i just recently bought a 289 from a 65 mustang for my 54 ford coup. before i start pulling out the old motor and trans i wanted to get a good idea of what im up against. just curious if anyone knows if the mounts will line up to my stock ones, im pretty sure my fordomatic wont bolt up to it so also curious about my tranny options. my current setup is a 239 yblock with a fordomatic still 6v +ground. thanks in advance
I'm pretty sure the motor mount locations are going to be drastically different from a Y-block to a SBF. I put a 302 in my '53 Customline many moons ago and used a motor mount kit from Night Prowlers that worked out good(all bolt-in). I also ran a C4 behind it and NP had the tranny mount assembly for that as well. Good luck, ns
Just installed a 5.0 injected motor and AOD trans in my '54 Lincoln Capri. It had a 317 y block. It was a bit of a headache but not to bad. Made my own motor mounts and trans mounts. Had to find exhaust manifolds cleared the steering gear box. Also used a radiator from a Toyota 4 runner (3 row) it fit right between the channels where the original was.
i appreciate the info. i was directed to the c4 tranny by the guy i got the motor from. i assume im gonna have to make a custom driveshaft for it. when you used the c4 were you able to get the stock shifter to work off the column. also anyone know where i can locate said motor mounts??
I used these for my 53 http://www.brockmancustomparts.com/page7.html I put in a 302/c4 and I was able to just hook up the linkage and use the column shift. Mine had a flathead/fordamatic though.
I think the Fordomatic might be the same length as the C4. I did a swap in a buddy's 63 Fairlane that had a 221/Ford0matic and we dropped in a 289/C4. Trans was the same length, so all we had to do was get a jump joint to adapt the early shaft to the later yoke the C4 accepts. Honestly, in this case, I would work backwards. Slide the motor and trans into position and put install the driveshaft. I have an inkling that you may not need a new one. See where the trans mount lines up and what you need to do to modify the mount and crossmember. Then move on to your motor mounts. SBFs are easy in that they have 2 bolt holes that are perpendicular to the ground that attach the mounts. With a little ingenuity, you can probably easily fab a custom set for very little cost. Once everything is positioned correctly, pull the motor out, do all your necessary fabrication and reinstall. SBFs are front sump as the Y Blocks are, so the engine is almost designed to correspond to the chassis. A set of Mustang shorty headers might also fit, Center dump block huggers will likely dump directly into the center crossmember and leave you no room. Headers will have to exit towards the rear This should be a pretty easy swap if you take your time and think things through. Good luck!
I used www.ndgearheadscruiserproducts.com motor mounts in my 54 Ford with a 351W and C4. Knowing what I know now, I should have just made my own as this kit has the engine sitting pretty low. With this setup my mechanical fan is on the bottom 1/3 of the radiator. Due to the U design (the bottom radiator hose is very close to the diameter of the fan run) of the radiator support, I had to run a 15 1/4 mech fan and have to make a shroud for it. Look at what you are doing and learn from my mistake if you use a kit. Try to move that engine up a bit if only for getting the fan coverage to keep your engine cool. Also with this kit they offer, if you keep it the way they designed it, prepare to shim the mounts on the top side (part that connects to the engine) as just putting an engine in there will have a small gap on the mounts at the bottom where the engine connects to. My steering box is very close to the stock manifolds on this engine, though you may not have the same issue depending on how high you mount your engine. 289s have a smaller deck height and you will get more clearence for headers. I plan on running headers when I do a head swap, not too sure how I am going to handle the steering box though. Oh and 54 is the first year for the I and Y blocks. 53 and lower were the Flathead. Either way, I have seen both years with SBF's, they fit nicely after some planning.
I have been beatin' and bangin' on a 54 Ford wagon for a few years now,,, I used a 302/5speed from a 84 mustang,,,,,I used the original mustang engine mounts with no alterations and bolted to the original location on the frame,,,,couldn't be easier,,,,, With the transmisson it was a big job,,,,but a 5- speed is much different than a C4,,,,I think Desertdroog used a C4 in his maybe he can help with that. We both have a lot of photos relating to the build of our 54 Ford on our fotki sites.
Yeah, when I did the swap (Flathead/Fordamatic to 302/C4) I had to get a drive shaft made. As far as the shift linkage goes, I just opted for a cool floor shifter. Motor mount and tranny mount kits at Night Prowlers... ns
I think Lokar makes a column shift to C4 kit. I put in a floor shifter for the automatic, so I cannot help there. For my driveshaft, I went to a Mustang yard here in town and was able to piece together a drive shaft from a 70 Mustang and a coupler yoke from some unknown vehicle (found it in a pile of other yokes it just happened to fit within my tolerances). For the Tranny mount, I used ndgearheadscruiserproducts.com again. It was just a piece of rectangular 10 gauge?(maybe thicker) with the vulcanized mounts for the tranny. You may want to save your money and fab something up if you are looking to save some cash. The 54 crossmembers are very forgiving when putting in later FoMoCo drivetrains (just get the right oil pan, you could also use a Fox Body Mustang double sump and relocate the oil pickup with the same year part). Almost as if Ford decided to use a set space for their autos over the years. Too bad they could not keep the engine accessories the same.
hotrodandcustomsupply has a set of mounts for the smf into a 54 for some reason 53 was the cutoff year for alot of different companys mounts. im assuming that it was the flathead cutoff. they also include a template to make the stock tranny mount work. my only other question is if the stock rear will hold the power. that and if the c4 will give my car a little more top end since my motor tops out now at about 75 mph. you guys have been a great help. i didnt expect this much response. cheers
It all depends on how "built" your motor/tranny combo is. My 302 had an RV cam in it and the C4 was gone through and beefed up a little, but that was about it, so I used the stock rear end and had NO problem smoking the tires all the way down the street. Plus, if I remember correctly, the gearing was something like 3.53:1 which is great for city and highway driving... Oh yeah, after thinking about it for a minute, I remembered that it was Hot Rod and Custom Supply that I ordered my mount kits from too(not Night Prowlers)... I've huffed an awful lot of clear coat over the years... -ns
On that link in my first reply to Brockman's this is on that page 54/56 Ford To Small Block Ford 289/302 (Bolt In) $145.95 Includes Instructions And Rubber Mounts. No Tranny Mount. Redrill Your Cross Member.
The bellhousing patterns are completely different (regardless of whether it was a six or a Y block)....so the trans bell won't bolt up to the 289 (regardless of whether it is a 5-bolt or 6-bolt bell). If the 289's bell is really a '65, then the transmission by itself will not bolt directly to it either (regardless of whether the '54 trans is from a car or truck). There used to be an adapter that allowed '49-'64 Ford CAR transmissons to bolt to a '65-newer bellhousing......they show up occasionally at swap meets, eBay, etc. I'd try Wilcap, Trans-Dapt, Advance Adapters, or L&L Products to see if any of them still offer one nowadays.
I used the HotRodandCustomSupply kit on my 54 Merc. I had 302 with an older FMX trans, I had to drill 2 Holes in the stock Trans crossmember and everything bolted right in. The 87-93 Mustang GT Tubular Headers worked perfectly but I had to put a small dimple in the Driver's side Header to clear the Steering Box. I had a new Driveshaft made and used a Maverick V8 Rear, just had to weld on new spring pads. I also used a Maverick V8 Radiator, drilled a couple of holes and bolted it in.
Thanks a lot guys this really helps me save some time and money ,will let you know how it works out when its done if im still sane enough to write Thanks again Tom
K, first off, the reason why you are seeing things end on 53 is it was, as stated a flathead. This was the last year of the front crossmember, as they were front mounted (under H20 pumps). The 54 is a mid crossmember, and as far as I recall, you can just use 63/64 Galaxie w/ 289 mounts to bolt it in. Heres the logic...those cars had both an Fe and a SBF offered. Same crossmember as far as I know, and the Fe will drop into a Y block crossmember. So...they will bolt a SBF to a Y crossmember. I have done it before, and Im almost sure they were what I used. I put a few junk 289/302s into my old 62 Merc. Kept blowin up, so I had to keep replacing!
i have a 54 ford mainline i have a 312 y block and t5 trans with adaptor any one done this swap ? what mounts do you guys use ? thanks BBOY
The 54 came with a 239 Y block, so the 312 should go in with the stock motor mounts. I have no idea where the T5 is going to end up, but you could either modify the existing crossmember or simply make a new one. But your engine mount is squared away easily enough, you just need to figure out the trans.
You will not have the same exhaust problems as the '54 Lincoln. The Lincoln steering is much different than the Ford. You should be able to use some late model Mustang shorty headers
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