Can anybody offer any advice about the order in which to hot rod my 1975 302 (e.g. headers first, then 4 barrel...) and which bolt ons offer the best value and horsepower for the money... thanks, I'm just starting somethin'...
Without spending a lot of money and getting a seat of the pants performance improvement, I would go with RPM intake and 600 Holley or Edelbrock carb. Headers are a must with the above for results you are looking for. The heads and cam should be another factor but can get exspensive. Good ignition curve etc. and good plug wires will help. To really make a stop light to stop light impression, put in some 3.55 rear gears or even get daring and go to 4.11's. The little devil will smoke the tires off and maybe even jump out from under you. Gas mileage will stink but what fun it is!! Torque converter, pistons and such are real improvements but thats another story.
donor car for gears is there a suitable donor car from which I can take the gears... will they fit in the current housing... should i get 'new' gears... etc, etc thanks
It all depends on the rearend your car has. If it is an 8" then there are plenty of donor cars out there and it is a simple bolt-in swap. There is no way to tell by looking at the car (unless you now how to read VIN codes) until you climb underneath and check out the tag bolted to the 3rd member. I found a set of 3.55's in a Mustang II once.
axle codes do you know what the axle codes are for 3.55 and 4.11 gears in an 8"? does it make sense for me to do a 9" swap, and are there any 9"rear ends that bolt into a mav...??? thanks again
Gears are kinda a big jump if you have not done the basics yet. The most important it the upgrade to a good 2 1/2 inch dual exhaust. The carb and intake are next, weiand and edelbrock make good ones. Would suggest getting rid of of the points for some electronic ignit. A shift kit for the tranny is an absolute must. Gears are necessary, but most expensive and troublesome, make sure the right shop does them.
