I have a 1955 f-100 and am looking to replace the motor and trans but not sure with what, somthing cheep and easy to install without major changes, I though about a chevy 350 and th350. any ideal ??
What about going out and finding a 302/aod in a junkyard. Shouldn't be too hard to find. Any of em from 85 and up had roller cams. But dont hold me to that I'm a chrysler guy!
Whether it is a V/8 or 6 to me it would be worth it to plan to use the engine/trans that is in the truck. The 223 6 is a very simple engine and tough as nails with reasonable engine part prices. The V/8 can be a bit pricier for parts but when you start doing a conversion and factor in everything beside the new engine/tranny combo (i.e. driveshaft, mounts, radiator etc) and time a reconditioning of what you have may be a better alternative. I would try to get the engine to run or if it is locked up pull it out and get it on an engine stand for an inspection...you have to pull it anyway for the conversion. Pretty much all of the tranny's from that era were tough pieces and could last forever.
Thanks for the info, I was trying to make it a easy as I can as I have RA and can't do all the stuff I did 10 years ago. Thanks
It's getting harder for all us old timers. My eyes are not so good and these by-folkers make it worse. Welding with a dirty hood lens is next to imposible. My work is not as pretty as it once was. But progress with this handycap is still rewarding. I would use a ford engine in a ford truck. Even though I'm a closet Chevy guy. Whatever you can find cheap. Maybe a 300 six popper with the 5 speed stick. Hang on to the old engine. The next guy might put it back to orginal. Gene
I would think a 302 would drop in easy . Tim has one down here in STL with trans for $400 running setup
Yeah, I suggest checking out the existing drive train. A straight six with a three on the tree is pretty cool and fun to drive. Dropping in an SBC is pretty common to the point of boring and will most likely make it harder to sell if you ever wanted.
ok thanks guys, yes it has a V-8 and its all there even has the oil bath air cleaner. its just about as complete as it was new, just old with a lot of rust all glass is good, I remember when it was new I had just got my Driver License then,.
There is a very good chance that the old Y-block will run as is with a little TLC. 1st, see if you can turn her over to check that she's not stuck. And even if she is stuck squirt a bunch PBBlaster in each cylinder, let her sit for a day or two and try to turn her over again. Repeat if needed. If she breaks loose, squirt a bunch of good old MMO in her to help free up the rings and such! MMO is to this day a damn good top-oil just like of old! Onna my old '52 Areo Eagle Willy's H/T's wouldn't start and the OLD Mechanic across the street told me to use MMO and damned if she didn't pop right off once her rings came loose!! pdq67 PS., she might be a 272???
Thats even better. I had a '57 292 in my '56 F100 for awhile, stock except for a .060 overbore. Truck ran great, got good fuel mileage and them old Y-blocks sound great with a set of headers and glass packs.
The little Y block can be made to run good and they sound sweet with a nice set of glass packs but the bottom line is what do you want and what is the simple and economic way for you to do it? I get a bit tired of all the pie in the sky "oh shit you have to build it this way or else" nonsense some of these guys post on here. Some of these guys are sounding more like restores than hot rodders and it seems to get worse every day. You could buy one of the Tube motor mount crossmembers for under 100 bucks from anyone of a number of vendors and slip in a 302 or 351 and automatic pretty simply and probably do the whole thing for less than the parts and machine work on the Y block would be. one with an AOD would probably give you a fairly decent final drive ratio even with the stock rear end.
I've heard these stories and wonder what the hell they are talking about. There was no "special this or that" when I rebuilt the 292. Changed the oil & filter on a regular basis and ran 1 quart of Rislone with the oil. With the 3.73 gears the engine saw a lot of 2500 RPM plus cruising. I put close to 40,000 miles on it before it came out for the 429 install. It went right into an early 50s Ford and is still humming along to this day. The engine was assembled in 1991. Stick with the Y-block. Its easy to drop the pan to check the bearings. Hell the whole front clip comes off with just a few bolts and buddy, so if you had to pull the heads to clean up the cylinders that's easy too. I checked out your dragsters, pretty cool stuff! This truck would be a walk in the park for ya. All in all this truck is a piece of cake to work on. No need for swapping anything and the cool factor is higher if you got a sweet sounding Y-block still in there. Just my two cents, well earned.
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