Technical Odd Engine Swaps

In 2003, I put a 383 Chrysler and a 727 Torqueflight in a 57 Ford Custom 300

 

A 215 Buick in an Austin Healy sprite, and my first 59 ElCamino had a 400 Oldsmobile. Neither swap was completed, the olds needed the exhaust manifold milled to clear the steering box

 

I had a 63 Short box chevy pickup with a 500 Cady engine. Serious fun!

 

Interesting use of a steer clear to raise the steering shaft instead of lower it.

 

A friend of mine put a small-block Ford in his father's '55 Chevy. They took it to car shows and it was funny to watch the Chevy guys cuss!

 

Flatty In A Frog..

 

A local guy stabbed a 4 cylinder diesel out of a swather into a 59 chevy pickup it sounds strange to say the least almost like he's cutting hay.

 

I've seen aircooled Tatra V8s in the back of VW campers and Beetles and even a 1970s Skoda. There's some guy on youtube with a Tatra V8 in a Moto Guzzi motorcycle.

 

I bought a 38 olds coupe as a drive to work car that had a1950 Ford flathead.

 

In 1968 I had a 1940 Chev coupe with 216 six, and my buddy's dad rolled his '59 Imperial. I bought it for $150 and put the 413 Mopar, Torqueflite and rear axle all in my '40 Chev coupe. Wasn't trying to be "different", just wanted more power at a cheap price.

 

There's a guy on the V8Buick forum that has a 425 Nailhead in his square body Chevy pickup.

 

In the early 80's at a swap meet in Atlantic Iowa a guy had a 1950 (or so) Stude pickup with a slant six, I low balled him and didn't buy it. It was actually a nicely done vehicle as I remember.

 

I had the thought that in the unlikely event of my ever needing a family car or minivan, a (really) big turbodiesel four in an Austin FX4 taxi would be just the thing.

 

My Dad did a few differenrt engine swaps. He had robbed a 292 Y block out of his '62 uni body F100 to use in a circle track car so he stuffed an AMC 343 and Torqueflight into the F100. It was a great rig! Another time he had a Volvo with a dead engine and had a steel sleeved Vega engine, in it went with the 4 speed. He gave it to a needy family, they drove it forever. When he closed his shop in Port Townsend WA he had a rusty '75 Ford ext cab F100 and a '70 Mopar 383 HP and Torqueflite so into the truck that went! Made a great tow rig. Back when Oregon had the no pumping your own gas law, I was driving it and filled up at Biggs Jct Oregon. When I fired it up to leave, the pump jockey swung around and asked "You got a Mopar in that?!" I was impressed he knew Mopar gear reduction starter sound.
My cousin in OKC put a 200 inch Ford 6 in a '55 Chevy 4dr. Nice original 6 cylinder car. He did that kinda stuff for giggles.
One of our local Model T Bums put a Ranger diesel in a Model T. Sounds like a rattley T engine!

Dave

 

I actually like it if for no other reason it drives guys like you batty.

 

Anything not Mopar into a Mopar and Chevy into a Ford are the funniest. Love it.

 

Buick 455 in a 52 Ford F1 pickup

 

I put a 500 Caddy in a Buick Regal........would scald the tires, but after that it didn't do much because of the mild factory cam and low compression. The one I'm building for my 32 Coupe will be much better.

I put a 215 Alum Buick into a Luv Pickup.......it was pretty nifty. (You do remember Luv's don't you)

 

I did a slant six in a 48 chevy aerosedan and a slant six in a chopped 50 Chrysler.

Over the years my dad has put just about everything into 53-56 F100's

 

Little body with a big heart......... Crosley Almquist with a potent (?) V8-60.....

 

I also put a 302 chevy and 4 speed in my 50 ford 1/2 ton in high school !

 

Back when I was just out of high school one of the guys who ran one of the local Shell stations had a 55 Chevy two door post with a 364 Buick nail head set back 10% to run gas class at the drags but I don't know if he ever got it to where he could actually race it.
A few years ago you were liable to see rear wheel drive small cars or small pickups belonging to the Migrant farm workers around here with any kind of engine that would fit in the space under the hood, some times not very securely installed. I saw one once with 2x4s for motor mounts. Those guys showed up at the parts house I worked at in the truck and had the registration slip for the wrecked truck they took the motor out of to show me what engine they needed the parts for.

 

There's a NICE '33 or '34 chopped Tudor with a 70's Toyota 4cyl in it for sale somewhat locally.

 

Saw an unfinished project once, a 46-8 Dodge 4 door with a 500 Caddy in it.

 

Any old car in Cuba!

Dave

 

I was just going to bring that up. Since we have an embargo with them, they can't buy parts to rebuild the stock engines, so they have to rely on foreign engines.

 

I had a Y-block in the 35 Chev sedan in my avatar pic, c.1969. Never got it running, but had a 9" installed in it and the mounts and exhaust figured out and in process when I moved and sold the car.
At that time there were a '55 Chev 2-door wagon and a '57 Ford chrome post 2-door running around the area with RB Mopars and Torqueflites installed. A good buddy stuffed a '55 Chev frame and running gear under a Corvair body a couple of years later.
I also drove a '50 Ford panel with an Olds 394 and early Hydro for several years in the early '70's. That was an easy swap and made for a very useful truck.

 

I pulled a 413 out of a big GM luxury ride once. My buddy came across it and knew I could use the motor. The car was free for the hauling. The 413 was in the car with 2 x4s and chain, pretty sketchy, but I drove it to where we pulled the motor. My buddy got rid of the car, I have no idea what it was other then a big GM car, I wanted the 413.

I installed a Jeep 360 into a Dodge D 50 pickup, actually I pretty much ended up moving the D 50 cab on to the Jeep 4x4 frame. That was a bunch of fun, we had a river back water area near my shop that was mostly dry in mid summer.

I worked at a gas station for 7 years between 72 and 79. I saw so many strange motor swaps through those years, it almost seemed common. Most were the guy had a motor and a he or his buddy had different car needed a motor, most of those were on the crude side. Some were just for spite or meanness, those were usually pretty well done. I just can't remember many of them, unless something triggers a memory.

 

Not a real odd engine swap, but a few years back we installed a new small block chevy/th350 trans combination into my 1957 T-BIRD. Sure did get a lot of interesting reviews from the little bird guys!

 

"T" Willy's '35 International PU with 413 Imperial undersides