Technical Favorite Engine Conversions...

Do You Have A Favorite Engine Conversion That Improves The Performance Dramatically?...

 

I once had a 1960 Ford Falcon with a puny 144 in six cylinder. Smoked like crazy and no power. Replaced the engine with a Chevy 153 four cylinder from 63 Nova. Put a fully synchronized 3 speed behind it. Most fun ever!

Also had a 72 Vega with a....well a Vega engine in it. Replaced it with a Buick 231 V8 with 4 barrel, 4 speed and dual exhaust. Easy fit and was fun to drive.

.bjb

 

Cadillac 472 into a 49 Buick. Cad 472 in a 47 International pickup. Years ago put a 289 in a 60 Ford van that came with a 6.

 

Gotta say the A V8 conversion is the real classic conversion. Easily double or more the horsepower of the 40 hp banger.

 

A 1957 Dodge 180 Horsepower In 1940 Ford With 85 Horsepower...

 

My favorite - Packard Caribbean V8 into '55 Studebaker pickup. It's done as Studebaker-Packard coulda/shoulda/woulda; Packard V8, Borg-Warner T89 overdrive transmission, Dana 60 4.10 posi, Saginaw power steering, all were already in the S-P supply chain and should have been available as an option.

jack vines
P.S. - a subtopic, the worst engine swap ever I ever drove; an MG TD with a hot SBC and slicks. Every hard launch, that little POS felt like it was trying to explode and the driver had no idea which direction it was going next.
jv

 

I have done many but maybe my favorite was in a 53 chevy pickup. 302 Ford and aod trans. When people looked under the hood, the response was sometimes comical.

 

A Nail Head in most anything.

 

A great bang for the buck was always an sbc into an early 6cyl Chevy II

 

A Small Block Chevrolet into anything!

 

Fits Like A New Glove and 100 Extra Ponies...

 

Anything by Pete Aardema or Alan Millyard or did I understand the question?

 

Roger that!

Probably my favorite outside of my own.



https://www.motortrend.com/features...vrolet-chevy-ii-bad-bascom-to-go-road-racing/

 

Fastest thing I ever owned-62 chevy 2 with 327/Muncie. Bare bones body and would rev over the moon. Loved Vettes at stoplights.

 

My "A" was sold with 40HP in 1928, I added a few more HP in 1959 with a OHV 1957 Ford Y-V8 T-Bird with some extra goody's...

 

I swapped out the 425/409 that came in this '33 for a 375/396. Probably shouldn't mention that I sold the 409 for $100, the T-10 with flywheel, clutch, & bell for another $100, and five Buick Skylark wires with US Royal Masters for another $100.

Oh, the sins of our youth; but I did end up with a nice never rusted '33 Tudor for $0 after selling off those parts.

 

283, 3 speed Saginaw with overdrive into my daily driver LUV pickup.

Gary

 

XK120 Jag with a You Know What!
Talk about sins.

 

327 and a 4 spd into an MGB. Most satisfying swap I ever did.

 

Back in '61, I had a '55 Bel Air soft top with a '57 SBC 283 4-barrel, 3-on-the-floor.
It could scoot..... got me to work on time when I was running late.

 

427 BBC/Muncie 4 speed replaced 216/3 speed.

 

First one for me was the 265 with a ‘39 box we swapped into a friends ‘40 Fordor in 1965 when I was 16. The $90 (!) ‘40 had a cherry body, but the frame did have a crack in the passenger side at the front of the x-member.
Fast? No, but man, we be stylin’ now

 

1940 Ford with a Cadillac 390...

 

E xcellent Swap And A Natural...

 

Who remembers the Petersen Swap Book from the 70's?

 

Similar…40 Merc with a 331 Cadillac…

 

I don't have a favorite but any time I see a nailhead swapped into a non Buick it puts me in a better mood lol

 

I think I have every revision of that book

 

I've done several that I like but my Mopar 360 into my 41 Plymouth is the most fun of all. It's coupled up to an AX-15 5 speed and it hauls!

 

I think I did this to four more trucks over the years....big block in a truck. This particular swap took about 36 hours from driving with the six, to driving with the 396.