Howdy Tony:
And Welcome to THE FORUM.
First I have some questions about your mother's "new" '66. Is it an auto trans? When you say, "Keep it stock" do you mean stock, like from the factory, or stock in appearance? Are you looking for external bolt-ons or major engine work? Is the engine in good shape now? Well tuned? What is your location?
Since it is your mothers, I am assuming that it is safe and reliable now, Is it a daily driver or ????
There is a wealth of information here on everthing from factory stock to whatever. It is a good idea to start with a plan or idea of what your goal is for a finished product. That should include intended use, a budget and other considerations related to variables unique to your situation.
The '66 can be woken up with a performance tune up including a carb rebuild and tune, along with an ignition kit. Add an additional 5 degrees of initial advance to the factory tuneup specification. Increase tire PSI to the max rated on the sidewall of the tires and an additional 10%. If the sidewall says 32 psi max, inflate all tires to 35.
FYI, the '66 engine has a carb that is married to the distributor because of the Load-a-matic vacuum advance signaled by the Spark Control Valve on the Autolite 1100 one barrel carb. If you were to change one to something else, the other would not function as designed. There are excellent "Stickies" at the top of this forum explaining each. Both can be accommodated in upgrading and maintaining stock appearance and, stock appearance can be maintained when moving to upgrading either system. But first you need a plan.
There is power in the head too, but requires some down time and a more major committment of down time and money. What's the plan?
I hope this helps to get you thinking. I hope you are not put off with the vagueries of suggestions, but know that the more specific you can be the more exacting our responses will be. So keep your thoughts coming.
Adios, David
