My 351w Swapped 1995 Mustang GT

Chris Stephens

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Hey all! New to being a member, not remotely new to reading posts when I was having trouble with something :)

I've had my 1995 Mustang GT for a little over 3 years. In that time, it's been driven about 1000 miles and only run for about 5 days in that time.

Here's some pics from the day I bought it, back when it was just a grocery-getter for a broke college kid ;)

17758581_1857780661212023_1209213601524602021_o.jpg 17545317_1857780701212019_5913768779949288698_o.jpg 17761140_1857780724545350_2390710448617596340_o.jpg

I got the car with a 302 that had come out of my dad's dirt track car. High winding (7200 RPM rev limiter, and it pulled all the way there), cammed up, 11:1, forged piston motor, cast Windsor Sr heads, with Steeda suspension, nice Steeda wheels, Aeromotive fuel system, etc. My dad got the car with no engine from a friend (who bought it for the engine).

It needed some tuning and steering work at first. But then I found out that someone had not put hardened pushrods in with the guideplates. How'd I find out? Oh, just doing a burnout in 2nd gear at about 5000 RPM the third week I owned it....

Limped it home, pulled the intake and found a bent pushrod and a couple broke ones. Not pretty.

15032110_1751352935188130_7840885538076629013_n.jpg 14947478_1751352878521469_4924463059285762120_n.jpg

Well, being "proactive" I figured I would pull the heads and have them redone, make sure no valves had been hit by a piston and caused the damage. No biggy.

Had that work done, then put it back together and it wouldn't run for anything. Constant problems. Swapped over to a carb intake and Edelbrock to try to get it ready for a rally in June. I worked on it for around six months off and on with a friend, until finally, the night before the rally, we figured out the issue....and I wanted to roll the car off a cliff.

A little back story, the BBK shorties on the car and the heads had a little issue. If the headers were on, you couldn't get a socket on the plug, even a shaved down one. So I put a fresh set in while the heads were off and then bolted them down and put the headers on. Well, turns out the head gasket I used was just a bit too thin...the pistons came up and hit 2 spark plugs, both on the passenger side. I never checked the plugs...heck they were brand new and gapped perfectly! But the car would crank up and idle, but had ZERO power. It popped and lurched and chugged....

The night before a rally in Summer 2017, we decided to just start from square one. All new gaskets, reset all the valve lash, do EVERYTHING. That's when we found the piston to plug action, at around 6AM after pulling an all nighter. We didn't have time to put new head gaskets in since the rally started at 9AM, 4 hours away. We threw some of those cheap spark plug non-foulers in. We got it all bolted up, carb adjusted, and we were off! Spent the next two days cruising from Little Rock, AR to Hot Springs, then Dallas, TX, then Tulsa, OK for Import Faceoff. Car did really well except for pinging like crazy because we couldn't find 93 octane anywhere (we melted down a few spark plugs during that debacle). Oh, and I just ran with the SPOUT removed and locked the timing to 34*....hot starts required a second battery hooked up to overcome that.

But we had a good time!

80021736_764657917384395_8590744244874903552_n (1).jpg

18920994_10154733781118063_3010048541521019745_o.jpg

Anyway, we get back on Sunday, and the next day I go to Hot Springs, AR about 45 minutes away to pickup my girlfriend. I take the Mustang.

And that is where I learned a very valuable lesson I will take to my grave: always put a locknut or loctite on air cleaner studs.

The wingnut backed off and the engine slurped the air cleaner stud into the number 3 cylinder. Cracked the block :mad: So the engine got 3 days of running and then I blew it up.

Spring break 2018 a couple Fraternity brothers and I ran to Georgia and grabbed a 351w, used, but nice. We made a vacation out of it. A year and a half later, and it's still not finished....but getting there. I started off with a Holley 750DP, then decided in March of this year to go to a Holley Sniper EFI setup with timing control.

80101273_2490112177925808_2927976280534024192_n.jpg

Here's the current specs on the car:

1995 Mustang GT
351W + .030” overbore = 357 cu in.
11:1 compression
Aluminum Windsor Sr Heads. 200cc intake runners. 2.02/1.6 valves.
1.6 ratio roller rockers on exhaust, 1.7 on intake.
Victor Jr. single plane intake.
BBK 1-¾” Long Tubes
18” header extensions (open)
Holley Sniper EFI
Holley Hyperspark Distributor
Holley Hyperspark Ignition Box
Holley Hyperspark Coil
Taylor Spiro-Pro 8mm Wires
Autolite 24 Plugs

Cam profile:
Schneider Cams Solid Flat Tappet
Part Number: 13032
Grind Number: 284-92F
Intake Duration (gross): 284
Exhaust Duration (gross): 292
Intake Duration (.050”): 248
Exhaust Duration (.050”): 258
Intake Valve Lift: .600" (based on 1.7 rocker)
Exhaust Valve Lift: .584" (based on 1.6 rocker)
Lobe Separation: 106
Intake Valve Lash: .020"
Exhaust Valve Lash: .020"
RPM Range: 3000-7000

Aeromotive A1000 pump with sumped tank
Aeromotive 13129 bypass regulator set to 60psi

Tremec TR-3550 Transmission (Standard (260 0682R))
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Rev
3.27 1.98 1.34 1.00 0.68 3.00

Aluminum FRPP Driveshaft and Loop
3.73 rear gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Steeda adjustable clutch cable and firewall quadrant

Steeda Ultralite 18" wheels
285/35/18 all the way around

Steeda Lowering Springs
Tokico Adjustable Shocks
Steeda Subframe Connectors
Steeda front swaybar
Steeda Aluminum Radiator
BBK Rear Control Arms
'00 Cobra R Brembo Brakes

I pretty much had it sit the whole summer because I was busy dating a non-car-girl and working full time, then classes started back, it was hot outside yada-yada. I've been working on it every weekend for about a month and a half now and it's finally running. The Sniper needs a little tuning still, but seems like a solid setup. The cam is huge, so I'm hoping it has even more power than the hot 302 that I killed.

Hoping to do some autocross next year and maybe a Hallett track day or two. My dad runs a 1970 Boss 302 and just got a new bad**$ engine for it after he seized the old 351C on the front stretch at Hallett during the Ford and Shelby Nationals this year. And my brother alternates between a 2012 Boss 302 and a 2016 GT350. So it'd be nice to pass one of them...even if it's only gonna happen in my dreams :rolleyes:

79943045_446108859417745_2745103621111676928_n.jpg

Glad to have finally joined up! I will definitely be looking for advice as I move forward. I'm not sure this cam is gonna give me enough vacuum to run power brakes on a short autocross course. So that may mean I do a hydroboost setup someday. But all that comes second to just getting the darn thing running. I've spent the past year and a half drinking beer and enjoying college, and I'm ready to be back behind the wheel!
 

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Paladin1001

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Good looking car, your story embodies the phase "thats hot-rodding". Hot rods go fast and break, usually in that order. Enjoy!
 

RAU03MACH

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Hey all! New to being a member, not remotely new to reading posts when I was having trouble with something :)

I've had my 1995 Mustang GT for a little over 3 years. In that time, it's been driven about 1000 miles and only run for about 5 days in that time.

Here's some pics from the day I bought it, back when it was just a grocery-getter for a broke college kid ;)

View attachment 2806 View attachment 2808 View attachment 2809

I got the car with a 302 that had come out of my dad's dirt track car. High winding (7200 RPM rev limiter, and it pulled all the way there), cammed up, 11:1, forged piston motor, cast Windsor Sr heads, with Steeda suspension, nice Steeda wheels, Aeromotive fuel system, etc. My dad got the car with no engine from a friend (who bought it for the engine).

It needed some tuning and steering work at first. But then I found out that someone had not put hardened pushrods in with the guideplates. How'd I find out? Oh, just doing a burnout in 2nd gear at about 5000 RPM the third week I owned it....

Limped it home, pulled the intake and found a bent pushrod and a couple broke ones. Not pretty.

View attachment 2803 View attachment 2805

Well, being "proactive" I figured I would pull the heads and have them redone, make sure no valves had been hit by a piston and caused the damage. No biggy.

Had that work done, then put it back together and it wouldn't run for anything. Constant problems. Swapped over to a carb intake and Edelbrock to try to get it ready for a rally in June. I worked on it for around six months off and on with a friend, until finally, the night before the rally, we figured out the issue....and I wanted to roll the car off a cliff.

A little back story, the BBK shorties on the car and the heads had a little issue. If the headers were on, you couldn't get a socket on the plug, even a shaved down one. So I put a fresh set in while the heads were off and then bolted them down and put the headers on. Well, turns out the head gasket I used was just a bit too thin...the pistons came up and hit 2 spark plugs, both on the passenger side. I never checked the plugs...heck they were brand new and gapped perfectly! But the car would crank up and idle, but had ZERO power. It popped and lurched and chugged....

The night before a rally in Summer 2017, we decided to just start from square one. All new gaskets, reset all the valve lash, do EVERYTHING. That's when we found the piston to plug action, at around 6AM after pulling an all nighter. We didn't have time to put new head gaskets in since the rally started at 9AM, 4 hours away. We threw some of those cheap spark plug non-foulers in. We got it all bolted up, carb adjusted, and we were off! Spent the next two days cruising from Little Rock, AR to Hot Springs, then Dallas, TX, then Tulsa, OK for Import Faceoff. Car did really well except for pinging like crazy because we couldn't find 93 octane anywhere (we melted down a few spark plugs during that debacle). Oh, and I just ran with the SPOUT removed and locked the timing to 34*....hot starts required a second battery hooked up to overcome that.

But we had a good time!

View attachment 2814

View attachment 2810

Anyway, we get back on Sunday, and the next day I go to Hot Springs, AR about 45 minutes away to pickup my girlfriend. I take the Mustang.

And that is where I learned a very valuable lesson I will take to my grave: always put a locknut or loctite on air cleaner studs.

The wingnut backed off and the engine slurped the air cleaner stud into the number 3 cylinder. Cracked the block :mad: So the engine got 3 days of running and then I blew it up.

Spring break 2018 a couple Fraternity brothers and I ran to Georgia and grabbed a 351w, used, but nice. We made a vacation out of it. A year and a half later, and it's still not finished....but getting there. I started off with a Holley 750DP, then decided in March of this year to go to a Holley Sniper EFI setup with timing control.

View attachment 2813

Here's the current specs on the car:

1995 Mustang GT
351W + .030” overbore = 357 cu in.
11:1 compression
Aluminum Windsor Sr Heads. 200cc intake runners. 2.02/1.6 valves.
1.6 ratio roller rockers on exhaust, 1.7 on intake.
Victor Jr. single plane intake.
BBK 1-¾” Long Tubes
18” header extensions (open)
Holley Sniper EFI
Holley Hyperspark Distributor
Holley Hyperspark Ignition Box
Holley Hyperspark Coil
Taylor Spiro-Pro 8mm Wires
Autolite 24 Plugs

Cam profile:
Schneider Cams Solid Flat Tappet
Part Number: 13032
Grind Number: 284-92F
Intake Duration (gross): 284
Exhaust Duration (gross): 292
Intake Duration (.050”): 248
Exhaust Duration (.050”): 258
Intake Valve Lift: .600" (based on 1.7 rocker)
Exhaust Valve Lift: .584" (based on 1.6 rocker)
Lobe Separation: 106
Intake Valve Lash: .020"
Exhaust Valve Lash: .020"
RPM Range: 3000-7000

Aeromotive A1000 pump with sumped tank
Aeromotive 13129 bypass regulator set to 60psi

Tremec TR-3550 Transmission (Standard (260 0682R))
1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th Rev
3.27 1.98 1.34 1.00 0.68 3.00

Aluminum FRPP Driveshaft and Loop
3.73 rear gears
Steeda Tri-Ax Shifter
Steeda adjustable clutch cable and firewall quadrant

Steeda Ultralite 18" wheels
285/35/18 all the way around

Steeda Lowering Springs
Tokico Adjustable Shocks
Steeda Subframe Connectors
Steeda front swaybar
Steeda Aluminum Radiator
BBK Rear Control Arms
'00 Cobra R Brembo Brakes

I pretty much had it sit the whole summer because I was busy dating a non-car-girl and working full time, then classes started back, it was hot outside yada-yada. I've been working on it every weekend for about a month and a half now and it's finally running. The Sniper needs a little tuning still, but seems like a solid setup. The cam is huge, so I'm hoping it has even more power than the hot 302 that I killed.

Hoping to do some autocross next year and maybe a Hallett track day or two. My dad runs a 1970 Boss 302 and just got a new bad**$ engine for it after he seized the old 351C on the front stretch at Hallett during the Ford and Shelby Nationals this year. And my brother alternates between a 2012 Boss 302 and a 2016 GT350. So it'd be nice to pass one of them...even if it's only gonna happen in my dreams :rolleyes:

View attachment 2811

Glad to have finally joined up! I will definitely be looking for advice as I move forward. I'm not sure this cam is gonna give me enough vacuum to run power brakes on a short autocross course. So that may mean I do a hydroboost setup someday. But all that comes second to just getting the darn thing running. I've spent the past year and a half drinking beer and enjoying college, and I'm ready to be back behind the wheel!
Nice ride and welcome
 

joe65

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thats a good yellow! Welcome!
 

Burninriverdiver

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Just read through all this, welcome to the site! Keep us posted on your progress, hope you get to enjoy the car this year
 
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Chris Stephens

Chris Stephens

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Thanks folks!

I am going to be pulling the engine BACK out here soon. The oil pressure is a bit low for my comfort. It's running about 20 PSI at hot idle. Since I will be running it hard, I am going to go ahead and put a nice oil pan on it while I have it back out.
Probably going with this one: https://www.summitracing.com/parts/mor-20534/make/ford
mor-20533_it_xl.jpg

On the recommendation of @Warhorse Racing, I picked up a stock rear sway bar to put back on the car. Also grabbed the Steeda 1STA rear sway bar he recommends today.

My Sniper tuning guy has the car running pretty hot! He estimates 500 hp at the flywheel based on fuel flow numbers. Peak torque around 3900 and peak hp around 6850. He has me at 34* total timing at WOT, with a hair of timing pulled at at least 2 RPM points where he was seeing signs of detonation. I am extremely happy with how it's running right now. I finally got the full exhaust on, and she purrrrrrrs. I may be paying him to do a E-85 tune in the future to have some more peace of mind on the track. All the tuning was done in 60-70 degree weather, not 105* in Oklahoma running full tilt down Hallett.

I am going to TRY a secondary reservoir for the brake booster, though I don't have a lot of faith it'll work on it's own. If it doesn't, I may end up with an electric vacuum pump on a toggle switch, plus keep the reservoir installed. We will see what happens.

I drilled a hole in the valve cover to run a catch can and PVC. Spent hours building a perfect baffle for it. Now I need to find someone to tack weld it in for me. I've only driven it a few miles and the catch can is half full.

I am also in the process of rebuilding my 1983 Ford F-100, so work on the Mustang gets shuffled as I do stuff to the truck. It has a 300 Inline 6. I am rebuilding that with a Comp 268 cam, lifters, springs, and timing kit I ordered yesterday. The engine should be going to the machine shop Thursday for a full rebuild.
 

lwarrior1016

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20 psi at hot idle is not bad. Good rule of thumb is to run 10 psi oil pressure for every 1000 rpm your turning.
 
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Chris Stephens

Chris Stephens

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See! I kinda thought that, but other people have me thoroughly scared to risk it. Better safe than sorry, either way. I'll pull the engine, check the tolerances, make sure everything is torqued properly and put the new pan on. It's a weekend worth of work before the AutoX season even starts. Might as well do the work now.
 

Werecow

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Hey, I like what your doing dude, you got style an I love your ride... I gots just one stupid question... I've never seen it done, and far be it from me to question anything your doing, cause clearly you know how to do it.. I've just never seen anyone run 1.7 intake and 1.6 exhaust rockers. Your making power so I know it works, just never seen it before..
 

96blak54

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Hey, I like what your doing dude, you got style an I love your ride... I gots just one stupid question... I've never seen it done, and far be it from me to question anything your doing, cause clearly you know how to do it.. I've just never seen anyone run 1.7 intake and 1.6 exhaust rockers. Your making power so I know it works, just never seen it before..
Valve opening event and valve float. If he installed the 1.7 rocker, valve opens earlier and valve float happens earlier. Their are a ton of benefits to "restricting the exhaust" with the exhaust valve. This is an easy way to view the scenario, although their are no restrictions by doing so. Also a great building benefit with a pushrod engine.
 

Werecow

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I'll have to keep this in mind!!! I've never filled with ohc engines, way too complex for my tiny mind, always stayed with pushrods, but I will remember this Lil trick!
 
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Chris Stephens

Chris Stephens

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This is actually a 351w pushrod motor. No OHCs for me! (Except my Focus, but it's all stock)

Idk why the guy who built the engine didn't just choose the proper cam vs using the 1.7s to add lift to the intake side. But, like you said, @Werecow, can't argue with results, and this thing rips.

Decided NOT to take engine back out. Just gonna AutoCross and beat the hell out of it. If it dies, I'll build a 408w shortblock.

In other news, it looks like my dream of passing my dad in his 70 Boss will be put on hold. He's taking his new car to the track this year instead, and I don't think I have a prayer of passing him now....
88047550_505513157067777_1658803304148238336_n.jpg 88169105_235506474155119_4883771681232912384_n.jpg 88175360_512861106271532_5093940451254206464_n.jpg
 

ttocs

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This is actually a 351w pushrod motor. No OHCs for me! (Except my Focus, but it's all stock)

Idk why the guy who built the engine didn't just choose the proper cam vs using the 1.7s to add lift to the intake side. But, like you said, @Werecow, can't argue with results, and this thing rips.

Decided NOT to take engine back out. Just gonna AutoCross and beat the hell out of it. If it dies, I'll build a 408w shortblock.

In other news, it looks like my dream of passing my dad in his 70 Boss will be put on hold. He's taking his new car to the track this year instead, and I don't think I have a prayer of passing him now....
View attachment 3249 View attachment 3248 View attachment 3247

dang daddy moved a step.
 
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Chris Stephens

Chris Stephens

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dang daddy moved a step.
I'm pretty stoked. I have a Hallet track day scheduled for April 22 (I am actually on the waitlist, but usually a bunch of people back out last minute anyway) in the 95 Mustang. I might have to give it to him as a gift and see what that car can do ;)
 

joe65

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A little late to the show here, but is that GT your Dad's car? Dang, sweet car.
 

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