When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
Hello,
I can't decide on which engine & transmission to put into my F-1 pickup. I bought it in late April 2024. I want to be able to drive this pickup everyday and to drive it on the freeway whenever I want. I also want to be able to work on it if something goes wrong, but I know nothing about flathead engines. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Also, where would be a good place to get the engine & transmission?
Welcome to the forum, Shane. You pose an interesting question, wide open without a lot of personal input. You say you know nothing about flatheads, and that's ok, most of us don't anymore. Ford quit making them 70 years ago and probably not overly practical in today's world. So this begs the question, what are you familiar with? What would be your perfect combination in your mind? Are you a fuel injection and electronics kind of guy, or do you run more old school with carburetors? My personal affection if not going stock would be a Ford 302 and overdrive automatic transmission. They are a compact unit, fit great, have lots of support from the aftermarket and you can do just about anything with them. They work well with carbs or with either factory or aftermarket EFI. Tons of options and totally streetable for daily driving or highway cruising. If you do it right, can achieve 20+ mpg, too. It keeps a Ford in a Ford if that's a big deal to you. But this is your truck, what are your thoughts?
52 Merc: I like your thoughts. I am not an engine expert, but I am a little familiar with SBC.
This time, I would like to go with a Ford engine. I have heard of the 302 from a few people, and your idea of a Ford 302 with overdrive automatic transmission sounds like a great choice to me. Fuel injection sounds like a good choice, as well. Two other questions I had was.... Would a C-4 transmission be a good fit? And what about the rear-end and/or gear ratio? NOTE: I take care of my vehicles, so I'm not interested in massive horsepower. I just want to enjoy my projects.
There are also good deals on late model take out engines and transmissions from wrecks. The later the power plant, the more complicated the electronics.
A Ford 8.8 rearend from an Explorer (95-2001) is a good choice. You can get the later ones with disc brakes and various gear ratios. They are fairly close in width to the original rearends.
I have a 49F1 that had a bad flathead. I installed a 1990ish 302 with AOD. An aftermarket FI controler was aprrox $1200. I put an eldelbrook carb and performer intake on it instead.I added a mild cam that has a little lope. but idles smooth at stop lights. AOD is great. I drive it almost dailey. I changed it to 12V, Put in a voltage reducer and all gauges work correctly. Do your research and ask questions here and make a plan. Many here have been down the road you are going. Good luck.
The main down side to getting older engines and transmissions out of wrecks is that they probably will need to be rebuilt.
It is no longer like the good old days where it was relatively inexpensive to rebuild them. Machining is expensive and by the time you purchase the engine and transmission, pay for the parts and rebuild them you may have as much in them as you would have in a fairly new late model, low mileage ,take out combination.
That's what I am worried about, because I wouldn't be the one doing the rebuild. I would prefer to pick up something ready to install.
I bought a 2022 F-150 Coyote/10R80, low mileage engine/transmission, for $8,000 for my 55 F-100. The truck it came out of was less than 6 months old. It still needs a control pack which will be about $2,500. That is a lot of money, but I do not think you can buy a used engine and transmission of similar quality and have them rebuilt for much less.
I bought a 2022 F-150 Coyote/10R80, low mileage engine/transmission, for $8,000 for my 55 F-100. The truck it came out of was less than 6 months old. It still needs a control pack which will be about $2,500. That is a lot of money, but I do not think you can buy a used engine and transmission of similar quality and have them rebuilt for much less.
that sounds like a whole lot of fun for under 30K. think about it the power of the newer coyote engine with a 10 spd automatic.... lots of power and with a 10 spd even the mileage will not be that bad. what can you buy for under 30K usd that would be as much fun as a daily driver? not much.
old timer here with a lot of flathead work under his belt. yet personally i'm with the others, the good old small block ford, 302 or 351, 85 or newer roller cam block, convert the efi to carb later 4 speed trans if you want a auto or a tremec 5 speed if you want stick shift,
if you can afford it blue print engineering sells turn key/dressed crate motors that do have the hp to turn heads yet be very comfortable daily driver motors, in the price range of about $6.700. those motors are built using brand new parts they cast them selfs, https://blueprintengines.com/collect...ucts/bp302ctcd
When I decided to leave the stock 239 and Granny low 4 speed in my 55, I started out with a carbureted 302 and AOD and it just wasn't enough for me. Ended up swapping it out for a 347 Stroker crate motor with 360 hp and 400 ft lbs of torque bolted to the AOD. The AOD still left me feeling like it was mushy as it always wanted to get to second or 3rd gear so I swapped it with a 4R70W controlled by a US Shift controller. The rear end is an 8.8 out of a 2001 Explorer with 3.73 gears and disc brakes. i left the carb world and put a Holley Sniper on it and now I love driving it. Lots of pep at the low end and goes down the freeway at 70 with 2100 RPM. I upgraded the front end to Mustang II with disc brakes when I swapped to the 302. Stopping is important when you can get up to speed quickly. :-). The nice part is it is simple enough that I can work on it if it ever needs it (not that it needs it, ok I can change the fluids).
Now if I hit the lotto, I would do a Coyote on one of the chasis from Fat Fender Garage in AZ.
With that huge engine bay, there is no reason NOT to go with a 351W or 351W-based stroker and non computer-controlled AOD. Backing that, a 8.8" 3.55 or 3.73 disc brake rear end from a ~2000 Exploder would fit almost perfectly!
OR you could go all-in with an entire drivetrain swap from a '98-2002 explorer -- 5.0 EFI motor, 4R70W, and 8.8" rear, along with the entire Explorer wiring harness/computers, etc
This Hennessey Takes the Expedition Tremor's Off-Roading Capability to the Next Level
Slideshow: The VelociRaptor Expedition gains a lift, upgraded suspension, Brembo brakes, and trail-ready equipment while retaining the stock 440-horsepower EcoBoost V6.
Rezvani's Latest Post-Apocalyptic Monster Is a Ford F-150 Raptor Underneath
Slideshow: Called the Fortress, the 850-horsepower pickup combines Raptor underpinnings with military-inspired features, survival equipment, and a starting price of $285,000.
