i found a 1973 Ford Thunderbird and it has a 460 and 73000 Orginal Miles.....and i am wondering if that engine will Fit in my 1979 F-150 ??
i really would like a bigger engine in it and i am worndering if it will fit....and since it has 73000 miles it still should have some good power right......
thanks
Dmon

 

A 460 can be made to fit into any of the F-series. If that engine was not an option in your truck (I'm not familiar enough to say either way), there are aftermarket places that make swap kits, and of course, a little welding of bracketry and you can make anything fit.

 

It should fit with really only one major change, you may need to change the oil pan and oil pump pickup.

 

ya we got some pretty good welders in town and they would weld up some mountin brackes for free so that is not a problem

what about changin the oil pan and oil pump pickup.??????i dotn understand........

also would i have to take tha tranny out of the car to or my 4 speed manual work??
thanks

 

well if your truck is a 4x4 you need a rear or mid sump pan, and hte apropriate pickup for it, becaue a front sump pan like would be in that car will be directly over the front axle, and in a hard bump the axle can, and will come up, and hit the pan which isn't a good thing. as far as the tranny goes if you have a 351m/400 in the truck now the bellhousing will bolt up you just need a flywheel for the 460, and since it is coming out of a 73, and assuming that is what year the engine is for you need a flywheel for internal balanced engine (or another way to put it is zero balanced flywheel)

 

I just finished this swap into my '66 F-100. The issues you will face with your '79 will be identical, with the exception of that you can use a taller radiator.
You will save a LOT of headache if you can get the correct '73 - '79 perches used in tucks up to F-250. They are 3 piece, are difficult to find,and are crossbolted to prevent engine rollover.
Other than that, the previous advice is right on correct.
The best thing you can do for us to help you is to tell us what you have, and what you intend to do.
As monsterbaby said, if you have a 351M/400 then your options are better, but we need to know what you have.
From '65 - '79, the frame is essentially the same from the rear of the cab to the front bumper, so anything used in those years can be swapped between them. I think the first year the 460 was used in Ford trucks was '71, but I am not certain. In any case, you can easily put one in your '79, since it was offered in that year.

Good luck on your swap!

 

my plans are to get the car.....soon and then swapp the engine from my 79 f-150 with a 351 it has in it....and 4 speed manual on the floor.....i plan on just maybe maybe someday liftin it 4 in. and puttin some mud tires on it and do the old weekend back roads mudd spinnin......but for now it would just be to drive and 20 miles a day well not everyday i would just like to say i have a 460 in my truck........
and i have a welderin in town who would and can weld up some engine mounts......

thanks anything else i need to know guys??

 

Yep. You need to know:

Which 351 do you have?

351C - (Cleveland)?

351W - (Windsor)?

351M - (Modified)?

They have different bellhousing bolt patterns, exhaust, engine mounts etc.

 

it is a 351M....
anything else i need to know...fill me in guys thanks!

 

You're in luck, the transmission currently in your truck will bolt right up to a 429/460. It may not last long but it will fit no problem.

 

shop around the salvage yards for some engine mounts and towers, its alot easier to go that route.......you will have to change your exhaust too...what i did when i put the 460 in my 76 F-150 was this, i cut the existing exhaust off in front of the tranny crossmember about 3 inches so i could leave the majority of the pipes on the truck, and the front portion of the pipe could rest on the crossmember... then i had the yard i bought the 460 from cut the exhaust from the donor truck off behind the crossmember...that way when i got the motor in i just had to take it to a muffler shop they cut the pipes on both sides to match and welded them together.....i never even had to unbolt the 28 year old rusted exhaust bolts....hope it goes smooth for you, these 460s are fun when put together right......BTW: i dont know about the 4x4's, but on 2wda but its pretty easy to get the 429/460 engine towers mixed up and put on the wrong sides.....dont ask me how i know!!!

 

so my Manual Tranny off of my 351M will Fit....well bolt right up to the 460 with No problem......how will it hold up if i do just normal driving....50 speed limit....??
what happens when the tranny goes.....use the one out of the car or what????



on motor mounts we live here were therees not much p[lace to find stuff like that but i can look...if not i can have um made.......and the exhaust needs to be new anyway on ym truck to that is no problem............


thanks help me out here!!

 

the tranny is the same one that ford would hve used behind the 460 anyway so it will hold up, the only problem with bolting it up is you need to get the proper flywheel the one off the351m/400 won't work.
motor mount bolts I don't really now why everyone has to make this so hard, and go through the trouble of cutting a set of frame perches out of one vehicle, cutting hte ones out of your vehicle, then going through and buying grade 8 bolts and bolting the perches into your vehicle hten having to go pay $60+ for a new set of 460 motor mounts when for another $30 you can buy a set from L&L that will DROP RIGHT IN, without all the extra hassle and the expense of getting the frame perches from the junk yard plus lifetime warrrenty. So please someone tell me whats so hard to understand here? And if you don't like L&L htere is 2 other companies that make these engine swap motor mounts.

 

so if i use my tranny it will hold up....aand if i use the one out of the car will that work on my truck.,....?

flywheel?....for which tranny now...u lost me

 

MB: The 3 piece 460 motor mounts and perches on the '79 and earlier trucks are highly desireable for several reasons:
1. They are bolted on, not welded on, so they are easily transplanted.
2. They will transplant from '65 to '79, making retrofitting easy. The holes are already there in the frame and the main crossmember for all those years; I just put a 460 in my '66 F-100 this way using the orignal 460 mounts from a '76 F-250.
3. Using the FOMOCO original mounts puts the engine and transmission exactly in place with respect to the rest of the truck. This includes the transmission cross member, driveline and so on. In the case of my '66, I switched from a 352 with a C-6 to a 460 with a C-6 - and neither the driveline nor the transmission mount had to be modified or relocated. What's more, it put the engine exactly in position to have the correct larger heavy duty fan clutch just shy of the factory radiator.
4. Also, they cross bolted from the factory, providing that extra bit of safety at no extra charge, so to speak.

I would agree that using aftermarket mounts would be a better idea than home made fabrications (unless they are very very good fabrications), but FOMOCO parts work best with FOMOCO products, I have found.

In short, using the original 3 piece mounts provides accurate engine placement, and is easy and fast to do.