With a mammoth 532ci big-block hanging on a cherry picker, and a teeny-tiny 3,000-pound Mustang waiting to get stuffed, the entire scene looks terribly wrong. Like trying to fit Albert Einstein's brain into Paris Hilton's head, the very notion that the squeeze-fest that's about to ensue is even feasible seems entirely preposterous. On paper, we know darn well that this particular swap will work, as hot rodders have been transplanting 460-based big-blocks into Fox-body Mustangs for many, many years. Nonetheless, considering that Ford's 385-series big-block originally came equipped in gargantuan land yachts like Torinos and Continentals-cars that weigh between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds more and measure 3 to 5 feet longer than the Fox-that knee-jerk skepticism is difficult to escape. Optical illusions aside, once the wrenches started turning, the big-block dropped in real nice using nothing but off-the-shelf hardware. Aspiring to shoehorn as big of a motor as possible into as small of a car as possible is what this hobby's all about. It feels dirty. It feels good, and in this instance it's remarkably easy to pull off.
Over the past few months, our '93 Mustang project car has been getting prepped for 9-second battle with a custom 10-point chrome-moly rollcage, an Anthony Jones Engineering front suspension, a Competition Engineering rear suspension, and an 8.8-inch rearend fortified with Strange internals. What warrants all that chassis work is a 775hp big-block-built by the School of Automotive Machinists-that's been waiting for a new home since it was finished last spring. For the ultimate in durability in a compact package, the beastly mill has been matched up with a bulletproof TH400 trans from Phoenix transmissions. Now that the time has come to finally install the hybrid powertrain, the swap-specific parts we've been accumulating while building Project Fox are about to finally come in handy. They include a Moroso oil pan, Hooker headers, and an AJE trans crossmember and motor mounts all designed specifically for installing a 429/460 big-block Ford into a '79-93 Mustang chassis. Furthermore, the JW Performance bellhousing, flexplate, and crankshaft adapter leftover from our past trans build enables adapting the GM transmission to our Ford motor.
Despite the undeniable glory of dropping a carbureted big-block into a late-model chassis, we'd be remiss if we didn't acknowledge that swaps like this aren't legal in some parts of the country. In many states, the law frowns upon installing carbureted motors into cars equipped with EFI from the factory-regardless of the quantity of hydrocarbons they emit-so it's wise to check out potential legal ramification before considering a similar transplant. This obviously isn't a concern for track-only vehicles, but our Mustang will be driven to and from the dragstrip, which means it needs to be street legal. Fortunately, Project Fox hails from the Republic of Texas, which boasts more realistic vehicle regulations.
With that boring bit out of the way, it's time to get on with the show. Once again, we're indebted to the folks at Bill Buck Race Cars for letting us take over their shop for a day. Despite the fact that many of the swap-specific components came from several different manufacturers, we were pleasantly surprised by how seamlessly it all went together.
WHERE THE MONEY WENT Item: PN: Price: AJE motor mounts MU-40 $69* AJE trans crossmember MU-7051 $159 Hooker Headers 6224HKR $500* Strange master cylinder B3359 $100 Strange proportioning valve B3369 $50 Moroso oil pan 20620 $300* Jegs throttle bracket 15237 $70 Jegs throttle cable 157000 $35 TCI starter 351600 $276 Total: $1,559 *Parts tallied in prior stories. THE COST SO FAR Description: PHR Issue: Price: '93 notchback Mustang November 2009 $3,000 Sold old wheels, tires, engine, trans N/A -$1,000 532 big-block Ford June 2009 $9,644 Phoenix TH400 trans September 2009 $1,645 Strange 8.8 rearend October 2009 $1,759 Comp Engineering rear suspension November 2009 $1,708 AJE front suspension December 2009 $1,679 Bill Buck custom 10-point cage January 2010 $2,000 Engine and trans install March 2010 $690 Total: $21,125
