Updated November 26, 1998 - New 302 Finished!
March, 1997
In my VERY SCARY engine compartment is a very dirty 289. As you can see from the lack of accesories on the engine, there is no power steering, or air conditioning. There's no power brakes either, this is a plain old 2bbl 289 coupe. I hope that by the end of the summer I will have a spectacular "after" picture to put next to this one showing how good the rebuilt engine looks. The engine is backed up by a 4sp Toploader from a Fairlane GT. It should be plenty stout enough for what I'm going to do to the engine.
July, 1997
Well, it's not the end of the summer yet, but I do have a nicer "after" picture now. The old valve covers were leaking oil, and when I went to replace the gaskets I discovered someone had cemented them on (and they were very thorough). I bought a cheap set of chrome valve covers to use while I had the old valve covers hot tanked to remove the old gaskets. I also was spending a lot of time tuning the carb, and got really tired of messing with that nasty old air cleaner with the updraft tube, so I replaced it with a repop hi-po unit. It's amazing how a little chrome cleans up a nasty old engine compartment!
The only other trick I have is a Pertronix Ignitor replacing the points and condenser. This really made the engine run smoother, and was as easy to install as they claim (first time that ever happened)!
June 22, 1998
I bought a Hurst Competition Plus shifter and complete installation kit from Mustangs Unlimited for my 4 sp Toploader. I wasn't going to install it until I did the engine swap, but the old shifter kept getting stuck between gears, and a rebuild kit hadn't helped, so I decided to dive in and install it now.
I ended up also purchasing a special plate to relocate the shifter back four inches to align it under the transmission tunnel hole, because the transmission is from a big block car. Mustangs Unlimited had this too. The other shifter had a homemade plate that may have been part of the alignment problem, it was a sloppy job.
I was afraid the rods from the installation kit wouldn't be long enough, but they worked fine with the pivots all the way to the end of the rod (as in, they were JUST long enough). The install went just like the instructions said.
Once I got it all installed and put the transmission crossmember back in (I had to remove it to install the shifter rods), the shifter handle bumped the edge of the transmission tunnel hole. This is probably because of the relocation plate and the thick Hurst mounting plate, which together move the shifter body a good 3/4 inch to the left. I got out the old faithful dremel tool and cut a notch for it to move in, and that seems to work fine.
Just a little notch...
One thing I didn't get worked out was the backup light switch. I had to buy one specific for the Hurst shifter, and even though it came with a bracket, and the shifter itself came with a different bracket, neither positioned the switch correctly. I decided to give up on it until I can seek professional help (for the car, not for me!).
June 23,1998
I took the pony out for a drive today, and to my delight, it shifted perfectly. I drove it around for about 20 minutes and went through all gears and reverse and there was no sticking, no binding, and best of all - no shifter rattle. There is still some gear whine, but it's not bad. When I replace the engine and get rid of the glasspacks for something mellower, this is going to be a fine ride. The new seats are comfy too.
September 27, 1998
We are finally installing the 302, which has been in the works for almost a year. Click here to see how it's going! Go to the Engine Swap
November 26, 1998
Finished. Here's the new 302, complete with chrome monte carlo bar and export brace. That's lookin' a lot sharper than the day I brought it home almost two years ago. And the driving, well it doesn't even compare. When I hit the gas with this engine the car GOES! My husband was following me home in his car and when I took off he said he thought "boy, I hope she can stop that thing!"
<March 16, 1999>
Looking back, I can't believe I thought I'd have the new engine done the summer I bought the car. I guess I've learned a lot about what goes into owning and restoring a classic. Here's a final picture of my engine. This week I put on the 1 inch carb spacer, which lifted the carb enough that the triangular air cleaner would clear the MSD distributor. I used 1/2 inch clay balls to test the clearance, and it turns out the whole thing fits under the hood with at least a half inch to spare all around, even after revving the engine. So now it's really looking good, and I still have my striped hood.
Sure looks better than that scary 289!