I need some help . I know this has been discussed a million time but can't find the answer . I am putting a 1985 , 302 in my 55 Fairlane . My question is what motor mounts do I use ? I am sure there is someone that has done this swap and knows the answer off the top of their head ! I hope to be doing this soon so I can start on the body work to get it ready for paint ! Also is there any long tube headers that fit or do I need shorty headers ? I have been looking at BBK & MAC headers but need to know what really works before I spend the cash ! Thanks for the help ! Jim
The following should work 76 F150 302 64/65 Ford Fairlane (289) 84 Lincoln MKII I'm sure some others are the same ones. The MKII mounts are supposed to be 1 inch taller than the other two. If you use either of the other two, you may have to use a spacer between the mount and the block to raise the engine up.
Look over at the forums at www.1954ford.com There are multiple cars there that have done this swap, and the 54 is almost identical (in the engine bay) to the 55.
Jim,both the headers you mentioned are a "no go" for fit even the Mustang "shorty" does not come close.The problem is A-frame and steering box clearance, there is only one header that may work and that is the 65-67 Mustang HEDMAN 88400.The best fit is the 289 Hi-Po manifolds Shelby designed for the "K" code Mustang.For sure use the 1984 MKVII mounts I did,no spacers needed.You might want to check with Todd aka ctfortner and send him a pm, He may have an update on the headers,also order the Hi-Torque mini-starter from DB Electrical only $50 + shipping works like a champ and will give you the extra clearance you need.
Thanks to all for the information ! I will just get the MarkVII motor mounts . That was easy ! As for the headers , I have a 2 sets of long tube that I bought for $15 and I will cut them up and just weld some for the 55 Ford . I think that will be the cheapest and easiest way ! Has anyone used or made fenderwell headers ? That would give tons of room there ! Any thought on the fenderwell headers will be very helpfull . If worst comes to worst I can just use stock exhaust manifolds ! Jeff , thanks for the heads up on that mini starter ! I will have to get one of those ! If anyone has some headers or exhaust manifolds that will fit my 302 for my 55 Ford let me know . It's always nice to get fast answers that really work ! Thanks again guys ! Jim
Retro Jim: Any thought on the fenderwell headers will be very helpfull . I have just one thought: don't.
Can I ask why NO ? What do you guys use with your 302 in a 55 Ford ? I know JeffB2 suggested the Hi-Po maifolds but what else works good ? Thanks again ! Jim
Just personal preference on my part. I'm good with gnarly headers on g***er-look cars, but otherwise a nice pair of cast iron manifolds with smooth flowing pipes is the hot ticket in my humble opinion. Headers are a pain in the *** on a street-driven car, again in my opinion. They tend to fit poorly, tend to leak and rust, are loud inside the car, tend to radiate much more heat into the engine compartment and often cause ground clearance problems if under-car collectors are used. And, there's absolutely no performance advantage except at wide-open-throttle such as p***ing or racing, and that advantage is slight in most street-tuned cars. I also feel that claims of significantly improved mileage are greatly exaggerated. In my world, w-o-t situations comprise less than 1% of my driving - not worth the h***les of headers - and I've never been too concerned about gas mileage in a mild performance street car. In a real hot rod it would be a whole 'nother sitchiashun. My $.02.
Oh I agree with the headers on most street cars . I am just looking for whatever fits the best with the least amount of BS to het them in the car ! I have a bigger cam installed but nothing really big . I have the Thumper flat tap cam and the small one at thet . I also have to use either dual Cherry Bombs ot dual Smithys ! So any help with what maifolds to use will be really helpfull ! Jim
Ok, here is my 2 cents on the matter. I have a 56 mainline that I put a 302 (stroker) and a tko 600 5 spd in. As Paul mentioned above I used some 70's truck mounts. Now that sets the engine down to low (oil pan hits cross member), so I cut some spacers out of round stock to raise it up. The spacers set between the block and motor mounts. That raises the oil pan up enough to clear the frame rail. speaking of that, make sure you have a front sump pan also. if you dont you will have to change that and the oil pickup as well. I have put in and pulled out that engine at least 2 dozen times, so unless you get lucky, be prepared for that while trying to fit everything in and get spacers just right, headers just right, etc...I pulled the radiator, front grill, front bumper, basically everything in the front but the fenders...makes it SO much easier to work with. I have a potent stroker motor in mine, so headers was my only gameplan so she could breath. I tried some hedman block huggers first, no chance. Mustang shorty headers, no chance. I talked to several people that had used tri y's for a 66 mustang, so I tried them. They fit! Have a 1/2" or less clearance for steering box, but enough. Here are the exact headers I used. I went with the ceramic coated ones, and highly recommend it. You would not believe the heat difference in the 2, well worth the extra coin. http://www.summitracing.com/parts/PTE-H-8426-1/ Now the problem it created in the process. The try y's are full length headers so they are so long that they come out about 6" past the factory exhaust holes. Take a look at the last pic below, you can see the header is past the exhaust hole. So to me, you have two choices here. Cut a new (further down) exhaust hole and patch the existing one up for strength, or cut the header off about 6 inches before the end, add in a mandrel bend weld it back together to make it curve out so that it can utilized the factory hole. This also keeps the header at its full length, but adds the right curvature to it. It looks like if I go with a new hole option, I will have to rethink and redo the ebrake setup under the car, it will be in the way. So, since i happen to know a very good welder/fabricator who builds his own headers, I am more than likely going to let him cut mine and fix them to use the factory holes. I hate doing that, but I think it will be easier in the long run. This is all I tried for my setup, I didnt try any manifolds since I had no desire to run them. good luck! Here is a couple of shots of mine in the process
This is the problem I spoke of when I mentioned under-car collectors. You can run pipes that dip below the frame rails if your car isn't lowered, but as soon as you go low you'll be dragging your pipes on every driveway, speed bump and painted line. This is not only embarr***ing, but can get expensive. From the photos it looks like you don't have much choice other than to shorten the runners and redirect the exhaust pipe though the factory frame holes. This may seem like a h***le now, but keeping everything above the bottom of the frame will pay off big time in the long run. (Ask me how I know this... )
this link is to a thread i started to show the 302 in my 55 . and sanderson builds a header just for this swap but i think there 350 bucks http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3877135#post3877135
I used 302 mounts from Gearheads Cruiser Products, and the reason why was that they advertised that you could run stock exhaust manifolds and still clear the steering box. The also claimed that their mounts provided for good radiator clearance. And...now that I've had the engine in the car for a while, their claims have proven to be true. I guess, to boil it down, what their mounts do is get the engine up relatively high and back toward the firewall. In my opinion, my engine is in the ideal spot for a 54/55/56. I still have enough firewall clearance for the stock throttle linkage to fit behind the left valve cover....which is the problem item in that region. It's pretty tight in the steering box region mind you, but I can slide a pencil between the manifold and the steering box. If I grind a bit of material off of the ridge on the manifold, then I can get even more room. I don't think I'll need to, but it's good to know that I have that option. Of course Gearheads is legendary for their poor customer service and long delivery times, so....that's an issue. But, their stuff is first cl*** and does what they say it will do.
ive got stock manifolds on mine and running the factory throtle linkage for now . im switching my throtle to a cable off of a mid 80s ford truck . and the pedal asy .
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