Can I put a more modern engine in my 1968 Mustang coupe?
I am beginning to build my old 1968 coupe for my daughter to drive. I want to modernize it to today's driving standards. I already did brakes; however, it has an old 200 I-6 in it and I don't think that it is very reliable. I am NOT going to put a V-8 in it. Is it possible to drop a 4.0 Ford from the 80's or another more modern six cylinder in it? It would be connected to a C-4 transmission.
it may be cheaper to make the "6" more reliable than a conversion, but I've seen a few swaps. Just be sure you know exactly what wiring harness issues you'll get to enjoy figuring out.
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"After all ......looks ARE important"
1967 Diamond Blue Convertible
all original
Wifey's '67 Coupe Black, GT/CS Clone
Hello. It can be done, but the conversion will cost you more than the car is worth, and you will be placing your daughter's safety entirely in the hands of the person that does the work, who might or might not know what they are doing. Ford, on the other hand, knew what they were doing. This can be easily verified by the fact that this car is still chugging down the road 40 years later. You can get a rebuilt motor from somewhere like autozone that will have a warranty, and have it installed in the car for something in the area of ten per cent of what it will cost to swap it out with a V6. So, the answer to the question is yes, it can be done, but you'll be needing some real deep pockets to make it work, and there are a number of safety issues, like the fuel line routing, the suspension modifications needed to clear the oil pan, the electrical nightmare required to make all of the sensors and gauges work correctly,etc.... The person that will be doing the work might know what he (or she ) is doing. Or they might just be an articulate, well-dressed idiot. You would need to find which one they are because you'll be betting your daughter's life on it. Hope that helps.
The 200 I6 will be as reliable as you make it, I drove my '66 every day in highschool and never had any problems. As long as the engine is good and you take care of it, it should be as reliable as anything else. I'm now in college and everytime I go home she starts right up. A conversion will be very expensive, as everyone else has said, you can get a remanufactured 200 bought and installed for a little over 2K, had it done myself. Good luck
As a father I can understand why your considering this but tend to agree with the posts above the I6 is a pretty basic engine with not a lot to go wrong with it from my experiance (I've owned a few) there are two areas that are lightly to cause problems carby-fuel pump and electricial .In around 10 years of I6 motoring I never had any fuel system problems but I'd be inclind to replace the fuel pump and rebuild the carb check for worn throttle shaft and operation of the choke mechanism .I have had trouble with the distributer one or twice make sure the bushing are in good condition and concider an electronic upgrade.
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Wimblton white 66 coupe C code 289 auto
97 Jeep Wrangler 4.0 auto, lift ,winch,33's etc
04 Holden VY SS 5.7 auto (wifes)
88 KLR 250
DISCLAMER:
Please feel free to ignor all advice/information offered
I could be wrong...... I have been before.
I rather prefer V8 engines myself but if you ask me what is THE most reliable and long lasting gasoline passenger car engine Ford ever made...I'll say the 200 six cylinder. Every time. I've seen too many of last an astoundingly long time.
I don't see a safety issue here with a motor swap, just about every engine ford makes has been swapped into these and all will fit. The two issues to look at are electrical wiring. Not as daunting as it may seem at first since 5.0 FI conversions are failly common so a v6 FI swap is definetly doable. The other is motor and transmission mounts and a good welder should be able to fabricate what you need. The bottom line is going to be cost there are going to be more than a few fabricated parts unless there is a kit out there for this swap and I haven't seen one. You may want to pick up a donnor car to provide some of the stuff you're going too need. But if you have the time and money it is a doable project.
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1966 Fastback
1997 V6 Mustang
1998 GT
"Government is not the answer to our problems, government is the problem."
I don't see a safety issue here with a motor swap, The other is motor and transmission mounts and a good welder should be able to fabricate what you need. The bottom line is going to be cost there are going to be more than a few fabricated parts unless there is a kit out there for this swap and I haven't seen one.
Hi again. Those are exactly the safety issues I was talking about. A good welder could indeed do all of that, but, a person that is actually good at anything, whether it's welding, carpentry, painting, or anything else, is getting to be veeeery hard to find. It seems like fewer and fewer people take any pride at all in what they do. I have a son that will be driving in a couple of years and a daughter that's a couple of years behind him, and there is no way that I'm going to bet their lives on anybody's work but my own. I like my chances with me doing everything that matters a whole lot better than I do with Bubba down at the local garage. Maybe he was drunk the night(or week) before my kids car came in, maybe he's thinking more about how he's underpaid and that a man of his calibre would have been a rock star or a senator or something if the fates had been kinder, or maybe he's just a moron, or possibly all of the above.
Veronica,
You are absolutely right! The pride of work is a missing item in today's world!!!
Unfortunately, I am seeing it from another perspective----I'm at the age (67 1/2) where jobs I did before lunch 20 years ago now aren't completed by me until the next day, if at all. I realize that at my age I have to be realistic and cut back on doing many jobs and projects, especially on my 67 fastback. The problem is that the mechanics (EXCUSE ME, TECHNICIANS) and the body shop men (EXCUSE ME, SPECIALISTS) in words of one syllable--STINK!!!!!! They don't have the expertise, the interest, the pride in their work or the decency, morals and/or ethics to do a good job in exchange for the exhorbitant prices that they charge! The only thing they're interested in is how much they can rip you off for on a job. It makes me sick to give my car over to their hands to do a job I could do better than them 20 years ago!!!!! At the very least I can be sure it will take a couple of trips back to them to straighten out the mess they made of the job, all the while whining how it's not their fault the job is messed up, it's the fault of someone or something else! The worst case scenario is getting the car back in worse shape than when I brought it to them and having to wind up doing the job myself, after paying them for messing it up!!!
It's approaching the point where I'm losing interest in the car because I'm not getting any pleasure out of it. I'm afraid to use it for fear of something going wrong and having to give it over to some incompetant thief for repairs!! I now know why there are relatively few old timers with classic cars that they actually drive daily, as I do. They own trailer queens, and I'm beginning to realize why they do! They don't have to put up with the aggravation of dealing with these TECHNICIANS and SPECIALISTS, because the cars don't get used, so they don't break down. It's a helluva world!!!!
Sorry for the rant, but I feel much better now!
Jay67fast
My,my...we're all sounding like lovable curmudgeons ...but yeah I see it everyday too. I work as an aircraft engine mechanic and I shudder when I think of the kids we've got coming in the door today. No I'm not just a grouchy ol' guy, some of these kids can't even use common hand tools yet think they can work on aircraft engines and won't take the time to learn when help is offered. Scarry. There are good ones too but the poor seem to be growing in number. Pride in your own work is a rare thing these days and good service even rarer. I've made it a habit to single out those that I get good service from either by tipping VERY well when appropriate or at least thanking them personally for their good work. I also used to just blow off bad service but not any longer I will take the time to take to a manager and most welcome the information if given in a courteous manner. If more of us refused to put up with bad service and poor workmanship maybe things would change.
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1966 Fastback
1997 V6 Mustang
1998 GT
"Government is not the answer to our problems, government is the problem."
Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone actually know what mounts you have to use/fabricate to make a 302/351 fit in the 200 engine compartment?
Hi again. You wouldn't have to fabricate anything on that. You would just need to get the small block V8 motor mount set-up and it will bolt right in. The same cars that came with a 200 also were available with either a 289 or a 302 or, in 68, both.
And Jay, it isn't an old guy thing at all to be annoyed by poor craftsmanship and lackadaisical service. I'm almost exactly half your age and not a guy, old or otherwise, at all, and it really, really bothers me to see somebody doing something in a slipshod manner. That's one of the many reasons that I drive the car that I do. I know for sure that I can fix anything that might break on it, so I don't have to hover over one of those 'factory trained technicians' to make sure that they don't destroy a bunch of other stuff doing a minor tune-up. My sister-in-law took her car to the dealer for a regular service interval once and the guy snapped off one of the new spark plugs, hooked the wire to the busted off end, layed it in the right area and sent her out the door. They had a recall on the front sway bar of that same car once and they did the work, forgot to re-attach one of the end links and sent her out the door.
Not to hijack the thread, but does anyone actually know what mounts you have to use/fabricate to make a 302/351 fit in the 200 engine compartment?
Yes you'll need motor "mounts" for a smallblock. You can buy them at most any parts store. What you must ALSO have are V8 specific motor mount "brackets". Places like NPD sell them for around $110 for '65-70 cars. http://www.npdlink.com/modules.php?name=Mustang_Catalog
The NPD catalog has a picture. They bolt in in place of the cast iron brackets you have now.
I was lucky enough to score some some used ones. If you care to look for some, avoid the 1967's if you can. Ford spazzed sort of and made them a little different from the other years. '68-70 ones are best (simplest bolt-in) for your '68, the others can be made to work though.
Okay, so forget the swap with a more modern six. there are all kinds of EFI/5.0 kits for old Mustangs. Would this be a better way to go? The 200 is expensive and requires high octane gas and gets maybe 10 miles a gallon. Nowadays that means you will be broke trying to keep this thing filled up.
Would a 302 swap be the better way to go if I want a reliable daily driver? Or would that be even riskier by giving a 16 year old a V-8?
Uh, what kind of 200cid 6 do you have? Unless you have a fuel system leak somewhere, you are not getting 10 mpg. My 72 351C gets 15 on the highway and 12 around town. Your engine is just over half the displacement. They also run on regular old 87 and get at least 20mpg on the highway. My friend had a 66 with a 200 and on a highway trip we got 28 mpg (a little downhill, 3spd manual). Point is, this engine will be reliable and get you good mileage, so I don't really see why you want to go and replace it unless you are going for more power.
Realistically this is the best engine you could hope for when your stated goals are reliability and fuel economy. Not to mention you aren't giving a teenager a V-8 to mess with in their first car (criminally stupid I think). Let me also say this. When I bought my 1972 coupe the goal was daily driver. In three months I had a running car. Over then next 6 I got things like AC back and running, dropped in a Pertronix system, and had the power steering pump and gearbox replaced. Now it has been my daily driver for over a year with no problems.
If you want more power, do a V8 swap. If you want reliability and fuel economy, keep the inline 6.
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C/MSG Shimko
1972 Mustang Grande, 351C, A/C, Front Wheel discs.
Can I put a more modern engine in my 1968 Mustang coupe? 
It can be done, but the conversion will cost you more than the car is worth, and you will be placing your daughter's safety entirely in the hands of the person that does the work, who might or might not know what they are doing. Ford, on the other hand, knew what they were doing. This can be easily verified by the fact that this car is still chugging down the road 40 years later.
You can get a rebuilt motor from somewhere like autozone that will have a warranty, and have it installed in the car for something in the area of ten per cent of what it will cost to swap it out with a V6. So, the answer to the question is yes, it can be done, but you'll be needing some real deep pockets to make it work, and there are a number of safety issues, like the fuel line routing, the suspension modifications needed to clear the oil pan, the electrical nightmare required to make all of the sensors and gauges work correctly,etc.... The person that will be doing the work might know what he (or she
...but yeah I see it everyday too. I work as an aircraft engine mechanic and I shudder when I think of the kids we've got coming in the door today. No I'm not just a grouchy ol' guy, some of these kids can't even use common hand tools yet think they can work on aircraft engines and won't take the time to learn when help is offered. Scarry. There are good ones too but the poor seem to be growing in number. Pride in your own work is a rare thing these days and good service even rarer. I've made it a habit to single out those that I get good service from either by tipping VERY well when appropriate or at least thanking them personally for their good work. I also used to just blow off bad service but not any longer I will take the time to take to a manager and most welcome the information if given in a courteous manner. If more of us refused to put up with bad service and poor workmanship maybe things would change.
