yes yes yes, i know, this IS a traditional hot rod website and 390's are very amazing motors, very powerful. my dad has a 76 ford f250, and has had a major pain in the butt with the state of CA and smog issues regarding his motor. i got my 460 back in february out of a 78 ford, and am taking off all the smog stuff off it. its going into my '58 fairlane. so far i've had to remove the original crossmember that was in it, and replace it with one from Crites restoration so my c6 can fit, and also had to buy special motor mounts so it can fit in there.. tight fit, yes. i still need to buy the headers for it, a new carb, just bought a new intake, do something about the radiator and fan. all that stuff is no big deal, but it will cost quite a bit of money once it all ads up. but when its done it'll be a real sleeper and it'll surprise people now, i would LOVE to have my dad's 390, but lets say i leave my c6 inside the '58. and take the 460 out. can i still bolt up the 390 to the c6, KEEP the crossmember from crites. buy aftermarket motor mounts, and fit the 390? or will there be a huge gap and the motor and tranny wont work with the new crossmember i got? i really hope someone understands what im trying to say, kinda hard to word it... like, is the length of the 390 block shorter than a 460, if so am i going to have issues bolting it into the motor mounts, and there be a gap between the motor and tranny? i know some '58's came stock with the 390s, so im sure finding headers wont be as expensive, and things wont be such a tight fit like it is right now i already have spent quite a lot of money into this overhaul project with this new engine. i just dont know if it's worth doing another swap ya know? im just really curious for some opinions, dont mean to start any trouble or get anyone mad lol, thanks guys
The 460 & 390 have different bellhousing patterns, so you'll need the correct C6 for whichever you use. If the C6 came with the 460, it won't work with the 390.
hmm well. my dad has the c6 on his 390. i have a c6 on my 460. thing is, his 390 c/6 is out of the 76 ford f250. so with my crites crossmember, would i be able to mount his entire setup into my car? (with new motor mounts of course) or will i have to take several steps backward, and take out the 300 dollar crossmember and motor mounts to make his engine/ tranny setup fit? hopefully im not making this sound as confusing as it seems. i have a tendancy to do that sorta thing, especially here on the HAMB :/ sorry fellas
58's came with FE motors as an option so there are no special crossmembers or motor mounts needed. Just the original Ford stuff. The 460 takes special motor mounts (that won't fit the FE) and a trans crossmember that isn't needed with the FE either. The FE had a Cruise a Matic in 58 so you might have to adapt the mount to use a C6 So I don't think you will be able to easily go back and forth. If you weld in those 460 parts you would have to cu them out to use the FE.
well i have the original crossmember still, it was unbolted from my '58 to make room for the special Crites Crossmember. i guess my concern is that this 390 c/6 setup is from a 76 pickup. so your saying if i put back my ORIGINAL crossmember, get rid of that crites one. purchase a set of FE mounts for a 58 fairlane, then i can get it to go in?? if thats the case.... then maybe, just maybe ill do this trade with my dad. HOPEFULLY someone out there would buy my crossmember and mounts too. those werent cheap! but yea im looking at videos on youtube right now of some 57's with some awesome 390's. its definatley makin me want it. but not sure if its gonna be expensive to do THIS swap.
You should be OK with your C6 crossmember and mount. As was said before, the 460 engine mounts won't work for the 390.
yea i kinda figured that, and thats okay by me, i mean, the motor mounts for an FE into my 58 shouldnt be terribly expensive. i can probably make a few bucks if i were to sell some parts to get them. plus i can keep my original radiator (i was originally gonna get a new one for my 460 swap, that'll save me about 200). but yea i THINK... not to sure... but i think ive seen some threads on here of someone who had a 460 who went back to an FE series motor. couldnt find it though. if i can keep my crossmember from crites, i think i'll take my dad up on his offer.. LOVE the sound of a 390 and this one has been rebuilt too by my grandpa in washington. so that's another plus.
i literally just told my dad this and i saw his heart sink for whatever reason lol. i said "hey dad the guys on the HAMB said that your 390 may not bolt up to my c6 in my 58 right now, it might have a different bellhousing pattern." he said "oh...... hm.. well, i didnt think about that.....", i didnt ask why its important to him, but i think he wanted to keep the tranny off his 390. he really cleaned it up nice, and bought a nice cool shifter kit for it for his 51st birthday in april, he was really giddy once he got it lol. i wouldnt mind trading the engines and keepin my c6. but i mean, the years of the motors are just 2 years apart.... not sure if that makes a TERRIBLE difference? 76 ford, 78 ford, both with c6s, one a 390 one a 460... im hoping they would fit?
The C6 has a non-removable bell housing and the bell housing patterns for the 390 and the 460 are incompatible. The C6 is longer than the Fordomatic or the Cruisomatic that were available in 1958 so you will probably need to use the Crites trans crossmember when you use a C6 with a 390. Just stuff it in there and see.
Make no mistake - FE and 429/460 bellhousing patterns are DIFFERENT, FE is unique to itself and the MEL. 429/460 also fits 351M and 400 The shifter he bought for the 390 C6 will fit the 460 C6
AS fare as Performance goes, you cant beat the 460. 390 is a gas hawg. they both being late 70's you shouldnt have any real problem running unleaded gas. performance parts and accessories abound for the 460. try a set of headers for a 71-73 mustang..
You can use his C-6 you may have to move the cross member it depents on what tail shaft his has and what tail shaft your has. The mount may be in the same place. Even though the FE was optional in '58 you will still have to use different mounts than the ones you have for the 460, so if you already have the 460 mounts in there they will have to be changed. I like FE motors so for me personally it would be a no brainer. I would say come get this bugger and the FE would be on its way in there. They look exceptionally good in a '58 Ford also. So the question becomes do you want an FE and do you really think this will help your dad out? By the way Paul although I really enjoy disagreeing with you I hadn't yet read your post so I didn't disagree with you on purpose this time.
ah darn.. wonder if this will affect my dad's wanting to change over now. i finally asked why he wants to keep his transmission, i didnt know this but it too was rebuilt. so i could be getting a rebuilt motor and trans, that'd be pretty awesome! my dad said though he doesnt know if my transmission is any good, he'd hate to do the swap and find out it sucks and gives out or something. cant blame him. he's in the same boat as me, hasn't driven his truck in almost 2 years and he really wants it going.. never thought he'd consider a swap. wish he would have thought of this months ago before doing all this stuff
this would help my dad out a lot i think.. he didnt know edelbrock had a performance egr intake manifold for the 460's, because i was looking at some yesterday in a catalog. he said the 390's dont have performance egr valved ones and he needs one due to smog in CA. plus i know he hauls stuff around, my grandma has a trailer to take stuff to the dump. my '58 is going to be used prolly a few days a week once i get it running again to be honest. im going to go cruising on the weekends, i'd LOVE LOVE LOVE to go to santa maria next year, its my sorta 'dream' if you will to take my '58 to the beach and back with no problems. as for him he'd be driving his every day i bet. he'd be getting more use out of the engine for sure. maybe i'll try measuring from where the motor mounts are on his 390 to where the mounts are at on his c6. to see if that'd work in my '58 with the crites crossmember. i just bought a peformance non egr valved manifold too, he needs one WITH it, lol so if i do this swap there goes about 200 bucks i just spent.. i should have no trouble selling it i would HOPE. i honestly want his 390 now. i wouldnt have to raise my '58 either, i can keep it at its low stance now.. there are a lot of plus's with putting the FE in it.
My two cents.... Get the 390... I think the 460 just LOOKS wrong in a 50's or 60's car.I've had 69 and 70 mustangs that I put 460's in and they were fast but always turns me off to see that swap when the hood is open.
i'm definatley going to try and do it, if my dad hasnt changed his mind at least. he's like me, he goes back and forth. i bet anything if i actually go through with this, once its all bolted up, he'll ask for it back lol.. its already out of his truck, he's been cleaning it, doing everything. he's tryin to keep himself busy too, ever since his dad passed.. cant blame him. ive been doing the same myself. i guess i'll take down a few measurements tomorrow morning when im at my grandmas workin on it. after putting the 460 in there i'll admit, it didnt look as good as my yblock or some of the fairlanes ive seen with the 390. so yes i love the fact i have a TON of power from the 385 series, but its power i probably wont ever fully use lol. a 390 would be just dandy with me
Nope, I was correct. But if you care to verify further, there are a lot of pictures on the Net that will show the difference; the FE pattern is more-or-less round, while the 385 Series (370/429/460) is much more /-\ similar to Chevrolet V8s. luvzccr, Another thing to consider is that his C6 probably has a completely different tailshaft and output for the truck, with a bolt-on flange for the driveshaft and short tailshaft housing. Most '70s FE-powered trucks do, making these poor donors. You could swap tailshafts & tailshaft housings between the two C6s...but you have to completely disassemble both transmissions, down to literally the last part. It would be easier to just find a car C6 with the FE pattern, if you go ahead with the trade. They are still fairly common even now. You can see a picture of a truck housing here: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/C6-C...r_Truck_Parts_Accessories&hash=item230c37db66 If I might offer a touch of advice (and forgive me if I am thinking of someone else and not you): If my memory is correct, you've switched directions on this project a few times already, trying to fix different engines. You've already started this iteration...probably best to just stick to it. Your dad can find another 460, or, stick with the 390; the EGR problem is solvable with some thought. I can see you getting burned out if you have to start from scratch once again.
The Jalopy Journal
