Engine Transplant

[1320stang]

with a good tranny and the correct gear and slicks, you should get a 10 with no problems. 11's on street tires if you can feather the throttle right.

Fast enough to get you killed if your not careful anyways.

There are 390's with decent iron heads, aluminum intakes running 400hp/400tq pretty easy naturally aspirated. This is with port work on the heads, aftermarket pistons and a good cam.

If you're wanting fuel economy, stick with the 6 cause a powerful FE is gonna get single digits (since you'll be 'in' it most of the time.)

Unless you're doing a EFI 302 with or without a power adder and a OD tranny, anything that runs 12's and has "git up and go" is going to do poorly in the fuel mileage department. If you have a econo daily driver, then I wouldn't worry, but if this is your only car........

 

[1320stang]

I see from your profile, you're 16, if your dad is anything like mine was, he probably will nix the 390.

I had a chance at the age of 20 (1987) to pick up a '69 Shelby GT-350 for $16,500 that was just restored and my dad was worried I'd kill myself in it. I dunno about that, but I'd still have it if I'd bought it. I respect my father enough that I didn't buy it, I bought a '77 BMW 320I with a Calloway turbo instead. I never asked dad if he'd rather I bought the '69 after performing an engine swap on the BMW using a German manual with a english-german translating book and having to buy metric tools for the first time due to a warped head and cracked block.....

 

[Iamdiffrnt]

It sounds like this will be your first engine swap, so I'd recommend going with the later model 5.0 block. The 351w isn't bad but can get a little tight as far as hood clearance goes (I have a 351w in mine). The 5.0 will get you a roller cam and an incredible amount of aftermarket support, and the little bit of extra room (compared to the 351) will make life a lot easier on you.

 

[coupe67]

No my dad is weird. my brother has a 94 camaro and he is running 13s. he now decided to put in a cam and my dad made him put $1000 in extras with it. he always says that if we are going to build a race car that it is going to be runnin on alcohol. so maybe he will let me get the 390. i found a 2001 cobra engine wat is your oppinion on putting that in.

 

[67efivert]

unless ur good at fabericating stay away from anything 4.6/5.4 based and stick to 302-351 stuff u will be much happier

 

[1320stang]

I'd stay away from the mod motor stuff, too much fabricating. You can put any SBF or almost any FE into that car (I don't think a SOHC will fit) so 390, 428 or even a 427 side oiler would work. 390's are much easier to find than 428s & 427s. I believe you can even fit a 429 or 460 without notching the shock towers but the headers are kinda restrictive.

 

[68keyblr]

Build or buy a 331 or 347 Stroker froma 5.0 roller! You can make massive power with either and since the 5.0 is the same as the 302 block, it drops right in.

 

[coupe67]

what fabs would have to be made?

 

[SL 1993 R]

4.6 is too wide to be an easy swap, without clearancing or removing shock towers. The 302 vs. 351 is an easy choice, 302 hands down. The 302 once again has no clearance issues. 351 runs into problems with intake manifolds being too tall on occasion. 390 or 428 fit, but maintenance is an issue as getting to the plugs is nearly impossible. Go with a simple swap that you can complete in a reasonably short time. You will want to upgrade the brakes, shocks, and springs too.

 

[coupe67]

so there is no way to make this swap. my dad thought that it would be a pain in the butt, but after it was in i would be great because you can change all of the easy bolt ons.

 

[Dothang67]

just a size comparison so you can get an idea:

 

[coupe67]

oh i didn't realize it was that wide. I the sohc the same width?

 

[Sicarius428]

Very nice pic. Ya the 4.6 is way huge. It's suprizingly larger than my 428. For your first swap I would stick with a 351 or 351 based stroker. Parts are readily available and more reasonably priced. You can easily build a pretty stout 351/stroker and run 12s fairly easily... as long as your suspension can keep up with it.
What is your budget first before you kstart browsing the catalogs.
Kevin

 

[coupe67]

i am parting out a 95 suburban 2500 and an 86 daytona shelby z to help fund this project. I also have about $2500 in my personal bank account. I know this is not much expecaly when it comes to a resto, bu my dad has offered to help me if i get in to much of a bind.

 

[SadbutTrue]

for 67-70 I think 351ws make the most sense. In my 66, i could understand why someone might want a 302 because my 351 isn't easy to change plugs on, requires special headers, etc. But in the larger 67+ engine bay... might as well go 351w. It doesn't cost much more, uses mostly the same parts, and will make more power and remain streetable. And its nice to be able tell the chevy 350 boys you have a three-fifty-one

 

[68RCodeConv]

IMO you want to stay away from the FE motors. Too many scarce parts specific to those motors and very, very tight in the engine compartment. Headers are a royal PITA with those motors.

Best compromise for engine access, parts availability and max HP is a stroked 351W. Get 393 or 408 cubic inches, a moderate cam, headers and aluminum heads and make 400 hp easy.

If you are on a budget get a late model roller 302. Even with the stock short block and a decent set of heads you can make good HP. Definitely enough to get you into the low 13s/high 12s.

Realize that with a 6 cylinder as a starting point the first thing you are going to do is drop about $3-4K upgrading the front and rear suspension, front brakes and the rear axle. Gonna need a 9-inch if you are planning on over 300 HP.

 

[1320stang]

Heck, you can now build an FE from all new parts, in fact, in a few months you'll be able to build a Cammer with all new parts. The only thing scarce are original parts like cast iron headers (those are being repoped too) high riser parts, side oiler parts and such. There are at least 4 different block manufacturers, you can get iron or aluminum, heck, even the piston companies are making on the shelf stroker pistons, you can get a set for about $500. Vic Edelbrock stated that the FE head was his 5th best selling head, they're working on a Victor version of the head (likely a medium riser version), Blue Thunder makes medium and high riser heads, Dove "does too".

 

[coupe67]

Im sorry i am new to fords. What is an FE?

 

[Sicarius428]

FE is the 390/427/428 series motors just to name the most popular. They are the powerhouse big blocks that originally came in trucks and large sedans then to race cars which pretty much ran the streets or back in the late 60s and early 70s for the fortunate few to own one. With that block they were able to win LeMons, break speed records in a 69 mustang, and dominate the street. The 428 was rated for 335hp on paper and 444 ft lbs of torque. The HP rating was lowered on paper for insurance purposes but is said to be just a tad over 400hp.
With that said I would also suggest against going with an FE. For your first swap stick with a 351, it will be plenty to get you in trouble with without the cost that an FE has.
Kevin
Kevin

 

[coupe67]

i think i am going 2 go with the 351w.