i know what i want for engine and tranny, what about rear end?
i want to run a 351w with a t-5 in my car. my question is what rear end will be the best for me?
i want something that will give me a lot of torque.
and is this something as simple as replacing the gears in the rear end already in my car? or, would i have to get a whole new differential, or whole new rear axle? that wouldnt be a bad thing really, i want to convert to a 5 lug pattern.
speaking of, what exactly has to happen to convert from 4 lug to 5 lug pattern?
Stock with a Mustang II/V-8 is the 8", they can be built up to handle close to 400HP, not sure of the torque rating. What all you going to do performance wise with the 351? The "Z" spec World Class T-5 is only rated to 330 ft-lbs of torque unless you go with one of the "G Force" or other suppliers. To be realistic, think you would be a lot better off with a built 289/302 unless you are going to use it on the strip. Had a Pinto with a built 351/C-4 trans and a narrowed 9" rear in it. Too much torque is going to twist that body.
well im not going to be drag racing and flooring it constantly. the most i would do is smoke the tires a bit here and there, maybe race a little bit, but nothing performance like. i want the 351 for the sound, and size. plus, it will add more value to the car than a 302, since the 351 wouldnt come stock. and the tranny isnt like a final thing, its just an idea that was proposed. i forget who, but they had a 351 and t-5 and it worked fine i guess? but tell me more about the c-4, and what kind of rear end would be best.
Well, you can get an 8" that's a bolt-in fairly cheap from an old Pinto or Mustang II, anything else and you're looking at fabrication work...
The 351 wouldn't add that much value to a II, it's been done quite often, they sell for about $50-100 more than a similar car with a 302... besides, the 302 will fit a LOT easier... not to mention headers a cheaper for a 302 (Headman has 302 headers for about $150, Hooker is the only 351 head builder and they want like $500 or so), plus, there's a lot more 302 parts available compared to 351 parts, and you've got to modify whatever oil pan you want to use with a 351.
The C4 is Ford's medium-duty automatic 3spd tranny (light duty were the C3 and C5, about as tough as tissue paper; heavy duty was the C6, damn-near indestructible in stock form, had one in my 1975 Thunderbird with a 460 and a 9" rear... best damn transmission I've ever had)
The C4 will fit the easiest of all your tranny options, especially if you use the Mustang II-specific bellhousing, however, using the MII-specific bell means you can only run the MII-specific torque converter OR a race-purpose-only mini converter (which would be hell on the street due to it's high stall speed.) You'd also be limited to a MII-specific flexplate.
A C4 with a regular bellhousing will fit with a little "clearance adjustment" with a sledghammer to the tunnel and/or firewall.
A C6 would be a tough fit (lot of sledgehammer work) but you would never hurt it unless you ran it low on fluid or didn't maintain it (and even then you'd be surprised how far it'd go).
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
im still not 100% sure what im gonna do yet. the 302 sounds like the budget way to go, but the 351 sounds like the balls way to go. i just talked to a guy yesterday who i sort of know and he has a rear end and a t-5 that he will be getting rid of soon. and he says that he can get me a 351 that needs to be rebuilt for like 500$... so i dunno, its a toss up really.
$500 is alot for a 351W that needs it be rebuilt, when you can one from the junk yard for half that price. The T-5 want handle that much power. I blew 2 or 3 of them before going with a 4 speed toploader from a 71 Mach 1. The monarch and the versialles 9in rear end will both fit under the Mustang II but you will have to move the leaf spring perches over about 3/4in if you are planning on using your stock leaf springs. You will have to use shorty headers for the 351W. Plus the 302 is more common meaning more parts for it.
im thinking i might do this. buy the 302, but send the block out to get bored. now my question is what can i get to from the base 302, and do bores get sold by like size, or is it just like any size bore is such and such money? does that make sence?
I can have a RUNNING 351w for $150 (local U-pull-it), so $500 for a "builder" is a lot...
Your call, 302 can be just about as "ballsy" as a 351... 49 cubic inches isn't that big of a difference... plus, the 302's shorter stroke lets it rev higher.
Wanna be "balsy", build a 289 with a forged crank and rods, lightened as much as possible and balanced to the tiniest fraction of a gram, mechanical roller cam, and rev it to 8k and laugh.
A 302 can be bored out as far as .060" but that's not recommended, the maximum recommended for your average 302 block is .030 over, and the most for a block that's got GREAT wall thickness (as checked out with testing only a machine shop can do) is .040" and even then most .040" over engines run 10-20 degrees hotter than a stock 302 (mine did in my '87 GT)
A 302 bored .030" is 306 cubic inches, bored .040" is 308, bored .060" is 310... you can always throw a stroker crank in there and grab more cubic inches that way, there are cranks out there to go 327, 331, and 347 cid available.
If your heart is actually set on the low-end torque improvement of a 351W, and you want to shove it in a II, then the way to go would be a 347 stroker kit, all the torque of a 351W, most of the displacement (you won't miss 4.0ci, that's about the displacement of a small lawnmower engine) and none of the fitment hassles of a 351W.
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
ok, so to make the 302 into a 347 stroker, i would need to replace the crankshaft and the bearings, or just the shaft? and would i need new piston rods? or pistons or screw around with the valves or anything like that? also, would the red line be higher with the stroker engine, or lower?
You'd be best-off just ordering a full stroker kit from somewhere like PAW, Summit, or Jegs. All new internals, have the block checked before you order to make sure you don't have to do any boring and have it honed, and put it all together.
Redline for your run-of-the-mill 302 or 302-based stroker is 5500-6000... sustained RPM over 5000 can crack the block right down the middle though.
With certain modifications, they can survive to as high as 8,000 (momentairily, wouldn't ever actually do it, but there are parts out there), and there are aftermarket blocks that can go even higher.
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1976 Ford Mustang II Ghia: 302 with a 600cfm Edelbrock carb, Edelbrock Performer 289 intake, Dynomax Blackjack headers, 2.5" exhaust with Flowmaster Super 44s. RJS 11-gallon fuel cell, C4 tranny, chrome 16" pony wheels, fuzzy dice, brown vinyl half-top, and painted in the tackiest color ever (harvest gold, that's why I call it "The Goldenrod").
Also have a 2003 Dodge Ram (lightly modded daily driver/tow rig/office/dining room/home away from home/workshop... I call it "The Big Blue Dawg".)
i know what i want for engine and tranny, what about rear end? 
