So as the title states, I’ll be doing this swap, and soon. My late dad left behind his 390 that was in his old truck. He planned on rebuilding it, but passed away in 2021 before getting a chance to do anything. I got a 1959 ford ranchero last summer and it has a 352 fe with what I believe a cruise-o-matic? It’s a good engine it seems. But it had been sitting for 16 years in a garage. There is some bad oil build up on it, which I mean.. I should guess that’s expected. But this 390 is a beaut. There was a c6 tranny my dad had to go with it, but it’s missing a chunk of the bell housing. I guess my main question in regards to this swap, is can I KEEP my existing transmission from the 352? I’ve read that I might have to use the flywheel and starter from the 390, but that’s it. also possibly using a remote oil filter? How about the oil pan, would I need a front or rear sump?
On the Cruise-O-Matic, I'd have someone check it out before using it. They were prone to breaking the case support that is connected to one of the bolts on the rear servo. It would be worth pulling the pan to make sure that the low/reverse servo bolts are intact and tight. You can adjust the front band while you are at it (the rear band adjuster is on the outside of the case). If everything is good, the cast iron Cruise-O-Matic is a good transmission. I think the case breaking is a combination of a really fast idle and a lose rear band adjustment. Slam it into reverse and the case and/or servo breaks. Also, if your transmission is a Cruise-O-Matic, it will have 3 drive positions on the transmission selector. They are white dot (really a white dot), green dot and L. If you only have D and L it is a Ford-O-Matic, but I don't think they put them behind an FE.
Good advice on the COM above. From a fuel economy standpoint the COM is much better than the C6 as its internal drag is 1/2 of the C6. Do use the 390 flywheel and starter as the pre-65 starters are problematic and expensive, but do make sure the torque convertor matches up. You'll want to swap in the car-style 352 oil filter mount for the truck mount. Both oil pans should be front sump, the truck pan should fit. For the exhaust manifolds, the 352 ones will also swap and make the exhaust easy. A bit more explanation of the dots... the white means it starts in 2nd gear then shifts to 3rd. The green dot means it starts in low, then 2nd, then 3rd. May also be marked D2, D1 then L.
If the engine is from a 4wd truck, you may have to switch to a front sump oil pan and pickup. If it’s like other 4wd Ford engines, it would have a rear sump pan. The 352 pan would work. The exhaust manifolds may be different. Be prepared with a lot of cuss words if you have to remove them to swap manifolds.
I had the breakage of the case in a 58 T Bird. Later on I had a friend rebuild the Cruiso in my 65 pu, he plugged and drilled a smaller hole, so on a fast idle, the servo wouldn’t fill so fast and break the case. I have converted to C-6, but I liked the Cruiso better. Another thing, if you stay with the Cruiso, upgrade to a select shift valve body.
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