'59 352 and a '60 430 - will they swap?

I have a '59 'bird with a 352 that needs heads (broken exhaust studs) and have an opportunity to get a 430 & auto from a '60 'bird. I heard that there was a lot of difference between the two. Will it bolt in if I get all the mounts etc.? Have any of you done this swap?

I can get the 352 heads rebuilt for about $550 locally. But I like the idea of the bigger engine.

Any thoughts?

Thanks,

Mike

 

You better get everything with the motor including the trans as I think they have different bolt pattern.

 

430 will not bolt to the FE trans... so figure on engine, trans, driveshaft, crossmember, and mounts all being modded.

I would just fix the 352. It's a great engine.

 

I have a 430 T bird and have had 352 ones in the past from what I remember not much interchanges is there a chance you can find a 390 410 427 or 428 engine as all of them will fit and bolt in without much problems (except 427 and 428, they have headaches of there own) study upon the FE engines fix the oil system problem ( ten minutes with a die grinder) and the FE engines are good motors I run a 390 with with 428 crank rods and pistons in a 1960 F250 crew cab and has run reliable for 14 years so far.

 

An FE trans will bolt to a 430 Lincoln with a little work.

 

I heard that! Sometimes deals aren't. The 352 runs great, just sounds like a tractor with the exhaust leak.

Isn't the 430 and FE?

I guess the best way to go is fix the heads.

Thanks for the quick responses.

Later,

Mike

 

A 430 is an MEL, different, but the ****** bolt pattern is the same. You have to remove a chunk of the block for starter clearance, however.

 

Try some JB Weld on the exhaust too - if you get it stuffed in correctly (so it doesn't rattle out when dry) it will help quite a bit. I've seen honest-to-god baling wire and JB Weld fix (well, sort of fix) exhausts before.

 

I remembered there was a conflict to bolting them up... I forgot it was the starter being in the wrong spot.

Thanks for the reminder

 

"58-'60 MELs have the same trans bolt pattern as a FE. '61-'65 MELs have a different pattern with a relocated starter, and '66-'67 MELs have a different pattern yet.

To the OP, the 430 is a MEL which is a completely different design than the FE; the combustion chamber is formed by the piston and the cylinder (something like a Chevrolet 348 or 409). The MELs are actually more closely related to the Ford "Super Duty" heavy truck gas engines which also began production in '58.

The MELs can use a few minor FE parts with some changes, but they have little in common otherwise. I believe that you can use the '60 Bird's 430, so long as you grab the mounts, brackets, and so forth. The 430's Cruise-O-Matic is likely the "LX" version while the 352 probably has the "MX" case; the LX has an additional clutch & steel if memory serves.

 

Truly H.A.! I might just give that a try. The gasket is blown out, so I would think that I should press it into the crack cold, right. I can't really clean it out and it's kinda rusty.

The question is, if I decide to pull it all apart, will it come apart?

I'll let you know!

Later,

Mike

 

Re. the exhaust leak on my engine...

OK, so this is a temporary fix, but the JB Weld worked! Thanks BuiltFerComfort, you were right. I cleaned it out as best I could, then jammed some of the JB in there when the engine was cold. I let it sit a few days to be sure it was fully cured. I just fired it up and it's so quiet (up in the engine compartment). WOW! I let it run for a few minutes and it's still there. I'm only out about $8 so if it holds, perfect.

Later,

Mike