a V8. I'd also strongly recommend a set of Stumpy's subframe connectors: http://www.stumpysfabworks.com/mustang-ii-parts.html His work on these is very nice, and they help strengthen the car a lot.

8" diff from a Pinto/Bobcat or Mustang II (if your car has the 6.75" diff). Or a 9" from a Granada/Versailles (the latter of which could be had with disc brakes, but both of those cars are becoming next to impossible to find in a junkyard). Another option that's becoming very popular, and is on my "to-do" list is an 8.8 rear axle from an Explorer, which will require modification. http://mustangii.net/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14902 The 8" Pinto/Bobcat/MII rear is the bolt-in solution of the bunch. Being a 2.8 car, you may already have the 8" rear diff (even some 4-cylinder cars were lucky enough to get one, my '74 had one).

A transmission to use behind the V8. The bolt-in solutions would be a RAD-4 (manual) or a C4 (automatic) with the Mustang II specific bellhousings and associated parts. Those are hard to find and get more scarce daily, but they're out there. There are several other options that can be done with varying degrees of difficulty, including AOD (automatic overdrive) or T5 (manual with overdrive) swaps. There's threads here and on MustangII.net (when it's not down) about that, so I won't go into a great deal of detail here.

That's the big ticket items. There's also the little stuff, like the engine accessories (which can be simplified by pulling an engine with all the goodies already on it at a self-service yard), wiring, exhaust (MII V8 manifolds or headers are your best bet), and whether or not you want your tach to work with the V8 or just want to throw an aftermarket tach on the steering column like most of us do.
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user
74 is the worst year for a V8 swap, owing to the fact that Ford didn't put V8s in US-market Mustang IIs (though they did in the Mexico market).

That said, it'd doable.

You'll need:

V8 motor mounts and frame mounts (bstang71 on mustangii.net is your best bet. I sold him the three sets I'd hoarded over the years about a year ago when I decided to buy his motor mount rebuild kits for my car and quit swapping old, half-worn-out mounts in over and over again).

A radiator that can cool a V8. http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-KKS-3-Row-Aluminum-Radiator-1975-1978-Ford-Mustang-II-1976-1977-/191908264849?fits=Model:Mustang+II&hash=item2cae9fbb91:g:8NcAAOSwRQlXchnk&vxp=mtr or http://www.stangnet.com/mustang-for...mit-racing-universal-radiator-in-a-ii.887468/ are good choices. You'll have to make modifications to the car for either to fit. A lot of '74 guys mount the radiator on the front of the radiator support instead of behind it, and run hood pins (because they have to do away with the latch to do so).

V8 driveshaft.

T-top braces. These are the braces that were installed on T-top cars and braced the subframe where it met the floor. The '74 cars have a weaker subframe than the '75+ cars and are prone to cracking under the torque of a V8. I'd also strongly recommend a set of Stumpy's subframe connectors: http://www.stumpysfabworks.com/mustang-ii-parts.html His work on these is very nice, and they help strengthen the car a lot.

8" diff from a Pinto/Bobcat or Mustang II (if your car has the 6.75" diff). Or a 9" from a Granada/Versailles (the latter of which could be had with disc brakes, but both of those cars are becoming next to impossible to find in a junkyard). Another option that's becoming very popular, and is on my "to-do" list is an 8.8 rear axle from an Explorer, which will require modification. http://mustangii.net/forums/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=14902 The 8" Pinto/Bobcat/MII rear is the bolt-in solution of the bunch. Being a 2.8 car, you may already have the 8" rear diff (even some 4-cylinder cars were lucky enough to get one, my '74 had one).

A transmission to use behind the V8. The bolt-in solutions would be a RAD-4 (manual) or a C4 (automatic) with the Mustang II specific bellhousings and associated parts. Those are hard to find and get more scarce daily, but they're out there. There are several other options that can be done with varying degrees of difficulty, including AOD (automatic overdrive) or T5 (manual with overdrive) swaps. There's threads here and on MustangII.net (when it's not down) about that, so I won't go into a great deal of detail here.

That's the big ticket items. There's also the little stuff, like the engine accessories (which can be simplified by pulling an engine with all the goodies already on it at a self-service yard), wiring, exhaust (MII V8 manifolds or headers are your best bet), and whether or not you want your tach to work with the V8 or just want to throw an aftermarket tach on the steering column like most of us do.
that was informative, thanks you gave me somewhere to start.
 
T-top braces. These are the braces that were installed on T-top cars and braced the subframe where it met the floor. The '74 cars have a weaker subframe than the '75+ cars and are prone to cracking under the torque of a V8. I'd also strongly recommend a set of Stumpy's subframe connectors: http://www.stumpysfabworks.com/mustang-ii-parts.html His work on these is very nice, and they help strengthen the car a lot.

Hello,

thanks from my side too for this helpfull info.
I will order subframe connectors.
But I'm still not sure how the t-top braces look...
Are this the braces that are called t-top braces:
t-brace-p-jpg.jpg


Or is it more something like the "torque boxes" on a early stang?

Greetings,
Bernardo
 
Hello,

thanks from my side too for this helpfull info.
I will order subframe connectors.
But I'm still not sure how the t-top braces look...
Are this the braces that are called t-top braces:
t-brace-p-jpg.jpg


Or is it more something like the "torque boxes" on a early stang?

Greetings,
Bernardo

Yes, those are the T-top braces. Torque boxes in earlier Mustangs are an integral part of the body.
 
OK, thanks for your feedback.
On the early stangs the "export brace" is something similar to the t-top brace. They also strengthen the car a lot, but they attach directly to the shock towers (which are missing on the MII).
...
I just have seen a thread about a 67 coupe, with removed shock towers and installed MII front suspension. He had a high increase of torsional stiffness (from measurement) with something similar to the t-top braces (Link):
firewallexportbraces-jpg.jpg


I think i will also build something custom for my 74 hatchback.

Great info available on this forum! :)
 
  • Like
Reactions: 1 user