Daily driver/cruiser
 

Hey guys, I plan on making my '64.5 a classic custom daily driver/cruiser, and I was wondering what you'd reccomend as the power plant.
I was giving thought to a 289 or 301, naturally aspirated (Sorry no fat hood scoops). Its got a 200ci block in there right now, straight six. Sorry but I'm not hip to all of the engine lingo, so I cant spew out numbers like some guys.

I hear the 289 and 301 are plain bulletproof and will pretty much run forever, so I think they'd be a good choice, and I dont need the power of a bigger engine, really. What are your thoughts?

It's really all in preference on what you want. I liked my 289 and it ran very well and powerful. I wanted something a little bigger with more option so i'm going with the 302. Ford has many crate engines for the 302 that you can get depending on what horsepower you want. I personally want to go with the Ford Crate 302 345 horse.

http://www.thefordsource.com/store/m...otorsports.htm

I've got got the stock six in it right now, the engine from my '65 is a bit bigger so I'm probably going to swap it out for that one and see how it feels for a while, and if I want some more stank I'll look into a 289 or 302.

And call me crazy, but I cannot stand automatic trannies, so I'm going to swap the trannies as well. Am I completely mad?

289
 

289's r fun my six five is a daily racer/driver and no probs exept over heating
but u can just take out the thermostat for that
but there r good engines
i would get 1 if i had a six

As long as it can beat average 'bolt on Honda' Joe.

How much would a decent 289 getup cost a chump like me?

Swapping an 8 for a 6 is a lot more involved than just trading engines. Since you're looking for a daily driver, there is a lot of buildup stuff you can do to make the 6 perform (do a search on this forum for info).

The swap can definately be done, it was done to my car long before I got it. but I think it'll be more expensive than selling your 6 and buying a V8.

I am in the middle of this switch. I started the switch because I came across a good, clean, strong, 5.0L engine (merc) that I could get almost free (Total final cost $50).

To make this safe and work you are going to have to swap to front disk brakes, change the trany, and unless you want five lug wheels on the front and fours on the back you will need to do some swap out on the rear axel.

I have swapped out the front spindles and the entire rear axel. My donor car (non-engine) was a V8 maveric. Every thing goes in quite well. I did opt to use bushings on the lower tie rod ends rather than replace the front end. I am making a daily driver which will not be driven real hard so I was OK with this.

I am still in the process of working out how to keep the fuel injection on the 5.0 without laying out a lot of money. It is fun to do this change but it does take some time and work. It could also take a great deal of money if you aren't careful.

I also have yet to find the 5spd trany that I want. When I'm done it will be a fun machine.

I knew it would be a big deal, dont get me wrong. Its like heart surgery, but with more details.

Anyways, what about a little info or maybe a website about tuning up the stock '65 engine? That'll be fun to mess around with I guess. Besides, if I destroy it, I've got another one!

Suggestion for 6 cyl stuff
 

Budiak:

For excellent info and hard-to-find performance parts for your 6 cylinder, go here:

http://www.cliffordperformance.com/home.htm

Explore the site; they have a great message forum where you can ask questions and get answers regarding the inline 6, specifically. We can help but frankly, the Clifford site is geared toward six cylinder cars including older Mustangs like yours. Check it out.

Awesome, thanks man.

Will a 289 even fit in a 64 or is it too tall?

I never seem to think about the little details.

Yes it will fit with plenty of room to spare. My '65 has the original 289 2 bbl. I use her daily with no problems.

Very awesome.

How many horsies can you push out of a 289?

I'm looking at a 289 right now thats been bored 030 over, and I'm looking for ballparks of what I can get out of it, naturally aspirated.