KILLDOZER

I've lurked here for a little while amidst contemplating the ultimate act of automotive treason, that is crossing over from a Fox body to an F-Body. But I lack a few critical decision making details. I appeal to the Guru's of this board to provide answers / educated guesses

1. '82-'85 was a 350 ci engine available?

2. '82-'85 F-body V8 automatic hardtop (no t's) guess on the weight??

3. I understand the GTA's had DANA rear axles, is this true? if so,
what size? (40?) and what years? I assume they will bolt into any F-Body? Will I need the GTA driveshaft as well for a swap?

4. What kind of HP will this rear end take, I have an article that suggests 10's - is that accurate?

5. Who is the quickest guy/gal on this board and how fast?

F-bodies complicate things when big HP is involved as it turns out, and I might just settle for 2nd gen if it gets out of control. What I am after is a daily driver that has a little more substance and a little easier to tolerate than my 2775 lb 82GT. I figure that the larger engines available to the F-Bod's compared to the Foxes (without a lot of work) will even up the weight disadvantage. I plan to turbocharge (I will do the stang as well - as a project as I have mentioned to a couple people) as this seems to be the only way to make big power, real cheap. I belong to a couple other boards that deal with home designed, built, and installed Turbo systems. and a 350 on 15 psi would be about 500 RWHP (about 575 at the crank) I would be happy with 400 fwhp with a boosted stocker...

Sorry for the length,

TIA

Will

Acceld Z

1. No, but don't let that stop you

2. 3300-3400lbs

3,4. The rear end you are thinking of is the BW 9 bolt. It will take quite a bit of abuse. I know of several cars in the 11's using one. Try a search on the drivetrane board. I remember reading in an old Car Craft that the 9 bolt was as strong as the Dana. The Dana 44 was available from GM through GMPP but it was pricey. SLP still has a few units kicking around.

5. I believe Automorph is the quickest on the Ontario board but I could be mistaken. Other than him........Karsten and Daz.

I hope this aids you in your decision.

Paul

Azure

What about StangEater?

Kevin Vandevenne

iTrader: (3)

I've owned several 2nd and 3rd gen cars. No offense to the thirdgen guys, but i think a second gen would be better suited for you. They have more engine bay room to work in, which would be very handy to have if you decide to build your own turbo setup. They also (well, most of them) come with the 8.5" 10 bolt rear, which is plenty strong. There were factory 12 bolt rear ends for the 2nd gen cars, and its about as strong as a Ford 9". They are older than 20 years so no e-test. Parts are cheaper for 2nd gens. They are heavy, but you can cut alot of weight from them. They don't handle as well as a thridgen, but, they probably aren't any worse than a fox body.

The real kicker is trying to find one that isn't rotten, and one the owner doesn't want a fortune for. I remember even 5 years ago, late 2nd gens were still fairly cheap to get. The price seems to have gone up alot in the last 5 years.

There is a guy that posts on here that has a 2nd gen. His name is Eric. He's from Toronto i think. You can find him on the forums on nastyz28.com I'm pretty sure he has a big block in his car.

Hope this helps.

Daz

iTrader: (1)

I think some Dana 44's were installed on the rare Firehawks and SLP usedm to sell them..not sure

Daz

Acceld Z

He doesn't have any recorded times. Once he does i'm sure he'll be up there.

KILLDOZER

9 bolt? is that the rear that some refer to as "Austrailian"? 11's would be good, the weight guess is lighter than I thought (which is good). AccelZ - I was hoping the 350 wasn't available, 82- newer needs hotrod status . I like the the 2nd gens mainly because of the 8.5" as well as the rear leaf suspension that allows a relatively easy swap to a non stock axle assembly. But the 3rd gens look better and I would guess drive nicer as well. What I want to achieve is a street car that is well mannered, rides nice, but has enough HP to eat most other peoples "hot rods" The '82 Mustang rides like a tank, and sounds like a tin can full coins over rough pavement.

Thanks again..

palric

iTrader: (1)

Try a 400sbc instead. Mondo power and 100% hotrod status.

thx,
RP.

KILLDOZER

A 400 was considered, but since a home brew turbo system uses O.E.M. deisel/small gas engine turbos in order to remain affordable a 400 causes complications. The O.E.M. turbo systems more or less stack up like this: 2 T3's .60/.63 from T-birds etc.. good for 600 hp. or one TP38 (Powerstroke deisel) max of about 575 hp. From there you move into 800+ HP highway tractor turbos. Well, its just as easy to make 600 hp with a 350 as it is with a 400 (more TQ with a 400 though) except the 400 costs a LOT more to build because of the 4.125" bore and short rods being off the beaten path. Suddenly, given the extra expense of the 400, and hole in cheap turbo availability (from 600 - 800 hp) it makes more sense to build the 400 for 800-1000 hp, but that's kind of excessive for a daily driver . I will say that one guy on the BLOWTHROUGH board built a 383 with a flying toilet using a Holset turbo (looked like an HX60) from a deisel. He made over 1000 hp at 20psi and went 8.55 @ 155 mph in a scary stock 82-83
Firebird... That's the great thing about turbo's, engine size really doesn't matter when we're talking street cars, guys have not had trouble making 600 hp from a 302,351,406ci just add the required boost. A 400 certainly would garantee HotRod status though...

KILLDOZER

In a crazed moment of impulsive spending I went and bought another....Mustang, they are just too cheap and fast to pass up
Plus I'm a "suka" for someone elses unfinished project