$1000 Challenge

[yellowoctupus]

So, this my build/challenge post for my 1965 Mustang Coupe. It's currently a 4lug-6cyl-3sp car that my wife and I restored last year, but its lacking in...shall I say... drive-ability. It needs new steering, the single MC manual drums leave lots to be desired, and the 200/3sp is getting really tired. Just isn't the exciting, fun to drive car we were hoping for.

I decided to set up a challenge for myself. See how many mods I can squeeze in for a net cost of $1000. The goals are:

• 351w
• 5sp trans
• Power rack and pinion steering
• Modern 5lug wheels
• 4 wheel power disc brakes with dual m/c
• 8.8 rear end
• Roller bearing pedals
• Cable clutch

I have allowed my budget to include any parts I can sell off the 6cyl drivetrain to help keep the total under $1000. I'll start posting pics of the build as things progress, and I'll post my excel sheet of the running costs when I get a chance.

Feel free to heckle or help with suggestions along the way. I am a big fan of junkyarding, modding and making my own parts, so I will include all material costs I can but am 100% behind wasting lots of time designing and building my own solutions instead of purchasing off the shelf parts (remember, $1000 has to be stretched out pretty far here).

[yellowoctupus]

This is my budget sheet, I'll update the picture as I go along.

[Zimbo]

Just take the 4.6 outta that 78.. lol!

junkyard 351 won't be a problem.. rack power is cheap if you find the correct deal, the 5 speed manual.. hmmm "shrug". 8.8 rear is easy out of a junkyard.. as for the rest I don't see a problem there

[yellowoctupus]

The 4.6 was actually supposed to be for the Mustang, but that was when we first got the car a few years ago, and I wasn't planning on tearing out the shock towers etc. Didn't realize how freakishly wide a 4.6 was compared to my engine bay when I got the engine. Now would I....yeah, probably. 4.6's are kinda a pain to work with though. (lack of aftermarket, everything's a one off fab job. Been there done that). And, I need to keep something as my daily driver to pick up Mustang parts, don't I? Moving on.

Friday:


Saturday:

[Mustmatt]

Excellent idea YellowOctopus! You don't need to have tons of cash for a project if you have some creativity, motivation and a few tools. I don't have extra cash to afford my project so I have to get REALLY creative.

Sometimes I run across parts on craigslist that I can restore and resell on Ebay to help raise money for my project.

There's some deals out there too if you're patient. I found a complete set of lightly used 2010 Must GT disc brakes for $100. I also sold my 15" Cragars which completely paid for my new 17" wheels.

Good luck. Can't wait to see how your build comes along!

[Zimbo]

This one time when I was 16 me and my friends got a rusted out 80s foxbody mustang and we were going to see how fast we could make it go for cheap.. I took it down to the shop and welded in some metal with about 5 rust fix cans.. then we cut out some of the engine bay and tossed in a big block 460 to a 4 speed with 5.13:1 rear gears.. LOL first time we got on it it tore parts of the floor up.. after the floor underwent stresscracks we snapped the old stock driveshaft we "custom made to fit the 4 speed" ate the hell outta the loop to catch it and dented the floor all to hell.. LOL

Took it back to the body shop I worked at and heated the metal and smacked it with a hammer & added more metal and took the driveshaft to a shop that time and it worked fine.. LMAO... 9.71 @ 135 MPH for the 1/4 mile

[Zimbo]

If you wanna talk about cheap I think the whole budget was 1500$ and we spent 800$ on the trans LOL the 460 was out of a mud truck my friend was willing to donate it..

[68fastwilliams]

This is going to be a great thread.

Where did you get the Windsor?

[68 Tahoe Turquoise]

This has my interest...keep us updated...I am looking for ideals.

[Klutch]

If driveability is your goal, I think you're shooting at the wrong targets. Here's my take:

- You likely couldn't get much dough for your current drive train. So keep the I6. When fresh and properly tuned, these engines have plenty of power and loads of torque. Dropping in a V8 immediately requires many other mods that will cost money. Have the block and head machined. Buy a rebuild kit and put it together yourself. Installing a better camshaft won't cost you much more and it would make it a bit peppier.

- Why rear discs? Four wheel discs are cool, but they are expensive new and a hassle with junkyard parts. And you likely wouldn't even notice an improvement in braking with everyday driving. Discs up front might be a good idea. I expect you could find some junk yard parts. Just rebuild the calipers. The dual master cylinder upgrade should be no problem.

- You might be able to find a used 5-speed cheap. Although the 5-speeds that were behind the later V6 Mustangs could probably handle the I6, as I understand it, they were pretty lousy transmissions. It's getting hard to find a decent, used T-5 that hasn't already been picked. But I'm sure if you beat the bushes enough, one will come up. So, happy hunting on that one!

- Power rack? Why? If you're trying to squeeze the most from your budget, this makes no sense to me. There's nothing wrong with your current setup. It's just worn out. Replace all the worn components, to include the springs, and keep driving. For a bit of an improvement, do the Shelby drop and add some roller perches. Those are cheap. You could probably even find a larger front anti-sway bar used

- I can certainly understand you wanting a smoother and easier clutch. You might be able to salvage the cable clutch setup from a Mustang II. While most of those cars had the front ends cut off, the cable clutch assemblies would probably still be in place. And pulling one yourself should be cheap

So, to review...

- Keeping the I6 allows you to keep your current 4-lugs, current rear diff and a few other things
- Rebuild the I6 yourself
- Have the distributor rebuilt. You can keep the points or install a Pertronix. Either way, it would run great.
- Install a T5 behind the I6
- Put a 3.55 gear at the rear. If you do it yourself, it's cheap
- Salvage some front disc parts and rebuild them
- Rebuild the front suspension

It's your Mustang and you can certainly do with it as you wish. I don't mean to criticize your plans. I just don't think that agenda would give you the best bang for the bucks. And since a worn I6 drive train isn't worth much, I doubt selling it would allow you to do much with $1,000 cash.

An I6 Mustang with a T5 and front disc brakes will be a great cruiser. And I bet your wife would love it.

Have fun!

[CobraSix]

I'm the king of cheap, but I'll be impressed if you manage this.

Honestly, probably one of your best bets is to find a craigslist explorer with a 5.0. See them all the time around me for $1000-1500 if you look long enough. Take that, pull the 302 out. Keep the GT40p heads. If you want EFI, great. If not, sell the parts. Take the 8.8 out of the rear and then start parting the explorer. Look for one with a good solid tailgate, those can fetch $300 alone. That way you may end up with even more money. Hell, after you pull as much as you can out, send it to the scrap yard for $500. That's how I was going to do it with my swap until I found a rebuilt, 0 mile 5.0 for $400 (after I sold what I didn't need/want).

I've been doing a very similar level of swap. Going from my I6 build with an Oz250 head and intake manifold to a 5.0 EFI. I was able to sell most of my I6 parts, extra V8 parts, and I should end up close to $1000 total outlay, but that didn't include already upgraded parts of the 5 lug, 8" rear, and T5.

I think the transmission will be your biggest hurdle. expect to pay $300-500 minimum for something with just a little life left in it. You might get lucky there too if your patient though. I got mine, as a rebuilt one, for $600 and giving a friend some help working on his mustang.

There are some places (ultrastang) that have brackets to use late model disc brakes. They brackets would run about $300, plus the price of the brakes.

Guess it's going to come down to how comfortable you are with used/junkyard parts. For example, rotors and calipers are what they are. Are you willing to go used on them? If not, there goes a good chunk of the budget.

Don't overestimate the value of the 6 cylinder parts though. You'll be lucky to get much more than $500 or so for them.

But I will stay tuned, I'd love to see some ideas. I don't mean to come across as a nay sayer as I'm attempting the same basic thing.

[yellowoctupus]

Ah, you guys responded faster than I could post progress up here! I actually started the swap about two weeks ago (late on starting my build post), the I6+trans are long gone, and there's a T5+351w already bolted in.

70 Ranchero front discs are bolted in too

8.8 3.73L Disc Exploder rear end has already been sectioned and installed (wish I hadn't since I bought modern wheels which would have fit the 59" stock track width quite nicely...).

88660 Hedman Headers have already been sectioned and the #3 DS tube moved to get my 97 Mustang dual booster/mc setup to fit.

My pedal bushings are SUPER screwed up so I went ahead and put in some roller bearing sleeves last night for 1628 bearings.

Engine's from a 1980 Bronco I drove home about month ago. Pics to be uploaded as I can.

[yellowoctupus]

Headers Modified for 1997 V6 Booster . Originally the headers ran into the booster at the rear of the valve cutter. There was enough extra tubing from dropping the bend lower to finish the lower gaps too, nice and smooth transistions, no sharp bends etc.


To get the M/C to fit, the export brace mount had to be removed. I ground a low angle drill bit to drill out the spot welds, normal bit is 118°, this one is closer to 150°. Still removes the weld well, but doesn't bite into the base metal as much.


New Wheels off a 2008 V6 Mustang


Whipped out Pedal Bracket Bearings


NVH dampener unit mounted on T-5 transmission mount (bore is exactly 1.625") Cut in half, it's perfect for 1628 Bearings (5/8" bore, 1-5/8" OD 1/2" width) Just cut the two spot welds that hold in the freeze plugs and take out the bb's first of course.


Bearing sleeves installed, waiting for the bearings to come in


Shifter fit through stock hole perfectly.

[qwk66]

Sounds like you have made good progress. How is the budget looking?

[88cougargt]

How do you get stuff done so quickly. I don't have enough time after work and Saturday is usually spent recuperating from M-F. House work + mantaining 2 other cars just leaves me useless. Took me over a month to swap my bent 302 for the replacement.

Keep up the good work. I wrench vicariously through you.

Dan