[nickjansen]

hi, i have a 1978 mustang II and am considering a sbc conversion. I have been working with this car for the past 15 years with the 2.3, adding every 4 cyl performance option i can find. I have been pleased with the performance the 2.3 can put out, but there is a huge reliability problem with severely modified 2.3. I know everyone is against the idea of a chevy engine in a ford chassis, but i have a zz4 crate engine with less tha 1000 miles on it from another project just sitting around. To buy a ford version would run me atleast $3500. I know there are kits and advice for fox chassis cars, but can find nothing for the mustang II. Many street rods use a mustang II crossmember with sbc setup, but I can't find any information for using the stock chassis. I realize there will be fabrication required, and that is not a problem. This car is now show stopper, just a 70s version of a rat rod. Also, has anyone found a place to buy, or a way of building a r model front apron for these cars? Any information would be greatly appreciated

[STANG II]

Putting a small block Chevy engine in a Mustang II is nothing new if your intent is to run a stripped down drag race only car. To convert drivetrain and fabricate a II to be Chevy powered would be a very expensive and time consuming project and hardly worth the aggravation and fabrication necessary to do so. You would have a pretty much worthless car for resale as I don't know any Chevy lover that would want a Mustang II, unless it was running 11's on street tires .
A better, less expensive and much easier choice would be to pick up a junkyard 5.0 and swap out the 4. If you really want to fabricate for fun put a 351 under the hood, it would still be easier than your plan.
Sell the Chevy engine and you should have more than enough money for a full tilt Ford under the hood.

Crossing a Ford with a Chevy is like putting a Briggs and Straton in a Corvette, it can be done, but why?

[RagHead]

Agree with STANG II or go with a stroker .

[heavy metal]

I agree also.Go with a 351 and build it to whatever power level you want.

[nickjansen]

thanks for the advice. My wanting to use the sbc is pure financial. In this case, this chassis is just a drag chassis so to speak, nothing special. I agree it would be a better fit to have a 351, and in the long run a more profitable vehicle aswell. I was hoping the fabrication wouldn't be to bad since the mustang II crossmember is so popular among street rodding. I just thought that in time, a 351 could be replace the 350 when finances weren't so tight. Thanks for your advice, and I'll look ionto those options.

[nigel]

I would also go with a 302 or a 351. But if you really want to do it just use a motor plate, universal tranny brace and shorty headers. Chevy engines are cheaper to build but the FORD engines last longer.

[74stang2togo]

I actually thought about this swap at one point, as I had a nice 400ci Chevy small block sitting in my rusted and wrecked (at that point wrecked to the point of being unsafe to drive) 1975 Chevy pickup that was backed by a less than a year old TH350 tranny. I also had a 1974 Mustang II coupe that had a 2.3 that was burning oil.

Long story short, I decided I didn't want to run a motor plate, sledgehammer the tunnel to clear the TH350, and then have to track down a set of "Ram's Horn" manifolds for the 400, not to mention have to do some substantial wiring and have a driveshaft fabricated.

Short story long, I fixed the Chevy pickup up slowly but surely (still a long way to go to being right, but it's drivable) and kept it, bought a '76 Mustang II that already had a 302 in it, and sold the '74.