I have a 61 f100 unibody with a troubled 460 that I'm considering what to do with. If I keep the truck I'd like to swap the 460/c6 for a lighter 302 (or 289) and a c4. The truck still has the original axel. It also has manual steering, hence the desire for less weight up front. I'm open to another engine transmission combo, availability, weight, price etc play a part though. Suggestions welcome. My first question is if this is likely to be really hard swap, or relatively simple. That leads me to wonder about motor mount positions, oil pans clearance, cross member changes needed? What other questions should I be looking at? I'd like to do as much of this as possible myself, but it would be my first swap.
No direct experience on this one, but obviously where it's smaller it'll fit easier, for the most part. i'd go for the AOd instead of a C-4. motor & tranny mounts will probably be in different places, both should be front sump pans. Should be fairly easy for a 1st swap.
Thanks. I guess I should add that I'm not too concerned with performance, I just want a nice comfortable daily driver. In the end, a mild custom is where I'd like to be. But first it has to be an easy driver.
Another option for you is the 240/300 six. These have the same bellhousing bolt pattern as the late 289s and 302. To mount the six, a aftermarket big block FE crossmember is used. The 289-302 swap is easy. You have the option of a tube crossmember or a two piece mount. You can use a 65-66, likely all the up to 79 transmission crossmember for the c-4. Since it has a 460 you may already have some of this. It should be very simple as swaps go.
What's the 460 trouble? In a light truck they haul ass, get decent mileage (I know, oxymoron fora 460), durable as hell, and later in life trades "up" to a 429 CJ-SCJ. I bought a Ford with a troubled 460 once. Wrong balance parts, lousy fuel delivery, they gave up. In less than a day it was hauling ass, got 18 MPG on the hiway, smooth as silk. I'm positive that one was way heavier than yours (4WD 78 Bronco).
I've owned this truck for over 12 years. 6 mpg, some kind of knock that several car guys & mechanics have listened to and said they didn't know what it was without tearing the engine apart, and yesterday I found all my antifreeze on ther garage floor. The antifreeze might just be a "sudden" leak from where? Haven't crawled under it yet, I was just going to get it ready for spring. Everything else aside, the 460 just weighs so much it's hard for me to steer for parking etc. It looks like a 302 is about 200+ pounds lighter, that has to make steering in tight spots easier. I'm just basically tired of trying to live with the 460. One more thing, the transmission has a bad habit of shifting itself from park into reverse when the truck is at idle, kind of annoying if you have your head under the hood. I think that's because it seems hard to get the shifter to engage in the park position easily. Here's photo of the truck, the dice in the wondow are no longer there
Uh Oh! Being in MN, hopefully it did not freeze and bust. Well, It would be interesting to see the weight comparison between the 460-Auto and the original 223/292 with a manual. I bet they are pretty close. As far as the steering I would check and make sure everything is greased well especially the king pins and all the rod ends. It helps to have a tall skinny tire as close to what was original. I can't tell from the photo but are you running the original steering wheel? A smaller aftermarket wheel adds to the effort. Regardless of the engine, these trucks do require some effort to turn the wheels tightly when stopped or barely moving. The 289/302/5.0 is a pretty easy swap. I do think it's time to pull the 460. If it's making a noise, something is really wrong with it. A AOD will give you overdrive thus better mileage. This could be a linkage issue. Whatever it is it is a potential life safety issue. Old cars, trucks and tractors will kill you quick so be careful with it.
The truck had a 14" aftermarket steering wheel when I bought it, which was pretty hard to manage. I replaced that with a 17" aftermarket steering wheel.
I had a unibody with sbf c4 and it drove fine and was a pleasent truck to drive all around. I have one now with a 460 and enjoy the extra tourque that goes with it. It would be easier and maybe cheaper to fix the 460. I keep trying to add pics but, isint working.
1. Remove hood 2. Remove 460 3. Attach 302/c4 to catapult 4. Point catapult toward engine bay 5. Launch catapult, engine will land in there somewhere 6. Replace hood, drive away Almost as easy as that. I've done several 302/c4's into F-100's where a Y-Block once resided and it was almost easier to do the swap than to replace the Y-Block
I just wonder what kind of work was done to the motor mounts and cross member to bolt the 460 in? All kinds of things can cause a strange knock, maybe a cracked flex plate or worse with a busted piston. But finding out what is wrong with the 460 first, then make a educated decision to replace it or repair it. One thing you could do, replace the cast iron intake manifold with a new aluminum 4 barrel, then the cast iron exhaust manifolds with steel headers. Would save 200 pounds easy right there. I believe that the 460 bolt pattern, you can replace with a 351 M, 400, 429, 460 all fit the same transmission. And fix the transmission linkage before it kills someone. Dont need to throw the baby out with the dirty bath water. Just fix what you have and make it fun and safe. Truck looks awesome, I love it.
The 302/C4 combo fits nice, but expect to change EVERYTHING! Nothing will be the same as the 460/C6 combo.
find yourself another 460/365 hp. engine & put it in & you will be the Talk of the Town You will Find them in Lincoln's 69-71 Mark3 its considered the High performance of the 460 engine's Like everybody says Check your Steering out First! Just my 3.5 cents Live Learn & Die a Fool
Sounds like you've already made your decision. I personally would look for a 351 Windsor, bit more torque and not much heavier than a 302. Great looking truck by the way.
Sounds like you've already made your decision. > Nope I'm not even close to deciding. I personally would look for a 351 Windsor, bit more torque and not much heavier than a 302. > I guess I hadn't thought about that engine. The 302/c4 was just about weight. Great looking truck by the way. > Thanks! It was an impulse buy Christmas present to myself, every time I see it I like it more. Sometimes I just go out to the garage and look at it. Driving it is better
The 302 to 351 looks to about 70-80 lbs. difference depending on how you equip or dress the engine. Here's a chart with Ford engine weights which could be of some help. I didn't notice any yblock weights but they must fall between the Windsor and an FE. https://www.google.ca/url?sa=t&rct=...B01n89D3CrG8UTLQg&sig2=SqHXaQ5kRRWRYHawoU62EQ
The jump-out-of-park thing is an old Ford problem. I forget what the fix was. I had one do that as I was putting a car on the alignment rack many moons ago. Almost got clipped by the door as it jumped back... bent the crap out of it on the garage door jamb.
It's usually the shift detent plate in the column worn out which always the lever to slip into reverse. I've had the same problem in various Fords, in fact I've had them so loose that the roll pin fell out of the shift lever.
OK, taking a clue from the "keep the 460" folks I decided to look at first things first. Number 1 being the coolant leak. So off to the auto parts store to rent a pressure tester to see if I could find the leak. Then I filled the radiator (with water, why waste antifreeze), it only took about a little less than a gallon. The pressure revealed where a leak was. The lower heater hose clamp was so loose I surprised the hose was still connected. It was only a slow flow/drip, but over time I guess it must have added up. The truck has no heater, so the hose just loops back. Next: drive it a little and see how it goes. I haven't decided what I'll do in the end, just trying to work my way through it.
i've run a 460 in a 32 sedan with a c6 i run 3.00-1 diff with 28 inch rear tires ported d3 heads with 30 tho off the deck heights and dome pistons with a 270ish duration cam with a steady foot you can get in the 20s mpg on a run. if you like bashing the loud pedal you will be in signal figures but you will have a smile on your face
OK, it turned a bit cooler here so I've been hiding out in the house. In the process considering the various engine solutions offered in this thread I'm wondering if I swaped the 460 for a 351W would use the same location for the motor mounts when hooked to my existing c6?
351W has the 302 bell housing pattern, so your Trans won't bolt up. You need a small block pattern transmission.
Rebuild the 460 ,put some Edelbrock aluminum heads on it . Weight off the nose and much improved horsepower. It is not too hard to put power steering on those trucks. I installed a steering box and column from an Olds cutlass on a 64 F100. Made all the difference in the world. I had a slide in camper on mine and 10 inch wide tires around and it drove fine. If you need info on installing the box PM me and I will tell you how I did it and what parts to look for. Fix that shifter issue before you get hurt or worse run over somebody.
Late to the party, but would you mind posting a pic or two of how your engine is mounted? Helping my cousin install a 390 in his shortbox 61 and he's nearing the "plan less fab more" stage and we could use some ideas.
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