1952-59 Ford 1955 wagon SBF conversion

So, in the research I have done and from what I have been told the pre 80 SBFs are the easiest to swap into this car, is that correct? Those engines would be the 260 (I'm ***uming) 289, 302 and 351W. My questions are, I have found a good running 260 so is that indeed one that would be a good candidate and I also found a 72 351C--is the Clevland not a good candidate? If so, why not?

As always, thanks

 

260-302 are narrower and make easier exhaust and brake booster room - especially on the driver side. 351C is a wide engine - and while more power/nostalgia create tight exhaust problems for the driver side (steering gear box). Parts are readily available or the 289-302 swap. 260 swap would be the same as 302 - with less horsepower and some parts are a bit rare. Pic is 351C...yu can see the width - valve cover to valve cover.

 

When dealing with small block fords (260-289-302) be aware that the early blocks had 5 bolts holding the bell housing to the engine while the later (65 or so) had six bolts. I don't remember the exact year of the change

 

I would try for 65 and up 302. Try to get the transmission at the same time as a whole unit.
If you want the aod. Just get it separately

I'm running a 351w with a C4 in a 57 and it fits. So a 302 should be easier in the older models. Actually common in Shoeboxes. Some people use butch's mounts and modify the trans crossmember

I had a 260 in a Fairlane it was a slug. If you get a slightly newer one it should have an alternator already.

 

'64 five bolt bell housing. '65 went to 6 bolt bell housing. Generator in '64. Alternator in '65. At least that was how it was when I installed a 289 from a '64 Comet in my '65 Falcon.

 

Thanks for the info. Shortly after I asked this question, I found what I hope to be a great deal on a 289/C4 combo. Hopefully I'll go check it out in a couple days and it will be as advertised and, if so, will have a new home.

 

IIRC, you have a Y-block/stick trans combo. The 260, while not a particularly good performance platform and not all that popular with Hot Rodders, is still a SBF and accepts most all common parts from its larger brothers. It has one attribute useful to you in that all 260s ('63-65, the only '65 SBF that was) were five bolt bells, so if you can get the matching five-bolt manual bell for that it will bolt to your existing transmission. The main drawback to these is the small bore. They have the same stroke as the 289 but a 3.8" bore vs the 289/302 at 4", so that prevents using 'better' heads as larger valves won't clear the bore. But they will respond to a more aggressive cam and a four-barrel intake with either a 390 or 450 CFM Holley. If you want to get really tricky, drop in a 302 crank and get a 272" motor. This will require custom pistons however. Make sure they're not selling you a '62-63 221 though; visually almost identical to the larger motors, it has two freeze plugs on each side of the block, all the rest have three. It also has odd-ball motor mounts, another reason to avoid it.

On the 289/C4 combo, check what year the trans is. The '64-66 C4 was a 'Cruisomatic', AKA a 'green' or 'white' dot. These have a different shift pattern, with P/R/N/D2/D1/Low. Low is low, D1 starts in low, then upshifts through 2nd to high. D2 starts in second. There is no manual position for second gear. I've been told that a swap to a later valve body can change it to the now-normal 'Select Shift' P/R/N/D/2/1 pattern that began in '67, but this can get tricky. The '67 289 was the only year for a factory Select Shift C4. The 260 never used the C4, it used the short-lived '59-65 two-speed 'Fordomatic' only. These can be spotted by their one-piece aluminum case and are real orphans to be avoided now. All the early C4s had a removable bell.

An easy way to tell the five-bolt and six-bolt motors apart if they're in the car is to check the size of the bellhousing-to-block bolts. The five-bolt used a 3/8" bolt with a 9/16" head, the six-bolt went to a larger 7/16" bolt with a 5/8" head.

 

302's did not come out until 1968.

 

Btw my 57 wagon is a 292 with iron ford-o-matic. And it's really nice ride. I can daily it or road trip it. so I'm saying you DON'T HAVE TO move to a sbf.

 

Unless your y block is needing rebuilt I fail to see any advantage of swapping in a 289. My 292/T85 OD will cruise at 75 all day with no issues.

 

So does mine with an added cruise0matic and 2.74 gears.

 

That's the issue, it needs rebuilt. I was going to do a "basic" rebuild and in about a 24 hour period I was hit with about a $1200 increase in the build--heads needed major work and I looked closer at the cam and it was bad. At this point I decided to look at other options.

 

Same thing happened to me, I needed some major work on the stock 272 in my 55. Prices quoted to me for parts and head/block machine work was higher than expected on the y-block. Turned around and tripped over a 302/C4 combination sitting in my shop and it didn't take long to make a decision. Went into the car easy with no modifications to the frame or body so I could change back to a y-block if I ever want to but I don't see that ever happening. The removal of about 200 pounds of cast iron (maybe more) from the front of the car didn't hurt either. If you are doing a correct restoration or just are in love with the way a y-block looks then keep it. Otherwise, keep that 50's cruiser on the road and drive it!

 

So I did end up getting the 289/c4 combo and just did a test fit. It seems like it will fit fine except for the driver side exhaust manifold hits the cross member. So, does anyone know of a stock driver side exhaust manifold that exits to the rear? I did check out the sticky section and looked at the headers. This is what I would do if the car was mine, but they are a bit pricy and not sure it's in the budget. TIA

 

Yes those that exit to the rear are out there. I have them in my 55.

 

The 60's Mustang manifold exits the rear but I didn't try when I did my 55 as I tried several sets of headers I had and found one that fit with some modifications. There are several people on here with 289/302 in 55 and 56 Fords, several pictures have been posted as well but I couldn't tell you where they all are. Steering box clearance can be an issue.

 

Here is a picture I stole (sorry Jeff) from JeffB2's post from a while ago. He might chime in on what manifold he used.

 

I used mustang 289 manifolds. both sides exit to rear. Gave me barely enough room with 351W. Obviously dont plan on any racing soon.

 

Headman headers 88400 fit fine in my '54 Ranch Wagon.

 

It may still be out in my garage since I swapped to the Hedman headers.

 

I've got one from a '80-'85 Mustang. EOAE-9431-KC You can have for the cost of shipping if it will work for you

 

Thanks for the offer. However, I'm not sure what I was looking at before, but the headers are a little cheaper than I had initially thought, and I have missed out on some used ones as well. I think I will be patient and keep looking. Thanks again though.

 

These are a copycat of the Patriot header from the "Sticky FAQ" https://www.ebay.com/itm/354873114227?