1968 302" in a 57 ford 70A body !

[old skool]

hi guys ,

i have a 57 ford custom 70A tudor with the original 223 mileage maker and fordomatic .




ik want to do a engine swap and i got 2 options ?

what's the best choice and what do i need to make it work ?

please some advice !




i can buy a 59 ford 292 y block complete stock from a 1959 ranch wagon and original with 70k on it ....

or a 1964 mustang 289cui engine ?

what would be the best engine for my car and what do i need to do or customize to make it work

will the 292 y block fit the Fordomatic tranny ?

and wich tranny do i need to use for the 289 ?

and wich headers and motor mounts can i use ?

will the motor mounts from the 292 fitt  in my car?

please some advice guys ?

thanx already and greetings from the netherlands!!

[TexasFordGuy]

I just replaced a Y-block in my 55 F100 with a 64 289 and will tell you this...  You will need an odd bell housing that is 5 bolts instead of 6 bolts (after 65) for this motor.  If you go with a C4 Automatic like I did, you will have to track it down someplace like h.a.m.b. or ebay. It took me a little while to find one at a good price.  If you choose to go the manual transmission route, as long as you have a 5 bolt bell housing and flywheel there are good T5 swaps kits out there that a popular with the mustang people, as well a a litany of other ford 4 speeds that will fit.

As far as I remember, and the Y-block with a Fordomatic  goes, I believe you will need the automatic bell housing, flywheel and torque converter for the V8. Someone else will have to verify this.

289 is probably easier to get parts for if you going to O'Riley, but the Y-block has the cool factor going for it.  I have the 292 in my 57 Club Victoria and plan on keeping it with a T5 conversion.

Also motor mounts for both motors can be had easily enough for your car.  Search the older posts as this have been covered.

[JimNolan]

TexasFordGuy,
     What are you thinking. LOL  That's a beautiful car and the engine you have looks great. The engines you talk about replacing it with aren't going to give you any big increase in power to begin with. The fact that your car has the original motor should be a blessing, not a disadvantage.
     I had a beautiful 53 Ford F100 in the 70's I bought from a farmer in Va. that had bought it new and taken good care of it. It came with a six cylinder and automatic transmission. Sweet running little truck, not a rust spot on it. I had to have a V8 engine in it. I rebuilt a 1957 312 Thunderbird engine and installed it. Didn't even have to change transmissions. It didn't have that much more power that I could see but ran great. I wasn't satisfied so installed a 389 Pontiac and put a three speed transmission in it. It proceded to shake the truck apart and I blew up the engine racing a 396 Camaro. I sold the truck for $200 with a blown up engine. It was a great little truck before I got hold of it. Jim

[TexasFordGuy]

Jim,

I agree the F100 would have been great with the stock motor, but it was too far gone and not rebuildable. The Fordomatic was also trashed, with a big piece broken off where the torque converter meet the trans. So, at that point, I was starting new anyway.

The 289 HP was free from a friend and after rebuilding it with a few speed parts like aluminum heads, roller rockers, porting, Speed Pro pistons, 302 crank and  Edelbrock  manifold and carb, we manage to get 348HP out of it on the Dyno, and it should still be a very streetable motor.

That being said...  The 57 Fairlane will keeps it's Y-Block no mater what...  unless a 428 CJ falls in my lap 

[JPotter57]

I'd go with the 292.  After all of the aggravation, I wish I had kept my 292.  I have a friend who has a 312 from a '56 Mercury Monterey, I still may try to get for later.  I know I have been wishy washy on this car, going back and forth on what I want to do with it.  I will likely pull the 351C back out and find a fox body late model to put it in.  I currently want to build it the old way, but I still am not sure.  My advice: know what you want for sure, before you spend the money.

[suede57ford]

Go with a y-block. 

You will get way more respect at the shows and cruises.

With all the information to properly assemble a 292-312, it is a great performer with no reliability issues when using the modern parts and proper specs.

There is nothing wrong with a 289/302, but with a little extra effort you can have something that looks right and has some personality in your '57.

A well build 292/312 can propel a '57 sedan well and with style and personality.  I would not waste time with a 272 unless you bore it out to 292 bore, then its actually a 292.   312 do run much better, but are tough to find.

Building a good y-block is just like building a 302, you just have to select the right parts and carefully assemble it and it will work good.  The 302 does have advantages if you plan to fuel inject though.  With John Mummert's parts you can build a very reliable engine.

Y-BlocksForever Forum is a great source of information.

[lowrider]

Beautiful car. If it were mine I would try to stay with the 223. I've seen more than one post over on the HAMB where guys are trying to get rid of an old 223. Second choice would be the Yblock. Every show I've been in I seem to get a better responce than the ones w/SBF's.

[old skool]

thanx guys

but the guy who has the 292 y block for sale ,he sold it to somebody else 

the 289 is from a friend of mine and i can have it ,but the engine needs a major overhaul ...

so the y block is not a options anymore and i need to search for a other good alternative or i go with the 289 ...

what is a good alternative for a swap ,wich engine can i use for the easiest and best results ..?

can you get decent horsepower from a 289??

and wich tranny can i use with the 289 for my 57 coupe

thanx again guys !!!
 

[Ford Blue blood]

Sell the 289 to the early Mustang guys and get a 302/351.  That 289 has a five bolt bell housing pattern and Ford changed to the current six bolt in mid year 65.  The guys that want "correct" stuff will snap it up.  The (66 & up)289, 302, 351W and 351C all take the same bolt pattern bell housing, all use the same motor mount and all offer ease of swap into the car.  Use 63 Galaxie 289 mounts, front sump pan and you are good to go.  Just watch the fly wheel choise on your 302s, 351s (W & C) used the same flywheel through their entire production run.  There are a couple of minor exceptions with respect to the 351 HD truck engine.

[Lou]

Unless you got a lot of money and time to spend, why not keep the 6cyl, and go the hop-up route on it. Lots of stuff available new and used at good prices. As long as your not looking to brake the land speed record then a warmed over 6 cyl will out preform a 292 or a 289 at any stop light. I'm speaking from experience.

[JimNolan]

Lou,
   You are absolutely correct. I used to race figure 8 cars back in the early 70's at Sun Valley Speedway in Anderson, In. We used the Ford 6 cylinder 223 and 262 ci engines. We could qualify those cars at high 14 second times. The modifieds with 427's could get around the track in the 13's and the sprint cars could get around the track in the 12 second range. I've even seen some of the six cylinder cars run in the modified class against the Fairlanes and Chevell's.
   No one at that track turned their noses up at the 6 cylinders. And, the six cylinders we used were stock, tweeked and balanced, but stock. Jim

[JPotter57]

He's probably like me, fellas, and just cant stand the sound of a 6 cylinder.  Except for the early 80s Modified Eliminator cars with heavy cammed 6 bangers, they just dont sound that good.  They are plenty torquey, but for me, the V8 sound is a big part of the experience.  This is also why all of us back in the 80s with 5.0 Mustangs laughed at the V6 Buick people.  All it took to kick the crap out of those turbo v6 guys was a little gear and maybe a little bit of cam.  If the man wants to swap out a six cylinder for a 292, I'm not gonna slight him.  Yeah, I'd rather have the Y than an early 289 too,  any day.

[Lou]

I agree, if your looking for "that sound' the only thing that beats a Y-Block for pure music out of the tail pipes is a Flathead.

[old skool]

thanx for the replies guys ,really appreciate it !

the reason for the swap is that i really want to hear and feel the power of a healthy SBF v8, and a american classic isn't to my opinion complete without a v8 ...

the 223 doesn't perform very bad at all and is very economical with fuel bud it does'nt have the power and rumble and it sounds like a vacuum cleaner  ....

there are change in the plans, the guy from the 292 y block sends me a mail with the message that he sold the Yblock so this is not a option any more ..

that very day i got a another call from a guy with a complete 1968 302 sbf engine for a reasonbly price ,because he knew that i wa in the market for a sbf for my 1957 coupe ..

i  bought it and get it in the end off the week .

keep you informed !!

and thanx again ..

[JPotter57]

The 68 motor is a better choice, as it has the 6 bolt bellhousing and will bolt up to all modern trans.  Go with a late 5 speed or AOD and get good mileage and performance.  Be sure if you do to use the correct flywheel or flexplate.  Late models are 50 oz imbalance and pre-80 are 28 oz imbalance....will cause a monster vibration and kill main bearings and seal if you mix them up...