Late model V8 into a stepdown

Richie

Has anyone here put a sbf (302) into a short-wheel base stepdown? Just wondering what to look forward to. I've thought about doing that and make the 12 volt conversion at the same time. Most of the V8 conversions seem to be sbcs'. I want to be a little bit different and go with a Ford. Nothing wrong with the Chevy engine, but I don't see too many sbf engines in street rods at the local shows.

Any advice on going with an automatic vs standard 5 speed? Does anyone make a motor mount kit for such a conversion? Thanks for any help. Richie.

RL Chilton

Richie-



Typically, the reason you don't see as many Ford engines retro-fitted, is one, they're more expensive, parts-wise than chevys. Two, there's about a bazillion Chevy 350's out there, due to the aftermarket. Until recently, there wasn't much of a Ford aftermarket, and even though there now is one, Fords are still more expensive.



As far as motor-mounts go, call 1-800-Custom-made by Richie. That's about the only way you're going to get mounts for such a conversion, as far as I know. Piece of advice, figure out what block you want to use, and then locate a hot rodder with a plastic block (weighs like 20 lbs.) and borrow or rent while you are fitting the new mounts. Saves a lot in time and work as many times as you'll need to do the "in-and-out" process.



Manual or Auto? If you don't already have a clutch in your car, it's a little more work to fit in a manual tranny. That's one reason so many rodders go with automatics. 'Course, once it's done, your done, no matter how much effort you had to exert. Ask yourself, what do you want to do with the car?



Wanna lay rubber, race a little, show off your muscle? Do the manual.



Want a cruiser with just some more oomph than you currently have? Do the automatic. Shifting gears gets a little old, especially in traffic.

Richie

RL Chilton wrote:

Richie-



Typically, the reason you don't see as many Ford engines retro-fitted, is one, they're more expensive, parts-wise than chevys. Two, there's about a bazillion Chevy 350's out there, due to the aftermarket. Until recently, there wasn't much of a Ford aftermarket, and even though there now is one, Fords are still more expensive.



As far as motor-mounts go, call 1-800-Custom-made by Richie. That's about the only way you're going to get mounts for such a conversion, as far as I know. Piece of advice, figure out what block you want to use, and then locate a hot rodder with a plastic block (weighs like 20 lbs.) and borrow or rent while you are fitting the new mounts. Saves a lot in time and work as many times as you'll need to do the "in-and-out" process.



Manual or Auto? If you don't already have a clutch in your car, it's a little more work to fit in a manual tranny. That's one reason so many rodders go with automatics. 'Course, once it's done, your done, no matter how much effort you had to exert. Ask yourself, what do you want to do with the car?



Wanna lay rubber, race a little, show off your muscle? Do the manual.



Want a cruiser with just some more oomph than you currently have? Do the automatic. Shifting gears gets a little old, especially in traffic.

Russell, it is an overdrive car so either way would be OK. I'm not going to race it or abuse it just use as my daily driver with smittys on it. There are lots of rod shops around here so the idea of a plastic block is a good one, thanks. I'll get into this project as soon as I finish my 51, hopefully in about two or three weeks. I kinda thought the mounts would be a do it yourself thing but it doesn't hurt to ask. Thanks Russell. Richie.

[Deleted User]

Richie:

If you hurry, you can drive it to Pigeon Forge. And usually there are several there each year. Good luck and send pics of the changes. Thanks, Bob

Unknown

Richie wrote:

Has anyone here put a sbf (302) into a short-wheel base stepdown? Just wondering what to look forward to. I've thought about doing that and make the 12 volt conversion at the same time. Most of the V8 conversions seem to be sbcs'. I want to be a little bit different and go with a Ford. Nothing wrong with the Chevy engine, but I don't see too many sbf engines in street rods at the local shows.

Any advice on going with an automatic vs standard 5 speed? Does anyone make a motor mount kit for such a conversion? Thanks for any help. Richie.

Richie, you'll have to watch your clearances with the oil pan and the tie-rods, distributor(chevy),exhaust on the drivers side, and slip joint coming out of the tranny. Get all that right, and it's a piece of cake!

Richie

bobdriveshudson wrote:

Richie:

If you hurry, you can drive it to Pigeon Forge. And usually there are several there each year. Good luck and send pics of the changes. Thanks, Bob

Hey Bob, I now have all the parts to finish the 51 up and just need to get my butt in gear. The body will make for a good laugh, but the mechanical end will be good. Not sure what problems the "DriveMaster" will cause but hopefully nothing major. I'll have to drive it locally for a while to make sure the gas tank and fuel system is clear of rust, etc. We will see !!! Richie.

Richie

wkitchens wrote:

Richie, you'll have to watch your clearances with the oil pan and the tie-rods, distributor(chevy),exhaust on the drivers side, and slip joint coming out of the tranny. Get all that right, and it's a piece of cake!

Thanks wkitchens, that's good food for thought. I don't want to have issues with the steering linkage to oil pan. I hope that I'll have some room for movement front to back if necessary, but probably still need two driveshafts anyway. It will be a fun project no matter what !! Thanks again, Richie.

Unknown

Richie, just get you a big glass jug. For every cuss word you say, put in a dollar, and put $5 in each time you think about quitting. This should keep your project "well-funded". (ha)

Ol racer

Richie,

Whatever LM V8 motor you choose to install look for one with a rear sump oil pan to get behind the center linkage. A frontal distributor will prevent notching the firewall and suggest installing a hyd clutch pedal set-up if desire a Std Trans to eliminate linkage hassle. I would mount the motor/trans assy so to eliminate the two pc driveshaft.

rambos_ride

Richie wrote:

Thanks wkitchens, that's good food for thought. I don't want to have issues with the steering linkage to oil pan. I hope that I'll have some room for movement front to back if necessary, but probably still need two driveshafts anyway. It will be a fun project no matter what !! Thanks again, Richie.

Here's 2 links to good threads on 2pc vs. 1pc driveshafts (or propeller shafts as they were known in "the day")

http://classiccar.com/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=62&jfile=showthread.php&t=4089&highlight=driveshaft

http://classiccar.com/index.php?option=com_jfusion&Itemid=62&jfile=showthread.php&t=13720&highlight=Driveline

[Deleted User]

Huh?



A V-8?



What ya gonna do with your throwaway, worthless, boat anchor Hudson mechanical trash - that's not so dependable.



I know a good garbage man.



Mark

Unknown

Ritchie, you're going to want to start with the 302 4wd truck pan which is a rear sump pan. Even then you may have to modify it for tie rod clearance. The plus side to a Ford or MoPar motor is that the distributor is in front, no firewall modifications.

Unknown

tristansdaz wrote:

Ritchie, you're going to want to start with the 302 4wd truck pan which is a rear sump pan. Even then you may have to modify it for tie rod clearance. The plus side to a Ford or MoPar motor is that the distributor is in front, no firewall modifications.

As long as it's a BB Mopar engine, small blocks have the distributor in the rear.

firestone 79

Joe Wilcox in CT has a 49 coupe with a AMC 390 and a 6-speed corvette tranny in it (if I remember correctly). The car is beautifully done and sounds great. He's owned the car since 1956 and restored it within the past few years. It's nice change from the typical Ford or Chevy power.



There is another guy that has a Mopar 360 in a 49 Brougham from Canada.



Greg

[Deleted User]

Hi Richie! Nice sounding project. Be sure to post a lot of pics of your progress, it may help someone down the road who wants to do a similar set-up. Another reason I've given for the sbc's is there overall size. You have the rear distributor issue, but mostly, it's not been much of a problem for most rods. I think the fords are also wider if I remember correctly, so measure for width of the engine bay. But a ford is an unusualy set-up that I think would be cool. Good luck with the project.

Jay

Unknown

Not a Ford fan but a small block Ford would be a good fit , front dist. compact design , and right side starter. mopar left side starter makes them a lot harder to fit in lots of cars . Ford small block stuff is pretty cheap too .

junkcarfann

The small block Ford is about 4" narrower than a SB Chevy, giving a lot more leeway fitting the left side exhaust.



Plus, the Ford is lighter than the Chevy by quite a bit, which is better for handling, and for not possibly having to change the front springs.



And, the distributor is in the front. What else do you need? Lots of power adders available, can be stroked to 347 ci, all in all a super engine for such a swap.