How did Ford do that?

[rally]

Im always wonder how the heck Ford stuff the big block 390/427/428/429 in 1967-70 Mustang?

These Mustang look smaller than Mopar A-body. While we have hard time install B/RB 383/440 in our Abody, Ford have no problem with that.

Is these Ford big block smaller/lighter than Mopar big block or what?

And 1969 Dart/Cuda 440 vs 69 Mach 1 428 , whos faster?

 

[67Dart273]

I had a few friends with stuff like 390 Stangs, and I did tuneups on 'em. I can tell you that they were no fun at all to change plugs.

 

[yellowdartdave]

Remember, the Ford big blocks have exhaust port that exit the head pointed more downward than straight out. And the plugs are angle mounted.

And they don't have the torsion bars to snake the exhaust around, they had a different front suspension and other crap like that.

 

[caferacerx]

they just had a bigger shoe horn

 

[yellowdartdave]

Esp on the Boss 429 !!

 

[BigWhip]

Ford got the motors in the cars but they were very difficult to work on. I had a 429 scj Torino and it was a pain. My father used a hole saw and cut holes inside the inner fender to remove the back two plugs. Headers were like a puzzle, many went forward before they reversed direction and headed to the rear of the car. With headers I had to change my drain plug to remove the oil( header was to close to remover the old oil pan plug). Same for the oil filter.

 

[63VALIANT*KISS]

they lubed her up and made her suck it in and pushed until it fit.

 

[Prine]

And if you look at a 1st Gen mustang engine bay....you can see that the steering box is almost PART of the column and sits up and under the driver coil spring tower and outside the frame rail leaving a HUGE amount of room on the driver side.

With the different exhaust port aiming and angled plugs you can see the increased area for the bigger Ford Engines.

Fords lack in other areas far worse proportionally than Mopars so.....rayer:MOPAR.

http://www.allfordmustangs.com/foru...tang-engine-bay-detailing-coupe-eng-compt.jpg

 

[LXguy]

I can tell you working on a big block Fairlane is no picnic either. The lack of torsion bars helps a lot, but those plugs are right against those shock towers...

 

[70aarcuda]

my older brother had a 68 Mustang 390 CS ...Cal special...

yeah....doing work on it was a chore.......glad i did not have work on it..

 

[RustyRatRod]

Hot Rod Magazine did a 428 install in a Falcon in the early 70s. It was like a 67 or 68 model Falcon. They did it using all factory Ford parts available over the counter at the time. I always found it interesting too that when I was working the parts counters as a kid, that the Fel Pro gasket book had a listing for a 428 in a Falcon. So did the WIX book and all the other gasket books at the time, yet I have never seen or heard of one. These were the old catalogs when you had the binder racks holdin um together. You know, the "book" that you ask parts people to look in now and they just give you a blank stare.

 

[69DARTS]

who gives a ****

 

[Badart]

Are you kidding me? Looks pretty tight to me and imagine working around those shock towers. This is a 67 Fastback that my neighbor has in a barn. It has been there about 25 years. I actually tried to buy it from him, but his son is going to restore it someday. Yeah right!

 

[inkjunkie]

Don't know if they are made for a Mustang but for Fairlanes shock tower notching kits are available to make room for a big block, more or less replicates some of what was done at Dearborn Steel Tubing for the Thunderbolts....

 

[805moparkid]

Are you kidding me. Looks pretty tight to me. Imagine working around those shock towers. This is a 67 Fastback that my neighbor has in a barn. It has been there about 25 years. I actually tried to buy it from him, but his son is going to restore it someday.

thats why you cut them out and install a striaght axle...

and AFX it while you at it...

 

[RustyRatRod]

No need for that. The Mustang came with both the 390 as well as the 428 which both share the same external dimensions. The Falcon also shares the same chassis and under hood dimensions as the same year Mustang. That's why the FE into a Falcon (64 and up) is a bolt in swap. It's a engine bay fulla motor, but it'll fit.

 

[95teetee]

I had a few friends with stuff like 390 Stangs, and I did tuneups on 'em. I can tell you that they were no fun at all to change plugs.

I put a 351C in a '68 'stang- had to undo a motor mount and jack up the motor to change one plug (#7 iirc).

 

[WildCat]

I think they modified the shock towers on the big block mustangs and also the reason they made the 71 mustang bigger to fit the big block

My brothers 69 GTS Dart was not fun to work on. Was stock 383 auto, some plugs from top others from bottom, changing the starter took me all evening, actually dad helped once he got off work at midnight.

Had a buddy with a 66 390 GTA fairlane what a pain in the A** that was to work on.

 

[rally]

who gives a ****

I don't really give a **** but I can't stand an idea that Ford engineered is better than Mopar since they can stuff big block in their mustang which is smaller than Mopar Abody. Remmember Mopar Abody is the lightest car Mopar ever made in 60-70s.

All big block, smaller lighter car should take advantage in racing, shouldn't it?

 

[RustyRatRod]

I think they modified the shock towers on the big block mustangs and also the reason they made the 71 mustang bigger to fit the big block

My brothers 69 GTS Dart was not fun to work on. Was stock 383 auto, some plugs from top others from bottom, changing the starter took me all evening, actually dad helped once he got off work at midnight.

Had a buddy with a 66 390 GTA fairlane what a pain in the A** that was to work on.

Not for the FE engine. It fits in the 64 and up Rustang and Falcon chassis unmodded. I've seen too many of um to know. Now, as far as the 385 series engines (429, 460), you're right. They didn't make the scene until after the body change in 1971. But the FE engines were and are a bolt in for 64 and up.

 

[pishta]

Mopar Big blocks fit all chassis, its the exhaust that doesnt fit!!

I had a 385 block (351C-2V) in a 57 Fairlane and the headers were generic 79 buck 1 piece Super Shop Cyclones and dropped in without even a starter move. Those heads pointed down at a 45 for exhaust, huge benefit, flowed like W2's too.

 

[LH23H2R]

'69 and '70 Boss 429's were modified by Kar Kraft ( "KK 429" ) . The Shear Panels ( col. , "Inner Fenders" ) were changed out for ones with narrow shock towers ; K.K. painted the entire compartment in a semi-gloss grey .

FE ( Ford-Edsel ; 352-360-390-427 Wedge-428) motors were slipped-in with unmodified 'panels , and , as previously mentioned , were less than a joy to perform routine service on .
The Chilton's manual stated that Mustangs (et al.) equipped with these motors had to have said motors lifted-up to access the spark plugs ; same was said for the 385-Series 429 Wedge ( '70 Cobra Jet Mustang ). IIRC , the "flag time" was 2-3 hours for that job .

** as a side note : the numerical designations given for the "385-Series" stood for the engines' stroke dimensions ( 3.85" ). the "Cleveland" Series was also known as the "335-Series" ( 3.35" ) for the same reason .
"FE" = Ford-Edsel
"MEL" = Mercury-Edsel-Lincoln
The Windsor Series is well-chronicalled (221-260-298-302-351W )**

Ever seen the original Hurst-Campbell mods to the Shear Panels and rear wheel wells performed on the '68 Hemi Dart / Barracuda twins ?
Stand on the front tyre and swing a sledgehammer on the shock towers ; tuck-in and bang the rear wheel wells in order to gain clearnace for the rear tyres .

 

[Jonny H]

didn't seem to be a problem on this Duster

 

[Bad Sport]

It's a engine bay fulla motor, but it'll fit.

You got that right, I had a 68 rustang back in the mid 70's and I put a 390 in it. It was so tight I couldn't slide a piece of paper between the exhaust manifold and shock tower. Man was it fun though.

 

[SoulSurvivor]

I don't really give a **** but I can't stand an idea that Ford engineered is better than Mopar since they can stuff big block in their mustang which is smaller than Mopar Abody. Remmember Mopar Abody is the lightest car Mopar ever made in 60-70s.

All big block, smaller lighter car should take advantage in racing, shouldn't it?

From 1967 through 1968 you could get an Dart with the 383. In 1968 you could get a 383 or 426 Hemi in a Dart or Barracuda. And in 1969 you could get a 440 in a Dart or Barracuda. Ford had no engineering edge over Chrysler or Chevrolet. If anything it was the other way around. And the 428CJ was a pig. Stock for stock any 340 to 440 would run it over any day of the week.