I need advice for building my 1984 Mustang Hatchback.

BigRedMan · 04-16-2008

I have a 1984 hatchback mustang that I bought recently and need advice on building it. It is stripped down to just a frame and body with a new coil over K member and no interior so this is a fresh start. The guy I got it from put the K member in to put a chevy engine in it, I dont know if that means I have to use a chevy engine or not but I am going to do more research on the K member and try to figure out if it is universal. The real question is what block would be best to start building and with what transmission? Any advice on good quality parts to put in it ect. Also for the interior if anyone has good info on how to build a dash for the guages and such. I will be tubbing out the rear end and need to figure out what my options are for putting huge tires on the back. I know I will need a smaller axle or have one cut down or something but I have never tried building a drag car so I need all the info I can get.

Thanks,
BRM

blueracecar · 04-16-2008

sounds like you have a good car to start with.i am not sure, but you can probably make your own motor mounts or have someone do if you cant find the ones you want.stick to solid motor mounts not the rubber ones. as far as engines you cant go wrong with a 302, parts are easy to find and depending on your block you can get as much as 377 inches out of it. a c-4 is your best bet, but you can always go with a powerglide also.if there are any mechanical contractors around you (commercial a/c companies) get them to bend you a piece of sheet metal and then you can cut it to fit.that is what i did and then welded a couple of braces to screw the dash to.its all pretty much up to you but once you get a plan try to stick to it so everything will work together.good luck and have fun

BigRedMan · 04-16-2008

I was thinking 302 seeing as I already built one.... just not strong enough for what I need. I am sure this time around I can get alot more out of it with a stroker kit but im still not sure that will get to where I want. In the end I want the car to lift up the front and run simply insane track times. I guess that is why I was putting up the post to see if it is better to go with a lighter 302 or go with a big block. Of course I could go with a 302 for now then move into a big block later especially seeing as I have no experience with drag racing I might want to start with something that stays on the ground and work my way up. Not even sure how big of a engine I can fit in the car to be honest. I have heard of 460's being used. Again looking for ideas and thanks for the reply.

blueracecar · 04-17-2008

i know of a couple of 347s around here running high nines, one of them is all motor.how insane are you trying to get? if you have never driven a drag car before you should probably go and talk to some people at the track who are driving really fast cars. regardless of what anyone says, 12s are fast, 11s are really fast and 10s are really really fast. i think for your safety and anyone who lines up next to you, dont start out faster than you are ready for. a friend of mine bought a car 6 months ago that runs 10.50s ( wheels up for the first 60') and he has already gone through two transmissions and put the car in the wall once. sorry if this sounds like a lecture i dont mean it to.

BigRedMan · 04-17-2008

No that is exactly what I was thinking really. I guess what I am looking for is what block will be really strong that I can start with. Not looking to do 10's at first. However I want it to be something I can continue to build as I am ready for it till I am ready to stay at that spot. I have driven fast cars and at high speeds. My 68 isnt bad at all in fact but I also have a brother that has a SRT-10 that is quick as well and I drive that alot and go all out alot more than I should. Again I dont want to go to the track the first time and get a time in the 9's but if I ever get to that point I want to have a block and setup that will get me there. I have been thinking of a 460 alot. I also have thought of taking the 302 that I built out of my 68 to start with and go from there but there are some things I should have done to that engine that I didnt such as roller cam ect. so im not sure if it would do well enough. Looking for ideas is all.

blueracecar · 04-18-2008

a big block would be the easiest way to go fast but not the cheapest. if you started with a 351w, you could later bore it and stroke to 408. that could get you from mild to wild.my car is an 89' that is gutted with lexan and a fiberglass decklid. with me in it (i am about 270) the car weighs 2720 lbs. it has a 302 in it that may have 400 hp, and it runs 11.60s@116

BigRedMan · 04-19-2008

Nice. I think I will start with the 302 I have in my 68 and put it in my 84 for now. I took it down to the block, magna fluxed it, bored it 30 over, put KB flat top pistons in it, new connecting rods but nothing special about them (wish I would have went with better ones), had the crank turned but its still factory, put double roller chain on, lunati voodoo cam and lifter kit 6004 I believe was the part #, Edelbrock performer rpm heads, Edelbrock performer rpm air gap intake (might change to a vector or even go supercharged what do you think?), Holly 670 street avenger carb (might change this as well but not sure what to go with on each setup), put chrom molly push rods in with full roller aluminum rockers, MSD ignition system, electric fan, and high performance water pump, fuel pump, and oil pump, and put a SFI approved fluidamper harmonic balancer and flexplate on it. I had the c-4 rebuilt but not made any stronger just a fresh rebuild kit is all. Let me know if you think I should start with trasplanting that stuff over and if you know how much horsepower I should be putting out with that engine.

blueracecar · 04-19-2008

i dont know about hp, but in a stripped down mustang it should fly down the track. what does your car weigh you think? i have an 89 that has been stripped about as much as it can be. the only thing i havent touched is the k-member.with me in it it weighs 2700 lbs. we put a 390 hp crate 302 in it and the best e.t. to date is a 11.59@117 mph.its really not anything too wild, its a ford "z" cam, victor jr,650 holley hp,c-4 and a 4000 hughes stall. it isnt reving over 6500 rpm.with your mustang being pretty light you could probably run 12.00s to high 11s pretty easy.dont worry about your trans, until you start throwing lots of hp to it or 5500 rpm launches off a trans brake they are pretty tough.

BigRedMan · 04-20-2008

Well the car has nothing in it right now just a shell. No interior trim or seats or anything. It has a aluminum K member in it with coil overs and cobra brakes on the front. The rearend is still the origional which I need to change also. The body is all stock no fiberglass or anything. I will be putting a fuel cell in it, a roll cage, make a dash for it and just the basics. I guess it should be kinda light but this is my first fox body so I can say how light. O should I put a 15:1 ratio rack and penion in it or just a stock one in?

BigRedMan · 04-29-2008

Just a update. I came across a 351W and now im planning on building it. I am going to stroke it to a 408. I am going to put airflow research or trick flow heads on it, a solid roller cam (need advice on which one to go with though), victor jr intake, a holly 850 doublepumper or 850 demon, and a 4000 stall. Let me know what you think.

BigRedMan · 04-30-2008

I cant seem to make up my mind but I am really thinking hard about going with a LS1 engine. Anyone have experience with both a LS1 setup and 351 setup that can let me know the pros and cons?

**RLG34750** · 05-03-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMan

I cant seem to make up my mind but I am really thinking hard about going with a LS1 engine. Anyone have experience with both a LS1 setup and 351 setup that can let me know the pros and cons?

oh god the pain....

a chevy motor in a mustang....

Like a fat girl in a mini skirt .....just not right

go with the 351 base motor....with the right combo you can go 9's N/A

BigRedMan · 05-16-2008

Just wanted to update and let yall know what im doing so far. I am stroking the 351 to a 408 with all forged kit and flat top pistons. I am putting some 225 AFR heads on it with a super victor intake and solid roller cam (probably comp cam but thinking about having one made). That is where im at for now.

**RLG34750** · 05-16-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMan

Just wanted to update and let yall know what im doing so far. I am stroking the 351 to a 408 with all forged kit and flat top pistons. I am putting some 225 AFR heads on it with a super victor intake and solid roller cam (probably comp cam but thinking about having one made). That is where im at for now.

good choice ....you are well on your way to going fast

7993fox · 05-18-2008

Quote:

Originally Posted by BigRedMan

I was thinking 302 seeing as I already built one.... just not strong enough for what I need. I am sure this time around I can get alot more out of it with a stroker kit but im still not sure that will get to where I want. In the end I want the car to lift up the front and run simply insane track times. I guess that is why I was putting up the post to see if it is better to go with a lighter 302 or go with a big block. Of course I could go with a 302 for now then move into a big block later especially seeing as I have no experience with drag racing I might want to start with something that stays on the ground and work my way up. Not even sure how big of a engine I can fit in the car to be honest. I have heard of 460's being used. Again looking for ideas and thanks for the reply.

The make everything to drop a big block in! Brothers sell a complete 460 kit that includes everthing You need to Put a big block in Your car for lust under $900. I have a 514 in my '82 gt