[ChadInman]

Thanks for all your guys' help and advice in whether or not I should restomod my cougar. Your reaction was not unexpected and yes I have decided to keep the original look. Well I won't have the original color, Gold isn't really my color you know. I'll probably paint it black or there is this dark blue color on the new Porsche boxters that I like so I'll paint it something along those lines. Right now my seats are getting reupholstered at Bascom trim, they do some good work there. My real question now is what engine should I dump in my 68 cougar? Right now it has the original 302 with over 100,000 miles on it. My last cougar [1970] had a 351-W and it had some power. It had small performance up grades, nice intake and carb, but that was it, and it felt really powerful. The first thing I noticed about the 302 was how slow it felt, but it has no hi po stuff on it at all. What I want to do is build up my own engine, I’m thinking about buying a nice 351w short block, I’ll put in a nice cam and some nice heads and a edlebrock victor intake manifold with a nice Holley or demon carb. Then put on MSD distributor and control box. It sounds like it would make for some good horsepower but is this the right direction? The engine in there now is kind of on its last leg, black smoke comes out when the engine idles [probably a carburetion problem] and I want to be able to keep the engine and not mess it up being that it is the original block. Is the 351w a good idea or should I just keep the 302, and if so what are some good things I should get for it? Or, should I just get something else, my price range for the engine is around $5000. Thanks for everyone’s help and advice for my cougar, ya’ll are helping a lot [well no one has answered my post to see if mustang wheel openings will fit on cougars, but that’s all]. Anyway thanx a bunch
-Chad

 

[Disicris]

351-Cleavland running strong

I have a 351-C in my 1970 XR-7 that has almost 90k miles on it and is still runing very nice and very fast.

 

[Tim B]

No, the wheel well mouldings will not fit

Check into crate motors from Ford Motor Sport. They have 302s and 351s (460s too). Unfortunately no FEs :-(
All the guess work is done, not a bunch of miss-matched parts. Either is a good choice, but there is an obvious torque advantage with a 351, and it's not that much more.

 

[CougarAOD]

I think a fuel injected 5.0 would be a neat install. They get good mpg's and they are easy to hop up. Plus, if you get something out of a donor car, there is a good chance that it'll have an AOD behind it, or a T-5. With the overdrive, you can run a steep gear for performance and still have the ability to get on the highway.
If I had a 67-68 I would have done the FI 5.0 swap. Since all I have are 69-70 351 cars, I won't move the displacement down to a 302, but I did go to a 460 (grin).

 

[Ray]

I've had good experience with using the 10.5 :1 351 windsor with the 85 or so 351 HO cam and of course a true roller chain.I also am a bit of a purist so I use all other original components but will use a Holley from A GT motor in place of the motorcraft carb,not that there's anything wrong with that.The edelbrock carbs in my opinion do not fit correctly and choke problems can arise.Probly the only reason the 302 is blowing black in first place.Pesky hot air tube is breached.I recommend 351 over the spongy feeling 302s.Don't make it so fast it won't stop .After all its not speed that will kill you its the sudden stop.Catz yaz

 

[modifiedmark]

Just another idea Chad, Scat makes a 3.850 stroke cast crank for about 5 bills. The beauty is that it uses stock lenth 351 rods and 302 pistons have the correct compression height for the combo. It displaces 393 C.I. I recall a hot rod mag test they done on a gt 40 headed 393 crate motor from Ford and I think it put out about 435 horses right out of the crate. I was a pretty mild motor really as it had a comp cams hyd cam in it but it did have a victor jr single plane intake which would probably give you hood clearance fits. They exhanged the gt 40 heads for a set of A.F.R heads and it made about 75 horses more. Best of all it did it under 6000 rpms. I think you could do an engine like that for quite a bit under 5 grand. I'm thinking of doing one myself this winter. The windsor wont take up much more room under the hood than the 302 dose and not near as much and is much lighter than a cleavland or a big block.mm

 

[TheRktmn]

I had a 351w in my last 69. I ended up swapping it for a 351C from a 70 Mach1 . I left the 302 in my 68 and didn't enjoy it nearly as much . My present 69 is getting the 460 treatment. Why? Cuz that's what I like. Stock looking body with a go like he-- drivetrain . If you want to keep it looking stock under the hood you can install a stroker kit. If you're not a purist the sky is the limit. Some folks may not approve of my modifications, but I always make sure that I can undo whatever I have done (NO CUTTING!), just in case I get an urge to make it original again.
The key message here being: Whatever YOU want .

 

[Logan]

The key message here being: Whatever YOU want .

Amen Rocketman!

 

[ChadInman]

Thanx for all your guys' input I think I'm kinda set on a 351W stroked to a 396. That way I can get big block performance form a small block, but it's nothing too extreme. DSS Racing looks like they make a real good one. I'd probably get it with Trick Flow heads as opposed to Edelbrock. I just have to save up a while. By the way can you fit a 460 in a 68 without having to cut anything? I'm not going to do that, but I'm just curious. thanx - Chad

 

[Logan]

You sure can. Buddy of mine is running a 514ci Crate motor in his 68 Drag car...