I am restoring a 1965 Mustang coupe. Came across a 1964 260cubic inch motor, with 22k miles. I'm wondering if I should build the 260 into a 289, or sell, and buy a 289.

sence you restoreing it,put it original,you can build the 260 to a 289 is same block and heads.

The 64 260 block is a 5 bolt bell housing. 1964 manual transmissions also have a slightly different bolt pattern. This can be a problem. The 65 Mustang has a 6 bolt bell housing. The 5 bolt pattern was only used for a short time and is rare. It was only used in the very first Mustangs (64.5)and by 65 the 6 bolt pattern had been adopted... After market scatter shields often have both patterns, if a person is running a manual transmission... 5 bolt automatics are very hard to find. I have fought this problem before and would avoid it if I were you. Don't use the 64 engine.

True enough. On closer inspection the 260 does have only 5 bolts. Fortunately, I do have the original automatic still attached. I can verify the original 22k miles. This motor turns over with ease. I believe this motor has never been opened up. Motor and tranny for sale. robertlove57@gmail.com.

OK, since you have the 5 bolt automatic, that changes things a bit. If you believe the miles to be that low, you might have something worth rebuilding. When I was a young hot rodder, my brother and I had multiple 64 and 65 Mustangs and Fairlanes and we fought the 5/6 bolt problem over and over.

Thanks for your input John. I have had, (and let go), many, many Mustangs as well. I have a '69 fastback in pieces, I've carted around with me for 31 years. Would love to have the time, and money to finish that one up. The '65 needs to get finished up, as well, and head down the road. Good to talk with you, and Thanks for the input. Bob I'm also looking for input on weather to restore the '65 to original 200 6 cylinder auto, or 289 4 speed auto, I have all of these options, so trying to decide which direction to go in. Or the car has been fitted with 351 W. Any comments? Anyone?

4 speed - Automatic ?

If the car was originally a six cylinder, then it has the 4 lug hubs. That means that you would need to upgrade things for a V8. It's very doable, just a lot of work... If I went V8, I would be upgrading beyond stock, the brakes and front suspension and rear end... If you are going to "flip" it, I would go original 6. If you are going to keep it and drive it, I would go V8.. I would probably drop in a 5.0 just because there are so many of them and there are so many cheap parts... My wife and I have owned 10+ Mustangs although several were of the non-running project variety... :) We have two Mustangs now, an 07 Roush 427R and an 05 GT....

a little history on this 65. the car was stored some 25 years in a garage . 95% rust free original color super clean. drove it a couple of times. developed a serious tranny leak. decided to replace with 351w & 4spd we already owned. one thing leading to another. went bumper to bumper. everything!!!!. 8cyl suspension.shelby quick steer.1964 8" rear end. dropped suspension. disk brakes(front).the list goes on.the car is torn down again & just about ready for paint. most components on this project bear the fomoco logo. what to do?

I don't know what you should do, but I have a very motivated buyer that might be interested in purchasing the 260 from you. If you are interested, please email me at acohoon@acmewidget.com

Personally, I would not "build the 260 into a 289". It really depends on what you want to end up with. Do you want a basically stock engine? Then a nice 289 would be fine. There are plenty of places to buy something already built and just drop it in. Unless you want to spend a lot of time and can do all the work yourself, that's another option. A lot of guys get a built 302/347 and use that. Costs can rise rapidly when you start from scratch on engines these days and build them/machine work, parts. Look at your budget and go from there.