There has been no activity on the site recently because I had an accident in my street car.  Nothing serious; I am unhurt.  However, my attention has been focused elsewhere for the time being.  I should be back to making posts here by midweek.

In the meantime, don’t forget to check out the galleries or the newest addition to the site, the archives listed in the sidebar which allows you to see all posts made in the listed month.

Three things of note to break what has been a lean time for posts to V8Mongrel.com.

1. The site has had visitors from 100 different nations.  The world wide web truly is, and it never ceases to amaze me that there are so many people who take interest in what I have to say.  To all of you who read this, thanks.  It makes me feel good that what I put here is of interest, and maybe even of use to automotive enthusiasts like myself.
2. After talking to my wonderful, smart, sexy, understanding and extremely tolerant wife last night, I have reached a major decision regarding the project.  I am going to have to undo many hours of work and will be looking anew at the front suspension and steering.  Together this time.  This was a tough decision to make as the car is very close to being on the ground, and this course of action will move it a long way from that status, but there really is no choice.  These are critical systems that cannot fail without major consequences, so a ‘good enough’ or ‘whatever will fit’ solution is not applicable here.
3. I really don’t know what is going to happen once things are torn down.  I have so many idea in my head at this point that I cannot say.  I do know that I will be logging whatever choices I make here, and will try my best to take pictures of it too.  After a period of pretty negative sentiments towards things, I am feeling some relief that I can finally just get back at it, even if that isn’t the path I originally wanted to be on.

So, that is it.  Lots of time wasted for sure, but not point in wasting more time not fixing it.  Not the first time the project has suffered a major setback, and I doubt it will be the last.  But onward I go.

We are in the middle of the hottest week of the year, with high temperatures pushing 100°.  Not exactly ideal weather for working on the car.  So here are three V8 related daydreams that have been floating in my head recently.

1. In 1960, a unibody car with four wheel independent suspension and a rear mounted air-cooled flat six was introduced.  A few years later, it got a turbocharger, increasing performance considerably.  The car?  No, not a Porsche 911, the Chevrolet Corvair.  What would the American automotive landscape look like today if the Corvair had been as successful as the Mustang would be just a few years later?  The Corvair’s demise wasn’t all Ralph Nader’s fault either.  Yes, he helped destroy the car with baseless accusations that likely lead to a much more cautious GM, but the Corvair was beaten in the showrooms quite handily by the much more conventional Ford Falcon.  The same Falcon that was the starting point for the Mustang project.  Still, it is interesting to consider what would have happened if the Corvair had been the winner and GM then used it as the basis for the new class of coupes that would become known as pony cars.  Would they have had V8s?
2. In 1964, to counter the Chrysler Hemi’s dominance on the super speedways of NASCAR, Ford developed the FE block based SOHC.  The engine became known as the Cammer, and with 427 CID, head ports that resembled a railroad tunnel offering unheard of airflow, and the ability to rev past 7500 RPM reliably it not only answered the Hemi, but make it obsolete overnight.  If there is one thing that NASCAR cannot stand, it is a guaranteed winner, so the SOHC was beaten by the rulebook when it became clear that it wouldn’t be beaten on track.  With over 600 hp in factory stock trim, the Cammer would still be a top dog even today.  It was allowed in drag racing, but without NASCAR, Ford apparently couldn’t justify continued development, so it remains just a footnote to history.  Had NASCAR allowed Ford to run the SOHC, what would other manufacturers have done?  Would the Chevy small block, at the time just ten years old, been put out to pasture in order to make way for a whole new line of GM OHC engines?  Would the later Ford 385 series (429 and 460) have had an OHC head option?  For me, the most fascinating thing to consider is how Can Am and Trans Am racing, that would be at their peak just five years later, would have looked if there had been an OHC engine race going on.  The all aluminum big block Chevy ZL1 could very well look tame by comparison.  The Boss 302, a mild little street motor compared to what could have been.
3. Ford today is in somewhat a tricky spot with the Mustang.  They have the 4.6 3 valve engine, which is putting out a respectable 315 hp, but is down on horsepower compared the competing Dodge and Chevy pony cars.  While horsepower isn’t everything, the Camaro’s base V6 comes dangerously close to the Ford V8 in terms of horsepower.  Ford has an answer, perhaps ready to with very little work, but can they use it?  The EcoBoost V6 makes 355 horsepower in base form for basic people movers in the Ford lineup.  It seems like 400 hp would be easy to achieve for the Mustang with a little more boost and better charge cooling.  Of course, Ford tried to a turbo powered Mustang 25 years ago, the SVO, and while by all accounts a wonderful car, it wasn’t exactly a runaway sales success.  Could the top engine in a Mustang ever be something other than a V8?

The forecast is for a couple more days of the weather turned all the way to the broil setting, but after that, I should have some more updates to post.  If you have any thoughts on my daydreams, I’d like to hear them.  Post in the comments below what you think.

In December of last year, we finally took the long awaited family vacation to the big mouse house.  It was great fun and the parks were certainly the highlight of the trip.  One thing we made sure to do was take the less than one hour trip from Orlando out to the coast in order to visit Daytona International Speedway.

My son and I are both big NASCAR fans, so we really had a great time.  The track is impressive and there is a lot to do at the Daytona USA exhibit.  I got to be a part of a pit crew changing tires, there are historic cars, a race simulator and lots of other little exhibits.

The one that caught my attention the most was the cutaway car that would come apart.  Enjoying the technical side of motorsport as much as I do, it was really a great opportunity to see inside a car.  It has taken me a while, but I have put up a gallery of the pictures I took.

The purpose of the gallery is to provide both inspiration and a view at how the real pros accomplish building a car.  I have consistently relied on circle track technology and methods throughout the project, and this car gave me a rare glimpse of what the very peak of that group looks like.

The picture above shows so much if you look carefully.  How to mount a swaybar, how to mount a radiator, angling the front frame rail.

I hope the other pictures give you an idea or two that you can use on your own project.  And always be on the lookout for good resources.  You never know where they might be found.

There are times when things don’t go according to plan, and you just have to suck it up and redouble your efforts.  When someone else makes a mistake that impacts you, it can be hard not to get upset.  I find it is better to judge not by the mistake, but the reaction to it, and the effort put forth in fixing it.  When it is a business making the mistake, the effort to fix it is called customer service and it is a major factor in determining the companies I buy from.  I have spent nearly a decade working in different areas of the independent automotive aftermarket, so I am an educated consumer.  I have worked in shipping, marketing, product management, sales, returns, research, and inventory control.  I know what goes into selling parts and also what can and should be done when something goes wrong.

I have previously posted about suppliers I have had good experiences with, and in this post I am going to add to the list.

Lefthander Chassis

Here is the story.  I placed an order on Wednesday, July 22.  Seven different items including:

• 001-2433-42-1 : 1″×2″ 0.120″ wall rectangular tubing
• 082-301225 : ½”-13 Grade 8, zinc coated, prevailing torque locknuts, 1 box of 25
• 082-403425 : ¾”-16 Grade 8, zinc coated, prevailing torque locknuts, 1 box of 25

On Friday, July 24, here is what I got:

• 001-2433-421 : 1¼” 0.065″ wall round chrome moly tubing
• 082-3012 : ½”-13 Grade 5, prevailing torque locknuts, qty 25
• 082-4034 : ¾”-16 Grade 5, prevailing torque locknuts, qty 25

First off, the part numbering system is a mess and in need of serious revision.  I have dealt with this problem before as a product manager, and fixing it is worth every minute it takes.  Lefthander is free to give me a call if they read this and want my help.  I did a 10,000+ SKU chassis line so their problems shouldn’t be too hard.

So now you know the bad, and to be clear, this is the kind of mistake that happens to everyone.  No one has a perfect catalog and no one gets every shipment right.  Here is the good.

I called Lefthander Monday morning and spoke with Sue.  I explained the problem, she listened carefully the whole time and asked for clarification before proceeding.  Here is what she did not do and a parenthetical note on what that means:

• Suggest that I would be OK with Grade 5 (cover up the mistake)
• Ask if I was sure that I said the right part numbers when I ordered (blaming the customer)
• Talk badly about the order fulfillment personnel, product manager or other staff (appeal to emotion, sympathy ploy)

Here is what Sue did:

• Physically checked inventory to make sure what I had ordered was available
• Called me back promptly as promised
• Offered a solution that required nothing from me other than my assent

The correct parts arrived on Wednesday and I am happy with how things worked out.  Sometimes mistakes happen.  I have documented some of my own here on this site.  It is how those mistakes are dealt with that matter long term.  For that, Lefthander gets a big thumbs up from me.

While I have a blog online, write professionally for publications that are entirely digital and generally opt for electronic mediums in most cases, I still have an affinity for print and ink published materials.  I like books, magazines and printed catalogs, taking pleasure from both reading quality information and the act of finding a comfortable spot to take in a new publication.  Yesterday, I was excited to find a big white envelope with my name on it waiting for me when I got home from work.

Inside the envelope was the 2009 catalog from ARP.  The V8Mongrel has some ARP fasteners used in the engine and the spindle bolts I had to modify are from ARP also.  I have never heard a bad word said about ARP except when it comes to their price.  They aren’t cheap, but their reputation supports the company’s contention that their products are more expensive because they are actually better quality.

Having been involved in the automotive parts aftermarket professionally for almost a decade, I have seen a catalog or two.  In fact, at one point in my career, I proofread parts catalogs and gave input on their design and content.  I have high standards for catalogs because I know that a lack of technical content is a conscious decision made by someone, and thus inexcusable.

My friend Tom Freeman once opined that I have “a fastener fetish”.  As usual, he is right.  I do enjoy good nuts and bolts.  There is something fascinating to me about how a threaded fastener can provide so much strength yet be so small and affordable.  Beyond nuts and bolts, I recently spent an hour or so reviewing the DFCI (Dzus) fastener site and catalog.  I have literally hundreds of rivets and bolts in my garage.  I have high tensile bolts holding the toilet tanks to the bowls in my bathroom.  Guilty as charged.

So the ARP catalog is one that I figured I would enjoy, even before I managed to open the envelope.  Yet, at the same time, I have high standards not only because I know about catalogs, but also because I consider myself to be decently informed about the subject at hand.

The ARP catalog is without a doubt the best I have ever seen.  The product listings don’t start until page 29.  Taking out the table of contents, that means there are 25 pages of information before a single part number is printed.  While some of it is company history, which I find interesting but not valuable, most of it is solid technical information on how bolts are made and the properties of fasteners.  Beyond the first section, the technical information doesn’t stop.  There is more information regarding each fastener application and how their different grades are suited to different uses.  There are full page assembly instructions, torque guides and tech tips throughout.

ARP seems dedicated to having customers understand fasteners and is secure that once people are knowledgable, their product will stand apart from the field.  That is the approach I like and appreciate.  Get a copy of their catalog and see for yourself.  It is the best I have seen.

As I slog through this sinus infection, I have had a decent amount of reading time.  I like to think of a subject, then look through old magazines kept for this purpose, online articles and books.  Kind of a fact finding mission or research project like those I undertook when I was a studying for my history degree.

The most recent subject I looked at has the Chrysler new Hemi.  Chrysler refers to it as the HEMI®, which I think is annoying.  I don’t like it when a brand name is put in all caps just to make it standout on the page, so I will be calling it the just the new Hemi.

The new Hemi is the 5.7 liter engine that is optional in nearly every large Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep SUV or truck, and available or standard in the Chrysler and Dodge rear wheel drive cars.  In a 2009 Chrysler Aspen SUV, it is rated at 376 horsepower, 380 lb/ft of torque while using 87 octane gasoline.  That is the latest and greatest for the 5.7L, featuring the trick variable cam timing and not likely to be what you would find in the junkyard for a swap project.  Yet even the Hemi found in a 2003 Dodge Ram 1500 was rated at 345 horsepower and 375 lb/ft of torque when tuned for regular gas.  Not too shabby.

One of my favorite resources is car-part.com.  You can look up any used part in thousands of junkyards nationwide and get a good feel for what the market value currently is.  Beats the pants off eBay where sellers can place their product in a group where it doesn’t belong and the fact that auction start out below reserve makes it difficult to get a quick assessment of the product value.  Hopping on car-part.com and punching in the 2003 Dodge Ram engine then choosing the 5.7 liter option gives twelve pages of results.

The matching items are listed from highest price to lowest.  At the bottom of the screen, the number of pages is shown, and the last page with a price listed is marked with an asterisk.  In this case it was page nine, and I generally start one page before the asterisk marked page.  Usually, the stuff on the last page is full of disclaimers such “core only” or “burned”.

On page eight, I found plenty of new Hemis for between $1500 and $1300.  Many had high miles; as high as 174,000 in one case.  Obviously this isn’t the unit one would chose to buy, but it shows it is a tough engine.  In the $1500 and under price range were a number of engines with about 60,000 miles.  Fresh fluids and that should be good to go.

A quick double check using a 2005 Durango instead of the Ram showed about the same results and prices, however changing to a car application like the 300C or Charger cut the number of units found by half and added a premium of about $400.  The units from cars are generally newer, which might make a difference in price, but I think much of it is simply the smaller supply.

I also checked the hot 6.1 liter SRT-8 version.  Beyond the bump in displacement, going to the 6.1 ups horsepower to 425 and torque to 420.  However, these engines start at $4000 on the used market and go up from there.  Yikes.

Some time spent on Google showed that unlike the Ford and GM V8s, there really doesn’t seem to be too much of a difference between the truck and car engines.  Maybe I missed it, but I couldn’t find anything that said that the trucks had parts such as the cam or intake tuned for more torque.  I even found a really great article on Mopar Muscle Magazine that compares the factory 5.7 intake, the SRT 6.1 intake and aftermarket unit.  The factory 5.7 piece does very well.

The best resource I found on the history, design and features of the new Hemi is this article on Allpar.com.  I am not going to ripoff their info and paste it here, so just click the link and read if you want to know more.

Obviously, the big question is what about swap potential since that is what this website is all about.  Well, the above Allpar link lists the new Hemi at 485 lbs, including induction, wiring harness, auto-trans flexplate and exhaust manifolds, but not accessories.  That is about the same as an all iron small block Ford like mine.  Now, putting on an aluminum intake and aluminum heads drops the SBF weight down, but factory stock for factory stock, the 5.7 Hemi is good to go versus the old 302 in the weight category.  That means it beats any of the older generation of domestic V8s since the 302 was by far the lightest of the bunch.

Interestingly, that also means that the new Hemi weighs less than the iron block GM Gen III/IV engines.  I haven’t undertaken a full dimensional comparison, but my first thought is that they will be similar in size.  While the new Hemi likely has a shorter block since based on the factory stroke lengths, the extra space needed for the angled Hemi valvetrain will make the heads larger, resulting in about the same height and width all told.  Length will probably be very close as well since the bores are nearly the same; perhaps a small advantage to the new Hemi if anything.  Maybe one day I’ll get the chance to check my suspicions with a tape measure.  If you happen to have measured the dimensions of either engine, post them in the comments please.  I’ll be sure to give credit, but please, only actual measured dimensions, not printed specs found online.

OK, so accepting my hunch that it will fit wherever a GM Gen III/IV will, why would you use the Hemi instead?  I can think of a few reasons.

1. According to the August 2005 Hot Rod magazine article “Hemi Time”, the Hemi heads flow better on the intake side than the LS1 or LS6 heads.  Not just peak either, but also mid flow lift.  There is something to be said for the Hemi’s straight shot intake ports.  Better head flow means better returns from bolt-on performance parts.
2. The truck engines with a new Hemi aren’t all that different from a car model.  Meaning you are likely to have to do less work getting one to fit in a car and you don’t have to pay the car engine premium like you do with the GM engines.
3. The 5.7 new Hemi compares very well to the 5.7 Gen III/IV in output.  While the LS6 at 405 horsepower outclasses any 5.7 new Hemi, that is a much more expensive and difficult to find engine.  In fact, the 5.7 Gen III is only available with an aluminum block, so the price is usually higher.  Dollar for dollar, a new Hemi can stand proud against the GM Gen III/IV engines which are the current benchmark.
4. The new Hemi is actually a good match for the Gen III/IV truck 6.0.  While the 6.0 engines can have the L92 heads that outclass the Hemi head flow by a wide margin, those engines are also priced higher than the typical new Hemi.  The new Hemi beats the cheaper and more common 5.3 Gen III/IV in every way.
5. It is different.  The Gen III/IV is such a common swap, there is even a book on it.  Not that be different is always better, but part of the fun of having a project car is plotting your own course.

Now, there are some drawback to the new Hemi.  First and foremost is that it has much less aftermarket support than any of the traditional V8s and not as much either the Ford modular engine or GM Gen III/IV.  There is factory support from MOPAR, including swap harnesses, ignition controllers so that a carburetor can be fit, and various performance parts, yet the other pieces of the puzzle just aren’t that easy to find.

Much like the GM Gen III/IV, the biggest drawback to the new Hemi is the lack of transmission choices.  Until the introduction of the Challenger in 2009, all new Hemis were matched to an automatic.  While that is good for some people, that isn’t good for me.  The same Hot Rod magazine I referenced earlier said that the new Hemi transmission bolt pattern works with old Chrysler small block (318, 340, 360 and the Magnum 5.9) units.  Problem is, all that gets you is a truck transmission or a four speed out of something from the 1970s.   The K-car means no rear wheel drive cars from Chrysler in 1980s or 1990s, at least not with a manual trans.

The other big problem is the lack of tuning knowledge.  With the Ford and GM products, the engine management is just about an open book.  It can be programmed to do almost anything you need, including ignoring certain sensors that might not exist in your application.  That sort of capability may exist for the new Hemi, but it is certainly harder to find if it does.

Overall, I think the new Hemi is worth looking into if you are thinking about a swap and don’t need a manual transmission.  The five speed automatic that comes with them is supposedly quite good.  I can think of a couple projects that would work with a new Hemi and an automatic.  In fact, my friend Dan Durusky has one – a 1976 Mercedes Benz 450SL.

One of those with a 350 horsepower new Hemi would be a great summer cruiser.  I think the new Hemi has a future for some good engine swaps provided that a decent manual transmission option becomes available.  Dan’s car is for sale, so check out the full gallery of the car, make a deal then find yourself a new Hemi.

Here is a list of automotive technical resource books that I own.  I have sat down in Barnes & Noble and read more, but these were the ones I felt like I should own.  Obviously, I am able to justify nearly anything to myself.

4.6 Liter Ford Engines
5.0L Dyno Tests
Auto Workshop
Automotive Electrical Handbook
Bosch Automotive Handbook
Bosch Fuel Injection and Engine Management
Brake Handbook
Chassis Engineering
Circle Track Chassis & Suspension Handbook
Competition Car Composites
Competition Car Data Logging
Competition Car Downforce
Competition Car Prepartaion
Competition Car Suspension
The Disc Brake Manual – Brembo
The Doctors Guide to Optimizing Your Ignition
Dyno Tuned Ford Small Block Performance
Engineer to Win
Forced Induction Performance Tuning
Ford Focus Builders Manual
Ford Focus Xtreme Series
Ford V8s on a Budget
Ford Windsor Small Block Performance
Four Stroke Performance Tuning
Haynes Engine Management
High-Performance Brake Systems
High Performance Handling
High Performance Ignitions Systems
Horsepower Handbook – Big Block Chevy
Hot Rod Horsepower Handbook
How to Blueprint Four Cylinder Short Blocks
How to Build a Cheap Hot Rod
How to Build and Modify Cylinder Heads
How to Build & Modify High-Performance Manual Transmissions
How to Build Big Inch Ford Small Blocks
How to Build Horsepower 1
How to Build Horsepower 2 – Carbs and Intake Manifolds
How to Power Tune Ford V8 Small Block Engines
How to Power Tune Weber & Dellorto
How to Rebuild and Modify Your Manual Transmission
How to Rebuild Small Block Fords
How to Rebuild Your Engine
How to Tune and Modify Engine Management Systems
Inside Racing Technology
Maximum Boost
Performance Handling
Performance Welding
Race and Rally Car Source Book
Sheet Metal Fabricator’s Handbook
Super Tuning and Modifying Holley Carburetors
Supercharged

Those are just the technical titles I have.  I have more general interest car books that I can add later.  I am thinking about doing a book review on occasion like I did for Gasser Wars.  I get requests from Barnes & Noble and Amazon (where I purchase most of my books) to add reviews to their sites, but if they aren’t going to pay me, why should I?

So, if you see a title and want a review of it, let me know.  I generally buy books that I either know that I will like or have already looked through in the store.  As a result, the vast majority of the titles listed above have been read multiple times.

Often I get a new book and it reminds me of something in a title I already own.  This almost inevitably prompts me to read that book again, comparing the information to the newly acquired title.

Many of these books have helped me a lot over the course of the V8Mongrel project.  Some were just for fun.  But if there is a title you’d like me to write about, just drop a comment below and I’ll see what I can do.

I am fighting through what feels like a sinus infection, so work on the car is slower than usual.  AKA, at a stop.  But, I just got finished reading a really cool book, and I have come to the conclusion that I missed the period in automotive history where I would have best fit in.

The Book is Gasser Wars by Larry Davis and it documents the rise of the “street” classes in the late fifties and into the sixties.  The classes, Gas, Gas Supercharged, Street Roadster, Modified Sports and Modified Production were the classes designed to go between the factory stock cars and the radical altereds and rails.  A lot of the Gas class concept centers around the pre-war cars that make up the typical hot rods like a 32 Ford, but those are eventually displaced by smaller and lighter cars like the Willys and Anglia.

The really cool parts is that engines are pretty much unlimited as long as they run on gasoline.  The requirement for gasoline lead to the class and car nickname of Gassers, as opposed to the Fuel classes which ran alcohol and nitromethane.

The open engine rules weren’t just for things like camshafts and cranks.  Sure, you could put in the gnarliest cam you could find, overbore it to the limits and add as much stroke as the crankcase could hold.  The rules really didn’t care about which engine you ran in your car.  Considering the basis of the class was in street rods which were almost always running a non-stock engine like a Flathead Ford, this made sense.

Of course what made sense in the beginning changes very quickly once racers get going and really trying to be the best.  One of the dominant cars in the later years is a Willys equipped with a blown Ford 427 SOHC!  Not only one of the most powerful, but also one of the largest engines ever made, stuffed into what was originally a 2100 pound car!

While the book focuses on the Gas and Gas Supercharged classes, rightfully so as they were the headliners at the time, my personal interest was more in the Modified Sports class.  Small sports cars stuffed with big, American V8s.  Hmm, yeah, that sounds pretty good to me!  How about an Austin Healey 100 (I think) with a blown Chevy V8 in it?  Maybe a ‘63 Corvette fitted with a Hillborn injected 426 Hemi?  Or a ‘57 T-bird with a 427 Cammer?  There was even an MG-TD with a 327 small block Chevy.  A whole category of home built cars with crazy engine swaps.

While I am not a drag racer, the descriptions of the action and how these cars, Gassers and Modified Sports, were built sound a lot like what I have been doing with the V8Mongrel.  50 years ago, I would have fit right in with these guys.   Today, I think much of the pioneering spirit has gone out of the hobby, replaced by big budget professional builds.  I see more of the do it myself and do it my way attitude than I used to, so perhaps the pendulum is swinging back.  Maybe there will be another era like the Gasser Wars that I can be a part of.

We all know that the Gen III/IV is the swap king.  Compact, readily available and great aftermarket support, the only major drawback is the difficulty in finding a manual transmission that isn’t the size and weight of a Honda engine.  If we limit ourselves to newer engines, there are two other choices.  The Chrysler Hemi is a good engine, and while their use in trucks make them pretty easy to find, there are no passenger car manual transmissions available unless you happen to find a new Challenger.  The other option is the Ford Mod motor.

First off, let’s get this out of the way.

Compare a Ford 4.6 to a 302 and you can see why the Mod Motor hasn't been a popular choice with engine swappers.

These engines are big.  Really big.  The 5.4 is downright enormous.  And even though they are so big, there is really no easy way to get any extra displacement out of them.  So you have big on the outside, small on the inside.  Yeah, not so good.  Kind of the anti-LS.

Check out this Car Craft article for some background information.  So basically, we have three options when it comes to mod motors.  2, 3 & 4 valve.  The only 2 valve engines worth thinking about are the 1999+ PI head versions.  So, a little detective work, and here is what I found:
2v – Plenty of 50K-70K mile units available for $1000.
3v – Plenty of 30K-60K mile units available for $1600.
4v – Very few available and $2500 gets you the rats of the bunch.

Realistically then, the 4v is not an option, and while they are the top of the heap for performance, they are also going to be the hardest to swap since they are the largest.  The 3v is cheaper than I thought, and the 2v is a real bargain.  That is a 260 hp engine that has a strong aftermarket and responds nicely to mods, for $1000.  While it isn’t as easy a swap, it is going to price competitive with a 302 since the mod motor is likely to need far less work.

Where things really turn around for the mod motor is with the transmission.  The later Mustang five speeds are strong (unlike the T-5 behind the 302) and can be found for under $700 all day long.  There are even units from 3v cars at that price.  While not cheap, it certainly isn’t a big jump from the cost of a good working T-5 and is a significant chunk of change below the cost of a T-56.

Like all the modern engines, the mod motor forces you to deal with the wiring of EFI or drop a bunch of money on specially made carb conversion parts.  Everything else seems to be the same.  I think a realistic engine and transmission budget for a 2v swap, including some tuning and headers to help it fit, would be $2500.  That should get you close to 300 hp in a solid engine.  Modifications from there are likely to be expensive, but all told, I think the Ford Mod Motor could be a viable choice for a cool swap project.

What do you think?