260 engine rebuild

I have been lucky enough to have built engines before the Internet. Some of you guys are right, others are mis informed. Take all advise given with a grain of salt and buy a good book and then check that info on a ford.

 

My opinion is its one of two things. 1 your engine isn't a 221. 2 you don't know how to count

 

Had a '63 4-Dr. Merc. Meteor back in the '70's with the 260 engine and 2-speed auto tranny.

Also had a '64 4-Dr. Ford Fairlane 500 S/W that had a 221 with the 2-speed auto in it.

Took the 221 out of the wagon and replaced it with the 260.

Oh, and btw, the Merc had one year only front shocks on it if I remember right.

He, He!! These were both right at $300 and $350 bought cars!

I drove the old S/W for probably 9 or 10 years and to this day I miss the old beater!!

Junked the Merc. after I rebuilt the running gear of the wagon and got it on the road because it was dented on all 4 corners like some old man couldn't hit a single car garage door sorta thing..... And fwiw, the wagon was rust free!!

I could drop the S/W's tailgate and the back seat and slide in a 4x8 sheet of dry-wall or insulation. Then shut the tailgate!!

pdq67

 

Anybody ass-u-me that "octanefam" is still wrenching on this rebuild scheme 4 years later?

 

A friend of mine in the early mid 70's had a 54 F100, with a 260,3spd. and overdrive. It would wind up tight. Made several trips to Wichita ,once towing a 41 Ford coupe. On road trips empty about 20=21 mpg. Great little motor.

 

Now THAT'S frickin' hilarious!
Maybe management here should find a way to make the age of the thread a little more obvious?

 

The date is there.........one just has to look at it. That said, I, too get sucked into
reading a thread for it's content first thing and only realizer a bit later it is out
of date. It's a matter of training oneself to look, if it's important to know.

edit: osage orange's post below makes a very valid point. Well said.

Ray

 

I've done that, too, but also know that advice shared often benefits those other than the OP. Old wisdom isn't too late if it is still true.

 

I sometimes start at the very last pages of the forum and bump old post. Sometimes for kicks and sometimes to bring info to the top to answer a current question. Just like this one the guys post about the 6 bolt 221 allowed me to post a smart ass reply.

 

Hello all, new to this site and this thread! I am the proud new owner of a 1963 Mercury Comet 2-door hardtop with a 260 engine.

My question, which I think is connected to this thread is: Will I be able to easily swap a 289 onto this car?

I am debating doing a rebuild on the original engine, or choosing instead to go for a 289 and enjoy the extra muscle and cheaper parts.

I don't know if this is an easy swap though. Can anyone shed some light? Thanks!

 

Most 289 engines have the 6 bolt bellhousing. Do you already have the 289? If not, why not get a 302/5 liter engine. Is yours an automatic? Did you want to replace the trans at the same time? You need to have a plan before you start. But it is not a hard swap.

 

I put a 221 out of a '63 Meteor into my 260, '64 Fairlane 500 S/W. Both automatics.

Anyway we three had to pull it back out and change the converters so they matched the engines so watch this.

And if not mistaken, if you overhaul one, you better be sure and make sure the flywheel/flexplate, damper AND the front crank mounted offset balance plate just before the crank timing sprocket is all the right balance for the engine you are working on!

I didn't know any of this crap and my B-I-L who was a Ford guy, just laughed and said welcome to the screwed up Ford way of doing something different every year, not like SBC's all pretty-much being the same.. And he just laughed again!!

pdq67

 

yes..ok sb Chevys are all the same....but isn't that boring ?....why not just drive a Volvo? I don't think they even name those cookie cutter shitboxes they just get numbers( like 350 and 400) ..

 

Love my 260 cobra!

 

...IF you have the right parts....

 

Carlos (the new OP of the old thread),
Welcome. Just to add to the pile-on, the 260 has a 5 bolt bell housing and any 289 after mid '64 has a 6 bolt bell housing, so your transmission choice has to match your engine choice (plus the clutch linkage differs on manual trans cars). These engines also had different front covers and water pumps, if you care about that. Other than those two things, they're basically the same exterior size and have all the same bolt holes for everything, so, yes, it's an easy swap.

 

Hey. I put a Packard V8 into a Vega. This swap is easy by comparison.