What, you would rather get swallowed up by an earthquake instead of an aerial attack?

 

Better the devil you know than the devil you don't know, knock on wood.

 

Or exposed to neither with plenty of potable water. Hummm...

 

And curds! I'll take the dust storms over your winters ANY DAY!

 

Went over and talked to the neighbor. Looks like we acquired a 302! He wants to hang on to it and move some parts over from his current build. That works for us since we don't have the space right now. Now to find a C4 and a rear end.

 

If at all possible do yourself a favor and try to get overdrive aod/4r70w. I'll never build another car/truck without it. Not having to yell at your passenger for anything over 45 is pretty amazing

 

Will do! What is the best way to find one? Craigslist, local shop, other?

 

I would agree with that, seeing that you live in AZ you will probably see freeway speeds quite often and the overdrive transmission will make your cruising speed easier on the engine and your ears. The AOD is the way to go or even the AODE but you will need a controller. You can usually find a good used transmission for about $300.00 from local wrecking yards.

 

AOD's are getting hard to find in junk yards with low miles. Craigslist will have some. 4R70W is a stronger upgraded aod/aode and a lower first gear but requires a $425 controller. Though with the controller you get full control of the trans (shift points,firmness,torque converter lock up) mine shifts super smooth and progressively get firmer as throttle position changes. I got a low milage 4r70w out a v6 mustang for 250 or 300 can't remember.

 

Any way that you buy a used transmission is a gamble, sometimes you win, sometimes not. I purchased a used transmission from a wrecking yard up here in Prescott for $300.00 with a guarantee that it worked and it did and it is still running, I was also lucky. Watch Craigslist, sometimes you can find someone parting out a car that is still running and you can test drive. I found a Lincoln Mark VII that way and bought the transmission and converter for $150.00. When the transmission was removed it had a Ford Reman tag on it. You will not always win but that is just part of the game.

 

Thanks. Keep me in mind if you hear of anything interesting up there. Would love a reason to head north.

 

Like ChuckRob said its a gamble. Thats one of the reasons i preach the 4r70w. People are running 1000hp through these 4R's and they're surviving it. The 70 in 4R70W stand for 700 lb of torque.. A 190hp V6 mustang isn't going to tear one up so with a low mile unit your chances are pretty good it'll work fin. The stall on the TC is 2800 for the V6 so with a healthy 302 it matches up perfect for a street car/truck.

Edit- I'm at work and feeling nice so I checked car-part.com and there was a 70k mile 4r for 350 in Az

 

Welcome!
You are in the "excited" stage of the build, but I would not buy any parts until you have a plan on what you want in the end. List parts, prices, and if you can do the work. Changes lead to more changes needed to make everything work together. I am also doing a low buck "patina" rod, or "rat rod" build, don't care what you call it. (Truck #2 in my sig). If you can fabricate or have a helper who can you can do things pretty cheap. I have around $600 each in my jag IFS installs including full rebuilds of the suspension and brakes. If you can't then stick to mostly bolt on mods, but it will be hard to avoid needing to do some fabrication at some point.
I have built a lot of cars and found that with this kind of build (if you have the room) the best way to keep costs under control is with a donor car which can supply the engine and transmission that you want as well as many smaller parts. Then sell off what is not needed and you get your parts for very little cash. Buying everything bit by bit can nickel and dime you to death.

 

What are you using for search criteria?

 

Yeah, I live in "suburbia" so no room for a parts vehicle. Truck has been relegated to the side yard and now I need to pour a slab or I'm never going to be able to move it.