If you have been following these two threads "Thought I would stir it up" and "Installing the 302" You no doubt have figured out that a 351W swap can be a PIA in a '54-'56 Ford.As more and more of us continue to share information we find in order to do "Ford in a Ford" swap that some alternatives are out there,it seems the FE is a good fit as it appears the 351C is also,check out the picture here:http://forums.vwvortex.com/showthre...-1955-Ford-Customline&p=79960094#post79960094 Notice the steering box clearance with headers and that 351C I wish we could get more info on the ins and outs of this swap and what parts were involved in the swap.
I'm using the 351W/ AOD set-up in our '54 Club Coupe. I did a mock-up with the eng/trans before putting the body back on. I am using cast iron headers from an early '60's Falcon or Fairlane. The left side fit perfect with no interference from the steering box. The right side barely touched the frame around the upper control arm. A little grinding on both will fix that problem. The engine may be set in there a little higher than a lot of guys are doing. This might be why they fit so well. I haven't tried it with the body on yet, but I don't think its going to be a problem. I'm using the Cherokee p/s box with adaptor plate. We will see how things work out when the engine is back in the car.
As Jeff stated, its not an easy swap without changing a few things. The main problem is that I'm a stubborn *** and want to keep the original automatic column shift along with the original manual steering. The picture of the 351C also shows a steering shaft that does not appear to be an automatic column shift.
junkyardjeff - please, share your experiences putting a 351 in your '55. Can we ***ume it's a 351W? Did you use an auto, or manual trans?
I used a mount kit from the old Butches rod shop to install the 351-W and C-4,the first C-4 was from a early 70s van and had to lengthen the shifter rod but the second pan filled C-4 was from a 73-9 truck and a original rod hooked up to it so if you use a C-4 get a arm from a 73-9 truck. Exhaust manifolds are from a 71-2 galaxie and clear everything,I did have 6 cylinder brackets put on the V8 radiator to give me a little more room for a factory flex fan. I feel it was no big deal in sticking a 351 in my 55.
Butch's is an Alliance Vendor with the HAMB if you join the Alliance you get a 10% discount,the kit is this one:http://www.butchscoolstuff.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=22 However we have found by slotting the frame pads and using late over the counter Mustang mounts you can bolt in a 302 or 351W.The additional width and deck height of a 351W creates problems if you use headers,Note that Jeff used stock exhaust manifolds.Also looking at Butch's kit it looks like the mounts may slightly raise the engine and he states it will clear a C4, an AOD being slightly larger "may require modification" we do know using the early ANCHOR 2253 transmission mount with the Mustang mounts the AOD will clear, the real problem is headers or exhaust manifolds Hopefully we have made things a little clearer.
. Major Headache! Lessons Learned. . I installed a 351W engine and 4r70W (successor to AODE) transmission. Used the two Anchor engine mounts mentioned in Jeff's Installing the 302 thread. If I had stock heads and exhaust manifolds, I might not have such a headache. But I have high flow aluminum heads that need headers - and nobody manufactures a set that will fit. So I will have to make or have a set made (very costly). Of course this challenge could also affect anyone with a stock engine that later wants to significantly improve performance. 1st Lesson: If I had not already rebuilt the entire front end (including box, column, rod, drag link, and on and on...) I would install a Mustang II and not have a problem. So if you are going high performance, make the change at the build start - get the steering box out of the way. 2nd Lesson: The 4r70W fit up fine with engine fairly low in the frame. Drive train angle also great. But after shoe-horning the engine/trans into the car and installing everything in the engine compartment, I had a trans issue and needed to take it out. Well, the tailshaft of this beast extends beyond the crossmember. So I had to cut the crossmember and then fabricate/bolt in a removeable section. Just something to think about when selecting a transmission or installing a 4r70W/AODE.
I wish I knew of the factory mounts that worked when I put the 351 in,what I do not like is that the motor is up against the firewall on the drivers side with Butch's mounts and can not use the original throttle linkage. His mounts are designed to be used when keeping the radiator in the original location if it originally had a V8 which I intended to do but wanted to use a more aggressive stock fan then the normal 4 blade,I had the motor in place and almost finished when I decided on using the 6 cylinder brackets to move the radiator forward or I would have reworked Butch's mounts to move the motor forward enough to use 6 cylinder throttle linkage so I could retain the original gas pedal. With the 71/72 galaxie manifolds it clears the steering box by about 5/8 and I presume 73 and up might be similar. I do not have many pics showing the mounts or the manifolds but might have one on the drivers side.
FordFairlane55 - sounds like your power plant is close to the plans for my '56.....351W, AFR 185 heads, either a Weiand or Edelbrock intake, some mildly sick and nasty cam, roller rockers, a Tremec 3550 5sp trans, and a set of headers (hopefully). In my case, I do not want to go with a different front suspension/steering setup...the goal is to keep using the stock steering. I'm potentially open to a different box that might help make the swap easier, but would prefer to stay original.
has anyone else used the motor mounts from speedway that mount to the heads up front. I used these on my 302 in my 53 and I love love love them.
Junkyardjeff - good pic. My intent has been to restore my car all stock (or stock appearance), but with a new kick-a** drive train. Like yourself, I found the stock throttle linkage will not work; not enough clearance. I went with the Lokar cable and Black floor mount petal: http://www.lokar.com/product-pgs/throt-***emblies-pedal/pedal-pages/eliminator-pedals.html Click to enlarge and part number is XFMG-6098. Against black carpet, it does not stand out and the average person that does not know 55/6 Fords well, will likely not even notice it is not stock.
When I first did my wagon in the early 90's, I used a 351w from a 74 Torino. I used mounts that I think I got from Butch's. I used the stock Torino exhaust manifolds. The problem was that the motor mounts were the early Ford biscuit type. The mounts kept collapsing from the heat of the mainifolds being so close. I had also used the Torino FMX automatic. I used rad brackets from a 56 ford to move the rad ahead for fan clearance. Every time the mounts collapsed there would be lots of vibrations and the shifter would not work right due to the change in motor position. I have a 1963 Galaxie steering box, and had no clearance problems. I wanted more grunt for towing a trailer, so the 351 got replaced by a 390 FE. Overall a much better fit with a C6. Has lots of power, and the best part is I have not had to change motor mounts in 40,000 miles.
Hey there everyone! The internet is a small place. All this chatting managed to bump an ancient thread of mine on the Vortex, curious to see what it was all about, I created an account here. So, my name is Isabelle...and I own that '55 Ford with the Cleveland. Questions? Feel free to ask. Hopefully they'll jog my memory a little as this car was built about 4 years ago. Time flies, but I'm still working on it, doing what I can being a full time student and part time employee...all the while also trying to build a diesel VW Rabbit and work on a '70 TR6 with an Olds 262 (215) swap.
Iroczgirl,what mounts did you use for the Cleveland swap? Also were there any clearance issues and how did you overcome them?
Thanks! The mounts are just '71-'73 Mustang, mounted to custom brackets welded to the frame. It really wasn't that horrible fitting the 351C in the bay, both upper control arms had to be cut back and the radiator was moved a couple of inches closer to the firewall. The transmission crossmember is custom made, but again, uses a stock Mustang mount. I can't remember the brand of the headers at the moment, but I think they were Sanderson and they did have to be 'm***aged' (read bfh) to clear the steering gear box on the drivers side. Next time I work on the car I'll take some pictures.
This has me scratching my head,looking up the length and width of both engines the 351C is only 1/4" longer than a 302-351W the 351C is 1 1/4" wider than a 289-302.Knowing that in this swap Iroczgirl used 70-71 Mustang mounts which are the same for all 302-351W & 351C engines, using the later and taller Fox Body mounts referred to in the FAQ sticky and slotting the frame pads (see http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=41498 would eliminate any welding or grinding on the A-arms because the engine will be raised about 1 1/4" and the C4 mount would still be ANCHOR 2253.
I know i stated this before, but just as a refresher for anyone seeing this for the 1st time, i used the mounts Jeff mentioned with my 351W in a 55 fairlane. I could not install the jeep power steering box because the stock manifolds hit. I put the stock steering box back in and it was still hitting so i used an early 80's bronco manifold and i had about 1/2 inch space. Now the p***enger side was another mess, the manifold was hitting the a-arm which i was able to shave a little off of the arm and a little off the manifold and that worked. i had to use some body shims on the engine mounts to get it level, not sure how many as i no longer have the car. I used an AOD with the stock crossmember and had issues with the ****** being too high and having to cut more out of the tunnel. i ended up using early 80's LTD mount and that worked but it was still high, knowing now i should've flipped the crossmember and made my own mount..
Check out this picture:http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/album.php?albumid=41498&pictureid=483808 It shows the AOD on the stock '54 crossmember using a ANCHOR 2253.
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