The Clash
I've found what I believe is a serious error in one of my favorite columns: Mr. Aliberto's Beyond the Basics. In the June '01 issue, Mr. Aliberto answered a question from a gentleman who was putting an '86 5.0L engine into his '66 Mustang hardtop. The letter/reply was under the heading "New Mill." The writer was concerned about parts interchangeability from the prior engine-a '76 302-and the new '86 5.0L. The writer asked about specific various "accessory" parts, including the 302's distributor. Mr. Aliberto incorrectly said this part would be compatible with the '86 5.0L. Physically, the Duraspark distributor from the 302 will fit; however, it has a cast-iron gear on it, which is incompatible with the steel gear on the '86 engine's roller camshaft. If the distributor gear isn't changed to a steel gear, it will fail and could cause serious engine damage. I converted an '89 5.0L to carburetion with an Edelbrock Performer manifold and Holley 600-cfm vacuum secondary carb. I used a Duraspark distributor, but I removed the stock cast-iron gear from the Duraspark distributor and installed the correct steel gear that's available from Ford Racing Performance Parts.Paul Resnick
Boxborough, MA
Thanks, Paul. We missed that one.
Grand plans
I really like your column in Mustang Monthly. I recently purchased a '69 Grand. It came with the original 302 2V, a C4 automatic, and a 3.00:1 rear axle. I think this car has about 150,000 miles on the engine and about 60,000 on a rebuilt C4.
I'm planning to keep the stock manifolds and convert the single exhaust to duals and turbo mufflers. I looked at headers but couldn't find a set that are a direct fit without a lot of modifications. I'd planned to add a performer manifold and a small four-barrel at the time I added the duals, but some friends who are Ford guys told me the car would probably run just as good like it is.
What's your opinion about the four-barrel? Do you have any suggestions as to carb-and-manifold combinations? Also, I was thinking about adding a shift kit. Do you think it will be a good idea on a trans with 60,000 miles?
Is it pretty easy to find a CD player that'll fit in the dash where the original radio went? Mine came with an AM radio that still works. I plan to keep it, just not in the car. As I write this, the car's in the body shop getting a new coat of Wimbledon White, the original color. Have you seen any stripe kits that look good on a '69 hardtop that will help dress up the white paint? I prefer to have the Shelby stripes, but the folks at the paint shop say it wouldn't look good without a flat hood. Any suggestion here? I would really appreciate any advice you can give me. I subscribed to Mustang Monthly about six months ago and have received some good ideas from the magazine, but I thought I would see what ideas you have. It's better to ask someone who knows from experience than it is to try to reinvent the wheel.Reggie Braxton (a new '69 Mustang owner)
The duals will make a nice addition and shouldn't hurt the originality of the car. We suggest you check out our Web site www.mustangmonthly.com to get an idea of what several of the top mufflers sound like. Make sure you get an H-pipe installed to help equalize the system. You'll have to go 2 inches on the system at the stock manifold; the pipes could be enlarged from there, but it really won't help you out that much. If you want better gas mileage, you might try using a Ford cast-iron intake and an Autolite 4100 carburetor. The carburetor is available from Pony Carburetors [(315) 662-3003], and the intake can be purchased at a swap meet or at Perogie Enterprises [(609) 448-1684]. As long as you stay out of the secondaries, you'll see a small increase in economy.
With high mileage on your V-8 and your transmission, you might also consider rebuilding both if you're planning to add high-performance parts. The shift kit won't help mileage, but it'll sharpen up the shifts and give the transmission a more performance feel. For the engine build, obtain an engine that uses a mildly ported set of heads, a bigger cam (get with a manufacturer such as Crane or Comp to select the correct grind for your application), and a good performance intake such as the Edelbrock Performer. Keep the carburetor in the 550-600-cfm range. Get a Pertronix Ignitor for ignition. We'll be doing a buildup on an engine similar to yours in the next few months, so keep your eyes peeled.
If you want CD sound, we recommend you contact Custom Auto Sound at (800) 888-8637. The company stocks a radio that will allow you to put a CD changer in the trunk and still play tapes in the dash-and you don't have to hack up the dash to do it.
As for the stripe, the factory stripe looks pretty good and will break up the plain white wrapper you're in right now.
Updates
I have a '67 Mustang with an inline-six engine and a three-speed transmission. I just started restoring the car and I hope to make it a better daily driver. The first thing I want to do with the car is change the powertrain in the old girl. I'm planning to put a 302 out of a '69 Mustang in the car. I want to use a five-speed tranny out of an '89 Mustang. Is this motor and tranny a good combo or does it need a lot of modifying in order to get the tranny to work with this motor?Name and address withheld
First, we need to establish whether the five-speed is for a V-8, a V-6, or an I-4. If the five-speed came from a V-8, you'll be OK. Next, you'll need to update the suspension and rear axle. You'll want at least an 8-inch with 3.00 gears and a V-8 suspension to deal with the heavier V-8. Then you'll need to call the fine folks at Windsor Fox to get the lowdown on what you'll need to make the conversion. Their number is (760) 946-FUEL [3835].