Being a 66 Mustang owner I will say put a mild cam, a factory 60's vintage 4bbl manifold (if not already equipped with one) and an Autolite 4100 carb and an overdrive transmission (one thing I wish I had done). A 9 inch is best but you could use an 8 inch rear as that is what Ford used behind most of its 302's.

Good Luck,
Paul

 

I HAVE A 67 MUSTANG WITH A 69 boss 302. I would put harden valve sets in it or it won't last with todays gas. I also did this to my 65 289 thats in my 51. heat or air ? Why not both ???? I live in florida so AIR is a must.As far as color i painted the motor same as the truck. SCREAMING YELLAR so every one will see it and maybe not run into it. LOL I THINK ITS A MIDLIFE THING.

 

Hey Thanks Guys,
Screaming yellar is an interesting color choice. I'm tempted to go red in
tribute to it's mustang heritage. I'm weakening on the A/C - my other half is lobbying for some creature comforts if I plan to have her riding in the truck. Next she'll be asking for a vanity mirror & cupholders!

Thx
Ben D. from Austin

 

In looking at your question and some of the responses, I would say you need to look more at the big picture rather than these small details.

And don't get me wrong, but those details may change 5 times over in the course of considering expense, fit, function, comfort, availability and interoperability.

Having a plan is a great thing, but you have to stay flexible. There's going to be lots of things you are going to have to adjust.

Over all I would formulate a general plan. First, it sounds like you know what you want to use the truck for. Next, try and ascertain how much money and how much time you want to spend to get it in reliable driveable shape.

Cleaning up the old truck then getting a reliable drive train in it should be a first priority - engine transmission and rear end. One that suites you goal for the truck - towing/stamina; mileage; performance?

Then the brakes and suspension are going to have to be made safe. Rewiring will probably be required!

Then, once it's driveable, do so, and decide on seats, interior immenities, foo foo's, etc. It sounds like "air" would be good for you.

Wood beds are much easier to install, drain better (less corrosion) and are more useful. Metal beds get HOT!

I would venture to say that by the time you get to the things you asked about, you will have changed your plans a number of times while just getting it running.

BTW, who are "they" that are so impatiently insistant on requiring this immediate planning? Parents? Home Owners Association? Warden?

 

Hi Julie,
The reality of my truck's status is that it has just had a Mustang II front end put in & that shop couldn't put it back together in any sort of reasonable time frame so I moved it to a new more restoration oriented shop Tuesday. The "they" who are asking what's The Plan are the guys who run the shop. "They" want to know what to work on first - What do I want to do with this truck? I have ideas but I wanted to know what the experienced people on this board would do.

The front suspension & brakes are brand new & the old tired 1969 302 engine is sitting in the bed of the truck waiting for help getting back home. What would a smart person do to the engine before putting it back in? The obvious challenges are that the engine won't fit over the new crossmember & it's rack is too far from the existing steering column. I think the guidance so far from the board is to rebuild the engine a bit while it's out of the truck then get it back installed. Then What? To your point the "opportunities" are endless. Just looking for ideas & thoughts on what has worked for others.

I suspect the rear end will need some work to be happy at highway speed but I don't know anything about them - Do I put in a 9 inch or an 8.8 or leave it alone?
Do I get rid of that hideous metal bed & go wood? Do they last in Texas Heat?

I have no set plan but I need one to give these guys. I'd like a nice reliable weekend truck at the end - I could just go buy one but I like the idea of it being an older truck with some character.

Ben in Austin

 

Well, the answer would be first to get the drive train, brakes, and suspension squared away. By the time they do that, you'll be too broke to afford anything else! LOL!

 

It sounds like you started out with a plan, the new front end and all, but it also sounds like the previous shop took the wind out of your sails a little.
Your still on the right track, personally I plan on driving my 52 when it's finished and I, like you, live in Texas so that means it will have an AC. I plan on putting the wood back in my bed but I can keep mine some what out of the weather, with a carport.
As far as the motor, as long as I don't get stuck behind you while I am cruising the Hill Country looking at Blue Bonnets, it's hard to address that because I don't know what your budget will allow. Personally if I suspected the engine needed replacement I have always opted for a short block and would send the heads out for a valve job.

 

Thanks Marcus,
Yea I agree air conditioning in Texas isn't optional - I may take your advice on the short block - Let me see what the rebuild bill looks like. I hope I don't slow you
down looking at bluebonnets! What engine do you have in your truck?

Ben

 

It's a 460

 

this is how i came up with my plan
A-how mutch money do i want to spend on it
B-google is your friend, look at sites like this for pictures of completed trucks, adeas of what swaps you can do, i save articles that i think are important on my favourites so i can later go back and look at them, also i have hyndreds of pictures i have saved in the past years of completed and in progress trucks
C-what can i accomplish myself and what do i have to sub out

you already have the mustang 2, i`d throw in an explorer rear end, new rear springs or you can go with a 4 link
engine, if you get a short block you still need to rebuild your heads, long block would include heads
-i`d tear the engine apart and rebuild it, get the heads checked and seats changed
it all depends on ``A`` what is your budget

 

Thanks Gil,
I like your just go for it approach. I wasn't brave enough to do the jaguar or crownvic front end - Not as talented as you guys. We do plan to do much of the wiring, interior, & some bolt ons ourselves. Trying to determine what you do yourself & what is best left to the more experienced. We did the water pump that was at the limit of my usefulness - 2 bolts frozen in the engine block - PITA.

I've got a stock rear end - What does Explorer 8.8 bring with it? Would you recommend the 4 Link?

Thx
Ben D.

 

8.8 is a pretty bulletproof rear end, out of an explorer you get posi, 3.73 or 4.10 gears, will match your mustang 2 front end unless your hubs were changed to the truck bolt pattern,rear disc brakes, as for 4 link or springs you can only answer this one, springs are more rugged, take more of a load, 4 link can still take a load but is more for performance, more plush, better hook up ect.
-honestly the best bang for the buck is the 8.8, its usually around $125.00 bux at your local u-pull yard
-don`t know what your budget is like for this build but my budget was pretty low so i found a low mileage car which ended up being a 89 crown vic 80 000km for $500.00 bux, this gave me the complete powertrain plus many goodies, so far i have used the engine, transmission, front end,rear end, complete wiring harness, wiper motor, power window motor and some odd and ends, this took care of all my major components which saved me lots of $$$$ the rest is the nickel and dime stuff.

 

Thanks Gil,
I'll get an 8.8 rear axle from the salvage place down the street from where
the truck is currently. I think your approach of getting a good donor car &
scavaging what you need as you go along is a great approach. Unfortunately
I live in a fairly dense city where we don't have much room to just do it. My neighbors would run me out of here if I had a salvage car in the driveway - They don't understand why I want an old truck anyway. I'll get extra loud glasspacks just for them.

You have been a big help - thanks man. Would you stick with the 3 speed automatic that came with my truck or look for something else to mate up with the 302?

Ben In Austin

 

After reading the list of ideas I might offer a few. If you could find a reasonably priced V8 powered Explorer from 1996 you would get the majority of the parts you need for a nice truck running gear. The 1996 V8 is a 302 with the GT40 heads (much like the cleveland heads but more reasonable flow numbers). The automatic transmission is the AOD (automatic overdrive 4 speed) that is near bulletproof. The transfer case can be removed and replaced with a 2WD tailshaft at a reasonable price. The rearend would be the Ford 8,8" differential. the majority of F150 trucks had this rearend since about 1993 or 4 possibly before that. it is a reliable differential and the width of the explorer is near perfect. you can use the master cylinder and vacuum boost from the explorer as well. the disc brakes on the rear end won't need to be upgraded as they are very adequate. If you have a plan of all the components you want from the Explorer it can be dissassembled over a long weekend and the rest sold as steel scrap for about $100. Don't forget that you will want the majority of the wireing harness, The exhaust system for the cats and O2 sensor. the driveshaft can be cut and made longer by any good drive shaft repair shop. The airconditioner will work in the truck with some minor adjustment. If I didn't have a couple of built Cleveland 351's I would go the route of the explorer. have fun, Marty

 

Thanks Marty,
That Explorer approach is intriguing - man that gets you thinking
doesn't it. Hmmm Let me see what kind of shape my existing engine
is in & then see what makes sense. That 4 speed overdrive transmission
would be nice - The current set up runs out of gears up around 50 - seems to be more
farm oriented.

Ben in Austin