ok, so when it comes down to it all.

whats cheaper?
a 5.0 conversion
or rebuilding the six into a beast?
sorry if theres already been threads about this, or if im in the wrong section
but imma kid, and my budget isnt that large
and just like every kid, i wanna smash through the gears and leave nice black trails everywhere hah

id just kinda like to know numbers, practicality, which ones ultumately better, etc.

thanks,
randy

honestly from what i've seen it depends on what you can do yourself and what you can't. If you don't know how to fabricate or do anything yourself then it might end up being cheaper to do a 5.0 conversion, also depends on power that you want\think you need.

Depending on how big of tires you have spinning em isn't that hard, shoot my fairly stock (just pertronix and pony carbs as upgraded, vacuum advance doesnt even work) 200 will spin the tires (well 1 wheel ones, open rear end).

I too am young, and i'll be honest with you if the six is runnign well right now, i'd say stick with it and upgrade the suspension with what you will need for a v8. That way by the time you have a suspension ready to handle that sort of power, you can go either way v8 or stick with the six and you can still drive it around.

I love my six cylinder, when the vacuum advance was working it was a beast from stoplight to stoplight. I'd imagine with even the stock internals and a header and two barrel carb that it would be pretty crazy. Once i put my 3.03 transmission in it i will be spinning the tires all the time.

So i guess what sums it all up for my post is if the six is running you'll enjoy a running project alot more then a long gathering of parts non running project.

wow.
thankyou for that very insightful post!
id say thats all i need for now hah.
ya the six is running, just need a new clutch
and i kinda started looking into the whole 5speed tranny thing, more so for practicality reasons....plus wouldnt it up my mpg since my rpms would be lower?
oh well
but seriously, thankyou.
i feel like printing that out and posting it on my windshield for every single time i think about dropping in a v8 hah.

8) i agree with ronmaster2. my advice is also to start getting the chassis, suspension, and brakes up to par first. this way as you build, and as your driving skills improve, you will find you dont want as much power as you think you do now. the other thing you will find is that building a rockin six that surprises your buddies V8's is rather fun. when i was your age, it took a lot of thought and planning to make decent power from a 289/302, where as a small block chevy was easy. today building most any V8 to make power is easy, but if you can build a six that runs with the V8's, you will have accomplished something.

i agree with rbohm. Plus have you thought how much work and $ would go into a 5-0 conversion? Not just the motor alone- everything behind it would have to go- tranny, driveshaft, rear. Then upgrading the rear means getting new wheels that fit on them, but then you cant have mismatched 4 and 5 lugs on the car, so out come the front spindles. Wiring will have to be changed, and more will be involved if you wanted an EFI 5-0, not to mention the computer for it. Oh yeah, then there's suspension and braking
I didnt mean to overwhelm you, or discourage you, but just putting into perspective that it would be quite a project that a smaller budget may not be able to handle from the outset. For right now, ronmaster2 and rbohm got it right, start off with a good base for the car. Get it performing to its potential right now, then improve on that. Unless you have a deadline to beat, there shouldnt be too much of a rush to get your Mustang to where you want it.

type in ebay and punch in "302 crate". See the price? See the HP? There is no way you can attain the same hp for the same money with a six.
If you stick with the six, it will be different reasons other than HP or money.

Neither one is the right or wrong decision.

I totally agree with LaGrasta- If price and HP are the major consideration then V8 is the way to go. Even when you consider the brake and suspension mods. A header and two barrel will do a little but not much and when you start doing the internal mods, new heads, etc. you can quickly get into some serious money ( I have over 5k in my 200). Being different has a definate price.
John

My son and I play electric guitar. We like to find effects pedals here and there, new and used. We were in the guitar shop with my gadget hound brother-in-law looking at some new effects thingy they just got in.

"Hey, look at this," he called over to us. "You can get all those effects in this one electronic tone modulator. And its cheaper too."

We looked at him in slack-jawed (possibly stupid, drooling) incomprehension from across the room.

"Well, why would you want all that stuff if you can get one computer and do it cheaper?"

We turned back to the display case with the individual pedals.

A head-shaking moment. It's like that with sixes. Some guys get it; some don't.

broncr wrote:
Yes - had the local speed shop do their thing

Click to expand...

.


I ordered myself a couple of die grinders and 3 kits, port & polish, engine prep, carb cleaning kit, plus some books and videos.

I'm not saving any money but it should be fun.

Click to expand...

These guys get it.

If you are looking to make something that is fast and cheap to make fast, then you probably need to sell the 6 and buy a later model V-8 Mustang.
But then it wouldn't be a classic.
Doug

66 Fastback":2gmu6ey4 said:

If you are looking to make something that is fast and cheap to make fast, then you probably need to sell the 6 and buy a later model V-8 Mustang.
But then it wouldn't be a classic.
Doug

Click to expand...

Absolutely. If you want the fastest car for the least money, go buy an LS1 camaro or firebird.

If you are dicking around with an old mustang, V8 or I6, it's 'cause you like the car - not 'cause you want to go fast for cheap.

thankyou everyone.
hah, also, another thing that came to mind to me today was when i was riding around in my friends vw bug.
things got under 70hp and only has 4 gears.
gets him around, and he still has fun with it.
i need to get my head on straight and u guys have helped alot.
thanks.
keep that ol log
have fun with the car
and keep pluggin along

thats right - and a 6 has plenty of power - my f150 can barely drive in the rain cause theres too much torque for the tires. fun for awhile 'till some grampa beats ya off the line cause youre just roasting (had that problem a few times), and a v8 would be worse about that

many a teenager has been surprised just how fast my falcon moves across the intersection, sure they might beat me in the long run but whatever cause thier car is running twice the HP mine is to the wheels and i'm shifting at 3 and a half.

rommaster2":3s9nkh0u said:

many a teenager has been surprised just how fast my falcon moves across the intersection, sure they might beat me in the long run but whatever cause thier car is running twice the HP mine is to the wheels and i'm shifting at 3 and a half.

Click to expand...

do u still have a 3speed or wat?

Randy,
And another thing....
When you beat them with a six...it feels SO much better than just beating them with what everybody else has!

Will

8) one more thing, build the car as you like it, and always remember that there is some one out there that is going to be faster than you are.

3xvl777":3m1xnf1y said:

rommaster2":3m1xnf1y said:

many a teenager has been surprised just how fast my falcon moves across the intersection, sure they might beat me in the long run but whatever cause thier car is running twice the HP mine is to the wheels and i'm shifting at 3 and a half.

Click to expand...

do u still have a 3speed or wat?

Click to expand...

I still have my 3 speed.

Here's my advice, i've had mustang gt, a capri with a 200 in it, beater's and a hopped up 4x4 nissan, you just have to like the car you have. You will never be the fastest around, cause someone with more money than brains will always have a faster car.

Just build up a car you like and you can enjoy and be proud of. Also as was said, build up the chassis, take care of any rust, fix up the suspension and brakes, and keep the motor in good running condition, after the chassis is all taken care of, then you can think about the motor. No point putting 10K into a motor swap if the body rusts away from you and you can't stop the car!

There is always something to be said about the look on someones face when you roll up in a quick US inline 6, the bmw's and nissans have em, but having a quick us 6 under the hood is always a surprise and you get more looks.

Funky Cricket":2ebk5x6q said:

.......You will never be the fastest around, cause someone with more money than brains will always have a faster car......

Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth...A long time ago I gave up on being "the fastest" and am now more than content with being "fast enough". I once owned a 56 chevy (Two Lane Blacktop style) with a 427, tunnel ram, rock crusher, and was still not the fastest car in town.

My Locost is not as fast as it could be with a small block V8 in it, but anyone could do that. OTOH, there probably aren't a half dozen guys in the USA that could have conjured up the crossflow hybrid I'm using. It is quick and loads of fun.