'86 T-Bird Engine Rebuild

[sreilly77]

Hi all. I've just pulled the engine and transmission out of my '86 T-Bird to replace all seals on the transmission, and overhaul the engine. It has developed a lot of leaks due to old-school cork gaskets.

In regards to the engine, it is a 3.8L V6. Now before you tell me to put a 302 in it, I don't plan on it. The car only has 42,000 miles on it, and was given to me by my 92 year old grandmother, who taught me how to drive in in 20 years ago. The car is 100% original, and I plan on keeping it that way.

I know these V6s are basically a 351 with two cylinders missing. I already have the rebuild kit on order, and plan on boring and honing the intake, cylinder heads, and having the crank machined. I'm looking for other options to make this car run for another 35+ years without a hitch. I'm also building my own exhaust to run true-duels, and do plan on moving the fuel filter.

Any ideas or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. The idea is to keep everything as factory as possible, while adding just a bit more power and keeping it as reliable as it already is. Thanks!