where can i get motor mounts for installing a sbc 350 in a 55 ford customline? gonna o with a auto tranny so will need to make a x member.does some one make a kit for this?
I have a SBC in my model A but im a Y-Block fan. Rebuilding the stocker not an option? Anyway, found these guys with a quick google search. http://www.advanceadapters.com/categories/engine-mount-kits/59/ And these guys http://www.tdperformance.com/Engine-Swap-Motor-Mount-Kits
It's not really a good fit but if your heart is set on it you will need this:http://www.butchscoolstuff.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=19 and a Chevy Nova front sump oil pan with a notch to clear the center link the Chevy's rear mounted oil filter is close to the steering box so exhaust can be a pain to fab.For $50 worth of over the counter Ford mounts a Ford 302/5.0 or 351W is a bolt in and a HEDMAN header 88400 will take care of the exhaust with no mods and an AOD or C4 will set on the factory crossmember almost like Ford was thinking ahead A 1986 Crown Vic driveshaft will complete the job.All the listings for the parts needed are at the 52-59 Ford Group "sticky file".
I prefer a Ford in the 52 and up Fords but Butches offers a kit to stick a sbc in these Fords. HRP Weld in any SB Chev V8 (283-305-327-350 with PG, 350TH, 3spd or 4spd. Other trannys with some modification). Good clearances but requires dropping the center steering rod aprox 1 inch for regular pan clearance. Possible to use the GM early (65/67?) Chevy II Special Oil pan for steering clearance. Complete with measurements to drill orig trans crossmember to bolt in rubber trans mount. Includes Illustrated Instruction Sheets.
Why put a Chevy in a Ford? The difference between a real nice car and just another "took the easy way out" car in a sea of them is taking the time to do it right. You'll like the car a lot better in the long run if you build it proper.
I am a Chevy Fanatic !!! With that said, I wonder why you don't want to go with a 302 or 351 Ford in your car. From what others have posted it sounds like Ford Power would be the easiest to install. There is a certain point when a Chevy in a Ford is just not right at all. To keep your 55 Traditional, I would think that the Ford Power Plant would be the best way to go. Save the Chevy in a Ford for the Pre-49 Stuff. Keep Your Ford, all Ford..................... Jeff
Every body covered almost every thing. In the past when doing this swap I used the 64 chevy truck side engine mounts. You need to oblong the ford cross member hole a small amount. This is a good swap. As for the question front sump.. The ford frame was designed with a front sump and their fore no room for a rear sump pan with out a lot of fab work. This was a common swap on round track cars in the 64 to 58 era. Reason fords were more plentiful and cheaper plus they were easier to set up and handled better. The chevy engine was faster and cheap and very easy to build. This combo was the best of both worlds.
I can only assume that if the car was originally fitted with a front sump oil pan, that it would be somewhat easier to install a later Ford 302 or 351 with a front sump oil pan. Open the link below to see Y-block Ford Engines with front sump oil pans...... Jeff http://www.streetrodderweb.com/tech/0809sr_vintage_engines_fomoco_y_blocks/photo_04.html
Having never done this swap I can not comment on the difficulty or help with the parts or procedures needed but the combination(Chevy in a Ford) is about as TRADITIONAL as it gets. Frank
Hmm, I have a FE 390 lying around...maybe I can stuff it into one of those '55 Chebbies sitting and rotting outside Pierce, Nebraska...
Go for It! If i was going to swap a small block chevy or any GM engine into a early ford I would do a front frame clip. chop the ford frame off at the firewall and weld on a camaro nova subframe. you get a power steering sector and front disk brakes. It will steer & stop much better. Things like hedders will fit just the same as if it where a camaro. Also the 55 fords have a front crossmember rust out propencity anyway. Ive personally Grafted several camaro & chevelle subframes on to ford Pk frames. And most of them got GM engines installed. Ive did a 42, 56,59 and a 63 and they all drove excellent. Or you could cut it off and weld straight tubing and install a straight axle gasser style. I have a tri five chevy and am considering using a pontiac 400 V8 or a buick 401 nailhead that I have. The starter on the pontiac engine is on the driver,s side. There would be lots of clearance issues with a stock tri five front frame clip. Ive decided that a GM camaro ,nova frame clip would be the best solution for that application also. There is nothing wrong with installing any engine you desire into whatever car you have.If you went with a frame clip you could use a GM rear end and have the same wheel pattern all around and any rear grear ratio you wished. OldWolf
Well said, I am waiting for all the GM clowns to start saying "its your car do what you want" but that doesn't make it right. So tired of seeing SBC's, I wish the HAMB had a filter to get rid of them, I would be able to read the whole forum after 30 minutes...
Sounds like sour grapes to me. Yep if that Y block was so great why did ford quit using them in cars in 1962? 1954 thru 62 eight years. the little chevy basic design was used for several decades. There is no right or wrong engine. its just a individuals preference. Go to the 1952 -59 ford social group here on the HAMB. There are plenty of threads showing SBC,s in Fords. there are lots more chevy engines swapped into Fords than ford engines swapped into everything else combined. That fact should tell you something. If you want a websiet where chevy engines are banned go someplace else. OldWolf
I built 2 old Fords and put chevies in them. It seems everyone hated them! I like chevies but will never do it again.
I know the Ford guys shit their pants whenever someone puts a Chevy in a Ford. For that fact alone, it might be worth doing. But honestly in this case it wouldn't seem right to me in a '55. If it were me (and I know it's not) I would run a Y-block or SBF.
I think it's a great idea, and you really don't need a certain mount to do the swap. You can use stock Chevy motor mounts on the engine, and then fab up some channel or box tubing to adapt to the frame. I used cardboard to make my patterns for motor mounts and then welded them up on the bench. After that I clamped them to my frame and marked the holes for the through bolt to attach to the stock motor mounts. As for pissing people off with a Chevy in a Ford; I expected it. So far I've had one person at a cruise in who was really pissed about the 464 BBC in my Falcon. Surprisingly, everyone else has really liked the swap. I say go for it. It's cheaper, and lots more good speed parts available than there are for almost anything else. Easy way out? Yep, but that shouldn't be looked at as a negative.
For all you Chevy-haters chiming in, he didn't ask whether or not he should do it. He asked where he could find engine mounts. My '56 Chevy has a SBC, my '47 Ford has a 59ab flathead. But just to piss off all you Chevy-haters, I am gonna pull that flathead and put in a SBC. The flathead has proven to be expensive, slow, and not nearly as reliable as a SBC. My Nomad (powered by one of those cookie-cutter SBCs) has logged over 300,000 miles in the 22 years I've owned it. Fresh rebuild 13 years ago and still going strong. For the record, I owned a '30 Model A coupe in the 70s, powered by a 289. I loved the car, the 289 ran great. But I never felt compelled to lecture someone running a SBC in a Ford. It's none of my business unless they ask my opinion.
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