69 Mustang Mach 1 Build in PA

[noshocks 0]

My son and I are starting to dismantle our 1969 Mustang Mach 1 to get the body over to a shop for some metal work and paint. We plan to upgrade the car with a new engine, transmission and suspension, among other things.

 

We are new to Mustangs and are interested in learning from other members about good engine, transmission and axle combinations for the car. We love power of course but don’t want to do anything stupid that might end up twisting the car in a big knot! The car will be used for casual driving - weekend cruising, trips to shows etc. It will not be a daily driver.

 

The car came out of the factory with a 351. It now has a 302 which we would like to replace.

 

A few engine options that have come to our attention from Googling things:

 

Pro-Formance Unlimited - 351W Small Block 425HP

http://chevystreetperformance.com/engines/ford/351_390carb/index.html

 

MustangEngines.com - 351W - 400HP

http://www.mustangengines.com/351W_400Carb.htm

 

Ford Racing 427 Cubic Inch 450 HP Crate Engine

https://fordperformanceracingparts.com/parts/part_details.asp?PartKeyField=13509

 

The car currently has an automatic transmission that we would like to replace with a manual transmission. Open to ideas for that too.

 

Thanks very much.

 

Tim

 

[fvike 173]

Welcome to the site! What body style is your Mustang? If it's a cab, a torqy 427 might be overkill, the softness of the unibody would make it difficult to get all that power to the ground. The Hardtops have the stiffest platform. A thing about classic Mustangs, they all benefit from having subframe connectors installed. It makes the suspension better, by having a stiffer platform to work against. Power transfer is also better because the drivetrain isn't fighting body flex. 

 

Oh, we're suckers for pictures on this forum also ;)

[noshocks 0]

Thank you fvike for your post. We do have a fastback but we were fortunate to have bought the car from a very knowledgeable seller who gave us the "heads up" on the need to use subframe connectors to strengthen the car for more horsepower. I haven't figured out how to do this yet as we are still early in the process but rest assured we will look at this closely.

 

I will post a few photos of the car shortly!

[noshocks 0]

Just posted some photos to the Gallery.

[RPM 1,190]

Welcome to the site, and the Mustang world. I've never had in luck locating particular cars in the gallery. Plus it's several clicks away. You're better off posing pics to your thread reply. You can either use the link in the "more reply options" tab, or copy and paste the url link in photobucket out the like.

 

Subframe connectors are about the easiest structural stiffening mod around. I'm a big fan of convertible inner rockers. Good luck with your build.

[Tgriffin91 27]

Welcome. A lot of people like using the 351W platform as is or bored out to 408. You can make some real good power with the 408. A T56 trans will give you 5 speeds and handle more horsepower. Modern driveline will give you a complete trans swap kit with everything you need for ~$2500 depending on what all you have already.

Disc brakes are a must if you don't already have them!

There is a large aftermarket section for mustangs so lots of looking to do!

[noshocks 0]

Thanks RPM and Tgriffin91 for your posts. I will check out the 408s as well as the transmission kits from Modern Driveline.

 

My son and I pulled the engine and transmission on Christmas Eve. We are now pulling off everything to get the car ready to take over to the body shop. Here are two photos from yesterday.

[RPM 1,190]

 My son and I pulled the engine and transmission on Christmas Eve.

Damn! That's pretty hard core. You both must be single :)