Ok all my brother picked up a 61' Ford Fairlane and wants to go through the motor. Tried to adjust the dizzy but it is frozen to the intake so it runs but runs really rough. He wants to free the dizzy but doesn't want to break it trying to free it. He has tried everything under the sun to break it loose but to no avail so he now is wanting to do a complete rebuild. So he asked me if find out some info for him from all the guru's here on this site. He wants to stroke the 292 so is curious about whether to go with a 312 or any other combo. So what options are out there in Ford land??? Has three on the tree but is considering a three on the floor option or possibly an automatic. He wants to try and keep it numbers matching but if the right combo comes up he might go for a different setup. The wow factor is what he is after much like me, we like to see old iron running strong and kicking @$$ on the street. Not gonna go too crazy with the rebuild cause stronger parts takes it from the original flair up to the resto mod everyone goes after. Ya you guys know what it is at every car show, everyone takes a Ford and puts a 350 in it whats so special about that??? I hate Chebbies with a passion cause every jack@$$ in my town has a corvette motor that will spank anything on the road. I call BS on that one!!! Chevy stands for Cheap Heavy Equipment for Very ignorant Youth. (End of Rant) Assuming its gonna be a daily driver but he told me he is considering the 4 barrel option versus the 2 barrel setup so he understands the gas mileage scenario. So what would a rebuild cost for a setup like this including clutch, pressure plate and throw out bearing??? Would this type of rebuild be in the neighborhood of doing a 390?? He is going for the sleeper type which is something both of us have been into from the start. Act like it runs like a piece of chit then spank em' off the line. The car is dead bone stock and is in great shape for its age including no rust anywhere!! Even has all the original trim pieces. Just curious as to what options he has without dropping 30 grand into a car that will only see the trailer the rest of its life. Cars are meant to be enjoyed not stared at. If they were meant to be stared at whats the point of of putting tires on it?? Nothing pleases me more than seeing a road warrior not being a trailer queen. Anyways i always have the upmost respect for guys more knowledgeable than me so any info you can provide will be passed along to him.

 

Depends on what kind of money you want to throw at the build from mild to wild ?? But I like resto mods myself..I cant leave anything bone stock.. A buddy of mine years ago had a 61 with a factory installed 390 with the 3 on the tree...and it ran hard..

If it were me I'd take the three off the tree.. and buy a $900 to $1200 toploader and go to the floor with it..Get a late model 360/390 service block with the extra webbing like the CJ blocks in the crank saddle..and stroke it, that'll give you the extra Tq to get all that Iron moving !! and then save the old driveline "if" he ever decides to sell it.. JMO

~Russ

 

I'd go with a cheap *** stroked Windsor. Half the costs of a FE and only half as fast sooooooos he wont hurts himselfs.

 

Uh, isn't this better asked in the Y-block section?

 

Thanks for the info guys i will pass this info along. Whoops my fault thought i was in the right section, i get lost on this site at times still a little bit of a noob i guess.

 

No such thing as numbers matching on a Ford, numbers matching is a GM thing.

If you want to go with a 4V carb on your 292, you will need the intake manifold off a 1957 Ford or T-Bird 292/312.

This is the only year this combo was offered that you can use "modern" 4V carbs.

The 1955/56 Ford's and Birds used two different manifolds with the horrible 4V 'teapot' carb. The carb mounting holes are smaller, so the later 4V will not fit, and...1955's have the choke mounted on the intake manifold (!), not on the carb.

1958/62 full sized Ford's with 292's are all 2V's. No 312's after 1957, except on 1958 Mercury Medalists. T-Birds after 1957 didn't offer Y blocks.

Since the 1961 Fairlane is the same basic car as 1960/64 Galaxies, you can swap all sorts of engines/transmissions.

1960/64 engines: 223 I-6 / 292 2V (1961/62), 289 2V (1963/64), 352 2V/4V, 390 2V/4V/6V (1961/64), 406 4V/6V/8V (1962/63), 427 4V/6V/8V (1963 1/2/64).

1961/64's could be ordered with a column mounted 3 speed manual or 3 speed with overdrive, floor shift 3 speed manual (1962/64), Borg-Warner T-10 4 speed, Ford top loader 4 speed (1964).

Auto transmissions: Ford-O-Matic, FX & MX Cruise-O-Matic. No A/T's on 406/427's, no C6's until 1966.

The only issue I see is finding parts to make these swaps. While engines/transmissions can be found, many of the other parts needed...are getting impossible to find.

Big M Automotive in Williams CA (NW of Sacramento), has dozens of 1961/64 full sized Ford's and Merc's, and is about the only source of used parts for these cars today.

IMO, I'd leave the car basically stock. Since 1960/61 Fairlanes were price leaders, didn't offer hardtops or convertibles, most have dis-appeared.

Many were used as parts cars for Galaxie restorations.

Bottom line: Today a 1961 Fairlane is a rare car.

Dearborn Classics is THE source for reproduction parts for these cars, is located in Bend, Oregon (dearbornclassics.com / call 800-252-7427 and ask for their free catalog).

btw: For those unaware, a 1962 Fairlane is a totally different car. It's the first mid-sized car Ford offered, and was the first Ford to offer the 221/260 V8's, 8" inch rear ends.

 

Just love all the extra stuff you provide numbers...helps youngings like me understand that Ford still kicked *** all those years ago. I have always felt safer with real iron than soda can cars anyways. I will let him look at this post and see what he wants to do next. Money and bills always seem to be the determining factor when all of us decide to upgrade. Woman is another determining factor on how much a man can spend on a play toy, nothing worse than a PO'd woman.

 

When I tuned up our '59 with a 292, I think for the first time, in 1963, I ended up using a crowbar to move the distributor. I was too ignorant to be concerned with breaking it...
I just followed the directions in the blister pack, but they didn't mention crowbar to move the dist.
You can try penetrating oil on the base of the distributor. PB-blaster is supposed to be some good stuff. If you can't get the distributor to turn, you can, within limits, adjust the gap on the points so they open closer to the correct time, but you might end up with points that float very quickly...
tom

 

Not VIN-wise, but "period correct" might be a better term when describing Fords.

I've heard of people with collectible cars going the extra mile to find parts that have a casting date as close as possible to original so that the "authenticity" of the vehicle doesn't come into question.

For instance, a 1967 FE 390 would usually come with C7AE heads. If you found C8AE heads on it, you'd know something was done to the engine because the heads don't match the manufacture date.

 

I have a very interesting complete engine for your car. It,s a 1968 427 sideoiler rebuilt from top to bottom. I,m in the vancouver b.c. area. friskyjake

 

Seems like Ford really did do lots of changing through the years. Is that because they liked to experiment with different parts or was it just easier to have parts interchangeable with other models???

Frisky i think if my brother refinanced the house again for a bad *** motor his wife will cut his ***** off. She is already threatening to sell his fairlane if he comes home with another car parked on her lawn.

 

I understand Yes it would be expensive, and it comes with ford factory cast iron long branch headers carb windage tray dist alt 5 blade fan p i alum intake ect ect. friskyjake