Hello all you ford guys out there!
So my story is my father got his dream truck a 1956 mercury m100 a few years ago but he has not had the time or money to do much with it. So I figured it was time for me to get the thing done. I can do the body work that is needed and paint isn't a big deal ether as my father has a paint booth. The biggest problem I'm having right now is I need a drivetrain, something that is commonly done and easier to mount. I don't want to go to a none ford motor but I don't want to stick with the stock one ether. I'm thinking a big block but would like gas millage as well if thats posable. Could anyone please help me with this?

Thanks again!!

 

Welcome to FTE, I'm not really a motor guy and most of them are probley asleep right now (2am)....... But I bet alot of them will have some good answers for you when they log back on in the morning.

As a new user here you got to have a post count of like 25 I think to use the search, but You can google your question and put FTE in it and kinda cheat the system if you want.

 

Here's the short of it.

No big block will get decent mileage. Fact. Think 6 -10 mpg.

You could consider a 302/351W for reasonable mpg (15 or so) and an easier swap. Are you thinking auto trans or your stock manual trans? There are adapters available to use your stock setup.

 

Hey Andrew,
Welcome aboard! The most common engine swap would be in
the 289/302/351W line of Ford engines. I've got a 1950 F1 & I went with a 351W with a top end kit from Summit - I think the engine all told ran around $2500 then $400 for assembly. It puts out approx. 400HP.

Personally - I think that's a bit too far toward the hotrod end of things.
I had an old 69 mustang 289 in there to begin with - you almost couldn't give that engine away but I really think it was nice. You can get one cheap & thanks to the mustang guys you can find parts & performance upgrades to do whatever you want. Not heavily modded - 17mpg on the highway - (my 351w under 12 mpg).

Good luck over there.

Ben in Austin (351W pic below)

 

Anything from a 289-351 would be a solid choice, FE's are cool but bad on gas.. I'm just wrapping up my FE swap actually...

Or if you're feeling more adventurous get a 4.6 or 5.0 from a Mustang.

 

Big block and gas mileage are two terms that generally don't go together at all. For the easiest install and best bang for your buck, a 302 and AOD automatic overdrive transmission is your best option. It's a compact combination that will fit easy, the parts are readily available and not too expensive, and will get around 20 mpg if it's set up correctly. And in a 3100 pound truck, it'll have plenty of power, just like a late model Mustang.

Welcome to the forum!

 

302 it is. I think it will be the easiest way to go and you can find tones of parts for it!!

Thanks a lot.

 

FORD 302 321 HP TURNKEY CRATE ENGINE HIGH PERFORMANCE STREET PUMP GAS 10 FV | eBay

What do you think of this motor?

 

Well... this statement bothers me.

Engine Will Run on Premium unleaded fuel

Tells me he's built it a little steep on the compression and that you may have to run this thing on the 'good' juice all the time. The price he's asking is okay.. nothing to shout at. Would be a good motor for the truck. What bothers me is he's spent money on forged rods, but it appears that he's running just stock heads. For that kind of money this thing should have a set of aftermarket heads on it. Anyone how knows anything about Small Fords knows that the heads are the biggest problem with the engine's output power and efficiency. As for the rods... ehhh, yeah maybe. IMO i don't think forged rods are necessary, Henry built them pretty tough from the get go and unless you're racin it, I don't see a need for Forged rods. Upgraded rod bolts, sure. I also do not recognise the manufacturer he's using for Pistons. Never heard of them....

 

That is a sweet motor! I am new to F1s right now, but can this motor be dropped into a stock F1 chassis? What auto transmission and rear end can fit into a stock chassis the easiest without frame modifications?

 

Hey Andrew,
How's it going over there? Hmmm.. I'm not sure it's a great deal but it
looks suspiciously like the Edelbrock Top End kits (See link) - the HP & torque are exactly the same - 321HP.

Edelbrock.com - Power Package - Top End Kits - Ford

Summit Racing sells these kits for $1,486 (Edlebrock part #2027). They also sell a hotter cam kit for $1,866 that get's even more horsepower.
You would go get a 302 "short block" from any of the engine shops in your town or an auto parts place for around $600 if you don't have a 302 core. That would put you at $2,086 in parts & maybe $400 - $600 labor to assemble it. I'm not sure you have to go to Phoenix to buy this motor - Looks like you could get it done in your town from someone local using the Edelbrock kit & a short block - I'd be happier with a local warranty.

Some Thoughts:
I bought the 351W Edelbrock Top End kit from Summit & had mine assembled locally here in Austin - It puts out approx. 400HP.
With these kind of cams when they say "Rough Idle" they mean it. It's not a smooth calm kind of thing - it's rocking & making some noise. Are you building a hot rod? That's what these normally go in - just saying.
(I had to go with stock mufflers or my wife would never set foot in it).

Good luck over there. (I'm not an engine expert I just know this particular
path pretty well as I just took it).

Ben in Austin

 

Hey Michal,
Yes an engine from the 289/302/351W family will fit into our F1 trucks.
The word "Drop In" not so much for any engine swap.

You will have to:
o Cut off your current engine mounts & weld in some new ones so your engine will have a happy place to sit.
o Normally you would also have to swap out your transmission & it's mount
& install a transmission that fits & works with your new engine - just depends on what you have.
o These "crate engines" also don't come with any of the brackets so you will have to find some for anything you plan to hang off it - alternator, A/C, power steering, etc.
o If you change your trans - you will have to have a drive shaft made or cut down & balanced for it.
o Might need to re-work your radiator set up to fit in front of your new engine. Most folks also take off the front clip sheet metal so you don't have to lean over the fenders the whole time...
o If you have a Mustang II front end you will want to go with a
rear sump oil pan to clear the front axle. You may also want to budget for some Sanderson blockhugger headers as you will need them to get past the steering among other things.

Any of these Windsor family of engines will fit in our trucks though it does get tight - especially over on the driver's side where the steering is located. Drop In - not so much.

Sounds like fun.

Ben in Austin

 

Well I'm not looking to go right crazy here, I'm just looking to have a good looking/sounding truck at the end of the day. I want to be able to burn the tires when I want but thats about it.

 

Hey Andrew,
You would be happy with this kind of "mild cam" engine.
I just wanted to make sure you weren't expecting some quiet, purring, smooth ride. You will definitely hear it & feel it. I had Flowmaster 40 mufflers on mine & I had to go with something more subtle - you could hear me coming from blocks. It does sound fun. You won't have any problem smoking the tires.

Ben in Austin

 

Ben- you're close but there isn't much savings difference there with him doing it himself unless he wanted to make drastic changes/substitutions to what was offered in their package. You have to remember that he's selling a RTR (ready to run) setup- Carb, plugs wires, waterpump, distributor, valvecovers, oil pan, intake, pullies, front cover, new harmonic balancer etc.. everything needed to drop in a go. Those items add up.

When you look at his parts list, internal items and all it gets close to the 3k mark just for him to go out and buy all of this stuff on his own. But IMO there's alot of stuff used, that isn't needed and that's where he'd be able to save building his own (or having built locally). Looking over the build, there's really nothing special that any other 'reputable' machine shop wouldn't already do. He lists a "Controlled internal Oil system -PER exclusive" and I'm not totally sure what that is. Could be something as simple as a crank scraper, windage tray, or baffled oil pan. I don't know. That's the only thing i spotted that would have been different from anyone else that is worth their name above the door.

As for having one built, sure the Edlebrock package is nice and would save a few bucks to boot. It certainly addresses the majority of the SBF's weak points. I'd watch it on the cam selection. The engine you listed gave no cam specs, and i'd never buy an engine without knowing those specs, they are very important. Going with a bigger cam to make more power is really a fluke. Yes, with proper parts combination it will make more power by the numbers but if you are looking for that 'seat of your pants' power, you need to build torque, not horsepower.
The problem with adding more cam is adding too much. You start adding a larger cam, usually in terms of duration and lift, the more duration you add, the higher the rpm range will end up being. That's why when you see these big cams requiring stall converters and shorter gears it's becasue their effective range is moved up higer in the rpm range. When you do this you take away from the torque, which is on the low end. You take torque away, you start to end up with a pig on the low end and you need a looser converter and shorter gears to 'wind up ' the engine quicker to get it into it's power range. There is ALOT more to this and cams in general than just that, I'm just touching the basics without boring you to death about all the science behind cam dynamics. I could go on for hours on cam theory and whatnot.

Bottom line is, the build that is listed isn't totally bad, but i think you could do just as good if not better at a local machine shop, tailoring better to you purpose. The price may be about the same but i think better numbers can be had with a more realistic compression ratio (only requiring regular fuel, not premium) while retianing good drivability and reliablity.

Without ANY parts other than a dropped off core engine, right out of the box you're gonna be invested over $1k, less the cost of the core engine itself in machining and labor costs alone. Figure at LEAST $600-$700 in machine costs and $300-$400 in assembly labor. Another $100-$200 in vating/cleaning/preping parts. MINIMUM.
Now- add the $$$ for all the parts (internal and external) including intake, sheet metal, distributor, etc... all the stuff you may or may not have when you bought the engine as a core.

It will add up quick....