Engine Compatibility

[GiPilot1 10]

Hello, this is my first post to this forum, and sort of new to cars so be easy on me.

 

Well first thing is I am acquiring a 1969 Mustang with a V6 with an automatic. I was wondering is it possible I can take an engine from a 1971 Lincoln which is a 429/460 and just drop it in the Mustang and work? From what I dug up the engine was the same engine they used in the Thunderbird just they modded it a little so it could move the Lincoln around, and it is part of the 385 series and mustangs can use those engines without mods from what I know. They are DOVE C Heads if that helps any. Just need some reassurance on this not sure if you can just take it and drop it in and make it work without doing anything seriously drastic.

[jmlay 80]

Well if the "v6" is origiona it is anI6, or inline 6. As far as the 429/460 it will fit but not be a drop in. You will need new motor/frame mounts & custom headers.

 

Mike

[coz 108]

What about shock towers and front suspension? Both would need an upgrade to support the 429 weight and added power.

[d.reese 13]

Wellcome to the "best" DAMN STANG world on earth!

 

Don't for get both ends of the new power plant will need upgrades:

 

Radiator for sure!

C-6 may be enough, but other will have to help you there.

If it has a 8" rear end you'll be wise to go to a 9"!

[Pakrat 1,043]

 

Just kidding, welcome aboard. First I would look to see if the I6 is a 200 or a 250 model. The 200's had 4 lug wheels and were wimpier, the 250 shared many of the lesser V8 parts though including 5 lug.

 

Assuming the Lincoln motor is simillar in proprtions to a Boss 429 engine, Kar Kraft was faced with considerable obstacles in developing the Boss 429 Mustang, not the least of which was the fact that the engine bay was over 2 inches too narrow for the motor! They solved this with some radical surgery moving the entire suspension outwards a full inch on each side. This necessitated completely new reshaped shock towers, new widened strut tower brace, new top and bottom suspension arms, new heavy duty uprights, and heavy duty springs. A slim new power brake booster was needed to clear the big engine valve cover, and the battery was moved to the trunk to improve weight distribution. The rear suspension was beefed up with staggered shocks, heavy duty springs, and a thick rear stabilizer bar. That's all on top of a car that was already set up for big V8 power from the factory and not an I6.

 

If you have the 250 a 302W or 351W would be mnore of the drop in type of upgrade you are probably looking to do.

[GiPilot1 10]

So, it is possible to put this engine in there, but like I thought I would need to do some surgey to the car which I was hoping I did not have to do. Thankfully I was going to upgrade the suspension system anyways because I can't live old sytle suspensions really.

 

Although, I was wondering when you are saying that is has an 8" or not do you mean the axles or brakes or what? So, you think the transmission is really going to work without inpairing the abilites of the motor, because I want to get top performance out of this motor.

 

So putting this motor in is possible but with surgey :(

[69RavenConv 286]

"8-inch" refers to the diameter of the ring gear in the differential. In 1969, Ford used an 8" differential in the 6-cylinder and small V8 Mustangs. Ford also made a larger, beefier 9" rear end back then. The Ford 9" is legendary for its strength and durability, and even Chevy guys will use them. For a high-torque, high-horsepower big block, you want a strong rear end.

 

The 8" is no slouch, however, and is often under-appreciated. A small block street Mustang can do quite well with an 8" diff.

[bnickel 10,004]

Pak, the 429 T-bird motor is quite a bit different than a boss 429 as far as the heads are concerned. the Boss 9 used hemi style heads and the t-bird motor doesn't. the t-bird motor is basically the same as the 429cj in the 71 mustang, but obvioulsy the CJ motor is more performance oriented.

 

the T-brid motor can be installed without major surgery to the car and contrary to popular opinion the shock towers DO NOT need to be modified at all, though it wouldn't hurt to reinforce them, like with the Pro Motorsports shock tower reinforcement kit http://drgas.com/development/category.php?cid=31 you can get the motor mounts, frame stands and headers from Crites http://critesrestoration.com/mustang.htm and that's basically al there is to it, other than a transmission mount but i believe the repro C-6 crossmember that any of the Mustang parts places sell will work just fine.

 

since the car is a six banger you'll first need to know whether it's a 200 or 250. if it's the 250 car then it will already have the v8 suspension and brakes but even those should be upgraded to better pieces, the 8" rearend will not live long behind even a mildly built 429/460 and certainly not behind a wel built one. the c-6 from the t-bird should work ok in the stang but if you plan on really building the 429 up you should consider adding at least a shift kit and a stall convertor to it.

 

suspension wise you can use the stock springs all around if you plan on drag racing the car but if you plan on driving it on the street much you should consider upgrading at least the front springs if not front and rear. there are tons of options for rest of the suspension from TCP, Global West, Maier Racing, RRS, Opentracker Racing Products etc.

 

also since all 200ci and most 250ci mustangs had drum brakes a disc brake upgrade should definitely be on your short list of upgrades too.

 

i have some experience working on a 69 stang with a race prepped 460 so if you have any questions just ask. i didn't build the car nor did i ever even meet the guy who did but the guy who bought the car from him was a buddy of mine at the time and we did a lot of work on that car.

[GiPilot1 10]

Well, sounds like I am getting different opinions on this. Otherwise, does anyone know of a detialed guide of someone converting a v6 small block to a v8 big block online that I could look at to get some ideas?

[bnickel 10,004]

Well, sounds like I am getting different opinions on this. Otherwise, does anyone know of a detialed guide of someone converting a v6 small block to a v8 big block online that I could look at to get some ideas?

 

 

don't listen to any of the rest of these guys, i'm only the one participating in this thread that has experience with a 429/460 in a 69 stang. :sweatdrop::hang:

 

serioulsy though, i do have experience working on one of these conversion and it's not nearly as bad as most people imagine to be. it is tight but you don't have to cut or massage anything for it to fit. here's one with a 460 and stock towers

 

 

[bnickel 10,004]

more pics of different car here

 

http://mercurycougar.net/forums/showthread.php?t=31604&page=3

[Pakrat 1,043]

Bryan, I said right up front I did not know how different the Lincoln/T-Bird engine was so assuming it was the same here is what was done back in the day, other than that I did not give any misinformation about the subject. We all know that anything CAN be done. As for the picture you posted, yeah sure it fits with a shoe horn but it would be a cold day in hell before I would bother to change the spark plugs or header gaskets on it, I happen to be way to attached to my knuckles. I also see barely any room for the master cylinder and no room for a power brake option at all and it looks like you can't even remove the valve covers without taking off the shock tower brace first, the whole thing doesn't even look level in the bay.

 

In any case since GiPilot is totally new to these cars I would much rather have him blindly follow your lead on this one since it is more than my conscience can bare once frustration sets in because fits or not, I will never consider this a "drop in" and maintenance wise this way is far from practical.

[bnickel 10,004]

i guess smileys don't mean much anymore, or you really aren't sleeping at all now. damn bro i was poking fun, relax.

 

power brakes can be done with one of the small boosters and plugs can be changed without removing the tower braces, valve covers are a different story but it depends on which ones you use, the normal stamped steel or "short" valve covers usually aren't a problem but the tall ones are definitely going to need to have the brace popped off. and it really is not as bad as it looks. sure trimming the towers make life a lot easier and Crites sells the stuff to do it if you so desire but it's not a required modification.

 

sorry if i offended you bro

[zumer69 10]

What is the cool factor on a hopped up 250?

[Koby 10]

Cool factor? How about resale factor? I would never buy that car if you did that swap!

[69302 10]

I don't know how old this thread is, but when I bought my car, it was a straight 6. I swapped it out for a 302 from a totalled 69. Most everthing bolted straight up. I think drum brakes are standard for a 6 cyl, so you may want to swap out the drum brakes for disc.