351w swap complete

Hey guys, the other day my friend located a '69 351W that someone had stuck in a K-code mustang. It obviously has been sitting a LONG time, probably 15-20 years. He got the motor for $100. We decided to put the 351 in my '68 and I would give him my 289 for use in his '66.

Two days and $35 later, after some weird compression readings and various issues, we got the motor installed and running great! Compression is 155 across the board. No smoke, no blowby, no noises. Unfortunately the existing exhaust hit the frame before it could bolt up, so now I have about 2 foot of 2" piping until I can make it to the exhaust shop. Also I have a few other bugs to work out. But overall it runs great.

It always takes me a week to feel a difference when I make a change, but I raced my buddy last night and he said it seems to be running much stronger. That's with the stock 2bbl too. I punched it from a 20 roll and it blew the tires away and started fishtailing. That never happened with the 289 before! [img]/forums/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]

Man I am having a blast with this 351! I got the exhaust hooked up and now that I can hear myself think, I can really feel the difference from the 289. This thing has lots more torque and way bigger balls. The friend that I mentioned above has a Sentra SE-R, 6 speed, that runs 14.3 in the 1/4. I raced him again today under better conditions, from both a 20 and a 40 roll, and we were DEAD EVEN. So now I have a low-mid 14 second car with traction. That's with 2bbl carb, restrictive-as-hell 289 manifolds, and 2.79 gears. My previous best was 15.8 with the 289!

Tonight I also swapped over to electronic ignition and installed an MSD coil and 8mm spiral core wires. The increase in spark strength from the points was ridiculous. It runs a heck of a lot smoother now and starts much easier. I also advanced the initial timing to 12*. It was about 40-45 degrees outside after I finished, and from a 10 MPH roll it smoked the tire all the way through first AND second gear. When it finally grabbed the speedo jumped from 70 down to 50. [img]/forums/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img] [img]/forums/images/smiles/icon_biggrin.gif[/img]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: shiftless on 10/29/06 12:40pm ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: shiftless on 10/29/06 12:42pm ]</font>

=D

Now get a set of longtubes on that thing, and a good performer rpm air gap with a 1407 Edelbrock carb, and you'll think you were sitting still before.

I'd also advise running a 2.5" dual exhaust, even if it's just to the mufflers with dumps. The difference will be night and day =).

Cris

Oh, forgot to add...pick yourself up some 3.50 or better gears!

C

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Is1BadFord on 10/29/06 1:07pm ]</font>

My buddy has a Offenhauser intake, I can pick it up for $75. Are those any good? I know that the intake can not be much taller than this 2bbl intake + stock spacer, or it will hit the hood. Probably be a while before I can afford some headers. (I am broke as hell right now.) I do have 2.5" duals right after the manifolds with Hooker Aerochambers and turndowns. Sounds much better with the 351 compared to the 289. When I get some longtubes I will add an H-pipe as well. 3.50 gears would be nice but I do a ton of highway driving so I'll skip those. May go up to 3.00 or so, but no more.

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: shiftless on 10/29/06 1:27pm ]</font>

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: shiftless on 10/29/06 1:28pm ]</font>

I have cheapie headers that I got for 100 bucks. They work find and dont have any issues sealing so far. Been running them for a year now. I sure do miss having my 351w in my car! I could chirp my tires in all 4 gears. Now I have to dump the clutch at 3 grand or more to make the thing move.
[addsig]

3.50 gears would probably be perfect for you, they're not bad at all on the highway...and the acceleration would be MUCH better. Something to think about anyhow.

The offy intake would be far better than what you have, although, for 75$ you could take a poke around on ebay and pick up an rpm from edelbrock maybe.

As far as the headers...you can EASILY pick up a used set for 50$ or so. Try ebay, and www.craigslist.org (pick your city or one nearby) in the auto parts section. I'm sure you'll find something well within a reasonable price. Then a couple slip fit collector adapters for your existing exhaust, and you're running longtubes on the cheap! Or you could pay a shop to adapt your exhaust...they're usually pretty reasonable.

Anyhow, just some suggestions!

Cris

3.50 gears are just too much for this car without overdrive. I drive almost 100 miles per day at 70-75 MPH and mileage WILL drop considerably with that much gear. I had an '84 Chevy truck that got decent mileage with 3.73s until my 700R4 went out and I replaced it with a TH350. After that, it _drank_ gas. I may go with 3.00s, but no more.

Well here is an update on the 351. I've had this Torker-II intake laying around that I was afraid to swap on because everything I've read about it on here and elsewhere portrays it as a piece of crap. I decided to try it anyways, and installed it with an Edelbrock 600 carb I also had laying around. It runs GREAT. If I lost any low end torque I sure ain't missing it, because it will blow the (275mm) tire away from anything slower than a 30 roll and it just flat out hauls the mail. I can now easily pull on my friend who runs 14.3s, and I am keeping up real well with my stock (260HP) 4.6 buddies, who are in the 13.5-13.9 range! Damn I can't wait to get some headers and a cam in this thing and smoke all their asses!