Thread: engine swap

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Just picked up a barn fresh 1946 super delux. It's in really good shap. An old hot rodder bought it 10-12 years ago (according to his son), took the engine apart and died. I have a 390 that I would like to drop in. Are there any conversions out there? Thanks John

Welcome to CHR John. I'm not a ford guy but there are pleny on here and they will be along

toarch and welder can convert anything

With enough time, money, and effort, you can put almost any engine in any car. I have seen late forties fords with Hemi's, and Caddy's, and they are big, wide engines, so a 390 should be not much of a problem, at least from a size point of view..

That is a major undertaking as the whole drive line should be replaced. I doubt if there is anything to convert the stock tranny to a 390 and it wouldn't hold up anyway and the same is true for the banjo rearend. And there will be suspension problems as well as brakes. Getting it to go faster is not the problem, but getting it to stop is and those old juice brakes aren't up to the task in my opinion.

Well that should be enough incuragment to make anyone want to start a build.

Originally Posted by cffisher

Well that should be enough incuragment to make anyone want to start a build.

Would you start one that way? I bet not, the easiest swap is a sbc and if you can find an Offenhauser tranny adapter you can use the stock drive line and there used to be motor mounts that used the stock locations on the front cross member and the only interference was the stock chevy fuel pump. Been there, done that in the early 60's

Main area with using 390 or any fe engine is the front sump oil pan and the interferance with crossmembers---as far as suspension/braking, etc---same applies to this as any conversion--I would graph a Corvette C4 suspension/brakes /differential and also use the front suspension as it is all on a crossmember that can be fairly easily adapted---rack and pinion, disc brakes---you can get a Quick-time bellhousing for the FE-T56 transmission and lengthen the channel that goes from trans to differential---all aluminum!!!!!

“....the easiest swap is a sbc.....”

Yeah, but what fun is that????

John this is your first post here so nobody really has a feel yet for your skill level, abilities or experience so the answers to your questions may be all over the board.

The generally speaking the FEs are not a real popular engine for a lot of swaps due to their size and weight. Because of that they are not as well supported in the aftermarket as the more popular swaps.

Basically a swap like you’re proposing will involve a pretty good deal of engineering and fabrication. On a project this major you should be looking at a “whole car” build, besides the engine (which is often the easy part), there will be drive train, suspension, cooling, electrical and a bunch of other things that will need to be done to make the car safe and enjoyable to drive.

That’s not saying this type of swap has never been done. I would start by doing an internet search to what similar swaps have been done with a 390 and what pitfalls you need to look out for.

A lot of the members here are “experienced” (nice way of saying old guys) and have a lot of years building cars and problem solving. As you get into the swap let us know how you’re doing and don’t be afraid to ask questions.

Transmission Adapters

Popular American V8 Engine Dimensions

One of the biggest obsatles to certain engines is the direction of the exhaust----like for instance--a 392 hemi , altho it has big heads /valve covers, the exhaust pretty much goes down, which could take up less space than say a small block chev

While any engine can be put into any car, not all of them should be. Some swaps are smarter than others. If you are asking this question it sounds like you may be new to engine swapping, and iMO an engine the physical size and layout of a 390 is not the place to start. A seasoned swapper would have his work cut out for him on this one, and I don't know if the end result would be worth the effort. It will be nose heavy and crowded, to say the least, in the engine room.

You just can't pull one engine out of a 46 and plunk down another one, it pretty much entails changing the whole drivetrain, unless you do something like a sbc with an adapter plate to the stock transmission.

If you go the FE route you will be doing some extensive work to the center crossmember, at least splitting the wishbones, and cutting into the firewall to get that long motor in there. It is 30 inches long, compared to 28 for a sbc, and weighs 650 pounds, compared to 550 for the Chevy. The Ford will also require more cooling capacity, and as mentioned earlier, that front sump pan is not easy to deal with. You will also be locked in to transmissions that are considerably heavier and bulkier than a th350.

We've all done swaps that were "possible" to do, but sometimes we ended up with a car that would have been much better with a smarter choice. Just trying to present another viewpoint here.

Don

well Don, not to argue, but to point out a few choices---It is a Ford car, he has a Ford 390--this engine is pretty much the same length as the flat head and with an Aluminum intake, water pump, alternator it will be maybe a few lbs liter than the flathead--The dist is in the front so no mods need to be done to the firewall for dist clearance, the fuel pump is on the left side and higher than the chev so no clearance problem there--

The FE is about an inch wider than the chev sb but that is only 1/2 inch per side and the exhaust ports are pointed down at 45* whereas the chev sb are more upward angled

Tranny adapters are no problem for any combo so thats not an issue

There isn't any need to split the wishbone, no matter what engine you use, however it can be done if desired

There are plenty of disc brake kits for the stock axle or later oem or aftermarket fronts and anything you'd desire for rear brakes-

No, I understand what you are saying, Jerry, it is just that you and I have done this sort of thing a few times. If someone hasn't had that experience and doesn't have a bit of equipment at his disposal, it might be a lot smarter to do the easy one first.

Not saying the OP doesn't have that experience, I just don't know. But since he was looking for a "conversion" kit to do it, I just felt he might not know what all he will run into doing a swap of this difficulty. We've all seen projects where the guy got in over his head and gave up. Taking baby steps sometimes is the best way to go until you learn.

Don

Thanks for all the replys. Alittle back ground. I'm 64yo and have been building hotrods since 63' when I got my first car a 55' merc. Although I had a 46 gasser w/ sbc sometime ago, I have never put an FE into a 46'. Since I have the motor and trans it would appear to be the least costly way. I realize that the whole enchilada would have to go, just wondered if someone had done it . Can't bring myself to make another cookie cutter sbc in a ford. I really would like to get the flattie running but haven't had time to see if it frozen or not. I'm also working on a 41 chevy 3/4t ex-beer truck, a 60 starliner and helping friends w/ a 33' rat truck and a 57' 210. I have a 55' Merc droptop for a driver. This 46 project came along at a good price that I just couldn't turn down. I would like to get it running and take it to the Turkey Run and sell it. As my friend Don says ' shurly by thanksgiving'. LOL. Not much else other than getting it running will be needed. Thanks again. When I figure out how to post a picture here I will. JK