I lurk around frequently so I suppose I should input.

My 78 ZH Marquis.



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Work done so far:

Impco 425 Straight gas carby (reason for the bonnet scoop, naked aircleaners look like balls)
Rebuilt BW Diff.
Rebuilt C4... C6... Something or other.
15x5, 15x10 Mohave Billet Centerline wheels.
XF Slotted front rotors.

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Here's where I need some input:
Almost certain on moving up to a 351 but is it worth rebuilding what I have into a 351 or just starting with an original 351 and rebuilding? I have a daily so having it off the road isn't an issue.

I'm only a young'n and my first classic was a HX Holden so I know stuff all about the fords. I have a heinous distaste for autos so what are my options for a 4 speed manual? I've heard of a BW and a Single rail. Pros/cons?

If I step up the power a bit like that is it worth swapping over to a 9inch?

Obviously with these huge wheels/tires I'm having some clearance issues in regard to body roll. I'm pretty sure I'm looking at old springs and leafs but is there any easier mods I can do to prevent some body roll? Examples would be fantastic.

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Any examples of 351's with manuals on diff ratio's would be fantastic too.

There's some other obvious body work and interior work to be done but that's all easy fixes.

Cheers for any input, guys I really can't stand the new cars and holdens don't appeal to me... I fell in love with the ZH the moment I saw my first one. Promised myself I'd have one and now, I have one... With heaps of work to do

-Pomfink.

cool car, why are you looking at a 4 speed, i agree with you about auto's, i personally would get a t5z and put in, the t5 is just an evolution of the single rail anyway i think. so fitting shouldnt be too much of an issue,i bet you would always be happier having an overdrive?
t5z should be able to cope pretty well with the power of 351, unless you run slicks and powershift of course.
things to consider are current diff ratio, you probly want around 3.45 to 1, that should give you good acceleration and if you go for a 5speed, about 2100rpm at 100 k's.
an 8inch b/w diff out of an e series xr would be pretty easy to modify to fit up, and again if you arnt dumping the clutch with slicks should be plenty strong enough.

Beautiful Car mate. Was this for sale on one of the forums a few months back? Could of sworn I saw it. QLD car from memory although I might be wrong? We used to have one as the family car in the early 90's when I was young. The old man sold it and replaced it with a boring white magna but i've wanted one ever since!

I think a 383ci stroker is calling your name!!

Nah, guys. Bought this in november from a bloke in Nowra, NSW.

To be quite frank, I'm happy with sticking to something a little more simple until I learn more about the car (351) later on I promised myself I'd go forced induction but for now, my number one concern is getting it to drive and handle decently.

I'm going the 4 speed because 2100 RPM at 100k's is hilarious the three speed auto purrs perfectly at 100-110 but has no balls from 0-60. An extra gear will give me the legs I want without going too overboard. In truth I want to drive this car every day and still be able to have a little fun with it (and not get left behind by a tired old XY 351.

To summarize: I spend a lot of time driving too and from Kinglake so I need a car that'll handle twisties while having some fun at the same time... And maintaining decent ride.

With that in mind my plan was:

Bushes, stiff springs with no low, shocks.
4 speed due to simplicity. I don't mind upgrading at a later stage but I just don't know enough to push past that right now.
Rebuild a decent 351. I need it bulletproof, not a glass cannon.
Run the BW until it breaks and move to a 9inch (same reasons as the 4 speed).

This is my second classic car, the kingswood I spent a fair bit of time playing with but moving from the straight 6 to the 8 is a little more confusing. Need to wrap my head around it first before I go too overboard.

borg warner single rail came out in the xc but there were different ratios from 6 cylinder/302 v8 to the 351 v8.
if you want more bottom end the 351 will give you that.
you can rebuild your 302 with 351 crank and rods especially if you still have the original block(for keeping matching numbers)

(Disclaimer: I still know very little about the fords, stupid questions incoming)

Ash did the T5 come out for the 8's? Or am I looking for something like this? http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FORD-6CYL-T5 ... 5648340d84

I'm 6'2" so right now where the auto shifter sits it's pretty far away so bringing it back a little wouldn't be a problem (the AU box) also I'm having my interior reupholstered soon enough and I have a complete fabric center console.

Also am I looking at replacing the input shaft here or did ford do smart things?

Better than holden's efforts to thwart my HX

What box did you go with, Ash?

as far as "best" goes. What am I looking for?

Any idea of the positioning of a shifter from EB-> in comparison to the C6 shifter?

Cheers, budski.

shifter location is the same up to el, au is too far back as from memory there is a structural rib behind the tin hat in xa-xe and fairlaine equivalents, i fitted a t5 into an xd and had to roll the edge of the cutout in the floor under the tin hat and cross member doesn't line up without modification but other than that all was good.
also takes cable clutch so just use xd/xe pedals and fire wall plate

So yesterday I learned about strokers.

...

s**t.

G'day mate, very nice ZH! I have a XB coupe that was a 6 / 4 speed single rail, I purchased a really rusty 351 ZH for its engine a few years ago and so might be able to help with your questions...

The single rail that was behind the 6 stayed there - all i had to buy was the V8 bellhousing, flywheel and fork - cost me $200 from a wreckers. These bits are common to 302 and 351 clevo's.

It was actually a really easy, did it by myself in the back shed type deal...I"d replaced the clutch 6 months earlier behind the 6, so just bolted that up to the V8 flywheel. No issues, I measured the depth of the clutch into the bell and a bunch of other dimensions between the 6 and the V8 expecting there to be some huge difference , but everything was the same - bolted it all together and it all worked fine...

My gearbox was always a bit dodgy and noisy, and after a year it got noisy in 3rd so I replaced it to be on the safe side - went for a single rail from an XF, $150 and had an electronic speedo output so I was able to set up a speedo - never actually had one before that

My diff is the standard 6 / 302 diff, 2:92 ratio, and it is a huge amount of fun to drive, and on gas, really economical but still able to boogie off the traffic lights...

So my mate showed up yesterday with a surprise...



So good.

because my swap was 6 cylinder and i used xf2 bell housing but hydraulic for the win