'72 torino motor swap

I have a '72 Torino with a 351C/FMX drivetrain. Does anyone know if there would be any issues or major problems putting a 390/C6 combo in this car?

yeah, figure out what to do for mounts, the rest shouldn't be too bad. just curious, why a 390? do you have one lying around just looking for a new home???

over the years there've been a couple FE's in the intermediate chassis, one is a member here and maybe a few I've seen on ebay / for sale

but no one has ever nailed down what the mounts are

what's the reason for wanting to do this swap?

Edited by Rockatansky - 09-February-2014 at 9:43AM

On motor mounts, there are 2 ways to go about it.
About 1968, some cars with 390s got an option for 429s the 390 2 piece mounts and the 429 2 piece mounts used the same insulator half. The metal block bracket for the 429 was used thru 1972 in torino and thunderbird. there is a corresponding 390/FE block side mount that has the 2 holes at the ends, and will mate with a 429/460 motor mount. These are apparently rare nowadays.
Your other option is to make them yourself. I would start with a truck mount and make a bracket that sits on the frame, or adapt the frame side of a small-block mount. You would end up with something that looks very much like the crites mounts for a 429/460 swap into these cars.

Ah-Ha!

so it ~is~ theoretically a bolt in deal, let's hook this up!

70/71 429 Torino brackets are different than 72/up.  The angle is different.

now I'm wondering if the 390 oil pan profile will clear the crossmember?

the 390 pan sump is longer than what I'm used to seeing in there but being a different engine family I have no idea what the geography would look like with the motor in position in the chassis

390 'stud type' mounts are $5 at summit, all that would be needed is to fab a saddle bracket over the crossmember?

On the torino, the front suspension is basically 1965 galaxie. The engine mount setup is different to sink the engine deeper in the car to allow a lower hoodline (NASCAR aspirations, also why the frame is channeled in the body and the frame is fully boxed)
Oil pan for a 65-68 fullsize ford will work fine
Same with exhaust.
Use a C6 trans (FE pattern) and driveshaft and shift linkages for torino.
Mounts will have to be sorted, and will affect shroud, hood clearance.
Throttle link can come off the torino.
Kickdown for a fullsize 66-68 FE and C6 should work.
Radiator and hoses may take some work. These engines had a tank in the upper radiator hose in fullsize cars and torinos dus to the fact that it's a TALL engine and the top of the engine water jacket was above the top of the radiator.
I THINK the engine side FE mount that would fit a (nearly unobtainable)429/460 insulator is from 1968 thunderbird.

Edited by Big Bird - 10-February-2014 at 10:47AM

daniel53f100 wrote: My brother has a really hot 390 in a 1970 ford pickup that was totalled in a tornado 2 years ago. That's why I am inquiring about the swap, just to see what I might be getting myself into.

stanman wrote:   Tornado, not Toranado!!

It all makes sense now!

you guys are Killin Me

that's pretty much what I was trying to explain, find a std available mount that bolts to the block, then fab a stand that saddles the crossmember. here's some pics I grabbed while nobody was lookin

Daniel might even have something to work with on the block already?

block pass side



block driver side



Cougar? block plates



2 bolt $5 mount



3 bolt mount

oh come on.. the olds big block v-8 was pretty cool.. what was it called?? the Rocket I think. The FEs really need to be built to be built. At least the Olds had a few more cubes on it.  Nothing beats the Cadillac 500ci though. No replacement for displacement.. oh wait..... 

I would keep the FMX, While it has a sh*tty 2:40 to 1 first gear unlike a C4 junk or C6 it is the cast iron bulletproof  do reverse drops all day and never blow it up. You cannot blow up a FMX.......

as far as GM goes... Olds is a solid platform until you get into the late model 307 BS. lots of durability problems with the Buick design, head gaskets, oil pumps & cam bearings but I like the way they run before they get whipped out. a long time ago while I was between Fords I picked up a 80 Camaro in need, the PO & his 'mechanic' had screwed up at least 3 sbc's & were in the process of rigging a Buick 350/350 combo from a 72 Skylark into it. they had a foot of allthread through the chevy V6 frame pads and the Buick insulators. the fan was into the hood latch & the tail was barely on the crossmember out of position. they were gonna get a longer driveshaft...

luckily the Skylark was still there! I yanked the frame pads & placed them in the insulators, then set the trans & crossmember back where it belonged with the stock driveshaft in place & tightened the trans mount, the Buick fram pads were about 1/2 off the crossmember. nothing a couple of 1/2 thick mild steel plates won't fix

I drilled & tapped the plates for the Buick frame pads & leveled the engine in the bay, marked the holes up through the crossmember & drilled / tapped those. done deal the stock radiator went back in & the rest of the extra parts came out of the back seat. I can't remember where the Pontiac rallye's came from but they worked, blem T/A radials, Z hood scoop cut open for the 8" chrome cleaner on the custom built 2GC... I mixed & matched boosters & everything else until I had the smoothest running morphadite! my trans builder buddy built up what he used to call a 'snot locker' that trans would hit 2nd & put the car sideways if you were barely into it. LOTS of line pressure & no accumulator springs or waves, I wonder if he pinned the gov too?

alright enough of that crap


Edited by Rockatansky - 10-February-2014 at 9:04PM

Rockatansky wrote: as far as GM goes... Olds is a solid platform until you get into the late model 307 BS. lots of durability problems with the Buick design, head gaskets, oil pumps & cam bearings but I like the way they run before they get whipped out. a long time ago while I was between Fords I picked up a 80 Camaro in need, the PO & his 'mechanic' had screwed up at least 3 sbc's & were in the process of rigging a Buick 350/350 combo from a 72 Skylark into it. they had a foot of allthread through the chevy V6 frame pads and the Buick insulators. the fan was into the hood latch & the tail was barely on the crossmember out of position. they were gonna get a longer driveshaft... luckily the Skylark was still there! I yanked the frame pads & placed them in the insulators, then set the trans & crossmember back where it belonged with the stock driveshaft in place & tightened the trans mount, the Buick fram pads were about 1/2 off the crossmember. nothing a couple of 1/2 thick mild steel plates won't fix I drilled & tapped the plates for the Buick frame pads & leveled the engine in the bay, marked the holes up through the crossmember & drilled / tapped those. done deal the stock radiator went back in & the rest of the extra parts came out of the back seat. I can't remember where the Pontiac rallye's came from but they worked, blem T/A radials, Z hood scoop cut open for the 8" chrome cleaner on the custom built 2GC... I mixed & matched boosters & everything else until I had the smoothest running morphadite! my trans builder buddy built up what he used to call a 'snot locker' that trans would hit 2nd & put the car sideways if you were barely into it. LOTS of line pressure & no accumulator springs or waves, I wonder if he pinned the gov too? alright enough of that crap

It is looking like many of us have some form of ADHD and quite keep focused on the original plan!!