Biggest engine possible?

[BlooDReigN]

What is the biggest engine that could fit in a 3rd gen mustang without cutting up fender wells etc?

[Ace$nyper]

I wanta say 460 I doubt i'm right I just can't member if i am or not.

[boosted331]

A third gen mustang would actually be a 69-70 car, but I'm going to assume you're probably talking about a fox body here, so in a fox you can fit a 460. Its tough to get tall valve covers to fit in there with power brakes but you can squeeze it in.

[BigDanTheMan]

when you say ect are you dissallowing hood replacment?

[BlooDReigN]

Hood replacement wouldn't be TOO bad because it doesnt require any cutting or anything like that.

After installing this, would there be much room for any add-ons to the engine (I don't really want any forced induction or NOS)? Would a smaller engine be more worthe while perhaps? I don't plan on this being my daily commuting car, only really for summer driving, doing drags and the occasional ricer hunt at night.

Also, how long would it approximately take to install one of these beasts by a decently skilled mechanic? Would the tranny need to come completely out or anything like that. This is why I don't want to be cutting much stuff up, the labour is almost if not more expensive than the other stuff, so I want to pay for as little as possible. I haven't done much work on cars except in my high school mechanics class. I took out, took apart, rebuilt and put an engine back in a car, but its been long enough that I really can't remember well anymore, plus, I don't want to risk something like this in my unskilled hands.

Thanks for the help by the way everybody. Keep it comin

[GTStang]

To be honest if you need to worry about how much this will cost for a mechanic to do it for you. You can't afford it! Several thousands in just labor

[MustangRoadRacer]

yeah, It is usually about 1/2 the cost of the motor for a good install and tune.

[BlooDReigN]

Well I have some buddies that will help me out, but it's really not the kind of work I would expect somebody to do for free. I might even try and attempt it myself if I had the equipment to install an engine, but I don't

[boosted331]

Originally Posted by GTStang

To be honest if you need to worry about how much this will cost for a mechanic to do it for you. You can't afford it! Several thousands in just labor

Several thousands in labour? If you go with a motor plate you and 2 other guys helping you with a cherry picker can do it in a weekend.

[BlooDReigN]

So could somebody answer the questions I had in my second post please?

[boosted331]

Originally Posted by BlooDReigN

Hood replacement wouldn't be TOO bad because it doesnt require any cutting or anything like that.

After installing this, would there be much room for any add-ons to the engine (I don't really want any forced induction or NOS)? Would a smaller engine be more worthe while perhaps? I don't plan on this being my daily commuting car, only really for summer driving, doing drags and the occasional ricer hunt at night.

If you don't want to do nitrous or a power adder, there really is no replacement for displacement. You can build a close to stock cubed 460 with a set of decent heads and a well picked intake, cam, and carb to go mid 10's @ 130+ on pump gas. You could achieve this with a 408 or a 418 small block, but you would need to run a not very street friendly cam, a big single plane intake, a big carb, and a high stall on the trans.

Also, how long would it approximately take to install one of these beasts by a decently skilled mechanic? Would the tranny need to come completely out or anything like that. This is why I don't want to be cutting much stuff up, the labour is almost if not more expensive than the other stuff, so I want to pay for as little as possible. I haven't done much work on cars except in my high school mechanics class. I took out, took apart, rebuilt and put an engine back in a car, but its been long enough that I really can't remember well anymore, plus, I don't want to risk something like this in my unskilled hands.

You could do it in a weekend with a couple buddies who know what they're doing. Trans will have to come out as you need to replace it with something stronger like a C4 or a C6. For some good 460 swap info check out www.tomak.net or www.bigblockfox.com/

Thanks for the help by the way everybody. Keep it comin

...

[parrish5o]

I've got an issue of 5.0 from about 5 or 6 years ago that has a fox with a 600+mill. I dig it up and post the pic. O yea, its a street car. The driver claimed over 200mph on the interstate. The hp is there.

[GTStang]

Originally Posted by boosted331

Several thousands in labour? If you go with a motor plate you and 2 other guys helping you with a cherry picker can do it in a weekend.

I did not say it wasn't easy or could be done by me or you. But any shop that will take on a custom project like this and do it well will be gettin at least $50+/hour. And that will start adding up real quick.

[MustangRoadRacer]

yep.
When I got my suspension done by the good people at Apex Motorsports, the kit was like 1,000, and the install was like 5-600.
and suspension is easier to do than an engine.
any monkey can drop an engine in and say "there you go!"
but to do a proper install, tune, and wiring/fuel hookup takes time and time is money.
plus with a motor like that, you have to redo a lot more than just the mounts!

[BlooDReigN]

Well I have a buddy at a Ford dealership who I would probably get to help me out. I'm sure he would get it done cheaper than a mechanic I don't know, plus, since I know him, I would KNOW that a good job is being done and he doesn't want to screw me over. Would also learn a few things in the process, which is always good