I am on the fence on putting a SBF in and I have read some of the requirements but the question is I have a buddy who has a really nicely built 347 stroker (claimed 400hp+/-) he pulled out of a car he owns and offered to sell it to me, my questions are- 1. Will a stock T5 work? 2. Is a rear end swap required 3. Radiator/fan options 4. Disc brakes kit 5. Any of secrets I should be aware of? My dream would be to build this flathead even with some Ardun replicas and make 300hp but looking into the cost of such things makes it very daunting. Side note I took another drive and I can feel the car sort of drift left to right and there is play in the steering wheel where is the first place I should look to fix this. Thanks again to everyone on the forum who have been so helpful!
or possibly just install a T5 transmission and possible performance upgrades to the flatty. What are the proven flathead power combos and what are the realistic gains?
My buddy put a 302 I gave him in his,I know he had to notch factory crossmember for oil pan clearence but otherwise pretty straight forward,plus he did the right thing keeping a ford in a ford!!! Check out these pics maybe they help you
I figured as much but if I can spread some of the pain on wallet for a little bit it would help a great deal, I dont drive like a madman either. @sunbeam what is the motor in your sig?
No,not at all. The oil pan you use depends on the kit you use 15" or 17" and no notching the pan is needed. http://www.butchscoolstuff.com/52-53-ford-car-15-sb-ford-eng-trans-mount-kit-2501cpb/ To guide you through this swap you should be here: http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/social-forums/1952-59-ford-social-group.282/re: We have a HUGE information file there with tons of swap info also I just recently added photos of the SBF swap in a '53 that highlights the mounts and headers.You will also find a chart about rear ends that fit,the stock rear would probably hold up in a street cruiser if you used an AOD trans.
LOL keeping a Ford in a Ford don't make it right just different. I may be I mistaken but if I recall you use a truck pan with a rear sump to put an SBF in a '50s Ford. or maybe its a rear sump Moroso pan. Its been a while but as I recall its not a difficult swap. I personally prefer a cad or olds swap into one but the SBF is a good option.
Rear sump pans are available just about everywhere; besides the truck/bronco pans, Ford used rear sump pans in all the Fox-body cars (5.0 Mustangs, Fairmonts, T-birds) and most later vans. You can even buy conversions from Summit, Jegs, etc. The main trick is the oil dipstick; the front-sump motors have the stick in the front cover, most later motors have it in the block but there are pans with the stick in the pan. Check your block to see if it's a later one with the dipstick boss, then select your pan accordingly...
The motor is a 270 Dodge hemi As for axle dollar wise around here a 8.8 ford from a 4.0 Ranger has the 31 spline axles and width should be close.
I'll expand my answer a bit.... 302 blocks from '83-up are all machined for the block dipstick. If yours is older than that, then that restricts your OEM pan choices to pre-'83 Bronco/4wd trucks, some vans and pre-83 Fairmonts and some Mustangs. Be aware that Ford didn't do a 'clean' changeover on this, between 79-82 you could find either type block depending on the application. The aftermarket also offers 'dipstick-in-pan' units. None of the 351W blocks were machined for a block dipstick, so any rear sump pan you find for those will have the stick in the pan. The OEM 'dipstick' pans are noted for leaking around the dipstick flange, some brazing here will fix it. If you live somewhere that has a fair amount of marine shops, check with them too. Ford marine-use motors have all sorts of interesting parts on them, some with different rear-sump pans, 50 oz crank dampers with the early three-bolt pulley pattern, and D0 351W heads with screw-in studs from the factory. Many times these are simply removed/replaced for a re-power and you can get them for next to nothing. Watch out if the motor was salt-water-cooled, as internal corrosion can render the iron castings worthless. Also look out for cracked blocks if you get freezing weather; a lot get replaced because the owner failed to drain the water in the winter...
Hey thanks for all the great input! @JeffB2 What are modifications if not using the listed transmissions as in using a T5 instead. @Crazy Steve So best option is to use 83 and up?
Click on the link to Butch's,there will be three pictures by the kit the one on the right shows how to do the measurement to determine the kit you will want.15" uses a the later dual sump oil pan and the 17" kit uses the front sump pan, so after taking the measurement as per Butch's diagram let us know the results.I have had members use the mounts from Speedway,but you have to run an electric fuel pump as the mounts are in the way of the manual pump. Here is pictures of a 302 in a '53 using Butch's mounts. The headers are HEDMAN 88400's no alterations are needed and clearance is excellent.
In terms of which 302 engine block is 'better' for a swap, the only two items that effect you are the oil dipstick and the clutch pivot boss if you're planning on running a manual trans with mechanical clutch linkage. If you're buying new, rear sump oil pans are cheaper and easier to find for the later block that's drilled for the stick, but you can get them for the non-drilled blocks too. The other item is the later 302 blocks ('85-up I believe) lack the cast-in boss for the clutch pivot because Ford went to cable-operated clutch linkage. If using mechanical linkage, this can be fixed with this: http://calponycars.com/1964-1973-classic/776-tra-658-513.html ... a bolt-on bracket that mimics the early block pivot point. Other than these two things, the blocks are functionally identical externally. There are internal differences, all relatively minor that generally make no difference unless you're going for a specific 'build'.
Great! I appreciate it, I actually have a couple options now, probably just going to buy a block and build it myself thanks! Im still looking around for everything to complete the build.
Another question I have a ton of play in the steering wheel when driving and the car drifts left to right while driving straight and I constantly have to correct it, I look like a cartoon while driving. What could this be and what is the corrective action? Thanks!
You can do some adjustment to the steering box if it's not too worn,you should invest in this as it money well spent: http://www.ebay.com/itm/FORD-1952-1...-54-/230510574425?hash=item35ab803b59&vxp=mtr Your '53 was the last year for the king pin suspension and it's not a bad idea to do a chassis lubrication at every oil change this will take up some slop.A lot of guys will want the car lowered somewhat and will use the Aerostar coil springs to do it along with some gas shocks this will improve the ride and handling noticeably as will radial tires over bias plys.
Shouldn't be to bad keep us posted with pics, just don't take easy way out and do a 350/turbo 350 with a 9"
OK I have a 53 Club Coupe. I have a BBF and a C6 in it. A early mustang 8 inch rear is a bolt in. Just pull the mustang backing plates off the rear end and install the 53 backing plates and drums and you are good to go. As been said before you need to install a box in the front cross member for the pan but this is not a big deal. I use the stock flatty radiator with one top and one bottom outlet plugged off.
LOL perhaps a quick adjustment to the steering box,. I don't recall if the '53 had a drag link but wandering can be caused by a loose drag link, loosed tie rod ends, toe in out of adjustment. No simple answer check out your suspension and go from there.
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