I saw a few minutes of American Hot Rod last night. They were working on a fastback. The year, I'm guessing was a '67, right? I didn't notice at the time, but afterwards I seem to remember it had no shock towers and the engine compartment was straight and roomy. Am I imagining this? If not, what'd they do to the front suspension to do this?
Thanks. Found several sources using Google. I also looked through a few of my magazines and catalogs, this time with my eyes open to this. There's even one that criticizes the Mustang II design and they have their own design (Fat Man).
Sure opens up the engine compartment, and the ads say the ride and handling are much improved. We all know ads don't lie, so has anyone here done this? What say you?
I'll do that. I'm thinking of changing my future project from a '69 mach 1 to a '68 coupe W code (clone, of course). I figure that would save me about $10K in the long run, if I buy a rust free recent restoration.
Before I go searching, let me test my memory. You are referring to subframe connectors, right? If I remove the shock towers, I can't use those that connect there. Did I miss one?
Yep. I just google'd. The shock tower connectors are called export braces, and did I miss the Monte Carlo bar?
OK, so you were talking about initial cost. If you were going to make a W clone, you'd have to consider that it would eventually cost you more than a Mach I, and that there is still no conclusive evidence that any of those cars were ever produced. I know, Bill S. has claimed to have seen one, but not a single legit accessible car is evident in the hobby. You would basically have to use a W Cougar as an example.
I was actually thinking total cost since no matter which one I eventually do, it is going to have a W code in it, so that's going to be about about a wash between the two options. I understand it'll be a ULC (urban legend clone). Sorry Bill, I know you know what you saw, but that's the best description I can think of. Yes, the W Cougar will be my go-by. Looks like I need to shop for more manuals! It might be the same manual set for the '68 Mustang and a W Cougar in '68. I'll look later.
I'm interested to know why you want to build a hydraulic 427. They are not as fast as CJ's and very hard to piece together. Royce Petersen knows a lot about those cars; he's a member of the CCA and is a regular on the FE Forum. I have a correct carburetor core for one that I won't be selling cheap.
Nostalgia? Old memories? The only car I ever took down the drag strip was a '63.5 galaxie fastback with a 427. Damn, that engine could scream! It was a revver. Big cam. Solid lifters, I think. 2 x 4V's. 4 speed. Open Hooker headers. I think I was 14 or 15 at the time. The car owner had to ride with me since I was underage. It left quite a memory! Something unique? A real live W code mustang!. Hell, I can't say exactly why. I want one, and if I can swing it, I'll have one. Though a CJ would be nice if I can't swing it.
I know, I know, the 428 has a longer stroke than the 427, and that means more torque or the same torque at lower RPM, and that's what wheel thrust and acceleration are all about! And there's a shit load more of them laying around. But who says I not going to bore and stroke it up to 480+ c.i. ;-) And, I only need one and I'll be happy the rest of my life (I think).
An R-code is a lot different than a W-code. Think of the W as basically a bigger version of the 390 GT. Same heads, exhaust manifolds, hydraulic cam, 600 cfm carb. The block was a one-year deal that commands big bucks now, if you can find one. It was a stop-gap measure while the Cobra Jet program geared up. Better suited for the cushier Mercurys at the time.
A "clone" means an exact duplicate (at least externally). You can't get it to breathe well enough at 7 liters, much less with a stroker. Once you've upgraded the heads and manifolds, you are no longer building a clone. You're best off buying a Genesis block as a base and going from there.
You know I've been looking into Genesis anyway. They do crate motors now. With a 2 year/24k mile limited warrantee too. The upgrades you mentioned are on my list. I guess when you take the base W code, bore it, stroke it, upgrade the heck out of it with aftermarket products, and then shoehorn that into a non-numbers matching Mustang, because it was never in production, it's definitely not a clone. Is it a restomod or a street rod?
Common move since the 60's. Gives you a 447 at standard bore (4.23"). Lots more midrange torque without sacrificing revs all that much. Bolts right in; uses stock length rods and the correct piston. Of course, now we have the Scat lineup of cranks. Whole 'nother bunch of combos using BBC rods. The piston aftermarket has stepped up to fill this bigger-inch market.
If you haven't already, check out dscmotorsport.com. You will be suitably impresstificated.
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