Hi, I just bought my first Mustang for $200. It is a 4 cylinder and I want to put a 302 in it that I have. How much of a fight would I have? Also, I don't have a huge budget. The car was sitting for 8 years and I have the choice, keep and fix the 4 cylinder, or stick the 302 in there, and I automatically took the 302 for the power. Im restoring this car with my dad, btw.
1. Scrounge through junkyards, Ebay, and Mustang sites and gather up the Mustang II-specific V8 parts to make it fit like it did from the factory; you'll need the II oil pan, oil pump pickup, motor mounts, frame perches for the motor mounts, transmission crossmember, radiator, engine wiring harness, ignition module, exhaust manifolds or headers, bellhousing, transmission, starter, and driveshaft.
2. Or you can do it with a set of motor plates, then put in a lot of work with a sledgehammer on the floorpan to make another transmission bellhousing fit, build your own crossmember, find a radiator that fits the opening and has the inlets and outlets in the right spots and throw it in there and find a shop that can make you a driveshaft.
Either way you go, you might still need other work, the front coil springs on the 4-cylinder cars weren't designed for the weight of a V8, you'll need to swap those out. Some 2.3L cars got 6.25" rear ends instead of the 8", if your car has the 6.25, you'll desperately need to upgrade to an 8", 8.8", or 9" rear end. If you're wanting to keep A/C with this swap (if the car has it) you've added a whole degree of difficulty and expense to the job.
It's absolutely doable, it's a project that's been done hundreds of times by hundreds of people with Mustangs ranging from original 1964 6-cylinder machines to brand new ones getting their 4.0s yanked out in Steve Saleen's garage in favor of his newest modular powerhouses. I've even done a 2.3-to-5.0 swap in two different fox-body Mustangs, and swapped a later-model 2.3 into my old 1974 Mustang II ('74 is the only year there wasn't a V8, and I didn't want to cut up the car to shoehorn one in there, you don't have to do any cutting on a 75-78 car).
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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 found some v8 motor mounts and perches for $170 and that includes shipping. They are from a Cobra II. I guess thats what i would use for my coupe. Is that a good Deal?
That's about average, they run $150-200 for a good used set, and the sky is the limit for the price on a N.O.S. (new-old-stock) set someone has stashed away when they decide to sell.
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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".)
1978 Mustang Coupe Engine Swap Questions. 
