I want to swap out the 292 engine and 3 speed tranny out of my 63 f100 and go to a big block. Would any year big block do or would no matter which engine I put in would I need to change motor mounts? I'm looking to get them engine out of a junk yard and rebuilding it myself.

 

Yep you'll have to change motor mounts, tranny mount & crossmember at the very least. Rich.

 

There realy are only 2 choices for big blocks worth considering. the FE series, and the 383 series. While the 383 series includes the 460, and is bigger than the FE, few engiens are as impresive as the FE series. The FE's have a racing heritage, and are slightly stronger than the 383 series.

You will have to change the motor mounts and the rear cross member, but it may not be that complicated. there are kits for both series of engiens, and the rear crosmember you may be able to modify and re-use, or get from the truck you pull the motor and trany from.

 

Thank you for the advice.

 

I have done the swap and I have to tell you it's a big job. As the guys said you'll have to make or buy engine and transmission mounts. You'll also have to come up with throttle and trans. linkages + wiring and fuel delivery. The extra weight of a big block will also make steering more difficult + the front suspension isn't gonna like all that weight. HOWEVER you will love the torque that big block is going to make! Check out my gallery, the pictures might help if you decide to do it.

 

I must respectfully disagree with a few points.

1. There is no such thing as a Ford "big block." Although used colloquially, it is an old Chevy/GM term used to distinguish between engines of the same displacement but of physically larger sizes. Ford uses the term "family" to differentiate between engine types.

2. The mighty FE is a great engine, and was almost unbeatable as a 427, but that was in race configuration. It is extremely difficult to get a 390 to beef up to 427 specifications. Even getting it to be a 406, a 410 or a 428 can be extraordinarily expensive. Although it is enjoying a great resurgence in popularity and aftermarket parts, the FE family is still 1950s technology, and has those limitations unless you are willing to invest thousands of dollars. Don't get me wrong, I teethed my mechanic skills on the FE, and had one for nearly 30 years in my '66, but unless you are really hot an heavy on one, or already had one in the truck, I would not look at an FE as a replacement.

3. The 385 series is about the best you can get in Ford power. This includes the heavy duty 370, 429 and 460. Contrary to popular opinon, the FE actually outweighs the 460 by over 100 pounds, and is physically larger. The 460 has the lighter weight and smaller size due to advances in metallurgy and casting techniques. (It was the inability to overcome these issues in th '60s with the 427 FE design that led to so many FE 427 engine blocks being rejected for use as 427 engines. Core shift problems required many 427 blocks to be relegated to 390 industrial usage instead. The design improvements in the 385 series engines enabled Ford to use smaller blocks with larger CID capacities.)

4. Stock 460 power is just raw power, and you can get all the power you can handle with simple modifications. The only really necessary modifications to get this power are to put in a straight up timing gear set, and an appropriate camshaft. (I used an RV cam.) FEs cannot touch this kind of power without expensive modifications.

Be sure to cruise the FE and the 385 forums here on FTE. You can get a lot of great information on both to help you decide what you want to do.

Finally, although the FE was available in cars as early as '58, it was not offered in the trucks until '65, so as 66Beater said, any engine choices you make will require you to fabricate or purchase engine and transmission mount kits.

I changed out my 352 to a 460 - and I really like the power. Since I intend to use it occasionally as a work truck, I will need the 460, but in retrospect, it would have been easier to put in a 390 in place of the 352.

Of course, even after having said all this, you may prefer a more econmical engine. It all depends on how you intend to use the truck. Although a 302 is not a suitable truck engine, it can be an appropriate choice if you only want to use it for shows and cruising.

Good luck on your project,and keep us posted on how it goes!

 

Banjo-according to my spec sheet, the FE(non-SOHC) weighs 625 lbs. and the 385 series(non Boss) weighs 720 lbs. You can make big power out of the 460 easily, tho.

 

Putt, thanks for that note. It may well be I am incorrect, as I remember those details from some old notes I took long before the Internet.
Also, the configuration I was considering was fully loaded engine, not just a short block or long block.
Either way, pound for pound, the 460 delivers more HP per pound of iron.

AND, either way, with bump steering, single front axle and leaf front suspension, he'll have a situation on his hands if he tries to use all the power of either engine!

 

One other consideration to figure into the entire equation is the transmission you want.
If you want an automatic, the 460 might be better because it is newer, and the C-6 automatics was still available in 460 powered trucks as recently as 1996.
The FE was discontinued in '76, so they and the transmissions for them are not as plentiful. They are their own bellhousing shape, and don't interchange with any other Ford engine family. Fortunately the C-6 innards for the FE are the same as for any other C-6, though.

However, manual bellhousings for manual transmissions for the 460 can be hard to come by, going on the experience of friends.

Just another factor to be aware of.

 

I agree on the trans availability, Banjo, it is just a matter of what he is looking for. It is common in the newer F series to have the 460 with a 5 speed ZF tranny also. Nothing like stirring the pot!!!

 

Cruising through the fourms, and found this thread. A few points I should make here:

1. The 625lbs figure for the FE is with the big honking iron intake (80+lbs) on there. Put an aluminum intake on there, and that number goes way down. What's an aluminum intake weigh, 20lbs?

2. It's NOT THAT HARD to build a 400hp 390. With stock heads. I have one in my truck! Go visit the FE forum...

3. FE's dont cost that much more to build than any other motor, if you know what to buy and what to leave on the shelf! The machine shop charges the same for overboring an FE as a SBC. Same with most other machine operations.

4. Adapters are available to bolt the FE to any Ford 302 type transmission. For a price though.

5. C6's for the FE around here are $0.10 / dozen. So are FE's for that matter...

 

Thank you to everyone. I have a pretty good idea what I want to do. Soon as I get the funds to together to start this project, I'll take before and afters and put on the web. Thanks again everyone.

 

That is true Rusty, but that is also with the 460 cast intake, not as big of a difference but still a weight savings.

 

One other thing to keep in mind is the aft cross member in the engine compartment. I had to cut mine out to fit my 460. Otherwise the thing would stick out the hood 4 inches and the drive angles would all be off. The after market engine and transmission crossmember are dirt cheap but worth their weight in gold. Not to mention the engine looks at home sitting between the frame rails rather then on top of them.

 

Airharley,
Are you running around without that intermediate, lower front brace? The one you call a cross member? It's there to stop frame flex at the rear terminus of the radius rods/arms in turns under power or when braking, especially braking hard.It acts like a monte carlo bar.
When I do these conversions using all OEM style parts I don't recall having any interference problems in a 65 & later frames. There may be a tight spot for huge headers, but all OEM seems a bolt in to me.
FBp