My Dad and I have a '70 shortbed F100, and the engine's had it. It's gone to that great big metal recycler in the sky It originally had the 360 with a 3 speed manual tranny. We are completely open as to engine options to swap into the truck, as well as transmissions. I'd like to swap in an auto tranny, but he's up for either.

I know a kid that's got a mid 70's Lincoln Continental with a 429/C6 combo in it that runs pretty good, and I think I could pick it up for cheap, as he can't really afford the gas for it anymore. The bad part is that in my LMC Trucks catalog, it says their mounts are not for Lincoln engines. Does this mean that there's something different that would make the Lincoln/Mercury 429's not work in the F100? If it would work, what parts would I need to physically swap the engine/tranny combo into the truck? I know all the essentials like brake pedal swap, tranny cooler, shifter, etc. I'm just needing the mounting info.

The other combo we have in mind is a simple 302/C4 swap. I know, big swing in displacements, but like I said, we're pretty open to options. Same questions. What's it take to swap this combo in?

Am I going to need to replace the steel mounts bolted to the frame/crossmember with other units for either of these swaps?

Thanks for reading all this, and as always, any help is greatly appreciated!

 

Mike, both swaps are very do-able, the easiest way is to pick up a complete parts truck with what ever motor/trans you decide to go with. It`s better this way because what ever is need is right there and handy for the swap. As for changing the frame mounts I would think so because the FE family of engines has their own mounts and possibly only a 240/300 six will work with these mounts.
I don`t know if the Lincoln has a different set up for motor mounts ect, wouldn`t think so but it maybe possible. It should have a 460, not a 429 like the T-birds.

 

another good choice would be a 351W, more power than the short stroke 302, but uses the same mounts and tranny pattern. C4, C6 or AOD could all be good choices depending on how you plan to use the truck

 

Factory Ford parts from a 73 - 79 truck will allow a bolt-in set up for a 429/460.
You'll need to get the perches, engine mounts and brackets from a donor vehicle. You'll also need to get the trans from the same donor vehicle.
After the swap, you can measure and get a new driveshaft made.

 

He's got a 400M and FMX tranny. The condition is pretty much unknown on these, as he bought them from a guy he works with about 10 years ago, and they've been sitting outside under a tarp ever since. Condition then was "..it was running when pulled...", but I seriously doubt this is the case now. Is this combo worth putting any money into? If it's gonna be loads of trouble, it will meet the same fate as the old 360 did.

The truck will only be driven occasionally, and probably will never have to pull anything serious, just trips to the landfill, or to Home Depot. What we really want is something that we can just drop in easily and go. Replacing bolt-ons like mounts, etc. is alright, but simple and straightforward is the plan. That way, maybe we can actually finish this project, unlike the numerous others we've each got going on at the moment....

 

What is wrong with staying with the FE? They are a dime a dozen around here - saw a 360 with the seller claiming a fresh rebuild go for $300 the other day.

 

Nothing wrong with staying with the FE engine. In fact, that would be THE easiest to do. Finding a decent unit that I *can see and hear run* is another story. Seems almost everyone that's got an FE engine they are selling has been pulled, or can't be started for some reason or another. We would prefer to buy an engine that we can confirm as being a solid unit before we lay down the cash for it. Heck, I already have a set of headers and good heads for an FE motor But like I said before, we're just keeping an open mind as to our options, and we're not going to rush into anything. We've been there and done that already (like him wasting $$ on the 400/FMX, only to consider throwing it away later on down the road).

 

If that's your opinion, then yank the 360, rebuild it with a 390 crank, save money and make fresh with no guesses and get more horsepower.
When you skimp and guess somewhere, you always end up spending and knowing somewhere else.

 

Seems logical, but we're trying to keep it simple. We just want to buy something and drop it in. Besides, that 360 is history now. Dropped it off at the scrap yard today We've got all the time in the world to wait for the right deal to come along. I'm just trying to get a good idea on our options in case something does fall into our laps.

 

Your best bet has already been hinted at: Get a complete donor truck and use it for the engine and upgrades you want.
If you get a '73 - '79, you will have a wide range of options to choose from. Additionally, all the parts would be there to make it an easy and straightforward swap, to include things like accelerator cables, brackets, engine perches and the like.
Best of all, you can use the donor truck to add power steering and disc brakes.
One other option to consider is to put your sheet metal on a '73 or later frame, and make the work a lot easier.

Just some ideas!

 

A friend at work has a friend that's got a 390 and auto tranny that's supposed to be a good set. Only problem is that it's been pulled already, so we can't hear it run. The good part is he says the guy would probably have no problem guaranteeing it to be good, and we could at least get our money back if it's no good. $225 sound like a good deal? What tranny would it be?

 

It is a C6, most likely. And $225 is a good deal. You can also mount your 3 speed on it - unless you sent your flywheel and clutch/bellhousing to the scrap yard too.

 

Nah, we kept the bellhousing. The rest was junk.

 

can a 300 bolt up to a c6?

 

koolaid89 Welcome to FTE and the 67-72 forum

Yes it will fit a small block C6 bell. C6 trannys come with 3 different bells, a small block, 385 series, and FE. The guts are the same but the bells are specific and will not swap.

John