Oh yeah, that’s the sort of thing we like to see around here isn’t it? A 1956 Ford Pickup that is still sporting all its battle scars. Scars that were likely earned through a life of hard work and emotional bonding with its owner. And you can see that that bond is still going strong by the way the owner cares about the essential bits of his loyal companion, as evidenced by the shiny wheels and tires that almost seem out of place under all the rust and patina. Imagine what care must he take of the engine, that 223 six or Y-Block V8 must be pampered.
Oh…
That’s a Dodge Viper Engine, in a 1956 Ford F100.Leaving aside the fact that this swap is just as reasonable as someone fitting a space shuttle thruster to a covered wagon one has to concede the fact that it’s a pretty awesome engine swap. And one so unexpected it really has to seen to be believed.
Personally I’m not too fond of engine swaps. While I’m not a purist I do like to have the same mill that propelled the car out of the factory in the car or replaced by another one of the same engine. If you want more performance you can always unlock some of the potential it had by tweaking the engine, although admittedly that may not be the most beneficial thing for the longevity of the engine. Then there are times when an engine swap becomes a necessity. If you have a car powered by, say, a 216 c.u Blue Flame and the rods and valves have a conflict of interests with each other the chances of finding another one will be slim at best. That doesn’t explain or justify the fact that everything under the sun has had an LSx swap (Yes, even the blender). What do you have to say about it?
That is a sweet truck, Gerardo. Even without the Viper motor. Personally, I would rather have it with the original motor also, V8 or I6.
I’m not so much a stickler for the original motor as I would prefer to have at least another motor from the same manufacturer. 1932 Ford Deuces with Chevy small blocks were understandable because the engine was lighter than the Y-block or the flathead and was seen to have more performance potential. My cousin built a ’40 Ford with an Oldsmobile J-2, another motor considered hotter than anything Ford was producing in its time.
But when the Windsor 260/289 came out, not to mention the 427 and 428, those should have become the engines of choice. Why would a non-Ford engine be unthinkable for a Mustang but still the standard for a deuce, a T-bucket or even one of these F-100’s?
The flathead motors had a rear oil sump (like the Chevy small block), but everything after the Y block all have a front sump.
So for the chassis that were designed for a rear sump, basically everything before 1955 roughly, the rear sump engines are a much easier installation. The SBC has a lot of performance advantages over the rear sump flatheads and the Y blocks at least were much heavier than the SBC.
Now, it’s become tradition, even though the proper (Bronco style) twin sump oil pans are available for rear sump chassis and have been for quite a long time. In fact, I’m still somewhat taken aback when I see a hot rod Ford with a modern Ford motor in it.
Yup give me an engine from the same mfg as the car you are putting it in. I’d be a lot more interested if it had a Lightning power plant or a Ford V10 if you really had the need for a different sound coming from the pipes.
I can see why people do engine swaps to older vehicles, though my idea of doing it usually involves replacing a seriously worn out or not rebuildable engine with another of the same type. When I had my ’67 Sport Fury, the engine swap was basically replace the rebuilt once already 318 and driven another 100k with a freshly rebuilt 318 from a smashed ’70 Fury III. At some point my ’79 St. Regis will get something similar. For a car like that, I’m more interested in keeping the old guy alive than numbers matching. It definitely has its battle scars and some rust and lots of patina. Some days I think I’d like it to at least be all the same colour.
Well, at least the dang thing fit without having to stretch the front end or move the cab further back.
And what’s the point of the picture of the Ricer? Why not put more pix of the Ford in the article?
I read the Civette’s story and it seemed fitting.
See the Corvette badge on the grille?
Speaking of stretching the front end, I know of a guy who had to do that to put a gas turbine in a Commer truck not a heap different to this F100. Not sure if he has finished yet, it is a lot of work.
> Well, at least the dang thing fit without having to stretch the front end or move the cab further back.
He did need to move the firewall back.
When’s the last time you saw a Civic doing a rear-wheel burnout?
I have a Horizon (Plymouth omni) that can do rear wheel burnouts.
We need pics!!!
Im all over the place on engine swaps. The short answer is that Im all for them. But that of course is in the hotrodders sense. Taking a ’57 Belair 2 dr h/t and swapping out that tired blue flame you mentioned for a warmed over SBC makes total sense. Swapping the craptacular 307 out of a mid 80s G-body coupe for that same hot SBC…bring it on. Those swaps make sense.
This cross-pollinated Ford on the other hand…. Im no fan of that. Im a Mopar fan and die hard (obviously) however swapping our engines into American iron of another breed doesn’t sit right with me. This same truck with a 429 CJ or a modern Coyote motor would be A-ok. Im ok with putting most ANY American engine into Japanese tin, as long as its an upgrade. A Toyota FJ-40 sporting a SBC…cool. Sporting a 305…not cool.
But one that really makes me want to slap the taste out of someones mouth is ANY chevy motor swapped into any Jeep. A BOP motor in a Kaiser era jeep sits ok with me, since Buick provided their 350 and odd fire V6 (by design at least) in those Jeeps. No problemo there. Since AMC Jeeps had perfectly good V8s that are its own breed, so why dirty up a Jeep with chevy filth? Some of the crappy engines Jeeps were ever saddled with were GM sourced. Iron Dukes in the CJs, and that 2.8 abomination in the XJ/MJ, anyone? Personally I think the only good use for the modern JK’s 3.8 minivan engine is a placeholder for a Hemi.
One swap I would love to see is 2 Chevy 454’s in a Prius. One up front, one out back! Aaaawwwww did that just offset every drop of gas saved by every other prius ever? Too bad, so sad! Bwaaahahaha!!!! Arent I just the worst?
Yeah, being a Kenosha diehard/apologist, it really frosts , me when i see a non-AMC motor in an AMC product. So many people just take what would seem the easy way out, when the money to make the transplant happen would pay for-and then some- the cost of building an AMC motor that will be better and keep the unique character of the car. Funny, because I usually don’t much care what people do to their cars.
That said, I loved seeing this…
This
…in this…
Now that’s a Metropolitan I can love!
OK, I would like to slip a Mazda 13B rotary in a Lotus Europa.
Generally I vote no. That truck doesn’t do anything for me, but the red rims were a clue that I wasn’t going to like it anyway.
Speaking of AMC engine swaps, I was in touch with an old friend of my Uncle’s and if you look here you’ll see a 62 Rambler Classic in the lead photo:
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/cars-of-a-lifetime/coup-cars-of-uncle-peter/
Which apparently had a Chevy 283 in it. Who knew?
You don’t like red steelies with polished hubcaps and wide whites? Wow. I’ve always considered that a “classic” look. But I’m far from a stock whell diehard either…
as of ’87 Im ok with Mopar power in AMCs. Its not ideal though.
I can appreciate a good engine swap, especially a newer engine into an older car. Modern engine technology can make old cars much more enjoyable and likely to be driven. An engine swap is often the easiest way to accomplish this. However, I would much rather see a car’s original engine updated with modern ignition systems and EFI than see the same chevy or ford small block swapped in its place. That being said, seeing a Viper V-10 installed in an old Ford pickup brings a big smile to my face. Definitely not something you see every day.
I’ve done several swaps – most were replacing with the same engine (only running). The two “upgrades” I did were the Buick 3.8l in my Vega (who can argue with that?) and a moderately hopped up 350 (yes, the ubiquitous SBC) in my ’66 Tempest 4-door sedan (replaced a dead OHC six). Both made sense at the time (to me, anyway).
No, just no
I want my swaps to at least somehow be relevant to the vehicle in question.
Old Flathead 6 Dodge? Stick a slant 6 in there.
Want new V8 power for your 50s Ford Truck? Make it a Modular motor or a Coyote 5.0 if you’ve got deep pockets.
Jaguar? How about a more modern inline 6 instead of the SBC?
Old V6 powered GM G-body coupe/sedan? Give it a RWD 3800 from a 2002-ish Camaro.
I’ve wondered if the GM Atlas inline 6 would fit in a Jag. Yes, I know it’s a truck engine, but a Jag is supposed to have a straight six. Just this time with 275 horsepower, and no marking of territory!
My brother put a 350 chevy into an XKE along with the trans. The owner was tired of paying to get the car fixed every month. Something different was always breaking. Also swapped out the wiring harness. All from a wrecked camaro
RWD 3800? Why?
Unless you’re strictly going for low-maintenance modern power, or trying to be different, it seems an odd choice. I’d go turbo 3.8 into a Regal, turbo 301 into a Pontiac (have to have patience and deep pockets to make that work), 350 Olds into a Cutlass, and the ubiquitous SBC makes all the sense in the world in a Malibu. It’s the way I’ll probably go with mine when I start that project, because there is precisely zero sense in reviving a 267. Not one of Chevy’s better efforts and there are literally no upgrades. The car is never going to be numbers matching so why keep a mediocre (at best) engine?
Because Chris M…
1. Relevance – any of those old V6 powered models had a 3.8 ltr Buick V6
2. Economy – shouldn’t be expensive to buy a used engine and the new fuel injected engine and more modern transmission would be very efficient while having 50 + more hp.
3. Dare to be Different – for the Buick/Oldsmobile/Pontiac versions it isn’t just “ANOTHER SBC.”
If this were my truck and the original power plant was toast, it would be getting a 300-six. Maybe the EFI version if I was feeling saucy!
I don’t really have any problem with engine swaps, provided they are creatively done. It’s frustrating when you go to car shows and every restomod or hot rod has a SBC. If you’re going to do up a car, at least do something original!
I would like to swap a Toyota 5.7 V8 into a classic American muscle car just to hear the purists scream
Funny you should mention that, I have often said I would like to put the Toyota V8 in an old Chevelle as a counter to the “put a SBC in everything- crowd!
How about that Toyota v8 into a Toyota Camry and turn it into a 2 door?
Nah, I’d rather put it into a Charger or Challenger to really screw with the Mopar guys 🙂 I would do everything possible to keep it a bolt-in arrangement though, so someone could put the correct powerplant back in if desired
or put it into an M-B 240D. Or a Jag sedan.
On a similar note, did you see that sweet
corvette v-8 stuffed into a Volvo 740 wagon
on Bring a Trailer? These are the kind of
swaps that really make sense.
I’m not a huge fan of swaps and modifications. Unless the whole vehicle can be modified as well, at least mechanically, electrically, etc. I like a vehicle that is as stock as possible.
That 1956 Ford pickup’s owner must be into creature comforts, too. He’s air-conditioned it, from the looks of the neatly-done plumbing through the still-rusty firewall.
There’s one common engine swap that I could really like. Take the original mini (get one that’s already been butchered and modified to excess) and put in a Yamaha R1 engine (or similar). You lose 70kg weight and gain a screaming 160hp motor. Added bonus is a sequential gearbox. Kts here: http://www.lynxae.co.uk/Products-MiniR1.htm
I don’t think they would make a good daily driver or be easy in heavy traffic, but would be an absolute blast on the twisty back roads.
How does the gearing work out on those, I gather that can be an issue along with clutch/bearing durability in a vehicle 3-4 times the weight of what it was intended for. Not that you would be doing a huge mileage, or willing to make compromises!
Someone did that with a Smartfortwo. It tore up the streets in the Utube vidio.
I was wondering about the durability as well, but this is a popular conversion for racing, and nothing finds weaknesses better than hammering a car round a track. I guess you can get plenty of race-strength R1 parts that would help durability as well. Still, can’t see it making a reliable daily driver.
So going back to the QOTD, I can’t really get excited about engine swaps. Growing up in the UK, it wasn’t really a thing that happened very much, and even now I think I would prefer to see the stock engine in a car. Somehow though, much as I love the little A-series engine, nothing gets me going quite like swapping somthing stupid into a mini. I’m currently waiting for the next instalment of project Blinky, where they’re stuffing the full drivetrain from a 4WD Celica GT4 turbo into a mini… https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLGSOZAHg1yQHU1tc_3Y5MTQg1qjtxA_nq
Way back in time Ford Kent pre crossflow 1500s were shoehorned into Minis for racing using the stock bonnet 140hp they were fast.
I would be interested in a cabin shot as that looks like it has AC in it and that was not even an option for that truck back in the day.
Anything that keeps the interest in old cars, and thus old cars alive is fine with me.
That is just sick. And I mean that in the old fashion way; they’re sick if they think they can even get half the hp out of that engine to hook up with the road. I know from experience. My dad gave me a 1954 Ford pickup, that looked pretty much like this one but was in good shape, for graduating from Vietnam in 1970. The weak and worn out 239ci V8 had been replaced by a ’57 312 thunderbird engine with just a 2bl carburetor on it, but that was enough hp and torque to fry the 7.00X16 narrow bias ply tires for blocks if that was your inclination. The truck was not that fast off the line due to it’s not hooking up till second gear, but I do remember beating a 383 Chrysler New Yorker with it from a rolling start. My friends and I had too much fun with it burning up a set of rear tires the summer I got out, but a right angle 15mph corner surprised me out in the country and even though I was only doing about 30 mph it turned over on it’s side. Have you ever looked out your open window and seen the pavement going by? It’s a little disconcerting. That truck was the tipsiest thing I’ve ever driven. It would come up on two wheels just going around a 35mph corner keeping up with traffic. Luckily no one was hurt in the truck and was not that damaged, but when I was in town trying to get help to tow it home the highway patrol came by and had a wrecker tip the truck back on it’s wheels, only they rolled it over the cab, crushing it. I really was sad to see that truck go to the junk yard, but it was dangerous to drive. I think engine swaps should be done with in reason, but now days more power is the answer most of the time. That Viper engine looks like it is worth more than the rest of the truck.
Engine swap was the first thing I thought when I saw that old Plymouth.
If I were to shoe-horn in a more powerful engine in an older car – and I would like to – I would want to be discreet about it. I like the idea of a sleeper. No flowmasters or fancy wheels to advertise what lies beneath, just plenty of quiet, self-confident, power on tap.
I have this sicko idea of building a SRT-4 engine/transaxle up to the nines and dropping it into a 2 door K car…..
Better yet, an early SWB minivan with fake wood!
That would be awesome
I left my Tempest bone stock on the outside, right down to the original wheels and hubcaps. Quiet exhaust, too. Surprised quite a few folk with it.
Some day I will get a Volvo 245 and put an sbc in it.
I was going do a 4.3 swap into my 245, but didn’t.
This was the ticket to ride (745, not a 245)…
http://tinyurl.com/nsau6cd
A very smart idea is to keep a CC on the road as a daily driver by swapping a modern high-efficiency engine in place of the old gas hog. Our standard example is the CC “Eco-Boost” Edsel (CC here). It’s a very clean ’59 Edsel Ranger with a $200 1988 Ford 2.3 liter turbo four under the hood. Lost several hundred pounds and doubled the gas mileage with better performance.
The SBC in everything is a stale cliche and should be stopped. Engine swaps should have some significance to the recipient car and achieve something useful.
My favorite oddball classic would be the Berkeley that I saw in Portland that had its asthmatic Villiers 2 stroke replaced by a Honda CB550 4.
Unfortunately it’s been replaced by the LSx-in-everything swap.
I’m generally against engine swaps but agree with principaldan that keeping it in the same family and style of engine helps. That said all systems need to be upgraded to bring some balance to the car. I once test drove a 67 mustang fastback at a classic car dealer that had a 351 Cleveland engine swap and it was hugely powerful but the slow manual steering and terrible brakes scared me to death! Instead I bought a 1966 Mustang GT (that may have been a clone despite an appraisal and certificate of authenticity) that was properly done with a 289 4valve engine and the fast ratio steering and good brakes, as well as an aftermarket front strut tower brace. It wasn’t super fast but it was very fun to drive!
“That doesn’t explain or justify the fact that everything under the sun has had an LSx swap”
Money talks. The LS engine family is cheap easy power in a light and relatively compact package with great aftermarket support.
I do prefer more interesting swaps though. Like a Detroit 3-53T in a CJ7 or Cadillac 4.9 into a Lumina, that’s neat.
The guy in the “Rat Rod” that has a Nailhead or Poly Hemi will get more of my attention than the guy with the 5.0 or tree fiddy as well. If you’re going to get weird go big or go home.
“Detroit 3-53T in a CJ7 ”
I like it!
Id like to see a flatfender Willys Jeep with a 2.5L Chrysler engine out of a Dakota(already set for rwd) and fit with all the TII bits to make it a turbo. The usual turbo tuning to make it a 4 banger with ballz would be one hell of a dune runner or mud bogger.
I’ve always dreamed of building a “long rod” 2.2 TII for a toy. After 7 years I still miss my turbo Omnis.
This truck annoys me somehow. I admire the look of the truck, but putting that Viper engine in that truck is just wrong, wrong, wrong. They do not go together in any way. I am not opposed to engine swaps, but either keep it in the manufacturer’s family, or keep it appropriate to the purpose of the vehicle, and ideally both:
Consider that truck with an 6.7 liter Ford powerstroke diesel….
Now THAT would be cool.
I’m with you. Put that Viper motor in a ’48 Plymouth.
Or a Cummins 6BT.
everything is so right with that truck, I love it.
There is no shortage of 50s Ford trucks in the classic car world; there are plenty of factory original restorations, hot rods and even original survivors to go around. Friends, variety is good.
Personally, the most exotic engine swaps Ive ever done have been a couple of /6 to V8 conversions; nothing sexy like that truck, just factory bolt in parts, but I would like to put a late model Hemi drivetrain in a classic Mopar at some point.
Im not opposed to the LS craze that’s happening today; if I were building something GM based and needed a lot of power cheap, that’s the route I would go. Like someone said, whatever it takes to keep the classics on the road.
I like it. The only way ito improve a Ford is to put a Mopar in it. Too many people put in the SBC as there are lots of parts that are available (because the junk that they start with really needs the help) I put a Chrysler 360 v8 into my little Plymouth TC-3. It was less expensive than putting in a turbo engine when the first engine (VW 1.7 l) blew up. It is fun to drive and has lots of power. 26 mpg isn’t too bad for fuel economy. Make the car the way YOU want it not the way everyone else does it.
“The only way ito improve a Ford is to put a Mopar in it.
F@#%ed
Over
Rebuilt
Dodge
” I put a Chrysler 360 v8 into my little Plymouth TC-3.”
Now THATS a car Id like to own!
It’s a blast to drive. Photos of it are in Mopar Action, April 2000 I think
It took me a while to see how to put in the photos. This is an old photo prior to the recent paint job and Edelbrock Al heads
Wow…fits really well in there. Who’d have thought? I guess there was a lot of custom fab work though to convert from FWD to RWD…
Much better than the original engine!
There is a lot of custom sheet metal and frame work involved, but I tried to use as many stock componants as possible. Mopar sold a kit to do this, but it only included the stuff for the front and you had to supply the suspension parts and brakes. All that other stuff was expensive and the kit was $2500. I used a stock Fox mustang front end which was cheap and I knew there always be parts available.
And I prefer swaps that make the vehicle more usable, not less. My ’83 Ford Ranger 4×4 longbed originally had the 2.3L 4 banger and 4 speed tranny. Miserable it was. Just awful. Swapped in a 302 V8 and C4 auto, along with a 9″ axle with Explorer disc brakes. Engine back in ’91, axle in ’97. Love it, can actually haul stuff and tow now. And as reliable as a stock truck. And thanks to Ford putting the 302 in the Explorer, it is an even easier swap to do today, than when I did it 20yrs ago. Still have it, and in fact, drive it daily now.
Buddy of mine’s putting a Cummins 4BT in a stretched ’92 Ranger. When I say stretched it’s now a Supercab long bed 🙂 .
Meh. Engine swaps never made sense to me without updating the transmission. Who wants to go through all the hassle of something like that and still have only 3 forward gears (or less)?
I’d much rather swap out the tranny in a classic car than an engine. With an extra gear or two, why not try to wring a bit more oomph out of the mill that’s there instead of killing the character of the car by fitting in something boring and ubiquitous like a 351 Windsor or 350 Chevy small blozzzzzzz….
….sorry. I fell asleep mid-thought, that’s how boring those engines are to me.
Funny you should mention you would rather swap the tranny than the engine. Back in ’96, I rebuilt the 283 in a beautiful, garage kept, ’57 Chev Bel-Air, 4 door (not a hardtop, sadly) that the owners grandma bought new. A few months later I built and installed a THM350 in place of the Flowerglide for him. And man, what a difference. And thanks to Danchuk, you can do this without altering a single part of the car except the driveshaft, which he didn’t want to do, so I just had a whole new one made for him. He kept all the original parts, as you might assume. I should dig out the pictures I took and post them….
Do we even know what the inside of the truck looks like? If the person took the time to pop a Viper engine in complete with fuel injection and also added A/C in a vehicle that never came with it in the first place, I think this person would have addressed the trans issue. For all we know it might have a Viper trans and rear in it complete with a custom drive shaft.
Those super-clean wheels are probably a clue that the entire
suspension has been changed out to handle that engine.
If I don’t sell the car first, I’ve got a freshly rebuilt and mildly warmed over Chevy 305 smallblock ready to go into my engineless ’65 Buick Skylark convertible project.
In my case the swap makes perfect sense. The car was purchased with no drivetrain, and the original engine was nothing to brag about. Just a Buick “Fireball 300” V8 with a 2-barrel carb hooked to a Powerglide.
The engine was readily available ( friend’s backyard ) and I got it for a song.
This is the car that 305 is going in:
Opinions are like uh…. armpits. Everyone has one. Everyone also probably has an sbc that he put in something. I am for virtually anything that improves the function of a car and lets it be a dd or competition car for an extended time.
Having said that, however, I think the unusual swap is best. Have a friend who put a 302 ford in his S10. He will likely soon put a Nissan VG30 and auto into an 87 hardbody that never came with one. Should be able to go out and hunt for vettes and other fast stuff.
As always YMMV.
Yeah, but Gerardo asked for our armpits – sorry, opinions.
Only ones that consistently bug me are SBCs. Everyone who defends them on the grounds of cost has obviously never bothered pricing out the alternatives. There are many other engines that are as cheap, plentiful and upgradeable. LSx Engines I’m ok with though, at least they have technology that can provide some actual driveability benefits over the outgoing engines usually. It’s really been in a class of it’s own for quite a while since it still has fairly large displacement and ergo low end compared to many modern (Ford Modular) V8 alternatives, Hemis notwithstanding.
I also didn’t like the Mustang with the ricer engine in one of the F&F movies. That sound doesn’t belong on that body.
I have to agree. Yes there are lots of aftermarket parts for the SBC, but they are all expensive. Why not use what you have and improve it. The most important part is the head. Learn to port.
Agree with you on the LS engine, the OHC Fords are so much bulkier that it makes a real difference even before you consider cost and aftermarket support. A few guys are putting them in Fords over here – some people like it and some don’t. There was one Falcon GT replica that got noses out of joint because it ‘should have’ a 351C in it. But the guy wanted a track car and when you consider the hp per $ and the weight advantage it is easy to see why he went that way.
There are a few guys putting in a modern Falcon 4.0 Turbo engines in Mustangs (as well as many other things), would that be any better because it is a Ford engine descended from what the car the originally came with?
I was at a classic car auction last spring. There was an AC Cobra kit car there with a SBC in it. I bet that annoyed some purists.
What a coinkydink, Hooniverse is having a discussion right now on acceptable candidates for an SBC swap.
FWIW, I think any swap is fine as long as it’s the largest-displacement boat anchor in that same company’s lineup, bored out until the cylinder walls are so thin you can see the pistons moving behind them 😛
Having done a couple of same make to same make engine swaps over the years, I believe the best reason is to upgrade the vehicle with something more modern. I have mentioned this before, even with a same to same swap, it’s not all plug and play. Getting stuff to fit and things to work right, even using all factory parts for cars that are supposed to use the same equipment will leave you scratching your head occasionally. I had a wonderful time (sarcasm) sliding a Windsor SBF into my 1974 Maverick back in the day. We still fabbed a few things that we thought for sure wouldn’t be necessary.
That said, I also enjoy unusual swaps like the Viper motor into the F100. These are the kinds of things that make the hobby a delight for all of us. I have no problem with a Chevy motor in whatever body. I would argue you can’t get a better bang for buck than a SBC in anything. There are multiple kits to swap SBCs into almost any kind of car. Additionally, there is so much knowledge out there on how to fix and mod SBCs and the parts are (generally) cheaper and more abundant. Investigate all you want, but the times that I’ve compared, the SBC was less expensive for more power.
I would love to own a Porsche 928, but I understand the car is something of a maintenance nightmare. SBC to the rescue. Same with certain Jaguars, and Mazda RX-7s. Its a characteristic you can’t ignore when a LSx motor is lighter and more powerful than a turbo rotary. Another car I’d like to have is an early 70’s AMC Javelin. But the AMC motors really don’t rev well (in stock form). But I’m reasonably sure I can build a high revving SBC with a far greater selection of parts and less money than I could a comparable AMC motor. There’s a reason why so many folks do a SBC swap, it makes sense. If BMW made a motor that was as powerful, light, durable and (relatively) inexpensive as a SBC, everyone would be selling kits to swap in BMW motors into your 1932 Ford.
Hate all you like, but the facts are facts. You may think it’s a lack of creativity or funds when using a SBC in a car, but sometimes you just want it to work and get the job done.
Everything can be improved by swapping in a big block Mopar…. okay, maybe not everything. 🙂 Fortunately, my big old Chryslers came stock with big blocks, so I can just swap-in larger displacement big blocks. 🙂
The Ford p/u with Viper V10 swap seems wrong, as in they just don’t go together. However, if it was a case if old-school hot-rodder ingenuity, making use of what you have at hand, then I guess it’s OK.
Wildest swap job I’ve ever seen was a stretched-nose ’32 Ford roadster with a Marmon V16 in it.
I have to ask, what did the Marmon get?
That’s definitely late-40’s/early-50’s. Back when almost nobody was collecting antique cars, and things like a Marmon V-16 were nothing more than an unsellable beater.
I kind of like oddball swaps, so that truck works for me. I do tend to like staying “in the family” so I think I’d like it even better with a Coyote or a Powerstroke…but that Viper mill is certainly a head-turner.
SBC in anything that isn’t a Chevy is a party foul though. Yes, it does “just work” and there’s a lot to be said for that, but it just seems wrong in most cases. Taking something unique like a Jag V12 or a Porsche V8 and replacing it with an SBC, though it makes the car more usable, is kind of a shame. Better than it not being driven, I guess.
I’m one to talk as I’ll be looking for an incredibly un-imaginative 350 to put into my Malibu. But considering it was an option on the wagon and El Camino, it’s very close to correct. If I had money to burn I’d do a 427 or a 6.2 LS instead, but there’s no denying some options are more cost-effective than others.
I’m clearly a bit of an oddball here. My interest in old cars is 90% appearance. If it looks factory with the hood closed, put anything you like underneath. 🙂
One swap I’d love to do is a Ford V10 in a Town Car. The only sticking point is the intake. Since they only put the V10 in trucks the intake is too tall to fit under the hood and I wouldn’t want a hood scoop or blister on the hood. A custom intake would be required. since the bulk of the factory intake is ABS I guess 3D printing one is an option but that would be very very expensive because it would eat up a ton of support material in addition to the massive amount of ABS. The other problem is the threaded inserts to mount the fuel rails and intake elbow.
Surely a cut and shut (glue) of a pair of V8 manifolds would work?
Well part of the problem is that there is no car, ie low profile intake for the 5.4 in the US, though I understand that they have them down under for the 3v version which of course is the one to use.
I may be wrong but I dont think they did anything locally to the 5.4 3v, although I suppose that doesnt exclude a special manifold being installed in the factory.
A few years ago Hot Rod magazine had pictures of a 90s Mercury GM with a V10 that had twin turbos. I don’t recall seeing any hood scoops or blisters. I wrote the magazine editor if they were going to do a feature on the car and he responded that they had intended to do one but the owner/builder sold the car shortly after the event where the car had been photographed.
I personally think a diesel swap in a Pinto would be neat. A Cummins 4BT seems like just the ticket. Or, along similar lines, I’d like to follow in the footsteps of our trusty mechanic and drop a 4BT in our 49 Dodge pickup.
Cummins B engines are quite tall. I’ve heard of people making custom shorty oil pans to get them to sit lower. I was wondering about angling the engine (like a Mopar slant-6) to get the height down.
Sure custom intake and exhaust manifolds would be required, and new linkages, but doable. Another potential problem I can think of would be excessive oil pooling somewhere in the head or block instead of draining back to the crankcase. Of course you’d need to reclock it where it mates to the transmission bellhousing.
Like all things, I’m sure it is doable, if money is no object. It sure would be unique if you could pull it off.
I’d like 1 2.3L EcoBoost from a ’15 Mustang swapped into a Pinto. That would be a screamer!
Man oh man, THAT would be the ultimate sleeper, especially in wagon form.
Here’s a ’69 Camaro with a 4BT we covered: https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/the-only-1969-camaro-four-cylinder-with-a-cummins-diesel-no-less/
Notice he put a big bulge in the hood to accommodate the height of this mill. Looks like it was converted to use the P7100 injection pump too. I don’t believe that the 4BT was ever updated to use that pump.
BTW, you got the link wrong, Paul.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/blog/the-only-1969-camaro-four-cylinder-with-a-cummins-diesel-no-less/
Whoops; look before you paste…
If it makes the car run, and the owner happy, put whatever you want in it.
I’ve never understood all the hate on sbcs. Tho a Ford fan, for as long as I can remember, it’s always been “sure, you can get as much horsepower out of a sbf as you can out of sbc, but it’s going to cost you twice as much”. The sbc is a good, reliable motor, you can find literally millions of inexpensive parts to make it go fast. Walk thru any fair sized junkyard and you’ll find sbcs with performance parts on them for a song, sbf? rare, amc? can’t remember the last time I saw any. The argument that you can make a sbf as cheap as a sbc doesn’t work when you actually start spending your OWN $$$ on it. Building an AMC motor? Good luck finding performance parts (yeah yeah, I know they’re out there, but you’ll pay thru the nose). Honestly, I think MoPar, not Ford, is in 2nd place for abundant cheap performance parts.
Sure, it’s nice to see the unique and unusual swaps, but really, most people want the car done, in a reasonable amount of time, for a reasonable amount of money. AND they want it to run, and be reliable. You can hardly beat an sbc for that combination.
I’ve seen a 460 Ford in a Crosley wagon (one scary ride), Olds Toronado drivetrain in the bed of a scamp (original engine still in the front and operational). So I do have a love for the really off the wall. But it’s sometimes a question of do what you need to get it on the road.
My opinion? YOU start paying for other people’s cars/engines, and then you can tell them what to do with it. I just love to see the old iron on the road, no matter what’s under the hood.
Oh, and the subject Ford with the Viper motor? Love it!
“My opinion? YOU start paying for other people’s cars/engines, and then you can tell them what to do with it. I just love to see the old iron on the road, no matter what’s under the hood.”
I couldn’t agree more with you.
Wish we had a like button.
back in the classic hot rodding era any ohv v8 you could lay your hands on (Olds, Caddy, Hemi) were routinely stuck into whatever old Ford you happened to have.
Growing up, I heard many stories of 30’s Fords with Oldsmobile engines, Studillacs, Chevy powered Jeeps, and other swaps. Sometimes they were swaps of convenience, other times it was just young guys playing with cars.
There were three brothers who lived down our street who played with cars. They usually had at least three or four “projects” ongoing at any one time. One car I vividly remember was the small block Chevy powered MG Midget. I was maybe 5 or 6 years old one of the brothers took me for a cruise around the block. I think it was the first time I can remember being scared of a car due to the noise and the speed, although we probably didn’t exceed 45 MPG in that thing. But we got to 45 very, very quickly. And noisily… (open exhausts)
I got over it and came back for more. One of my other neighbors had a ’32 5 window, with a 283. THAT was a fun ride. Our neighborhood gas station had a couple of different mid 50’s Chevys they raced at the local 1/8 mile dragstrip. Another guy down the road had a 1949 Ford F1 with a Corvette motor in it.
Now that I think about it, I was around a lot of hardware when I was a young kid…
“I had not taken my foot off the gas pedal, and it was *killing* people,”
Bill Cosby, “200 MPH”
Or: “I had not taken my foot off the gas pedal, and it was raping women”
Sorry, couldn’t resist.
‘Now I know why they make seat belts, the ambulance driver is too lazy to look for the body’.
Go to my nephews web site. On it you can see the 66 Mustang that my brother and I build in the 80’s. 8 sec quarters, street car, passed emmissions. Great fun to drive. Google Swarrauto.com
Yep. It’s trendy now to build hot rods with blinged-up flatheads. My understanding of “back in the day” is that anybody that could afford to would swap in an OHV V8.
If I was building a hot rod with exposed engine, I would want one that looks nice. Some engines just look nicer than others to me. I like the looks of a Buick Nailhead, Chevy 409, or 1st gen Hemi.
Just remember, Anybody can restore an old car, it takes a real man to cut one up and make a hotrod out of it.
It all depends on what you want to achieve with the car, as well as whether it’s seriously collectible or not. Being situated in Europe but with love of US-made vehicles I could easily envisage something like an early Valiant with the Fiat V6 diesel and a 6sp behind it. 240 hp (or much more if you decide to chip it) and 30-35 MPG, with 140 MPH top speed so as to make those long trips bearable… Of course, by the time you finish there will be disc brakes and uprated suspension all round to ensure it does not fly off the road.
I agree. Always upgrade when something breaks. I just put edelbrock AL heads on my Mopar 360 when the stock ones cracked. It cut another 50 or so pounds off the front end. The car is down to abou 2500 pounds, close to what it weighed when it was built with an anemic VW 1.7 liter 4 cyl. On my old 66 Dart GT, when the front frame rotted out, it got a tubular one with disc brakes, rack and pinion steering, and McPherson front suspension. It stopped way better than the factory brakes ever did.
I’d like to see someone do something the other way eg an early A series 848cc into a Porsche Cayenne.
Hehehe
There’s a yellow 1970 Coronet that I see at local car shows. The owner has made it into a Super Bee clone, but the engine is a 1st gen (1950s) Hemi. It probably fools a lot of people who don’t know better.
I also saw a car from the 60’s where they swapped in a Ford flathead just to be different. I don’t remember the details of that one.
Nah, go with the A30’s 803cc. Even more gutless.
The Viper motor swap is neat purely on the basis of uniqueness, but beyond that it’s just plain silly. I’d much rather see the original straight six or Y block.
If it was my truck and I had to do a swap, it would be a later ford 250 straight six with a crossflow head, twin carbs, and a smooth flowing exhaust system, but that’s just my opinion.
I’m not really against engine swaps, but when it comes to classics I ALWAYS value originality over custom work, regardless of how pedestrian or mundane the original car may be. If you want a car that drives like a modern one, you’re better off just buying a modern one. Preserving a car’s authentic driving experience is just as important as preserving the authenticity of it’s appearance.
Looking at the outside of that truck, it was a basket case only worthy of the scrapyard. Sometimes those old blocks are hard to find or overpriced. Just as well to uprade to what ever was sitting around.
Engine swaps drive me nuts, I love some, hate others, and am usually pissed off by what’s done currently. I’ll admit, I do have a few hard core standards:
1. How rare is the car? Any pre-WWII car of an orphan make should ONLY be restored to original in my eyes. Period. If the brand still exists, tread carefully, because you’re still cutting up a rare car, most likely.
2. Conversely, anything that was hot-rodded back in the day (50’s, 60’s, 70’s) should be restored to the original hot rod build. A 1950’s hot rod is every bit the important antique as an original 1950’s automobile.
3. I detest resto-rods. Either restore the car to original, or modify it into a full-blown hot rod. And while drivetrain upgrades bug me, dropping an old body on what is essentially a modern car really pisses me off. If I see an antique, upon close inspection, I want to see a real antique.
4. If you’re going to build a modified car, try to not use original bodies. There’s enough fiberglass parts out there to do a perfect replica, without ruining it for someone who wants to restore a car to original.
5. And above all . . . . . an antique car restored to factory original is preferable to ANYTHING else. Second place will be a hot rod restored to the original builder’s specs.
If I didn’t know better, I’d think that Gerardo posted this just to get you all riled-up, Syke. 😉
Just remember, anybody can restore an old car but it takes a real man to cut one up.
I’m a engine-matching-the-make kinda guy myself, at least when feasible. If I had the $$$ right now I’d be putting a Coyote in my ’78 Fairmont but for now I’m going to “settle” 🙂 on a 347 stroker SBF.
I’m not as surprised as some people to see the engine swap in a 56 Ford pickup. When I was fooling around with cars quite a bit in the 1960’s and 1970’s I would swear that about half of the 56 Ford pickups I saw had Cad or Olds V8’s or Chrysler hemis under their hoods.
I’ve always loved the looks of the 56 Ford pickup, especially with the wrap-around rear window, but the gimp hood hinges and door hardware and the ugly instrument panel always deterred me from actually owning one.
If it had all the body work fixed and a decent paint job, I would like it a lot more. It still would be a killer sleeper.
I really don’t get why anyone cares what kind of engine is swapped into what kind,of car.
I mean….who cares if a Chevy engine is put into a Ford or a V8 is put into something that had a six?
Not my thing but I couldn’t care less if someone did it. It’s their vehicle.
I agree. Mutts are often better than purebreds.
Comment of the Day award, Jason.
While I’d most appreciate a late-model Ford engine…I respect what this swapper has done. And…it’s their F-100.
For my $$, and having already performed a successful TPI conversion on our family’ s ’89 Caprice wagon – which went on to another 130,000 happy and reliable miles – it’s automatically LS power and overdrive when I redo my ’57 Chevy Handyman. More smiles and less cost per mile.
I took pictures of that same Ford at the F100 Supernationals in 2007.
Engine…
Saw a 5.9 Cummins in a Galaxie at the Turkey Rod Run in Daytona last weekend. Pretty surprising…
Engine…
Subaru WRX motor in a Jowett Javelin. They’re both flat fours.
I went the opposite direction with my car. My 83 Cutlass Supreme came from the factory with a chevy 305 and I swapped it out for an olds 350. how it should have been in the first place.
The ‘ Blue Flame ‘ was a 235…..
FWIW , 216’s & 235’s are cheap and plentiful as the Hot Rodders yank them out and toss aside unwanted .
They’re easy to uncork power wise to but not long lived when you do .
This is a nice old truck .
I’d never do this and I bet I put more miles on my rigs in a week than this Ford does over a month but whatever floats yer boat I guess .
One comment : ‘anyone can do a Restoration but it takes a Man to cut one up’ ~ dead wrong .
Restoration works is at least 2 X as hard as Hot Rodding . , if you’ve ever done either , you’d know this .
-Nate
Well, I never needed Engine swaps for my car. Mine are working well from last 2 years. And also for my old car, all goes well till we have sold it.
How about the big group of engine swappers NASCAR. They basically put different engines into the same body.